Woman of the Year
Encyclopedia
Woman of the Year is a romantic comedy film. The movie is about an emancipated woman, chosen "Woman of the Year", and her colleague-turned-husband and their efforts to negotiate a path to marital bliss.
The film stars Spencer Tracy
and Katharine Hepburn
with Fay Bainter
, Reginald Owen
, Minor Watson
and William Bendix
. It was directed by George Stevens
, produced by Joseph L. Mankiewicz
and written by Ring Lardner Jr.
and Michael Kanin
(his brother Garson Kanin
thought up the original idea and worked with Katharine Hepburn
along with brother Michael and Lardner on the early drafts, without credit.) The music score was by Franz Waxman
and the cinematography by Joseph Ruttenberg
. The art direction was by Cedric Gibbons
and Randall Duell
and the costume design by Adrian
.
Woman of the Year won an Academy Award
for Best Writing, Original Screenplay and was nominated for Best Actress in a Leading Role
. In 1999, this film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry
by the Library of Congress
as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".
& Katharine Hepburn
) are journalists for the same New York newspaper in the early 1940s. Tess, the daughter of a diplomat (Minor Watson
), is an internationally inclined political affairs columnist, a polyglot
educated in various prestigious European universities who has traveled the world (based on reporter Dorothy Thompson
). Meanwhile, Sam is an everyman sportswriter who worked his way up.
A feud in their columns, over baseball, develops into romance, love, and marriage, despite their different backgrounds and worlds. When Sam invites her on a date to a baseball game, Tess inadvertently breaks the "men only" atmosphere of the press box, and is initially confused and unfamiliar with the rules of the sport, before enjoying herself and befriending other spectators.
After Sam and Tess marry, a conflict arises over Tess's priorities and Sam's place in her life. They have several minor disagreements, but a bigger problem occurs when Tess is coerced to take on the care of a Greek refugee child Chris (George Kezas) without having a chance to consult Sam. When Sam initially believes Tess is pregnant with their child, he is thrilled, but upon meeting Chris, he is at first unconvinced about taking on an unrelated orphan with whom he cannot even communicate. Still, he tries to befriend the boy as much as he can, and introduces him to sports.
Tess learns that she has received the award of "Woman of the Year", to be given to her at a fancy ceremony. That evening, Sam wonders who will be looking after the boy, and is unsatisfied with her answer of "I'll ask one of the elevator boys to look in on him." Sam decides to stay home to look after Chris. Tess is upset—she wants him to be beside her on her big night, and is embarrassed at the thought that the public will wonder where he is. Sam says she can tell everyone he had more important plans, and Tess accidentally offends him by asking whether anyone would believe that Sam could find something more important to do. After Tess leaves, Sam tells Chris to dress and pack. While Tess is at her ceremony, Sam returns the child to the home for Greek refugee children and walks out on the marriage. Tess only learns of this upon her return, when she goes to change for photographers only to discover the men and their belongings are all missing. She attempts to go reclaim Chris, but he refuses (because he wants to stay with his friends—fellow refugees).
The next day, Tess receives an invitation, addressed to both of them, to go to the home of her father and the aunt who raised her (Fay Bainter
). However, Sam is covering a championship boxing match that evening and tells her he can not go. Tess arrives alone, only to be told that her aunt and her father are to be married that night, after 15 years of "making the same mistake" and saying nothing of their attraction. Listening to the words of the wedding ceremony encourages Tess to attempt a reconciliation with Sam.
She enters Sam's new riverside home the next morning and starts to prepare breakfast. Sam is eventually woken by her noisy incompetence in the kitchen, and comes to watch her. She proclaims her new intention of being nothing more than his wife and thinking only of his domestic needs, but he believes it is an insincere tactic to win him back. Trying to prove herself, Tess once again tries to cook breakfast, only to fail because she knows nothing of cooking.
Sam tells her this is the first time he is disappointed in her—for going to extremes. He says to her he does not want Tess Harding or "just little Mrs. Craig", but can't she be Tess Harding Craig? Tess happily agrees, and they reconcile. Gerald, Tess' inconsiderate secretary (Dan Tobin
), arrives with a bottle of champagne and reminds Tess of her commitment to launch a ship at 8:30 am. Sam takes Gerald outside, the bottle smashes, and Sam returns claiming to have launched Gerald.
