IMDb > Woman of the Year (1942)
Woman of the Year
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Woman of the Year (1942) More at IMDbPro »

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Woman of the Year (1942) -- 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.
Woman of the Year (1942) -- Trailerfan.com - Trailer (Flash)
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Overview

User Rating:
7.4/10   3,162 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Up 95% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
George Stevens
Writers:
Ring Lardner Jr. (screenplay) and
Michael Kanin (screenplay)
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Contact:
View company contact information for Woman of the Year on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
19 January 1942 (USA) more
Genre:
Comedy | Romance | Sport more
Tagline:
The picture of the year!
Plot:
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. full summary | add synopsis
Plot Keywords:
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Awards:
Won Oscar. Another 1 win & 1 nomination more
NewsDesk:
(29 articles)
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User Comments:
A Hepburn/Tracy Debut more (52 total)

Cast

  (Complete credited cast)

Spencer Tracy ... Sam Craig

Katharine Hepburn ... Tess Harding
Fay Bainter ... Ellen Whitcomb
Reginald Owen ... Clayton
Minor Watson ... William J. Harding
William Bendix ... 'Pinkie' Peters
Gladys Blake ... Flo Peters
Dan Tobin ... Gerald Howe
Roscoe Karns ... Phil Whittaker
William Tannen ... Ellis
Ludwig Stössel ... Dr. Lubbeck (as Ludwig Stossel)
Sara Haden ... Matron
Edith Evanson ... Alma
George Kezas ... Chris
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Additional Details

Parents Guide:
Add content advisory for parents
Runtime:
114 min
Country:
USA
Language:
English | French | Russian | German | Spanish | Greek
Color:
Black and White
Aspect Ratio:
1.37 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Mono (Western Electric Sound System)
Certification:
New Zealand:PG | USA:Approved (certificate #7844) | USA:Passed (National Board of Review) | Argentina:Atp | Australia:PG | Finland:S | Sweden:Btl | Germany:6
Filming Locations:
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios - 10202 W. Washington Blvd., Culver City, California, USA
Company:
Loew's more

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
The first of nine films to feature Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn. more
Goofs:
Continuity: In the first scene in the bar, in which all are listening to the NBC Radio program "Information, Please", the dial of the AM radio on the shelf behind the bar changes location between long shots and close-ups. It is correct in close-up, at 660kHz, one of the broadcast frequencies NBC used in New York City in the 1940s, and at 880kHz in long shots, the frequency of the New York City CBS affiliate. more
Quotes:
Tess Harding: I'm going to be you wife. You don't think that I can do the little ordinary things that any idiot can do, do you?
Sam Craig: No.
Tess Harding: Why not?
Sam Craig: Because you're incapable of doing them, that's why. You can't expect Seabiscuit to stop in the middle of the stretch, drink a glass of water, and count to seven at the same time, you know. That takes training.
Tess Harding: Well, I'm not Seabiscuit.
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Movie Connections:
Referenced in George Stevens: D-Day to Berlin (1994) (TV) more

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User Comments

   (Comment on this title)
4 out of 4 people found the following comment useful.
A Hepburn/Tracy Debut, 4 April 2006
7/10
Author: brocksilvey from United States

Watching this first pairing of Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn, it's easy to see why the two became a legendary screen couple (and real-life couple for that matter). They seem perfectly suited for one another, and you can't imagine either of them with anyone else.

But it's hard from a 21st Century sensibility not to be appalled at this WWII-era George Stevens dramedy. Tracy is a sports writer and Hepburn an international reporter for the same newspaper. They meet, marry and fight when she won't abandon her career to settle down into dutiful motherhood. In the end, she gets her comeuppance and realizes that what she wants more than anything is to learn how to separate eggs and make coffee.

Try to forgive it its decidedly un-feminist message though. This came out at a time when the culture was particularly threatened by the idea of women supplanting men in areas traditionally reserved for men, and it wouldn't have been good for soldier morale for men to think women back at home could carry on just fine without them. And at the very end, Tracy does come around and tell Hepburn that he doesn't necessarily want a barefoot and pregnant version of a wife any more than he wants a career-oriented wife who will put her work before her home, but rather wishes she could be something in between. As things play out in the film, this comes as too little too late, but it's a sophisticated attitude for the time and makes the movie much more relevant today, when women are being forced to juggle multiple roles.

Overall I enjoyed this movie, but I thought it was strangely directed by Stevens. I usually enjoy his 40s comedies, but his instincts feel off here. The way he chooses to shoot scenes many times seem in tone to be at odds with what's actually happening in them, so I wasn't always sure what was supposed to be light-hearted and funny and what wasn't. A striking example of this comes in the scene in which Tracy comes back to Hepburn's apartment after their first date. It's supposed to be an erotic and sexually charged scene, but it's shot like a film noir, with Hepburn silhouetted against brightly lit windows and the room in sinister shadow. There's a ponderousness to Stevens' direction that serves as a sneak preview of his prevailing style in the 50s, when he started to make socially "important" movies.

A solidly made but uneven film. If you're expecting a frothy comedy you will be disappointed.

Grade: B+

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Learning to use a stove dressed in a full mink.... zzz2
Major mistake Holden27
Where can I find still photos of the kitchen scene? zenstyle
Best pairing of Hepburn + Tracy? peartree1402
Soft Focus ShelleyQT
woman of the year fever pinched..? Spheer2002
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