Katharine Hepburn

Katharine Hepburn

Born: May 12, 1907
Died: June 29, 2003
in Hartford, Connecticut, USA
Katharine Houghton Hepburn (May 12, 1907 – June 29, 2003) was an American actress of film, stage, and television. She held the record for the most Best Actress Oscar wins with 4 out of 12 nominations and was ranked as the greatest female star in the history of American cinema by the American Film Institute in 1999. She has also won an Emmy Award out of a total 5 Emmy nominations, two Tony Awards and eight Golden Globes. She was known for her sophisticated, headstrong and outspoken screen persona. Apart from her admirable acting and distinctive voice, her impact extended to fashion as well as she helped wearing trousers and pants more socially acceptable for women.

Raised in Connecticut by wealthy progressive parents, Hepburn turned to acting after university. After a rocky start on stage, she made her way to Hollywood by starring in A Bill of Divorcement (1932) alongside John Barrymore, which instantly brought her praise. A few early film successes, including her first Academy Award, for Morning Glory (1933) were not enough as she endured a string of flops. Apart from being voted "box office poison", her rocky relationship with the press and tomboyish fashion choices made her incredibly unpopular. She arranged with playwright Philip Barry to write a play with her in mind, one that smoothed over her prickly public image. This play, The Philadelphia Story, turned out to be a huge success on Broadway. Securing the film rights for herself with the help of Howard Hughes, Katharine Hepburn sold them to Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer on the condition that she reprise her leading role as Tracy Lord. The 1940 film was a hit and revived her flagging career, even earning her a third Academy Award for Best Actress nomination.

Throughout her six-decade career, Hepburn's filmography covered a range of genres, including screwball comedies, period dramas, and adaptations of works by top American playwrights. She co-starred with screen legends like Cary Grant), Humphrey Bogart, John Wayne, Laurence Olivier and Henry Fonda. Her most successful pairing was with Spencer Tracy, with whom she made multiple hit pictures. The last of their 9 films together was Guess Who's Coming to Dinner (1967), which was completed shortly before Tracy's death. Her many performances the stage included plays by Shakespeare and Shaw, and a Broadway musical. She passed away from cardiac arrest on June 29, 2003, at her family home in Connecticut and since then, has been honored with several memorials.

Movies for Katharine Hepburn...

Call Me Kate
Title: Call Me Kate
Character: Self (archive footage)
Released: May 12, 2023
Type: Movie
A feature documentary which captures Katharine Hepburn's spirit and determination, exploring her story using her own words, through a combination of hours of previously hidden and intimate audio tapes, video and photographic archive.
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Hannibal Hopkins et Sir Anthony
Title: Hannibal Hopkins et Sir Anthony
Character: Self (archive footage)
Released: March 26, 2021
Type: Movie
Hopkins’ career has spanned several decades, which is why we will also use many interviews that he gave throughout his life, allowing us to put him back into the context of each period and will be helpful in understanding his role in the history of cinema, because he was far from following the trends. He never belonged to any film movement; he is a chameleon that has always preferred natural acting, ‘non-acting’ when method acting was the fashion.
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Yellowface: Asian Whitewashing and Racism in Hollywood
Title: Yellowface: Asian Whitewashing and Racism in Hollywood
Character: (archive footage)
Released: October 13, 2019
Type: Movie
A history of anti-Asian racism and yellowface in Hollywood after the 1941 Pearl Harbor attack.
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Scotty and the Secret History of Hollywood
Title: Scotty and the Secret History of Hollywood
Character: Self (archive footage)
Released: July 27, 2018
Type: Movie
A deliciously scandalous portrait of unsung Hollywood legend Scotty Bowers, whose bestselling memoir chronicled his decades spent as sexual procurer to the stars.
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In Search of Tracy Lord
Title: In Search of Tracy Lord
Character: Self (archive footage)
Released: November 7, 2017
Type: Movie
Playwright Philip Barry and actor Katharine Hepburn, both experiencing career downturns in the late 1930s, worked closely together to create the iconic character of Tracy Lord, Philadelphia “Main Line” socialite, for Barry’s play “The Philadelphia Story.”
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Becoming Cary Grant
Title: Becoming Cary Grant
Character: Self (archive footage)
Released: May 23, 2017
Type: Movie
For the first time one of Hollywood's greatest stars tells his own story, in his own words. From a childhood of poverty to global fame, Cary Grant, the ultimate self-made star, explores his own screen image and what it took to create it.
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Katharine Hepburn: The Great Kate
Title: Katharine Hepburn: The Great Kate
Character: Self - Interviewee (archive footage)
Released: March 2, 2014
Type: Movie
A peep behind the scenes of the golden era of Hollywood to discover exactly how and why Katharine Hepburn became one of the most famous actresses in the glamorous world of cinema.