The outline for the film was developed by Garson Kanin
, a close friend of Hepburn. Hepburn then passed the outline on to Joseph L. Mankiewicz
at MGM, and said the price was $250,000 - half for her, half for the script. He liked it and agreed to produce the movie. Kanin was fighting in the war at the time, so the script was written by his brother, Michael Kanin
, and mutual friend Ring Lardner, Jr. Hepburn contributed significantly to the script - reading it, suggesting cuts and word changes, and generally providing helpful enthusiasm for the project. As a part of the deal, Hepburn was allowed to select her co-star and director (Tracy and Stevens).
Woman of the Year was the first of nine films Katharine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy made together. They met for the first time on the shoot. In the 1993 documentary
Katharine Hepburn: All About Me, Hepburn herself says she was wearing high heels at the first meeting with Tracy and producer Joseph L. Mankiewicz, and said "I'm afraid I'm a bit tall for you, Mr. Tracy". Mankiewicz then responded, "Don't worry, Kate, he'll cut you down to size." It was during the filming of Woman of the Year that Hepburn and Tracy became romantically involved - a relationship that lasted until Tracy's death in 1967.
The film was originally shot with a different ending, but it proved unpopular at test screenings. The decision was made to change it, and the final fifteen minutes of the film were re-written and shot. The original ending of the film saw Sam go missing (after he had left the child at the orphanage) while he was meant to be writing an article about an upcoming boxing match. Tess decides to take over for him, and visits the gym to learn about the fight. Sam is found in a language school trying to learn French and Spanish, to "be important", and is shocked when he sees the article. He goes to the fight where he meets Tess. She insists that she did it to be a good wife, and says she will change and do all the things she is supposed to do. He says that he doesn't want either extreme, he just wants her to be "Tess Harding Craig" (like in the released ending.)
American Film Institute
recognition
In 1981, the movie was adapted into a successful Broadway musical of the same name
, starring Lauren Bacall
(who won a Tony Award
for her work).
The film stars Spencer Tracy
Spencer Tracy
Spencer Bonaventure Tracy was an American theatrical and film actor, who appeared in 75 films from 1930 to 1967. Tracy was one of the major stars of Hollywood's Golden Age, ranking among the top ten box office draws for almost every year from 1938 to 1951...
and Katharine Hepburn
Katharine Hepburn
Katharine Houghton Hepburn was an American actress of film, stage, and television. In a career that spanned 62 years as a leading lady, she was best known for playing strong-willed, sophisticated women in both dramas and comedies...
with Fay Bainter
Fay Bainter
Fay Okell Bainter was an American film and stage actress.-Early life:She was born in Los Angeles, California, the daughter of Charles F. Bainter and Mary Okell. In 1910, she was a traveling stage actress...
, Reginald Owen
Reginald Owen
John Reginald Owen was a British character actor. He was known for his many roles in British and American movies and later in television programs.-Personal:...
, Minor Watson
Minor Watson
Minor Watson was a prominent character actor. He appeared in 111 movies made between 1913 and 1956. His credits included, Boys Town , Yankee Doodle Dandy , Kings Row , Guadalcanal Diary , Bewitched , The Virginian , and The Jackie Robinson Story .He is buried in Alton Cemetery...
and William Bendix
William Bendix
William Bendix was an American film, radio, and television actor, best remembered in movies for the title role in the movie The Babe Ruth Story and for portraying clumsily earnest aircraft plant worker Chester A. Riley in radio and television's The Life of Riley...
. It was directed by George Stevens
George Stevens
George Stevens was an American film director, producer, screenwriter and cinematographer.Among his most notable films were Diary of Anne Frank , nominated for Best Director, Giant , winner of Oscar for Best Director, Shane , Oscar nominated, and A Place in the Sun , winner of Oscar for Best...
