The Age of Commercialism

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Good films always raise compelling questions, whether the format is fiction or documentary fact.

"Pat and Mike" from 1952 is a delightful Tracy-Hepburn film, one of nine they made together. I guess of all of them, Sea of Grass was the worst. But I digress.Pat (Hepburn) is an athletics teacher engaged to a somewhat domineering guy. She is told by the manager of a golf club (Jim Backus) that she has the goods to make the womens national golf team, and she should go for it. She does, and there, she's discovered by a marginal manager, Mike (Tracy), who gives her his card, even though the presence of her fiancée (William Ching) made her choke on her game and always does. Mike's managing consists of fixing events, but after he feels Pat out and realizes she's honest, and he sees how talented she is, he decides to take her on as a client. He at present has a boxer client (Aldo Ray) and a horse, Little Nell.Pat goes to see him after she quits her job. When Mike asks her if she can do anything besides golf, it turns out that golf isn't even her best sport. That's tennis. But she can also do sharpshooting and a bunch of other things. They go the tennis route. And without realizing it, their feelings go beyond manager and talent.Very good film, with real-life golf stars Babe Didrickson Zaharias and Gussy Moran on hand as golfers, and Charles Bronson and Chuck Conners in small roles.Pat and Mike works because of the tremendous chemistry between Tracy and Hepburn.

Katharine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy spent most of their screen partnerships entwined in battles of the sexes, but "Pat and Mike" finds them at their most harmoniously warm, headlining a romantic comedy without highbrow bite or indirect sexism. While thinly plotted, the film is one of their breeziest pairings, in part to George Cukor's smartly scattered comedic zest and the screenplay's knack for uptown/downtown musings.Hepburn portrays Pat Pemberton, a physical ed instructor who spends her afternoons training athletic collegians. Her days of competing are far from over, though; as the film opens, she is basking in the final few moments before an important golf match. Pat is a dynamic athlete, but she has a minor problem when it comes to performing. Whenever her fiancée, the pompous Collier (William Ching), appears for support, her skills take a downturn, as if he were a bad luck charm. Collier wants Pat to retire from her sports career so she can become a full-time wife, but Pat, independent and smart, knows deep in her heart that she doesn't want to marry him and doesn't want to waste her days cleaning and cooking and kid raising. She has more important things to do than fill general women's roles. After a particularly rough match, thanks to the presence of the smarmy Collier, Pat is down in the dumps, but her athletic prowess is noticed by Mike Conovan (Spencer Tracy), a sports promoter who normally supports boxing acts. Right then and there, he deems her the world's top female athlete. But with her tendency to screw up at the worst of times, Mike becomes determined to train Pat until she becomes a wunderkind with the ability to smash cultural norms and sports records. As the two begin to see each other more frequently, however, it seems that mutual attraction is steadily growing, and traffic cones like Mike's other subject, a bird-brained boxer (Aldo Ray), prejudiced mobsters, and a smug Collier, will hardly stand in their way. I suppose "Pat and Mike" works so well because there isn't a moment in its 95 minutes where its stars are hating each other. In the subtly sexist "Woman of the Year", the entire middle half was spent with Hepburn and Tracy hardly attempting to overcome marital woes; in the witty "Adam's Rib", combative battles of words came more regularly than moments of adoration. "Pat and Mike" is a rather thin, simplistic romantic comedy, but without much conflict, it spends more time being likable than it does messing with our heads. It's a wonderful change of pace for its stars.Hepburn trades hardness for an affectionate, slacks not pants wearing performance (boasting her athletic skill along the way), and Tracy's teddy bear, Chicawgo affability is impossible to resist. Supporting performer Ray nearly steals the film as Mike's other client, Davie. A gentle giant of a dope who probably spends his days laughing at "The Three Stooges" while swigging beers, his nights bruising his little brains, Ray is a lovable and goofy supplement to his lively co-stars.With writing team Garson Kanin and Ruth Gordon's ear for the distinction between city dwellers and the intellectual middle-class, "Pat and Mike" is unsubstantial but towering in its charisma. It's a joy from start to finish, a comedy showcase for Hepburn and Tracy.

Pat Pemberton (Katharine Hepburn) is a great athlete and a coach. She tries to do whatever her fiancé Collier Weld (William Ching) needs even if it's deliberately losing. It's a great stress on their relationship. Charles Barry (Jim Backus) convinces her to enter into a golf tournament. Mike Conovan (Spencer Tracy) is a shady sports promoter who tries to get her to finish second but she refuses. At critical moments, Collier's presence flusters her and she ends up second. Collier wants her to marry him and quit everything else. In desperation, she jumps off the train and seeks the help of Mike. It turns out that she's great at everything.The Hollywood couple has good chemistry. This is a fun rom-com. I don't like so much the sports action. They have a tendency to slow the movie down. Although it's interesting to see Hepburn actually playing those sports. It's still not shot very interestingly. Sports action at that time has yet to be shot excitingly.

Out of MGM, Pat and Mike is directed by George Cukor and written by Ruth Gordon & Garson Kanin (Oscar nominated). It stars Spencer Tracy, Katharine Hepburn & Aldo Ray. David Raksin scores the music and William H. Daniels photographs it on location around Los Angeles. Most of the golfing scenes were filmed at the Riviera Country Club, with other work shot at Occidental College. The film is notable for featuring many sports star cameos, some who show up include: Babe Zaharias, Betty Hicks, Helen Dettweiler, Don Budge, Gussie Moran, Beverly Hanson and Alice Marble. In the support cast are Charles Bronson, Frank Richards, Jim Backus, and Chuck Connors.Hugely efficient romantic comedy that sees Hepburn as sprightly PE teacher, Pat Pemberton, who is courted for stardom by shifty promoter Mike Conovan (Tracy). The trouble is is that as talented as Pat is, she goes to pieces when watched by her beau, Davie Hucko (Ray). Pretty soon Pat starts responding to Mike's methods of coaching, and could there even be love in the air too? OK, so it doesn't hold any surprises in how it pans out, but the fun is in getting there. The script is tight as a padlock and Cukor gets great performances out of his two leads. Notably Hepburn, who gets to show her undoubted athletic ability. Added bonus is Raksin's score, which is breezy with jazzy tones and sits nicely in context to the material playing out.Not as sharp as Adam's Rib, but clever and funny in equal measure. 7/10