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Smash His Camera
Title: Smash His Camera
Character: Self (archive footage)
Released: July 30, 2010
Type: Movie
A film centering on the life and work of Ron Galella that examines the nature and effect of paparazzi.
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Cameraman: The Life and Work of Jack Cardiff
Title: Cameraman: The Life and Work of Jack Cardiff
Character: Self (archive footage)
Released: May 5, 2010
Type: Movie
In 2001 Jack Cardiff (1914-2009) became the first director of photography in the history of the Academy Awards to win an Honorary Oscar. But the first time he clasped the famous statuette in his hand was a half-century earlier when his Technicolor camerawork was awarded for Powell and Pressburger's Black Narcissus. Beyond John Huston's The African Queen and King Vidor's War and Peace, the films of the British-Hungarian creative duo (The Red Shoes and A Matter of Life and Death too) guaranteed immortality for the renowned cameraman whose career spanned seventy years.
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Embracing Chaos: Making The African Queen
Title: Embracing Chaos: Making The African Queen
Character: Self / Rose Sayer (archive footage)
Released: March 23, 2010
Type: Movie
The epic story of how the film The African Queen (1951), directed by John Huston and starring Humphrey Bogart and Katharine Hepburn, was shot on real African locations, barely overcoming all kinds of hardships and disasters.
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Broadway's Lost Treasures II
Title: Broadway's Lost Treasures II
Character: Coco Chanel (segment "Coco")
Released: October 26, 2004
Type: Movie
The annual Tony Award broadcast provides the only filmed record of Broadway's best for audiences to experience as if they were front-row-center on opening night. This second compilation of great musical moments from the Tonys features another dazzling array of stars and performances. Hosts Lauren Bacall, Bebe Neuwirth, Brian Stokes Mitchell and Jerry Orbach introduce these one-of-a-kind performances and share their personal Broadway and Tony memories.
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Cary Grant: A Class Apart
Title: Cary Grant: A Class Apart
Character: Self (archive footage)
Released: June 1, 2004
Type: Movie
Documentary that explores the life and career of leading man Cary Grant through film clips and interviews. Produced as S18E03 of the long running series American Masters.
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Cole Porter in Hollywood: True Love
Title: Cole Porter in Hollywood: True Love
Character: Self (Archive Footage)
Released: December 15, 2003
Type: Movie
A short documentary about the making of the 1956 film, High Society. Hosted by Celeste Holm.
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Complicated Women
Title: Complicated Women
Character: Self (archive footage)
Released: May 6, 2003
Type: Movie
Looks at the stereotype-breaking films of the period from 1929, when movies entered the sound era, until 1934 when the Hays Code virtually neutered film content. No longer portrayed as virgins or vamps, the liberated female of the pre-code films had dimensions. Good girls had lovers and babies and held down jobs, while the bad girls were cast in a sympathetic light. And they did it all without apology.
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Bogart: The Untold Story
Title: Bogart: The Untold Story
Character: Self (archive footage)
Released: January 5, 1997
Type: Movie
Stephen H. Bogart narrates the rise to fame of his father, Humphrey Bogart through the use of film clips, written material and interviews of friends and co-workers.
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Katharine Hepburn: On Her Own Terms
Title: Katharine Hepburn: On Her Own Terms
Character: Self
Released: October 4, 1996
Type: Movie
Four-time Oscar-winner Katharine Hepburn called herself a "personality" as well as an actress, and rightfully so. This biography chronicles her life as an independent woman and legendary actress, from her childhood to her passionate relationships. Brought to light are thoughts on Howard Hughes, John Ford and longtime companion Spencer Tracy. Her story comes to life through rare home movies, screen tests, movie outtakes and interviews.
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The Line King: The Al Hirschfeld Story
Title: The Line King: The Al Hirschfeld Story
Character: Self (voice) (uncredited)
Released: September 27, 1996
Type: Movie
The childhood, adolescence, and incredible adult years of Al Hirschfeld, celebrated creator of thousands of line drawings of famous people - many in the entertainment industry - over a span of more than sixty years. He is still drawing in his nineties. His interesting domestic life, political, and cultural views are highlights. In addition, he talks about himself a bit - seriously and lightly.(At one point he he claims that his only form of exercise has been to live in his Manhattan townhouse: stairs). He drives his car around Manhattan - an adventure in itself. Brief interviews with, and reminiscences of many friends and associates.
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The Good, The Bad, and the Beautiful
Title: The Good, The Bad, and the Beautiful
Character: Self (archive footage)
Released: March 17, 1996
Type: Movie
A documentary reflecting on women in film and the entertainment industry through the ages led and hosted by some of its most beloved female icons.