, produced by Joseph L. Mankiewicz
Joseph L. Mankiewicz
Joseph Leo Mankiewicz was an American film director, screenwriter, and producer. Mankiewicz had a long Hollywood career and is best known as the writer-director of All About Eve , which was nominated for 14 Academy Awards and won six. He was brother to screenwriter and drama critic Herman J...
and written by Ring Lardner Jr.
Ring Lardner Jr.
Ringgold Wilmer "Ring" Lardner, Jr. was an American journalist and screenwriter blacklisted by the Hollywood movie studios during the Red Scare of the late 1940s and 1950s.-Early life:...
and Michael Kanin
Michael Kanin
Michael Kanin was an American director, producer, playwright and screenwriter who shared an Academy Award with Ring Lardner Jr. in 1942 for writing the Katharine Hepburn-Spencer Tracy film comedy Woman of the Year....
(his brother Garson Kanin
Garson Kanin
Garson Kanin was a prolific American writer and director of plays and films.-Film and stage career:...
thought up the original idea and worked with Katharine Hepburn
Katharine Hepburn
Katharine Houghton Hepburn was an American actress of film, stage, and television. In a career that spanned 62 years as a leading lady, she was best known for playing strong-willed, sophisticated women in both dramas and comedies...
along with brother Michael and Lardner on the early drafts, without credit.) The music score was by Franz Waxman
Franz Waxman
Franz Waxman was a German-American composer, known for his bravura Carmen Fantasie for violin and orchestra, based on musical themes from the Bizet opera Carmen, and for his musical scores for films....
and the cinematography by Joseph Ruttenberg
Joseph Ruttenberg
Joseph Ruttenberg, A.S.C. was a photojournalist and cinematographer.Ruttenberg was accomplished winning accolades. At MGM, Ruttenberg was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Cinematography ten times, winning four. In addition, he won the 1954 Golden Globe Award for his camera work on the...
. The art direction was by Cedric Gibbons
Cedric Gibbons
Austin Cedric Gibbons was an Irish American art director who was one of the most important and influential in the field in the history of American film. He also made a great impact on motion picture theater architecture through the 1930s to 1950s, the period considered the golden-era of theater...
and Randall Duell
Randall Duell
Randall Duell was an American architect and art director. Duell attended the University of Southern California School of Architecture and graduated in 1925...
and the costume design by Adrian
Adrian (costume designer)
Adrian Adolph Greenberg , most widely known as Adrian, was an American costume designer whose most famous costumes were for The Wizard of Oz and other Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer films of the 1930s and 1940s. During his career, he designed costumes for over 250 films and his screen credits usually read as...
.
Woman of the Year won an Academy Award
Academy Awards
An Academy Award, also known as an Oscar, is an accolade bestowed by the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize excellence of professionals in the film industry, including directors, actors, and writers...
for Best Writing, Original Screenplay and was nominated for Best Actress in a Leading Role
Academy Award for Best Actress
Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role is one of the Academy Awards of merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize an actress who has delivered an outstanding performance while working within the film industry...
. In 1999, this film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry
National Film Registry
The National Film Registry is the United States National Film Preservation Board's selection of films for preservation in the Library of Congress. The Board, established by the National Film Preservation Act of 1988, was reauthorized by acts of Congress in 1992, 1996, 2005, and again in October 2008...
by the Library of Congress
Library of Congress
The Library of Congress is the research library of the United States Congress, de facto national library of the United States, and the oldest federal cultural institution in the United States. Located in three buildings in Washington, D.C., it is the largest library in the world by shelf space and...
as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".
Synopsis
Sam Craig and Tess Harding (Spencer TracySpencer Tracy
Spencer Bonaventure Tracy was an American theatrical and film actor, who appeared in 75 films from 1930 to 1967. Tracy was one of the major stars of Hollywood's Golden Age, ranking among the top ten box office draws for almost every year from 1938 to 1951...
& Katharine Hepburn
Katharine Hepburn
Katharine Houghton Hepburn was an American actress of film, stage, and television. In a career that spanned 62 years as a leading lady, she was best known for playing strong-willed, sophisticated women in both dramas and comedies...
