Politics and the Star Persona of Katharine Hepburn
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- Опубліковано 26 вер 2024
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In this video I take a look at how Katharine Hepburn’s real life beliefs and behaviors made their way into her star persona.
Thank you to Spencer Glesby for your help!
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Something I really love about your videos is that you recognize the privileges and advantages that allowed certain women and certain groups of women to succeed in the industry, but still never disregard their talent, worthiness, or skill. That's a great nuance that leads to really proactive discussions on women's roles in Hollywood!
I totally agree!
I love this about her videos. Perfectly said.
Exactly. Well said.
Ekie Hamiar what a great analysis you've given of this UA-camr's strengths. I couldn't have put it better myself and I am glad to see her getting the appreciation she deserves.
TOTALLY!
I sent her flowers through the florist at Old Saybrook, CT, her hometown when she turned 90 years old and she sent me back a handwritten and signed “Thank You “note which I now have framed and hanging over my desk.
That is amazing
Awesome!
I would too, despite being “just a ‘thank you’” 😂😂😂😂
😊classy❤
"everything changed when the great depression attacked" Literally the last place i could imagine an Avatar reference
It's ever reaching, because it's great
@@kostajovanovic3711 changed, thanks!!!
I mean pretty much anyone under 40 KNOWS what that means so it’s ubiquitous.
I spat my tea
Me too! It was great!!!
It’s insane that she started in the thirties and her career stayed strong till the 70s
And, Meryl picked up the mantle. Interesting.
Till the 80s. She even won an Oscar for Best Actress for On Golden Pond(1981), which won the Best Adapted Screenplay Oscar.
its like meryl was successful when age 20 to 30 they were successful but a downfall came in the age of 40, and at late ages and bare in mind hollywood doesnt cast middle aged women they were again the most successful actors that year
@@callmej5337 my mistake
Wow even more impressive
@@ahyan6681 ? Meryl had quite few great roles after turning fourty!
Devil wears Pravda is say is in her top four performances
And Julie and Julia is wonderfully hilarious
Katharine Hepburn not caring about press or awards but becomes the artist with the most number of Oscars.
Oh, she cared about the awards. She gloated to Jane Fonda after On Golden Pond that Fonda would never equal her Oscar wins. She was jealous of the praise heaped on Meryl Streep and called her overrated. When she and Lauren Bacall were both nominated for the 1970 Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical, she asked Bacall to accept the Tony on her behalf, assuming she, herself, would win. She apologized to Bacall the next day after Bacall won the award. Late in life she was asked why she never attended the awards when she was nominated. She said she didn’t go because she was afraid she’d lose. When she finally did go to the Oscar ceremony to present the Thalberg award to Lawrence Weingarten, she told the audience that she was “living proof that a person could wait 41 years to be unselfish.”
@@partycentralsales I mean she didn't care enough to actually show up. So as much as that may all be true, she wasn't playing the game. She wasn't doing backdoor deals or openly campaigning. She didn't show up in a designer dress. She didn't do interviews, she didn't plead, I think it's fair to say she didn't do anything she didn't totally want to do.
@@Aldrius Nope 100% WRONG…Katie Hepburn explained why she never showed up to any of the Nominated Films of Oscar to Dick Cavette Interviews…”Too Nervous” Katharine truly did care about awards and Oscar. She did Gloat to Betty Bacall (Tony Award That Katharine thought she would win, and called Betty to pick up the Tony for her, But Kathie Lost to Betty! Katharine’s knock to Meryl Streep was about all those Accents and slew of Oscar Nominations to All those Accent driven Roles. Katharine Hepburned Admired Glenn Close! Katie also liked Peter O’Toole (Recommended O’Toole to Great Friend Director David Lean for Lawrence of Arabia) Harrison Ford and Flipped for John Travolta…also liked Julie Roberts. Great Friendship with Betty Bacall for decades.
Deep down she admired Jane Fonda, but gave her Hell during the filming of On Golden Pond. Prickly Said Fonda of Hepburn.