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Legends in Light: The Photography of George Hurrell
Title: Legends in Light: The Photography of George Hurrell
Character: Self
Released: January 16, 1995
Type: Movie
The life and career of legendary Hollywood glamour portrait photographer George Hurrell is profiled by his contemporaries including other photographers and actors he has shot.
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One Christmas
Title: One Christmas
Character: Cornelia Beaumont
Released: December 19, 1994
Type: Movie
Based on Truman Capote's bittersweet tale of a young boy's adventures with the father he's never known in New Orleans in the 1930s..
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Tennessee Williams: Orpheus of the American Stage
Title: Tennessee Williams: Orpheus of the American Stage
Character: Mrs. Venable (archive footage)
Released: December 19, 1994
Type: Movie
A study of Tennessee Williams's life and work as a whole, ranging from his youth in Mississippi and in St. Louis to success and acclaim, followed by the final difficult years. Includes some of the most celebrated scenes from film adaptations of Williams' work, among them extracts of A Streetcar Named Desire (1951),Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1958), Night of the Iguana, The (1964), and Suddenly, Last Summer (1993) (TV). Contains footage of Williams being interviewed, including conversations with David Frost, 'Edward R. Murrow (I)', and Melvyn Bragg, as well as reminiscences from people who knew and worked with him, among them Edward Albee, Gore Vidal, and his lifelong friend, Lady Maria St. Just. Features readings from Elia Kazan's Notebook by Kim Hunter.
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Love Affair
Title: Love Affair
Character: Ginny
Released: October 21, 1994
Type: Movie
Ex-football star Mike Gambril meets Terry McKay on a flight to Sydney, which is forced to land on a small atoll. They become romantic on board a ship sent to take them to a larger island. They agree to meet in New York three months later to see if the attraction is real. One shows up but the other doesn't. However, a chance meeting brings them together again.
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That's Entertainment! III
Title: That's Entertainment! III
Character: (archive footage)
Released: July 1, 1994
Type: Movie
Some of MGM'S musical stars review the studios history of musicals. From The Hollywood Revue of 1929 to Brigadoon, from the first musical talkies to Gene Kelly in Singin' in the Rain.
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This Can't Be Love
Title: This Can't Be Love
Character: Marion Bennett
Released: March 13, 1994
Type: Movie
Two aging actors, who had a brief but intense marriage in the 1940s, are reunited decades later to find that issues between them are not resolved.
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Title: Intimate Portrait
Character: Self
Released: November 14, 1993
Type: TV
Intimate Portrait is a biographical television series on the Lifetime Television cable network focusing on different celebrities, which includes interviews with each subject. Among the people profiled were Grace Kelly, Natalie Wood, Carly Simon, Jackie Kennedy, Katharine Hepburn, Carol Burnett, Tanya Tucker, and Marla Maples.
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Katharine Hepburn: All About Me
Title: Katharine Hepburn: All About Me
Character: Self
Released: January 18, 1993
Type: Movie
In a rare interview, Katharine Hepburn shares her memories and memorabilia.
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The Man Upstairs
Title: The Man Upstairs
Character: Victoria Brown
Released: December 6, 1992
Type: Movie
Hepburn plays an elderly woman whose house becomes a hideaway for an escaped convict (O'Neal), and the pair strike up an unlikely friendship.
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Fonda on Fonda
Title: Fonda on Fonda
Character: Self (voice)
Released: January 13, 1992
Type: Movie
Jane Fonda hosts a tribute to her father.
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Night of 100 Stars III
Title: Night of 100 Stars III
Character: Self
Released: May 21, 1990
Type: Movie
A celebrity benefit for The Actors' Fund of America, featuring music, songs, dance and comedy.
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Broadway's Dreamers: The Legacy of the Group Theatre
Title: Broadway's Dreamers: The Legacy of the Group Theatre
Character: Self
Released: June 26, 1989
Type: Movie
A study of the Group Theatre, a company that changed the face of American drama. The Group was founded in 1931 by Cheryl Crawford, Harold Clurman and Lee Strasberg, who were strongly influenced by the naturalistic acting of Konstantin Stanislavski’s Moscow Art Theatre.
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James Stewart: A Wonderful Life
Title: James Stewart: A Wonderful Life
Character: Self
Released: November 22, 1988
Type: Movie
Documentary about James Stewart's long career as an actor and positive personal life.
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The Making of a Legend: Gone with the Wind
Title: The Making of a Legend: Gone with the Wind
Character: Self (archive footage)
Released: October 1, 1988
Type: Movie
This documentary revisits the making of Gone with the Wind via archival footage, screen tests, insightful interviews and rare film footage.