) are journalists for the same New York newspaper in the early 1940s. Tess, the daughter of a diplomat (Minor Watson
Minor Watson
Minor Watson was a prominent character actor. He appeared in 111 movies made between 1913 and 1956. His credits included, Boys Town , Yankee Doodle Dandy , Kings Row , Guadalcanal Diary , Bewitched , The Virginian , and The Jackie Robinson Story .He is buried in Alton Cemetery...
), is an internationally inclined political affairs columnist, a polyglot
Multilingualism
Multilingualism is the act of using, or promoting the use of, multiple languages, either by an individual speaker or by a community of speakers. Multilingual speakers outnumber monolingual speakers in the world's population. Multilingualism is becoming a social phenomenon governed by the needs of...
educated in various prestigious European universities who has traveled the world (based on reporter Dorothy Thompson
Dorothy Thompson
Dorothy Thompson was an American journalist and radio broadcaster, who in 1939 was recognized by Time magazine as the second most influential women in America next to Eleanor Roosevelt...
). Meanwhile, Sam is an everyman sportswriter who worked his way up.
A feud in their columns, over baseball, develops into romance, love, and marriage, despite their different backgrounds and worlds. When Sam invites her on a date to a baseball game, Tess inadvertently breaks the "men only" atmosphere of the press box, and is initially confused and unfamiliar with the rules of the sport, before enjoying herself and befriending other spectators.
After Sam and Tess marry, a conflict arises over Tess's priorities and Sam's place in her life. They have several minor disagreements, but a bigger problem occurs when Tess is coerced to take on the care of a Greek refugee child Chris (George Kezas) without having a chance to consult Sam. When Sam initially believes Tess is pregnant with their child, he is thrilled, but upon meeting Chris, he is at first unconvinced about taking on an unrelated orphan with whom he cannot even communicate. Still, he tries to befriend the boy as much as he can, and introduces him to sports.
Tess learns that she has received the award of "Woman of the Year", to be given to her at a fancy ceremony. That evening, Sam wonders who will be looking after the boy, and is unsatisfied with her answer of "I'll ask one of the elevator boys to look in on him." Sam decides to stay home to look after Chris. Tess is upset—she wants him to be beside her on her big night, and is embarrassed at the thought that the public will wonder where he is. Sam says she can tell everyone he had more important plans, and Tess accidentally offends him by asking whether anyone would believe that Sam could find something more important to do. After Tess leaves, Sam tells Chris to dress and pack. While Tess is at her ceremony, Sam returns the child to the home for Greek refugee children and walks out on the marriage. Tess only learns of this upon her return, when she goes to change for photographers only to discover the men and their belongings are all missing. She attempts to go reclaim Chris, but he refuses (because he wants to stay with his friends—fellow refugees).
The next day, Tess receives an invitation, addressed to both of them, to go to the home of her father and the aunt who raised her (Fay Bainter
Fay Bainter
Fay Okell Bainter was an American film and stage actress.-Early life:She was born in Los Angeles, California, the daughter of Charles F. Bainter and Mary Okell. In 1910, she was a traveling stage actress...
). However, Sam is covering a championship boxing match that evening and tells her he can not go. Tess arrives alone, only to be told that her aunt and her father are to be married that night, after 15 years of "making the same mistake" and saying nothing of their attraction. Listening to the words of the wedding ceremony encourages Tess to attempt a reconciliation with Sam.
She enters Sam's new riverside home the next morning and starts to prepare breakfast. Sam is eventually woken by her noisy incompetence in the kitchen, and comes to watch her. She proclaims her new intention of being nothing more than his wife and thinking only of his domestic needs, but he believes it is an insincere tactic to win him back. Trying to prove herself, Tess once again tries to cook breakfast, only to fail because she knows nothing of cooking.
Sam tells her this is the first time he is disappointed in her—for going to extremes. He says to her he does not want Tess Harding or "just little Mrs. Craig", but can't she be Tess Harding Craig? Tess happily agrees, and they reconcile. Gerald, Tess' inconsiderate secretary (Dan Tobin
Dan Tobin
Dan Tobin was an American supporting actor who generally played gentle, urbane characters, sometimes with a concealed edge of malice....