Katharine Hepburn was Best Playing Katharine Hepburn, Lion in Winter, Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner, On Golden Pond, Adam’s Rib, even …Bringing Up Baby..Goofy Fun. I have always Admired Katharine Hepburn because Katie did what Katie wanted to do. Katharine Hepburn only showed up Once at a Academy Award (In Pants!) and Only The Producer, David Niven, and Lawrence Weingarten the recipient of the Irving Thalberg Award. It was her close personal friend Irene Mayer Selznick who convinced Katharine to sit down and talk to Dick Cavette, who has repeatedly said it was his Best Show!
Back when Only Men We’re Allowed on Golf Courses in Bel Air and Beverly Hills, Yes Katharine Hepburn wearing Pants, was allowed to play Golf, and Tennis ..knowing the people who ran those shows! Katharine never purchased a house in Los Angeles, she would rent A bungalow from her favorite Gay Friend Director George Cukor on his Massive Property for many Years. Where Spencer and Hepburn lived and where Spencer Died, 17 Days after shooting that Week Long Monologue in Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner.
There are Stories after Stories that I am truly fascinated about Katharine Hepburn! To me..was the Best at Playing Katharine Hepburn!
@@sickheadache9903 Regardless of what motivated her, I think my point was that she didn't show up to every award's show wearing the latest designer gown. She didn't play their game, and I think that's half the reason they kept giving her awards.
@@Aldrius Or Great Performances…
It is funny how those who reject the Hollywood stardom roles and star system become the bigger stars; Katherine Hepburn, Bette Davis, Ingrid Bergman.
They had the guts to break the mold (and in Katherine Hepburn's case, the privilege to push back.)
De Havilland belongs in that conversation
@@maxipazz8214 I dont think she is as big of a star as the other three. She is great but not a legend.
What can you say about Liz Taylor?
disapproval. Was into witchcraft. She use to cast spells on people. Her daughter said this.
My other favorite Hepburn!!!
I love your channel. Congratulations on 100k subs.
Omg 2 in one vid???
Love your vids!
I love your channel too!!
Love your channel
One of my favorite things about Hepburn was what Bogart said once. To paraphrase, You don't get a chair for her. You say hey, Kate, grab me a chair and while you're at it, get one for yourself too.
I am bengali and Indian.. never been aware of old Hollywood in my life.. but your videos get me excited and intrigued about it... such good work.. kudos..
Some movies to start with, if you like - -
Casablanca
All About Eve
The Philadelphia Story
Strangers On A Train
The Seven - Year Itch
Hepburn was, alongside Streep, probably the only actress still able to find award-worthy roles after the age of sixty (winning three of her four Oscars after sixty, and her last one at 74)
you forgot Frances McDormand
And Olivia Colman, and Judi Dench, and Maggie Smith and Julie Walters
@@lemorab1 Totally agree. I hope Nicole Kidman and Cate Blanchett keep getting great roles when they enter their 60's
Not to mention huge box Office success both had huge hits over 60
@@lemorab1 Olivia Colman is only 47!!
Her interview with Dick Cavett was truly fascinating to watch. What a woman she was!
Dick cavett was the very best interviewer. Just wonderful the way he let them speak and not interrupting his guests.
She was insufferable in that interview. She was entitled as they come.
@@bcarlosd Well Kate was very nervous and fidgety. She was providing Cavitt with something nobody was ever able to get from her. Not Steve Allen, Jack Paar, or Merv Griffin, or Virginia Graham, Mike Douglas, or Johnny Carson, or Dinah Shore, or David Frost, or Tom Synder, or Hugh Downs. It made this an event of incredible importance for Cavitt. This was history in the making. Cavitt was willing to do ANYTHING to make her comfortable. The idea of filming it before an audience arrived, was probably a very good one. Subsequently, Kate would do one of these about once per decade, with Barbara Walters in the 80's, and Donahue in 1990, and never was there other guests or an audience.
Hi, just a protest to make to UA-cam: they took off the option to put the subtitles in english. For people with hearing disabilities is a step back.
Your videos are great. Thank you for your hard work.
What? Why? The subtitles are a great feature for people with hearing disabilities and for those who are learning the language. That is definitely a step backwards !
@@marsukarhu9477 you misunderstood the comment
Oh this is why I've not seen any auto subtitles the last week on any new videos. I need subtitles in English since English is my 3rd language. Stupid Google.
@@illyblair How?
