The Great Katharine Hepburn

[Snarky Oracle!]

 

[ClassyCo]

 

[ClassyCo]

We watched LOVE AMONG THE RUINS (1975) on YouTube today for my birthday. Having heard good things about this ABC television movie here, I tried watching it once before, but was sidelined and unable to finish it. For a change of pace, I decided to watch it today with my wife.

I am typically not fond of movies that take place in this time period (the story takes places in the Edwardian period of London), but I got over it fairly quickly. I found the story quite breezy rather than heavy-handed, witty rather than laugh-out-loud funny. It is a very dialogue-heavy story, but I'm fine with that. This has probably edged its way into being one of my favorite Katharine Hepburn performances. She is perfectly suited to this feathery-style of comedy. Having only seen Laurence Olivier in THE PRINCE AND THE SHOWGIRL (1957; which I don't like at all), I was thoroughly impressed with how much I liked him here. Olivier and Hepburn share a good on-screen chemistry. No one could've carried this story as well as they did.

LOVE AMONG THE RUINS bombed in the ratings when it premiered, but it won Primetime Emmy Awards for leading actors Hepburn and Olivier, director George Cukor, and writer James Costigan. It also won awards for costume design and art direction. The critics loved this movie, but apparently ABC advertised wrong, thus pushing audiences away from it. And it's a shame, too.

Anyway, I enjoyed this movie. I'm glad I finally took the time to watch it.

 

[Popular Piggy Defying Gravity]

I loved LATR, but The Corn Is Green is even better. I prefer Bette Davis ' version, Kate was too old for this role.

 

[Popular Piggy Defying Gravity]

I've rewatched every Kate movie except that turd she did with Bob Hope... Not once now that I think about it.

 

[Treeviewer]

I've rewatched every Kate movie except that turd she did with Bob Hope... Not once now that I think about it.

I vaguely remember it. She was an aviator of some kind.

 

[Caryscott]

There’s a lot I have never seen but Bringing Up Baby, Holiday and Philadelphia Story are never miss. She’s awful in The Glass Menagerie however, worse than Gertrude Lawrence. Joanne Woodward gets it right.

Jane Fonda talking about her during On Golden Pond is too funny. “You’ll never catch me now”.

 

[ClassyCo]

Bringing Up Baby, Holiday and Philadelphia Story

BRINGING UP BABY is easily one of my favorite Katharine Hepburn performances, and easily one of my favorite classics films period.

I own THE PHILADELPHIA STORY, but I've never watched it, and I've never seen HOLIDAY, either.

 

[Caryscott]

BRINGING UP BABY is easily one of my favorite Katharine Hepburn performances, and easily one of my favorite classics films period.

I own THE PHILADELPHIA STORY, but I've never watched it, and I've never seen HOLIDAY, either.

Agreed on Bringing Up Baby - still funny and her performance is one the main reasons why. Holiday is another Phillip Barry play and costars Grant. Barry was a witty playwright. More batty rich folks like Philadelphia Story. Common folk really weren’t Hepburn’s wheelhouse. Arguable but of the women stars of that era she probably gets the fairest shake. Not a victim, not over exalted and time was reasonably kind.

 

[Caryscott]

We watched LOVE AMONG THE RUINS (1975) on YouTube today for my birthday. Having heard good things about this ABC television movie here, I tried watching it once before, but was sidelined and unable to finish it. For a change of pace, I decided to watch it today with my wife.

I am typically not fond of movies that take place in this time period (the story takes places in the Edwardian period of London), but I got over it fairly quickly. I found the story quite breezy rather than heavy-handed, witty rather than laugh-out-loud funny. It is a very dialogue-heavy story, but I'm fine with that. This has probably edged its way into being one of my favorite Katharine Hepburn performances. She is perfectly suited to this feathery-style of comedy. Having only seen Laurence Olivier in THE PRINCE AND THE SHOWGIRL (1957; which I don't like at all), I was thoroughly impressed with how much I liked him here. Olivier and Hepburn share a good on-screen chemistry. No one could've carried this story as well as they did.

LOVE AMONG THE RUINS bombed in the ratings when it premiered, but it won Primetime Emmy Awards for leading actors Hepburn and Olivier, director George Cukor, and writer James Costigan. It also won awards for costume design and art direction. The critics loved this movie, but apparently ABC advertised wrong, thus pushing audiences away from it. And it's a shame, too.

Anyway, I enjoyed this movie. I'm glad I finally took the time to watch it.

View attachment 54594

I’m surprised re. Olivier no Wuthering Heights or Rebecca? Recommend both. He’s also quite good in Boys from Brazil and Marathon Man in the latter stages. Not sure I saw him in anything in between. I miss TV movies. Just watched the Mae West one on Tubi. Terrible but fun. There really isn’t a contemporary equivalent. Lynda Carter as Rita Hayworth, Cheryl Ladd as Grace Kelly all lost to time.

 

[ClassyCo]

Just watched the Mae West one on Tubi. Terrible but fun. There really isn’t a contemporary equivalent. Lynda Carter as Rita Hayworth, Cheryl Ladd as Grace Kelly all lost to time.

We have a thread going about TV Movies About Celebrities.

TV Movies About Celebrities

Several celebrities have gotten "their" stories told on the small screen over the years. I've been thinking about these: Catherine Hicks in MARILYN: THE UNTOLD STORY (1980) Ann Jillian in MAE WEST (1982) Lynda Carter in RITA HAYWORTH: THE LOVE GODDESS (1983) Cheryl Ladd in GRACE KELLY (1983)...

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