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Cary Grant: A Celebration of a Leading Man
Title: Cary Grant: A Celebration of a Leading Man
Character: Self (archive footage)
Released: June 5, 1988
Type: Movie
A retrospective of the life and career of actor Cary Grant, including clips from his films and interviews with his friends and co-workers.
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Bacall on Bogart
Title: Bacall on Bogart
Character: Self
Released: March 13, 1988
Type: Movie
Lauren Bacall tells the story of her late husband Humphrey Bogart, presenting clips from his movies and interview clips with his peers.
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Laura Lansing Slept Here
Title: Laura Lansing Slept Here
Character: Laura Lansing
Released: March 6, 1988
Type: Movie
With a glittering cast that includes Katharine Hepburn and Karen Austin in lead roles, Laura Lansing Slept Here is a humorous family movie. Hepburn plays Laura Lansing, a novelist who undergoes an identity crisis as, despite her fame and fortune, she feels something is missing from her life. Entering into a quest to return a degree of normalcy to her life, Lansing's attempts provide many comedic moments, as well as a salient lesson for the famous author.
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Michael Jackson: The Legend Continues
Title: Michael Jackson: The Legend Continues
Character: Self
Released: January 2, 1988
Type: Movie
Music documentary directed by Patrick T. Kelly.
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Title: The RKO Story: Tales From Hollywood
Character: Self
Released: July 3, 1987
Type: TV
Ed Asner tells the story of RKO Pictures from the 1920s to the 1960s.
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Happy 100th Birthday, Hollywood
Title: Happy 100th Birthday, Hollywood
Character: Self
Released: May 18, 1987
Type: Movie
A TV special on the 100th anniversary of the birth of film.
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Mrs. Delafield Wants to Marry
Title: Mrs. Delafield Wants to Marry
Character: Margaret Delafield
Released: March 30, 1986
Type: Movie
A rich widow shocks her snobbish WASP family when she decides to marry her Jewish, divorced, doctor. His family is equally shocked.
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The Spencer Tracy Legacy: A Tribute by Katharine Hepburn
Title: The Spencer Tracy Legacy: A Tribute by Katharine Hepburn
Character: Self – Host
Released: March 9, 1986
Type: Movie
In this tribute to her frequent co-star and longtime love, Katharine Hepburn hosts a behind-the-scenes look at Spencer Tracy's personal and professional life that features intimate personal accounts, interviews and clips from his most acclaimed work on the silver screen.
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Grace Quigley
Title: Grace Quigley
Character: Grace Quigley
Released: May 17, 1985
Type: Movie
Grace Quigley is nearing the end of her life, living alone in her New York apartment. On the day she's being evicted, she witnesses a murder being committed by a top hit-man, Seymour Flint. She proposes to blackmail him into killing her, however, she has one or two friends she wants him to get rid of first.
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George Stevens: A Filmmaker's Journey
Title: George Stevens: A Filmmaker's Journey
Character: Self
Released: March 3, 1985
Type: Movie
Biography of the legendary filmmaker directed by his son.
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On Golden Pond
Title: On Golden Pond
Character: Ethel Thayer
Released: December 4, 1981
Type: Movie
For Norman and Ethel Thayer, this summer on golden pond is filled with conflict and resolution. When their daughter Chelsea arrives, the family is forced to renew the bonds of love and overcome the generational friction that has existed for years.
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The Corn Is Green
Title: The Corn Is Green
Character: Miss Lilly Moffat
Released: January 29, 1979
Type: Movie
A strong-willed teacher, determined to educate the poor and illiterate youth of an impoverished Welsh village, discovers one student whom she believes to have the seeds of genius in him.
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Title: The Kennedy Center Honors
Character: Self
Released: December 28, 1978
Type: TV
The Kennedy Center Honors is an annual honor given to those in the performing arts for their lifetime of contributions to American culture.
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Olly, Olly, Oxen Free
Title: Olly, Olly, Oxen Free
Character: Miss Pudd
Released: August 11, 1978
Type: Movie
Elderly, eccentric Miss Pudd (Hepburn) is the owner of a store she considers an antique shop but most would call a junkyard. She frequently refuses to part with her merchandise because of its sentimental value, but she does agree to sell some items to two small boys, Alby and Chris , who are repairing a hot air balloon that belonged to the older boy's grandfather, a stunt man named The Great Sandusky. They plan to take the balloon aloft to celebrate the man's birthday. (wikipedia)
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That's Entertainment, Part II
Title: That's Entertainment, Part II
Character: (archive footage)
Released: May 16, 1976
Type: Movie
Gene Kelly and Fred Astaire present more golden moments from the MGM film library, this time including comedy and drama as well as classic musical numbers.