Absolutely agree - this is awful. The automated subtitles were some times unreliable, but they were infinitely preferable to none at all! 😣
I'm from Italy and I'm totally obsessed with the word "dungarees" now
It's a great word that sadly nobody uses anymore. I thought it meant pants of a sturdy fabric. My son had heard the word and thought it meant bib overalls, which are pants with a chest part and straps over the shoulder. We looked it up and we were both kind of right. And by pants I mean trousers, because in the UK this comment might read differently.
@@annbsirius1703 Even Indians don't use this word anymore and its from India - Dongree.
@@annbsirius1703 ‘Dungarees’ still used in Ireland for ‘bib overalls’ I think. My kids wear dungarees as it’s much easier to change nappies in them than trousers. My MIL from Oz calls them ‘knickerbockers.’
@@annbsirius1703 We use the frenchism "salopette" in Italy which also means "slutty", so poor Kate...
@@kildareire it’s falling out of use in Australia too. It also used to mean overalls, and now that term is far more popular than dungarees. Pity, it’s a great word.
The first Hepburn film I saw was The Lion in Winter. Then I went back and watched a few of her 30s and 40s films. She is amazing in every way.
Another favorite of mine, and what a cast!
You couldn't ask for a better introduction - she is phenomenal in that movie. She just makes a meal of it, in the best way. It makes a great Christmas movie if you're not in the mood for a sentimental one!
@@slowpainful yes. "There's to be a Christmas court."
Epic movie with a phenomenal cast! One of her best too!
@Carolina Fantaccinishe says, "even in the year 10xx we are barbarians and breeders of war..." or something like that. Terrific screenplay.
"Guess Who's Coming to Dinner" was my favorite Hepburn movie. Spencer Tracy was terminal, and died shortly after filming. The tears in her eyes during the final scene where authentic. She loved that man. God, she was great.
I love that too. His speech about what love means is Spencer speaking to Kate. Gets me every time.
Sidney Poitier just passed away 😢
I didn't know that...thank you.
Oh my f****** god this is the video I've been waiting for my whole life!!!
YAASSS
I watched bringing up baby on april 22nd, since then I've seen 28 of her films and every interview I could find, I am I N S A N E L Y obssessed, and the timing of this is truly catering to me personally, god bless
Kinda cool to witness someone discovering Kate for the first time. Be sure and watch "Holiday" and "Lion in Winter" if you haven't already 😉
@@rhyfeddu Holiday is one of my absolute favorites! And definitely THE favorite out of the hepburn/grant pictures, and yes I've seen the lion in winter as well and enjoyed it
@@MariaLuisa-vv4ug You're on top of things then! lol I'm sure you've done Stage Door, another fav of mine... Christopher Strong? The storyline is uneven, but KH is fascinating to watch as the aviator and the tone is interesting from the woman director, Arzner. Plus early 30s fashion, yum. Have fun!
@@MariaLuisa-vv4ug PS... I think it's out of print, but you can find used, "The films of Katharine Hepburn" by Homer Dickens. It lists them all w photos, comments, and contemporary reviews. It's fun to check them off and add your own impressions/ratings as you go. 👍
Omg same! I became obsessed with her towards the end of April and am slowly watching all of her movies and interviews, and this video came out at the peak of my obsession. How did she know 👀
The very fact that she chose roles that seemed to mirror her real personality one way or another, I think that is why she appeals to me. I feel like I get to know a little more of who she is with each film, and her extensive interview with Dick Cavett obviously! That interview is gold!
I get euphoria when I see you have a new video.
I love how there isn't really an actress (classical or contemporary) I can think of that was like Katherine. The phrase "one of a kind" is almost rote but feels spot on when talking about women like Hepburn.
Another amazing actress, one of my top five along with Hepburn, is Vanessa Redgrave
In your Q&A video you mentioned that you only dive into oscar years because they're an anchoring moment for talking about actresses in general. I'm glad you're branching out into other kinds of videos like this now to talk about actresses and movies!
Same here I love her analysis into actresses careers and legacies
Listening to the audiobook version of Kate’s memoir. So fun listening to her actual voice tell her life story. ❤️
Where can I find this?!
@@mikaylaeager7942 ua-cam.com/video/Q1YBXV0dJ_I/v-deo.html
“Marriage and children didn’t interest her. In fact she hid and ignored the fact that she’d never been married and instead lived with her CONSTANT COMPANION and ROOMMATE Laura Harding.” 😂🤣🏳️🌈
She was married once when she was very young. It didn't work out but she and husband remained friends.
