SYNOPSIS

Flinty sports writer Sam Craig and haughty political columnist Tess Harding first meet after a war of words triggered by her suggesting that baseball be suspended until the war in Europe ends. A peacemaking date turns into romance and then marriage, but as the relationship continues, Sam begins to resent Tess' devotion to her career at the expense of what he values most in her character. When she's named woman of the year just as he reaches the breaking point, it sets the stage for a confrontation that could make or break their marriage.

Director: George Stevens
Producer: Joseph L. Mankiewicz
Screenplay: Ring Lardner, Jr., Michael Kanin
Cinematography: Joseph Ruttenberg
Editing: Frank Sullivan
Art Direction: Cedric Gibbons, Randall Duell
Music: Franz Waxman
Cast: Spencer Tracy (Sam Craig), Katharine Hepburn (Tess Harding), Fay Bainter (Ellen Whitcomb), Reginald Owen (Clayton), Minor Watson (William Harding), William Bendix (Pinkie Peters), Dan Tobin (Gerald Howe), Roscoe Karnes (Phil Whittaker), Ludwig Stossel (Dr. Marin Lubbeck), Sara Haden (Matron at Refugee Homes), Joe Yule (Building Superintendent), Jimmy Conlin, Ray Teal (Reporters), Gerald Mohr (Voice of Radio M.C.)
BW-114m.

Why WOMAN OF THE YEAR is Essential

Woman of the Year was the first film to team Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn, one of the most acclaimed and beloved of all screen couples. They would appear together in nine films, including such classics as Adam's Rib (1949), Pat and Mike (1952) and Guess Who's Coming to Dinner (1967), Tracy's last film.

As the follow-up to Hepburn's The Philadelphia Story (1940), Woman of the Year cemented her comeback after her late-'30s years as "box office poison" and pointed the way to the more mature vehicles of her later years. As with the 1940 film, it softened her image, revealing the vulnerable woman beneath her noted arrogance and independence. Moreover, it was the first film to exploit her sexiness, thanks largely to the MGM star treatment, which included Adrian's costumes, Sydney Guilaroff's hair styling and Jack Dawn's makeup.

Woman of the Year was the third film teaming Hepburn with director George Stevens. Previously he had helped refine her acting technique in Alice Adams (1935) and directed the underrated Quality Street (1937). With Woman of the Year, he helped shape the star image that would sustain her through the '40s and '50s.

Publicity for Woman of the Year introduced the new Hepburn nickname, "Kate the Great," which would stay with Hepburn through the rest of her career.

Woman of the Year marked Hepburn's official debut as an MGM star. She had made The Philadelphia Story on a one-picture deal, but with her second film at the studio, she signed a long-term contract.

by Frank Miller