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Rooster Cogburn
Title: Rooster Cogburn
Character: Eula Goodnight
Released: November 1, 1975
Type: Movie
After a band of drunken thugs overruns a small Indian Nation town, killing Reverend Goodnight and raping the women folk, Eula Goodnight enlists the aid of US Marshal Cogburn to hunt them down and bring her father's killers to justice.
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Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?
Title: Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?
Character: Self (archive footage)
Released: August 6, 1975
Type: Movie
Period music, film clips and newsreel footage combined into a visual exploration of the American entertainment industry during the Great Depression.
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Love Among the Ruins
Title: Love Among the Ruins
Character: Jessica Medlicott
Released: March 6, 1975
Type: Movie
An aging actress and socialite, Jessica Medlicott has ended her engagement with a younger man and is now being sued by her former fiancé. Esteemed barrister Sir Arthur Glanville-Jones is assigned to represent Jessica in the lawsuit, and he also happens to be an old suitor of hers from decades earlier. While Jessica claims not to remember him, and Arthur still smarts from her earlier rejection, the two form a close bond during the case.
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Title: Spécial cinéma
Character: Self
Released: September 25, 1974
Type: TV
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That's Entertainment!
Title: That's Entertainment!
Character: (archive footage) (uncredited)
Released: June 21, 1974
Type: Movie
Various MGM stars from yesterday present their favorite musical moments from the studio's 50 year history.
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The Glass Menagerie
Title: The Glass Menagerie
Character: Amanda Wingfield
Released: December 16, 1973
Type: Movie
An aging Southern belle's preoccupation with her past and her dreams for her children's futures threaten to smother her painfully shy daughter and her aspiring writer son.
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A Delicate Balance
Title: A Delicate Balance
Character: Agnes
Released: November 12, 1973
Type: Movie
In their nice Connecticut home, Agnes and Tobias have grown used to the imperfection and fragility of their marriage. Quietly nursing their grief over the death of their son, they get by well enough together. Agnes' boozy sister wanders in and out, and they allow anxiety-stricken friends to move into an upstairs room. But, when their daughter, Julia, shows up announcing her fourth divorce, long-repressed emotions come to the surface.
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Hollywood: The Dream Factory
Title: Hollywood: The Dream Factory
Character: Self (archive footage)
Released: January 10, 1972
Type: Movie
A documentary about the glorious history of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios and its decline leading to the sale of its back lot and props. By extension this provides a general history of Hollywood's Golden Age and the legendary studio system.
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Directed by John Ford
Title: Directed by John Ford
Character: Self
Released: September 6, 1971
Type: Movie
A documentary about the life and films of director John Ford.
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The Trojan Women
Title: The Trojan Women
Character: Hecuba
Released: May 1, 1971
Type: Movie
In the aftermath of the Trojan Wars, Queen Hecuba takes stock of the defeated kingdom. Her son has been killed, and his widow, Andromache, is left to raise their son, Astyanax, alone. Hecuba's daughter, Cassandra, fears being enslaved by her Greek masters, while Helen of Troy risks being executed. Astyanax also becomes the focus of the Greeks' attention as the last male heir of the Trojan royal family.
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Title: Great Performances
Character: Self
Released: January 28, 1971
Type: TV
The best in the performing arts from across America and around the world including a diverse programming portfolio of classical music, opera, popular song, musical theater, dance, drama, and performance documentaries.
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The Madwoman of Chaillot
Title: The Madwoman of Chaillot
Character: Contessa Aurelia
Released: October 12, 1969
Type: Movie
An eccentric Parisian woman's optimistic perception of life begins to sound more rational than the rather traditional beliefs of others.
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The Lion in Winter
Title: The Lion in Winter
Character: Eleanor of Aquitaine
Released: October 30, 1968
Type: Movie
Henry II and his estranged queen battle over the choice of an heir.
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Title: The Dick Cavett Show
Character: Self - Guest
Released: June 6, 1968
Type: TV
The Dick Cavett Show has been the title of several talk shows hosted by Dick Cavett on various television networks.
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Guess Who's Coming to Dinner
Title: Guess Who's Coming to Dinner
Character: Christina Drayton
Released: December 11, 1967
Type: Movie
A couple's attitudes are challenged when their daughter brings home a fiancé who is black.
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Title: aspekte
Character: Self
Released: October 17, 1965
Type: TV
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The Big Parade of Comedy
Title: The Big Parade of Comedy
Character: Tracy Lord (archive footage)
Released: September 2, 1964
Type: Movie
Film clips highlight the funniest scenes and brightest comic stars in MGM's history.
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Long Day's Journey Into Night
Title: Long Day's Journey Into Night
Character: Mary Tyrone
Released: October 9, 1962
Type: Movie
Over the course of one day in August 1912, the family of retired actor James Tyrone grapples with the morphine addiction of his wife Mary, the illness of their youngest son Edmund and the alcoholism and debauchery of their older son Jamie. As day turns into night, guilt, anger, despair, and regret threaten to destroy the family.