Subtle and great, wasn't it?
She was married to Ludlow Ogden Smith " Mother and Father adore Luddy".
William Mann, in his '06 biography "Kate," made the case not only was Hepburn bisexual, but leaning toward ladies more, she may actually have a more fluid gender identity as well, having adopted a male persona as a child. He also argues the Hepburn/Tracy romance was far more of a deep friendship, and that Tracy was also sexually fluid, but being deeply Catholic, it was a reason for his struggle with alcohol.
@@CPTDoom
She also apparently found the human nude to be offensive (almost as a phobia), and so if this is true we might have a clue as to why she was usually covered to the neck in clothing. Strange for one so apparently "free". Everybody has their "thing", I guess.
Katharine Hepburn doing a Southern Accent. “I think the key word to remember here is ‘attempted’.”
Even she thought that her doing that film was idiotic.
@@bookadmirer.3699 We like a Self-Aware Queen.
Ooooh hello there my dildar begam
My favorite critical Kate comment of all time, referring to her performance as Trigger, is "Miss Hepburn's artistry does not lend itself to the primitive or the uncouth." I forget who said it, probably Bosley Crowther.
@@PokhrajRoy. Stop using the word “queen”.
It sounds so pathetic.
The 19th Amendment gave White women the right to vote. Although many black women fought for the right in the suffrage movement, Black women didn’t get that right until 1964 only over 50 years ago.
I do love Katherine’s older movies. She sparked like a gem in them.
Thank you for pointing that out!! Not all POC women got the same privilege..
Thank you for pointing this out. I was thinking the same thing when I heard it. BKR does an excellent job in discussing the lack of DEI in specific videos about that topic but sometimes the scripts are less precise when talking about overall societal and political trends affecting “women.” It unintentionally undercuts the great work in the DEI videos.
++++
That’s one of the reasons why I don’t believe in feminism. I follow womanism because it includes the needs and issues affecting woc
I'm so glad you pointed that out because people forget that the woman's right to vote was only given to white women in 1920. Black women couldn't vote until the mid-60s. When people say women and POC, they don't realize that there are woc, you know! I'm glad we're in an age where we can finally have feminist and womanist conversations that actually touch on the issues that happen to ALL WOC.
Katharine had a fire-y nature in almost all of her films. Heck, she played friggin' Queen Eleanor of Aquitaine in The Lion In Winter (who was one of the most powerful figures of the Middle Ages just like Kate was one of the most important figures of the 1930s and 40s)
This made me appreciate Katherine much more. Of course her privilege has given her more opportunities to be as strong spoken and rebellious as she was, but it doesn’t take away from how badass she was for a woman during those days. She didn’t have to be, but she chose to be
Women had always been badasses. I wish the women of today stop acting like they are the first,
I cracked up at the intonation of "and lived with her *CONSTANT COMPANION* and *ROOMMATE* laura harding"
I still can't get over how Cate Blanchett TOTALLY NAILED being Katharine Hepburn in 'The Aviator'! 🥰😍🎥🎞️💗❤️
I'm so pissed she dropped out of the Lucille Ball movie. She would've been perfect in that one too
@ You had a mouthful there, brother! 😔
yes and I thinki that only Cate Blanchett or Frances Mcdorman can tier her 4 Oscars record.
It’s not like Meryl Streep exists...oh wait
@@EvaSofie oh, so Meryl played Katharine in a movie too? Let's ask the audience 😮
Talented, brilliant, incredible, amazing, show-stopping, spectacular, never the same, totally unique, etc.
I love Katharine Hepburn, her films and her personality I remember finding her interview with Cavett on UA-cam and sat and watched both part 1 and 2 just memorized with how she presented herself and spoke freely. I just love watching her films, especially my favorites "Bringing Up Baby", "Guess Who Coming to Dinner", "Lion in Winter", "On Golden Pond", "Alice Adams" and "This Can't Be Love". She is one of my ultimate favorite actresses of all time. ❤ ♥ ❤
“So we can talk about her down the road” I love that! I don’t know about the rest of the viewers but I would love to hear about the second half of her career. Or even if it is in 3 parts- cause there is the 50’s-60’s and then the late 60’s- her death when her career peaked again. All with different narratives than this video.
