Spitfire (1934)

Mountain girl Trigger Hicks, a fierce loner equally handy with a rock or a prayer, is in danger of having her faith-healing mistaken for witchcraft by the neighbors. She shows a vulnerable ... See full summary »

Director:

John Cromwell

Writers:

Lula Vollmer (from the play by), Jane Murfin (screen play)

Stars:

Katharine Hepburn, Robert Young, Ralph Bellamy

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Katharine Hepburn	...	Trigger Hicks
Robert Young	...	John Stafford
Ralph Bellamy	...	George Fleetwood
Martha Sleeper	...	Eleanor Stafford
Louis Mason	...	Bill Grayson
Sara Haden	...	Etta Dawson (as Sarah Haden)
Virginia Howell	...	Granny Raines
Sidney Toler	...	Mr. Sawyer
Will Geer	...	West Fry (as High Ghere)
John Beck	...	Jake Hawkins
Therese Wittler	...	Mrs. Sawyer
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Irene Rich	...	Undetermined Role (scenes deleted)

Storyline

Mountain girl Trigger Hicks, a fierce loner equally handy with a rock or a prayer, is in danger of having her faith-healing mistaken for witchcraft by the neighbors. She shows a vulnerable side when John Stafford, a philandering engineer working on a new dam, is attracted to her. Matters come to a head when Trigger "rescues" an abused baby from its parents, and seeks help from the engineers.

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Plot Keywords:

engineer | dam | baby | witchcraft | prayer | 

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Taglines:

SUPERB! AS A LYING, THIEVING, PRAYING HELL-CAT OF THE MOUNTAINS! APRAYER ON HER LIPS...SIN IN HER HEART! (Print Ad- Ogdensburg Advance, ((Ogdensburg NY)) 22 April 1934)

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Genres:

Drama

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Certificate:

Passed

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

30 March 1934 (USA)

Also Known As:

Trigger

Filming Locations:

Lake Arrowhead, San Bernardino National Forest, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

RKO Radio Pictures

Technical Specs

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Victor System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Adapted from the Broadway play "Trigger" by Lula Vollmer. It was directed by Katharine Hepburn's good friend George Cukor and opened at the Little Theatre in New York on December 6, 1927 and ran for 47 performances. Claiborne Foster played the lead. In the opening night cast were Sara Haden and Louis Mason, both of whom are also in the movie, and Walter Connolly and Minor Watson. Also in the stage cast as Eleanor Stafford was Natalie Schafer, best known to today's audiences as "Mrs. Howell" on TV's Gilligan's Island (1964).

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Quotes

John Stafford: You trust me, don't you?
Trigger Hicks: Don't trust no man farther than a shotgun can hit.
John Stafford: Oh, you never loved a man, then, did you?
Trigger Hicks: Sure, I've loved a heap of 'em. The more I love 'em, the less I trust 'em.

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Connections

Featured in Katharine Hepburn: All About Me (1993)

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Soundtracks

At the Cross
(1885) (uncredited)
Music by Hugh Wilson from "Martyrdom" (1800)
Hymn by Isaac Watts (1707)
Refrain and arrangement by Ralph E. Hudson (1885)
Sung a cappella by Katharine Hepburn

User Reviews

They should have just titled it "Misfire," although it is an interesting novelty.

There are some good things about Katharine Hepburn's 1934 RKO film, SPITFIRE, but they are overshadowed by the film's numerous failings. However, if you are in the correct mood to witness a "hillbilly" Hepburn or experience a fun time warp back to a time when a film like this could actually be made without being laughed at because it is so ridiculous (oh wait...I think it was!).

Anywho, Hepburn gives a fine, sensitive performance and there are some devastating closeups of her exquisite face. There is a nice subplot about how people can be judgmental of others and assume things which are not true. There was a much too contrived romance between Hepburn and Robert Young, as a city slicker out in the country wooing the "spitfire" hillbilly girl. The catch is he's married, and when she finds out she is heartbroken. The film ends on a good note with a scene of poetic brilliance. Hepburn is leaving, after being scared out of town, but promises to come back in a year for her love (or maybe much sooner, she says, as they share a kiss)! All in all, I was not unhappy I recorded this unusual film, even though stretches of it were boring. The production values seemed high, performances were good for the most part, and the score by Max Steiner was excellent. I was initially intrigued by the film's original poster art, which has great art deco style.