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Hollywood: The Selznick Years
Title: Hollywood: The Selznick Years
Character: Self (voice) (uncredited)
Released: December 31, 1961
Type: Movie
Henry Fonda hosts this retrospective on the career and films of iconic filmmaker David O. Selznick, who epitomized the era of the auteur producer in the 30s and 40s.
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Suddenly, Last Summer
Title: Suddenly, Last Summer
Character: Violet Venable
Released: December 22, 1959
Type: Movie
The only son of wealthy widow Violet Venable dies while on vacation with his cousin Catherine. What the girl saw was so horrible that she went insane; now Mrs. Venable wants Catherine lobotomized to cover up the truth.
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Desk Set
Title: Desk Set
Character: Bunny Watson
Released: August 2, 1957
Type: Movie
A computer expert tries to prove his electronic brain can replace a television network's research staff.
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The Rainmaker
Title: The Rainmaker
Character: Lizzie Curry
Released: December 13, 1956
Type: Movie
Lizzie Curry is on the verge of becoming a hopeless old maid. Her wit and intelligence and skills as a homemaker can't make up for the fact that she's just plain plain! Even the town sheriff, File, for whom she harbors a secrect yen, won't take a chance --- until the town suffers a drought and into the lives of Lizzie and her brothers and father comes one Bill Starbuck ... profession: Rainmaker!
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The Iron Petticoat
Title: The Iron Petticoat
Character: Captain Vinka Kovalenko
Released: September 1, 1956
Type: Movie
Captain Vinka Kovalenko defects from Russia, but not for political reasons. She defects because she feels discriminated against as a woman. Captain Chuck Lockwood gets the order to show her the bright side of capitalism, while she tries to convince him of the superiority of communism. Naturally, they fall in love, but there's still the KGB, which doesn't like the idea of having a defected Russian officer running around in London.
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Title: Tony Awards
Character: Self - Nominee / Performer
Released: April 1, 1956
Type: TV
The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes achievement in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ceremony in New York City. The awards are given for Broadway productions and performances, and an award is given for regional theatre.
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Summertime
Title: Summertime
Character: Jane Hudson
Released: June 21, 1955
Type: Movie
Middle-aged Ohio secretary Jane Hudson has never found love and has nearly resigned herself to spending the rest of her life alone. But before she does, she uses her savings to finance a summer in romantic Venice, where she finally meets the man of her dreams, the elegant Renato Di Rossi.
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Title: The Oscars
Character: Self
Released: March 19, 1953
Type: TV
An annual American awards ceremony honoring cinematic achievements in the film industry. The various category winners are awarded a copy of a statuette, officially the Academy Award of Merit, that is better known by its nickname Oscar.
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Pat and Mike
Title: Pat and Mike
Character: Patricia "Pat" Pemberton
Released: June 13, 1952
Type: Movie
Pat Pemberton is a brilliant athlete, except when her domineering fiancé is around. The ladies golf championship is in her reach until she gets flustered by his presence at the final holes. He wants them to get married and forget the whole thing, but she cannot give up on herself that easily. She enlists the help of Mike Conovan, a slightly shady sports promoter. Together they face mobsters, a jealous boxer, and a growing mutual attraction.
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The African Queen
Title: The African Queen
Character: Rose Sayer
Released: January 7, 1952
Type: Movie
At the start of the First World War, in the middle of Africa’s nowhere, a gin soaked riverboat captain is persuaded by a strong-willed missionary to go down river and face-off a German warship.
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The Costume Designer
Title: The Costume Designer
Character: Self (archive footage)
Released: July 13, 1950
Type: Movie
This short focuses on the job of the costume designer in the production of motion pictures. The costume designer must design clothing that is correct for the film historically and geographically, and must be appropriate for the mood of the individual scene. We see famed costume designer Edith Head at work on a production. The Costume Designer was part of The Industry Film Project, a twelve-part series produced by the film studios and the Academy. Each series episode was produced to inform the public on a specific facet of the motion picture industry. Preserved by the Academy Film Archive in 2012.
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Adam's Rib
Title: Adam's Rib
Character: Amanda Bonner
Released: November 18, 1949
Type: Movie
When a woman attempts to kill her uncaring husband, prosecutor Adam Bonner gets the case. Unfortunately for him his wife Amanda (who happens to be a lawyer too) decides to defend the woman in court. Amanda uses everything she can to win the case and Adam gets mad about it. As a result, their perfect marriage is disturbed by everyday quarrels.
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State of the Union
Title: State of the Union
Character: Mary Matthews
Released: April 30, 1948
Type: Movie
An industrialist is urged to run for President, but this requires uncomfortable compromises on both political and marital levels.