So, you weren't able to share this video on Kate's birthday, so you shared it on Cate's birthday... "Chef's kiss" for that and the video itself ❤️
As an Avatar fan, I really appreciated the reference. 😂
I was literally just thinking I want to learn more about Hepburn and then I see this video
A Winona Rider video?! ***SWOON***
Yes!
Me: I should study for my midterms
BKR: NO
Aaarrrgghhhhhh, I am screaming. Thank for making a wonderful documentary about her. I love youuu❤️❤️❤️❤️😭
God, I love Katherine Hepburn so much. Such a talented actress and a radiant beauty! Thanks for covering her!
There are actresses that remind you of what being a woman in the world whilst being true to yourself looks like, and Kathleen Hepburn is one of them, a true treasure
I thought your insert of Kathryn Hanh's winking face was hilarious! Great work.
i was so excited to see you announce this topic on patreon! as someone who's just recently fallen into hepburn's filmography, i always love hearing your contextualization
"And then everything changed when the great depression attacked"
WHEN I TELL YOU I SPAT OUT MY TEA 😂
I’ve always loved her persona. Such beauty she had.
Also her aura. It's so iconic
Brilliant as always. One thing I really came to appreciate was your reading voice, it’s like you’re an actor yourself the way you deliver your lines lol
1980s-1990s video coming up? You're spooooiling us!
She was a true American original, just like Bette Davis.
Thank you...I've always admired her and actually saw her live in CoCo when I was pre-teen...already a fan :)
infinitely jealous that you got to see that
THIS IS. MY. MOMENT. IVE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS MY WHOLE LIFE AND I DIDNT KNOW. THANK YOUUUUUUU
My day always brights up when I get a notification of a new upload! :)
I decided to make popcorn and I see this video, what a joy!
This comment sets a mood.
I was so glad to see you have a new video up, BKR!! I would absolutely second that the Dick Cavett interview is a must-see for anyone interested in Ms. Hepburn’s story. It’s impromptu, it’s casual, it goes to show that true glamour is within one’s personality- not clothes, jewels, or ego.
Kate and Laura Harding weren’t in a gay relationship. In fact, they both, and their respective boyfriends, used to find the rumours really amusing.
I think it’s wishful thinking on the author’s part.
I've never had any interest in films from the 30's and 40's before watching your videos. Seeing your video's has fully peaked my curiosity 🙂
She has been my favorite actress since I was 10. I'm so excited to watch this!
If she had to win 4 oscars, they should have been for 1935’s ALICE ADAMS, 1940’s THE PHILADELPHIA STORY, 1962’s LONG DAYS JOURNEY INTO NIGHT (her greatest performance ever) and 1968’s THE LION IN THE WINTER (her second greatest performance ever)
Agree with Alice Adams and The Lion in Winter, but Joan Fontaine (Rebecca) and Anne Baxter (The Miracle Worker) should've been won in 1940's and 1962's respectively.
Her third Oscar should have been for On Golden Pond
@@giovannyespinoza6013 Anne Bancroft* not Baxter
Katherine Hepburn reminds me so much of Frances mcdormand. Not sure why but there are definitely similarities there. Either way I’d love for you do to a video on her. ❤️
Ironic considering McDormand won her 3rd Lead Oscar (And one as producer) this season. But yep, I can see that resemblance.
I think her and Bacall look similar too
Looks yes, but also personality, quirkiness, and choice of roles.
Katherine Hepburn was the first classic Hollywood actress I fell in love with in my teens *because* of her independence. I mean she manages to strike an independent chord even while seducing Cary Grant in “Bringing Up Baby.” But as I grew older I found her movies with Tracy increasingly hard to watch because the subtext was about bringing her down a peg or five. However, your interpretation of her “real life” juxtaposed to the so-called happy endings of her movies was subversive. That perspective makes me fall in love with her all over again.
Interesting perspective. Thx.
This channel is so good that this video felt incredibly short, more like 12 min instead of 28 min. Such a gem.
I hope you’ll do a video on Norma Shearer! One of the most underrated actresses of the 30s.