), arrives with a bottle of champagne and reminds Tess of her commitment to launch a ship at 8:30 am. Sam takes Gerald outside, the bottle smashes, and Sam returns claiming to have launched Gerald.
Cast
- Spencer TracySpencer TracySpencer Bonaventure Tracy was an American theatrical and film actor, who appeared in 75 films from 1930 to 1967. Tracy was one of the major stars of Hollywood's Golden Age, ranking among the top ten box office draws for almost every year from 1938 to 1951...
as Sam Craig - Katharine HepburnKatharine HepburnKatharine Houghton Hepburn was an American actress of film, stage, and television. In a career that spanned 62 years as a leading lady, she was best known for playing strong-willed, sophisticated women in both dramas and comedies...
as Tess Harding - Fay BainterFay BainterFay Okell Bainter was an American film and stage actress.-Early life:She was born in Los Angeles, California, the daughter of Charles F. Bainter and Mary Okell. In 1910, she was a traveling stage actress...
as Ellen Whitcomb - Reginald OwenReginald OwenJohn Reginald Owen was a British character actor. He was known for his many roles in British and American movies and later in television programs.-Personal:...
as Clayton - Minor WatsonMinor WatsonMinor Watson was a prominent character actor. He appeared in 111 movies made between 1913 and 1956. His credits included, Boys Town , Yankee Doodle Dandy , Kings Row , Guadalcanal Diary , Bewitched , The Virginian , and The Jackie Robinson Story .He is buried in Alton Cemetery...
as William J. Harding - William BendixWilliam BendixWilliam Bendix was an American film, radio, and television actor, best remembered in movies for the title role in the movie The Babe Ruth Story and for portraying clumsily earnest aircraft plant worker Chester A. Riley in radio and television's The Life of Riley...
as "Pinkie" Peters - Gladys Blake as Flo Peters
- Dan TobinDan TobinDan Tobin was an American supporting actor who generally played gentle, urbane characters, sometimes with a concealed edge of malice....
as Gerald Howe - Roscoe KarnsRoscoe KarnsRoscoe Karns was an American actor. He appeared in nearly 150 films between 1915 and 1964.He played the title role in the popular DuMont Television Network series Rocky King, Inside Detective from 1950 to 1954...
as Phil Whittaker - William Tannen as Ellis
- Ludwig StösselLudwig StösselLudwig Stössel was an actor born in Lockenhaus, Austria. He was one of many Jewish actors and actresses that were forced to flee Europe when the Nazis came to power in 1933....
as Dr. Lubbeck - Sara HadenSara HadenSara Haden was a character actress in Hollywood films of the 1930s through the 1950s.She was born Sarah Haden on November 17, 1899 in Galveston, Texas. Haden was the daughter of another character actress, Charlotte Walker, who was active in silent films and early talkies...
as Matron - Edith EvansonEdith EvansonEdith Evanson was an American film actress.-Career:Her first film role came in The Man Who Wouldn't Talk in an uncredited role. In the 1940s she was in supporting roles mostly as a maid, a busybody, landladies, or middle-aged secretaries...
as Alma - George Kezas as Chris
Background and production
Garson Kanin
Garson Kanin was a prolific American writer and director of plays and films.-Film and stage career:...
, a close friend of Hepburn. Hepburn then passed the outline on to Joseph L. Mankiewicz
Joseph L. Mankiewicz
Joseph Leo Mankiewicz was an American film director, screenwriter, and producer. Mankiewicz had a long Hollywood career and is best known as the writer-director of All About Eve , which was nominated for 14 Academy Awards and won six. He was brother to screenwriter and drama critic Herman J...
at MGM, and said the price was $250,000 - half for her, half for the script. He liked it and agreed to produce the movie. Kanin was fighting in the war at the time, so the script was written by his brother, Michael Kanin
Michael Kanin
Michael Kanin was an American director, producer, playwright and screenwriter who shared an Academy Award with Ring Lardner Jr. in 1942 for writing the Katharine Hepburn-Spencer Tracy film comedy Woman of the Year....