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Song of Love
Title: Song of Love
Character: Clara Wieck Schumann
Released: October 9, 1947
Type: Movie
Composer Robert Schumann struggles to compose his symphonies while his loving wife Clara offers her support. Also helping the Schumanns is their lifelong friend, composer Johannes Brahms.
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The Sea of Grass
Title: The Sea of Grass
Character: Lutie Cameron Brewton
Released: April 25, 1947
Type: Movie
A St. Louis woman marries a New Mexico cattleman who is seen as a tyrant by the locals.
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Undercurrent
Title: Undercurrent
Character: Ann Hamilton
Released: November 11, 1946
Type: Movie
After a rapid engagement, a dowdy daughter of a chemist weds an industrialist, knowing little of his family or past. He transforms her into an elegant society wife, but becomes enraged whenever she asks about Michael, his mysterious long-lost brother.
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Without Love
Title: Without Love
Character: Jamie Rowan
Released: March 22, 1945
Type: Movie
In World War II Washington DC, scientist Pat Jamieson's assistant, Jamie Rowan, enters a loveless marriage with him. Struggles bring them closer together.
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Dragon Seed
Title: Dragon Seed
Character: Jade Tan
Released: July 20, 1944
Type: Movie
The lives of a small Chinese village are turned Upside down when the Japanese invade it. An heroic young Chinese woman leads her fellow villagers in an uprising against Japanese Invaders.
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Twenty Years After
Title: Twenty Years After
Character: (archive footage)
Released: January 1, 1944
Type: Movie
This short celebrates the 20th anniversary of MGM. Segments are shown from several early hits, then from a number of 1944 releases.
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Stage Door Canteen
Title: Stage Door Canteen
Character: Katharine Hepburn
Released: June 24, 1943
Type: Movie
A young soldier on a pass in New York City visits the famed Stage Door Canteen, where famous stars of the theater and films appear and host a recreational center for servicemen during the war. The soldier meets a pretty young hostess and they enjoy the many entertainers and a growing romance
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Keeper of the Flame
Title: Keeper of the Flame
Character: Christine Forrest
Released: April 1, 1943
Type: Movie
Famed reporter Stephen O'Malley travels to a small town to investigate the death of a national hero.
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Woman of the Year
Title: Woman of the Year
Character: Tess Harding
Released: February 5, 1942
Type: Movie
Rival reporters Sam and Tess fall in love and get married, only to find their relationship strained when Sam comes to resent Tess' hectic lifestyle.
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Women in Defense
Title: Women in Defense
Character: Narrator (voice)
Released: December 24, 1941
Type: Movie
Short documentary extolling the virtues and necessity for women to participate in America's preparation for war, showing women working in scientific, industrial, and voluntary-services activities.
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The Philadelphia Story
Title: The Philadelphia Story
Character: Tracy Lord
Released: December 5, 1940
Type: Movie
When a rich woman's ex-husband and a tabloid-type reporter turn up just before her planned remarriage, she begins to learn the truth about herself.
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A New Romance of Celluloid: The Miracle of Sound
Title: A New Romance of Celluloid: The Miracle of Sound
Character: Self
Released: October 24, 1940
Type: Movie
This short documentary, presented and directed by MGM sound engineer Douglas Shearer, goes behind the scenes to look at how the sound portion of a talking picture is created.
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Cavalcade of the Academy Awards
Title: Cavalcade of the Academy Awards
Character: Self (archive footage)
Released: July 31, 1940
Type: Movie
This 1940 presentation features highlights of earlier (1928 onward) Oscar ceremonies including Shirley Temple and Walt Disney, plus acceptance speeches for films released in 1939 with recipients and presenters including Vivien Leigh, Judy Garland, Hattie McDaniel, Fay Bainter, Mickey Rooney, Thomas Mitchell, Sinclair Lewis, and more, with host Bob Hope.
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Holiday
Title: Holiday
Character: Linda Seton
Released: May 26, 1938
Type: Movie
Johnny Case, a freethinking financier, has finally found the girl of his dreams — Julia Seton, the spoiled daughter of a socially prominent millionaire — and she's agreed to marry him. But when Johnny plans a holiday for the two to enjoy life while they are still young, his fiancée has other plans & that is for Johnny to work in her father's bank!
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Bringing Up Baby
Title: Bringing Up Baby
Character: Susan Vance
Released: February 18, 1938
Type: Movie
David Huxley is waiting to get a bone he needs for his museum collection. Through a series of strange circumstances, he meets Susan Vance, and the duo have a series of misadventures which include a leopard called Baby.