I spent last night watching her old interviews! Wow, how timely. Thanks so much for this!
I hated what the film Woman of the Year did to Kate’s character. And compromising her educated, accomplished character to her barely literate husband hurt my heart.
I remember watching it when I was in my teens, loving her character and the story until the end, and literally ending it being like, "What just happened." It's unfortunately a product of a lot of amazing female characters in Classic Hollywood that I loved- Barbara Stanwyck in Double Indemnity, Lana Turner in The Postman Always Rings Twice- there's always a late third act turnaround so men don't feel threatened and the 'bad" woman gets her due. And it NEVER reads true to something someone would actually do, because there's absolutely nothing in terms of the plot that led up to it. - sigh-
Can I ask why you won’t do Oscar win videos anymore ? Especially the Judy holiday win of 1950.. I would love to finally see the Gloria Swanson discussion
Truly I left Gloria Swanson should have won. I watched Sunset Boulevard once and I can't stop thinking about her character.
I have never clicked on a video so quickly! Thank you, this really boosted my day and is excellent as always. ❤️
I used to run a cinema in Old Saybrook, CT. One day a black limo pulls up to the box office and a very large black gentleman assists a small statured elderly lady to the queue to buy a ticket to “Dave” with Kevin Klein. It was the magnificent Ms Hepburn! I was dumbfounded! Surreal experience!
A few years ago I only knew Katharine as the "rebel who wore pants" and now I love her for many more then that. I loved this video ♡
Although she is not that fanous and considered "iconic" now, could you talk about Veronica Lake? Her life and carrier is so facinating to me.
Your channel is simply one of the best out here. I am so happy I found it. ❤❤❤
The part where you talked about her being in “yellow face” for Dragon Seed reminded me of when I taught English in China, from 2010 to 2016. One year for the Halloween festival at our school, I wore a traditional Chinese shirt and peasant straw hat. So many of my students told me, “You should paint your eyes to make them look Chinese! The clothes are not enough! Put make-up on your eyes to make them look Chinese! You should make your eyes Chinese!” Student after student told me that. Then I asked my adult Chinese colleagues if that would be offensive to them if I did it. They all said no. They encouraged me to do it. I told them, “No way. If photos of me with make-up on my eyes to make me look Chinese ever got back to the States and spread online, I could never teach in the USA again.” They looked mystified and said, “Why?”
The day she is topped for number of Oscars will be a sad day.
It had better be a worthy performer. She is the template.
@@js7dragon I don't think anyone will ever top her four oscar record, but I think Meryl Streep and Frances McDormand are worthy candidates to tie with her.
@@barbaraladouceur6305 I unfortunately think even if someone ties with her, I fear that in this generation, Kate will be put on the back burner and be forgotten.
Kate Winslet, if any. She’s still in her fourties.
@@TheRomanticFanatic But there's a distinct possibility that noone will ever even tie with her record and she'll remain supreme.
OMG! I was hoping to see a video of hers by you. Im such a Hepburn fan and you're always bringing up amazing content ! 🥰🥰
RIP to Katharine Hepburn, who passed away 18 years ago today on June 29, 2003.
I wouldnt care if every episode you did for the rest of the year was about Katherine Hepburn.
every time i get a notification for a video of yours i get excited and i have to drop what im doing to watch.. i love the way you approach subjects with so much compassion and curiosity and just so much love for film and the people who make movies.
MOTHER HAS PROVIDED!
The "constant companion and..roommate" bit gets me everytime!
Hepburn was able to do something that most of her contemporaries could not do. She was able to grow, develop and challenge herself and talent as she got older. In the 1960s, she got the challenging roles and did her best work as actress. Long Days Journey into Night or Lion in Winter are the best film examples of how she was able to nurture her talent. She actually creating characters and amazing performances and not compromising herself. During this time her contemporaries were playing crazy old women in horror films, she never did that. Sadly, the same thing seems to happen today Streep and McDormand get these challenging roles like Hepburn did, whereas their contemporaries end up play crazy old women on Ryan Murphy TV shows.
The distinction drawn between "now (2020s)" and "now when the films were made (1930s)" and "period in which the films were set (Victorian/Elizabethan/whatever)" is excellent.