, and mutual friend Ring Lardner, Jr. Hepburn contributed significantly to the script - reading it, suggesting cuts and word changes, and generally providing helpful enthusiasm for the project. As a part of the deal, Hepburn was allowed to select her co-star and director (Tracy and Stevens).
Woman of the Year was the first of nine films Katharine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy made together. They met for the first time on the shoot. In the 1993 documentary
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
Katharine Hepburn: All About Me, Hepburn herself says she was wearing high heels at the first meeting with Tracy and producer Joseph L. Mankiewicz, and said "I'm afraid I'm a bit tall for you, Mr. Tracy". Mankiewicz then responded, "Don't worry, Kate, he'll cut you down to size." It was during the filming of Woman of the Year that Hepburn and Tracy became romantically involved - a relationship that lasted until Tracy's death in 1967.
The film was originally shot with a different ending, but it proved unpopular at test screenings. The decision was made to change it, and the final fifteen minutes of the film were re-written and shot. The original ending of the film saw Sam go missing (after he had left the child at the orphanage) while he was meant to be writing an article about an upcoming boxing match. Tess decides to take over for him, and visits the gym to learn about the fight. Sam is found in a language school trying to learn French and Spanish, to "be important", and is shocked when he sees the article. He goes to the fight where he meets Tess. She insists that she did it to be a good wife, and says she will change and do all the things she is supposed to do. He says that he doesn't want either extreme, he just wants her to be "Tess Harding Craig" (like in the released ending.)
Awards and honors
At the 15th Academy Awards15th Academy Awards
The 15th Academy Awards was held in the Cocoanut Grove at The Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles. Best Picture honors went to the film Mrs. Miniver. The ceremony is most famous for the speech by the film’s Oscar-winning actress Greer Garson...
- Nomination for Best ActressAcademy Award for Best ActressPerformance by an Actress in a Leading Role is one of the Academy Awards of merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize an actress who has delivered an outstanding performance while working within the film industry...
(Katharine Hepburn) - Win for Best Original ScreenplayAcademy Award for Best Writing (Original Screenplay)The Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay is the Academy Award for the best script not based upon previously published material. Before 1940, there was an Academy Award for Best Story for writing. For 1940, it and the award in this article were separated into two awards. Beginning with the...
(Michael Kanin and Ring Lardner, Jr.)
American Film Institute
American Film Institute
The American Film Institute is an independent non-profit organization created by the National Endowment for the Arts, which was established in 1967 when President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the National Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities Act...
recognition
- 2000: AFI's 100 Years... 100 LaughsAFI's 100 Years... 100 LaughsPart of the AFI 100 Years… series, AFI's 100 Years…100 Laughs is a list of the top 100 funniest movies in American cinema. A wide variety of comedies were nominated for the distinction that included slapstick comedy, screwball comedy, romantic comedy, satire, black comedy, musical comedy, comedy of...
#90 - 2002: AFI's 100 Years... 100 PassionsAFI's 100 Years... 100 PassionsPart of the AFI 100 Years… series, AFI's 100 Years…100 Passions is a list of the top 100 greatest love stories in American cinema. The list was unveiled by the American Film Institute on June 11, 2002, in a CBS television special hosted by American film and TV actress Candice Bergen.-The...
#74
In 1981, the movie was adapted into a successful Broadway musical of the same name
Woman of the Year (musical)
Woman of the Year is a musical with a book by Peter Stone and score by John Kander and Fred Ebb.Based on the Ring Lardner Jr.-Michael Kanin screenplay for the 1942 Katharine Hepburn-Spencer Tracy film of the same name, the musical changes the newspaper reporters of the original to television...
, starring Lauren Bacall
Lauren Bacall
Lauren Bacall is an American film and stage actress and model, known for her distinctive husky voice and sultry looks.She first emerged as leading lady in the Humphrey Bogart film To Have And Have Not and continued on in the film noir genre, with appearances in The Big Sleep and Dark Passage ,...
(who won a Tony Award
Tony Award
The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes achievement in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ceremony in New York City. The awards are given for Broadway...
for her work).