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Stage Door
Title: Stage Door
Character: Terry Randall
Released: October 7, 1937
Type: Movie
The ups and downs in the lives and careers of a group of ambitious young actresses and show girls from disparate backgrounds brought together in a theatrical hostel. Centres particularly on the conflict and growing friendship between Terry Randall, a rich girl confident in her talent and ability to make it to the top on the stage, and Jean Maitland, a world weary and cynical trouper who has taken the hard knocks of the ruthless and over-populated world of the Broadway apprentice.
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Quality Street
Title: Quality Street
Character: Phoebe Throssel
Released: March 26, 1937
Type: Movie
In the 1810s, an old maid poses as her own niece in order to teach her onetime beau a lesson.
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A Woman Rebels
Title: A Woman Rebels
Character: Pamela 'Pam' Thistlewaite
Released: November 6, 1936
Type: Movie
A Victorian-era woman struggles to break free of the moral codes established by society and enforced by her father.
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Mary of Scotland
Title: Mary of Scotland
Character: Mary Stuart
Released: July 28, 1936
Type: Movie
The recently widowed Mary Stuart returns to Scotland to reclaim her throne but is opposed by her half-brother and her own Scottish lords.
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Sylvia Scarlett
Title: Sylvia Scarlett
Character: Sylvia/Sylvester Scarlett
Released: December 25, 1935
Type: Movie
When her father decides to flee to England, young Sylvia Scarlett must become Sylvester Scarlett and protect her father every step of the way, with the questionable help of plenty others.
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Alice Adams
Title: Alice Adams
Character: Alice Adams
Released: August 23, 1935
Type: Movie
In the lower-middle-class Adams family, father and son are happy to work in a drugstore, but mother and daughter Alice try every possible social-climbing stratagem despite snubs and embarrassment. When Alice finally meets her dream man Arthur, mother nags father into a risky business venture and plans to impress Alice's beau with an "upscale" family dinner. Will the excruciating results drive Arthur away?
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Break of Hearts
Title: Break of Hearts
Character: Constance Dane Roberti
Released: May 31, 1935
Type: Movie
Constance, a poor but aspiring composer, meets the great conductor, Franz, through their old music teacher. They fall in love, despite Constance knowing about Franz's weakness for pretty women.
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The Little Minister
Title: The Little Minister
Character: Barbara 'Babbie'
Released: December 28, 1934
Type: Movie
The stoic, proper Rev. Gavin Dishart, newly assigned to a church in the small Scottish village of Thrums, finds himself unexpectedly falling for one of his parishioners, the hot-blooded Gypsy girl Babbie. A village-wide scandal soon erupts over the minister's relationship with this feisty, passionate young woman, who holds a secret about the village's nobleman, Lord Milford Rintoul, and his role in an increasingly fractious labor dispute.
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Spitfire
Title: Spitfire
Character: Trigger Hicks
Released: March 8, 1934
Type: Movie
Dirt-poor mountain girl Trigger Hicks is a loner. Her faith-healing is mistaken for witchcraft by the community. She falls for an engineer building a dam, who protects her.
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Little Women
Title: Little Women
Character: Jo
Released: November 24, 1933
Type: Movie
Little Women is a coming-of-age drama tracing the lives of four sisters: Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy. During the American Civil War, the girls father is away serving as a minister to the troops. The family, headed by their beloved Marmee, must struggle to make ends meet, with the help of their kind and wealthy neighbor, Mr. Laurence, and his high spirited grandson Laurie.
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Morning Glory
Title: Morning Glory
Character: Eva Lovelace
Released: August 18, 1933
Type: Movie
Wildly optimistic chatterbox Eva Lovelace is a would-be actress trying to crash the New York stage. She attracts the interest of a paternal actor, a philandering producer, and an earnest playwright. Is she destined for stardom, or will she fade like a morning glory after its brief blooming?
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Christopher Strong
Title: Christopher Strong
Character: Lady Cynthia Darrington
Released: March 9, 1933
Type: Movie
A romance develops between a happily married middle-aged British politician and an adventurous young aviatrix.
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A Bill of Divorcement
Title: A Bill of Divorcement
Character: Sydney Fairfield
Released: September 28, 1932
Type: Movie
Hilary Fairfield returns home after fifteen years in an asylum with his sanity restored. But he is disturbed to find that everything has changed: his daughter grown and about to marry; his wife divorced and also about to marry.
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Early Directors on Directing
Title: Early Directors on Directing
Released: December 31, 1969
Type: Movie
There were more women directors before 1920 than at any other time in history. The first director to put a narrative story on celluloid was, Alice Guy Blaché in 1896. Few people know that Lillian Gish became a director in her own right in 1920. Ida Lupino directed over a hundred episodes of "Have Gun, Will Travel," "Thriller," "Gunsmoke," and many independent features.