I love the point about the limits those films would not cross (and in 80 years, people may be talking about the limits of 2020s films ), and especially how Hepburn's persona transcended the endings written for her. I adore Philadelphia Story, but it is deeply misogynistic while at the same time presenting an incredibly strong female character. The ending shuts her down, closes her in, but what we remember is the take-no-prisoners character (and also Jimmy Stewart getting drunk. There's a lot going on in that movie).
I hope you eventually give us something on Hepburn in the 50s and 60s and beyond. She somehow became the actress that could do no wrong (or at least the only actress from the prewar period who was bankable), but how did that happen? There is a resonance with Streep (mentioned in that vid), but they took very different paths to get there.
Please consider these as possible videos:
1) The 1950 Oscars: Judy Holliday wins for Born Yesterday.
2) Susan Hayward wins for I Want to Live!
3) Loretta Young wins for The Farmer's Daughter.
4) Jessica Tandy wins for Driving Miss Daisy.
5) An ode to Marilyn Monroe.
6) An ode to Dorothy Dandridge.
Anything "Old Hollywood" I'm down for. I love your videos in that area.
I love this channel! So happy to see Film History come alive in front of me.
The addition of the article that imposes the idea that the bad endings of movies like Woman of the Year, and Adam's Rib were actually the implosion of the ideal by the presence of Kathrine Hepburn was an interesting observation to me. And you're right: you never end up thinking of the character as inept or "less."
Thank god you finally made a Katharine Hepburn video, I have been suggesting this for over a year now, but also please make a video about Cate Blanchett, Kate's birthday was on the 12th and Cate's was yesterday, the 14th. It would be great if you make one and I have been suggesting it for over a year now, don't know if you notice them at all but please? Thank you.
I know you made a video on Chloe Zhao's Oscar win, but I'd love it if you could make a video on this year's Best Actress race as it was such a toss-up. Perhaps you could explain why you think Frances McDormand won
Yes! I told myself that no matter who won I wouldn't be disappointed, the nominees being so strong this year, but when I heard the news that McDormand won... I don't know, something didn't sit right with me. It's probably because she had won her second Oscar so recently, so I just figured she wouldn't win this year. I was also hoping for Carey Mulligan or Viola Davis. I'm curious about how Oscar voters rationalized their decisions, I'm guessing most liked Nomadland and voted for her to reward the movie.
As a side note, McDormand has a good chance of being the next Katharine Hepburn, who won four Oscars for Best Actress. She just needs one more win!
That may take a couple of years to provide hindsight vision.
Frances won because she a) was the established favorite b) she was not in the girl power movie that actually had some bite - especially where Hollywood is concerned and c) she’s a white woman who doesn’t really rock the boat too much with meaningful political discussion.
I also think the Academy is setting up a Meryl v Frances battle to topple Kate’s crown.
Viola Davis should have won.
I personally was hoping Davis, Kirby, or McDormand would win, but as previously stated by someone else in the thread, when McDormand won, it just didn’t sit right. In hindsight I really just wanted Davis to win.
Actually, what I would really like to see is a comparison between Katharine Hepburn and Audrey Hepburn. They may not have been related, but I think they shared a little bit more than just a last name.
Thank you for capturing articulately what so many of us worship within Katharine Hepburn. She was one of the Golden Age stars to break new ground and emerge as a trailblazer within the industry. The joy she has given to many generations of fans is valuable. She is the perfect prototype for the intellectual actress. She gave her films an intelligence many of her peers couldn't.
Also, for all those critics of "cancel culture," BKR does what exactly what critics should do: provide context for art so that we can have a fuller experience watching, reading or viewing it.
I don't think I will ever watch these old movies, but I always watch your videos because you make it interesting. I'm very excited for 80s and 90s videos though since that was just before the time I fell in love with movies.
I've seen several Hepburn films (though not as many as I should!) and I have to say my favorite is "Holiday". It's an underrated gem co-starring Cary Grant with a pretty lovely storyline about following your dreams and defying your family. The New Year's Eve party, featuring Cary's acrobatics, is iconic, of course. Thanks for referencing the Cavett interview, I'm off to watch it now!
