Keeper of the Flame (1943)
Katharine Hepburn reunites with two of her favorite men in film, director George Cukor and offscreen honeybun Spencer Tracy, in this political noir thriller. It was Kate and George’s sixth film together and Kate’s second film with Spence. In the follow up to the extremely well-received Woman of the Year, everything is a disappointment.
In the film, Kate’s husband has died and the nation mourns the loss of one of their favorite war heroes. There’s a gang of reporters who are anxious to write an inside scoop of the man’s life, but Kate won’t see any of them. Spencer Tracy, a very famous reporter, literally hikes through the back woods and a waterfall to sneak into her home and ambush her. All the while, there’s an underlying mystery that isn’t particularly interesting or suspenseful; Kate and the household staff keep trying to hide some sort of secret about her husband’s past. Kate herself thought the plot was boring, so if you start to nod off, don’t feel too bad.
My mom has a theory that actors do an impeccable job if you can’t think of anyone else who could have played the part as well. Well, as Keeper of the Flame was playing, in order to keep ourselves awake, my mom and I kept coming up with alternatives to the cast: Loretta Young, Rosalind Russell, Cary Grant, Fred MacMurray—the list goes on. My point is that neither actor, even though they looked convincingly in love with each other, added anything special to their roles. Half the time, Spencer Tracy wore such a terrible glare it looked like he was about to murder his costars.
On a sad note, Van Johson was on his way to see the film when he was involved in a terrible car accident that left him permanently scarred. They were in the middle of filming A Guy Named Joe, and Spencer Tracy and Irene Dunne threatened to quit if Van was replaced during his convalescence. A lifelong friendship was born.
Want to watch it? Click here to watch it on ok.ru. And thanks "Classic Movies Kristine Rose" for posting!
More Katharine Hepburn movies here!
More Spencer Tracy movies here!
In the film, Kate’s husband has died and the nation mourns the loss of one of their favorite war heroes. There’s a gang of reporters who are anxious to write an inside scoop of the man’s life, but Kate won’t see any of them. Spencer Tracy, a very famous reporter, literally hikes through the back woods and a waterfall to sneak into her home and ambush her. All the while, there’s an underlying mystery that isn’t particularly interesting or suspenseful; Kate and the household staff keep trying to hide some sort of secret about her husband’s past. Kate herself thought the plot was boring, so if you start to nod off, don’t feel too bad.
My mom has a theory that actors do an impeccable job if you can’t think of anyone else who could have played the part as well. Well, as Keeper of the Flame was playing, in order to keep ourselves awake, my mom and I kept coming up with alternatives to the cast: Loretta Young, Rosalind Russell, Cary Grant, Fred MacMurray—the list goes on. My point is that neither actor, even though they looked convincingly in love with each other, added anything special to their roles. Half the time, Spencer Tracy wore such a terrible glare it looked like he was about to murder his costars.
On a sad note, Van Johson was on his way to see the film when he was involved in a terrible car accident that left him permanently scarred. They were in the middle of filming A Guy Named Joe, and Spencer Tracy and Irene Dunne threatened to quit if Van was replaced during his convalescence. A lifelong friendship was born.
Want to watch it? Click here to watch it on ok.ru. And thanks "Classic Movies Kristine Rose" for posting!
More Katharine Hepburn movies here!
More Spencer Tracy movies here!