Without Love (1945)

Director:

Harold S. Bucquet

Writers:

Philip Barry (play)
Donald Ogden Stewart (writer)

Release Date:

May 1945 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Romance

Tagline:

The story of a KISSLESS BRIDE...and the man who WALKED IN HIS SLEEP!

Plot:

In World War II Washington DC, scientist Pat Jamieson's assistant, Jamie Rowan, enters a loveless marriage with him...

Plot Keywords:

Love | Dog | Male Female Relationship | Drunkard | Amnesia

Cast

Spencer Tracy	...	Pat Jamieson
Katharine Hepburn	...	Jamie Rowan
Lucille Ball	...	Kitty Trimble
Keenan Wynn	...	Quentin Ladd
Carl Esmond	...	Paul Carrell
Patricia Morison	...	Edwina Collins
Felix Bressart	...	Prof. Ginza
Emily Massey	...	Anna
Gloria Grahame	...	Flower Girl
George Davis	...	Caretaker
George Chandler	...	Elevator Boy
Clancy Cooper	...	Sergeant

Runtime:

111 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Certification:

Australia:G | Finland:S | Sweden:Btl | Argentina:Atp

Company:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Trivia:

The poem that Katharine Hepburn's character recites while riding in the horse buggy with Paul (Carl Esmond's character) is Sir William Watson's "Song" (1897). Ms. Hepburn's character, however, misquotes the line from the poem. She says, "April, April, with her girlish laughter." The lines she is quoting actually appear in the poem as, "April, April, / Laugh thy girlish laughter."

Goofs:

Continuity: Pat pushes a tall chest of drawers in front of his bedroom door so he won't leave the room if he sleepwalks. However, when he does sleepwalk later, the door is not blocked and we have never seen him move the chest back.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Katharine Hepburn: All About Me (1993) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Easy to love

Kate's had the best of it, Spence had the worst of it

Without Love is the third Philip Barry play that Katharine Hepburn was in on Broadway and then brought to the screen. It certainly is less well known than Holiday and The Philadelphia Story, but it's not as good.

The story concerns a government scientist who arrives in town without a place to stay. The housing shortage in Washington, DC during the World War II years was the whole premise behind The More the Merrier. Here it's a vehicle that gets Tracy to meet Hepburn. She's a Washington socialite with a big house that she's trying to sell. Perfect for Tracy and his experiments trying to invent an oxygen mask for high altitudes.

They develop feelings for each other, but both have been married before. Tracy's gone through a bad divorce and Hepburn is a widow. They agree to marry, but without emotional involvement.

How that all works out is the reason you ought to see the film. For me it's the weakest of all their films together. It doesn't have the sparkle of either Woman of the Year or Adam's Rib.

Possibly because on stage, Tracy's part was played by Elliott Nugent. I'm sure that the part had to have been built up for someone of Tracy's stature to even consider it even if it was Hepburn as the leading lady.

Lucille Ball, Keenan Wynn, and Patricia Morison all have good supporting parts here.

The fans of Tracy and Hepburn, individually and collectively, should appreciate this. That's a group that takes in a whole lot of territory.