One of the most thoughtful, well-produced and informative channels on UA-cam, bar none. These videos are seriously addictive, in a wholesome way, and whenever I watch I have to set a limit of two or I'd spend the whole day watching them, one after the other. And the narrator has the perfect voice and presentation, bright, positive and articulate. Thanks for your efforts on what is becoming a serious body of work about the history of film. My personal favorite of Hepburn's movies is 1968's "The Lion in Winter" - it's my go-to Christmas movie, and it certainly showcases Hepburn as an independent woman blockaded (actually imprisoned) by her husband!
When I see you have uploaded a new video, I am so happy. Your analysis of personas and film history is so compelling and thoughtful and inspires me to search out films to watch again, or even better, for the first time. And even though you only allude to it once, I want to give a shout out to "Bringing Up, Baby," perhaps the funniest movie of all time. With Cary Grant, except for "The Philadelphia Story," Hepburn's characters are always free and untrammeled by having to limit themselves to male dominance. Perhaps, it is because their mutual androgyny goes together so well. Thanks again.
ALWAYS get excited when I see a new video from you. Don’t even care what it’s about cause I know I’ll find it fascinating
THE HEATHERS! Also one of your best videos thus far. I couldn’t agree more I never took the breakfast sequence in Women of the Year as an insult but as a relatable comedic scene about a woman trying to do something for someone she loves because she wants to do it. But oddly enough in my head I always imagined that if she attempted to make breakfast again she’d be better and each time. Tess would gradually get better at the task. Just like Kathrine and her persona, because if Kathrine taught me anything it was resilience and hard work will eventually pay off when you master a task and even if it takes others surrounding you some time to realize your talent, eventually they will realize. ❤️
When I tell you I SQUEALED seeing that you uploaded a new video, and about Katherine Hepburn, no less. Such a huge fan of your stuff. 🥰
Katharine Hepburn is my favorite actor, and this was exquisite! Thank you!
My favorite of hers is Desk Set. It was also my first KH movie. To me, she is forever 40 something with a bun.
Katharine Hepburn girlbossed her way to get the career she deserved (mind you the context of the time)
also the yellowface 😭😭😭
The Timeless Classic of a beauty. Always.
I ran across BKR purely by accident while recovering from elective surgery and I have watched nearly all of your videos over the past few weeks. As a child, my sister and I would watch classic movies every Saturday night on IPTV (Iowa Public Television) and I was hooked immediately. It was a way for me, as a gay boy, to live vicariously through the women of the Golden Age of Hollywood. Katharine Hepburn was my idol. My sister and I would pretend to be famous Hollywood women accepting The Oscar for Best Actress, a baby blanket tied around our waists as our gowns. I have thoroughly enjoyed learning why some women won while others did not. In college I saw Auntie Mame. Rosalind Russell took her spot next to Katherine at that moment in my mind. Auntie Mame is the one movie I could watch over and over again. She is a gay icon and I have helped many young friends earn their gay cards by introducing them to this movie. I hope you do a video on her or the movie or both. You've mentioned My Girl Friday, another fabulous movie in one of your videos. I'm also curious about your take on The Women, which I could watch over and over again as well. I had a chance to see the stage version of The Women at The Old Globe Theatre in San Diego. It was fun to see it in its original form without the restraints of The Code that subdued the movie version. Thank you. I enjoy your videos and so look forward to more!! Keep up the good work!
I’ve been inspired by Katharine Hepburn since my grandma introduced me to her when I was 13. I’ve read her autobiography at least 3 times (I recommend!!) and would have to say Woman of the Year, Bringing Up Baby, the Holiday, the Philadelphia Story (Cary Grant & Jimmy Stewart!!) are my favorite.
It was weird watching Adam’s Rib when I was older, understanding the themes it was discussing and thinking they were laughable nowadays- but I did love the dynamic Hepburn and Tracy had and how you could tell how much fun they were having working together.
One thing I learned most from her autobio is that she never whined because nothing good comes from it.
Thank you so much for yet another incredible, intelligent, and immersive analysis. You are one of my absolute favorite historians of Old Hollywood. Keep being great.
Nicely done! My mother (born 1920) raised me to be Kate Hepburn...my father raised me to not regard my gender (he was born 1921) and live my life! Yes they were very progressive..I was fortunate! And I did have a small business and a small but wonderful all mine...career!
Babe wake up new bkr video just dropped
This channel has got me obsessed with classic Hollywood and it has been a beautiful thing!