Pat and Mike (1952)

Pat is a women's sports sensation unless her fiancé is around. Her new shady manager Mike keeps them apart and develops feelings for her.

Director:

George Cukor

Writers:

Ruth Gordon, Garson Kanin

Stars:

Spencer Tracy, Katharine Hepburn, Aldo Ray

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 4 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Spencer Tracy	...	Mike Conovan
Katharine Hepburn	...	Pat Pemberton
Aldo Ray	...	Davie Hucko
William Ching	...	Collier Weld
Sammy White	...	Barney Grau
George Mathews	...	Spec Cauley
Gussie Moran	...	Gussie Moran
Babe Didrikson Zaharias	...	Babe Zaharias
Don Budge	...	Don Budge
Alice Marble	...	Alice Marble
Frank Andrew Parker	...	Frank Parker (as Frank Parker)
Betty Hicks	...	Betty Hicks
Beverly Hanson	...	Beverly Hanson
Helen Dettweiler	...	Helen Dettweiler
Loring Smith	...	Mr. Beminger

Storyline

Pat's a brilliant athlete, except when her domineering fiance is around. The lady's 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 can't give up on herself that easily. She enlists the help of Mike, a slightly shady sports promoter. Together they face mobsters, a jealous boxer, and a growing mutual attraction.

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Plot Keywords:

golf | billy club | character names as title | manager | sports promoter | 

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Taglines:

The laugh packed love story of a Broadway lug and a lady. (Newspaper ad).

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Genres:

Comedy | Romance | Sport

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

13 June 1952 (USA)

Also Known As:

A Mulher Absoluta

Filming Locations:

Riviera Country Club - 1250 Capri Drive, Pacific Palisades, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

95 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

This is the second of two films teaming Katharine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy to feature a script by Ruth Gordon and Garson Kanin. The first was Adam's Rib (1949). Both films were directed by George Cukor and both films earned Gordon and Kanin an Oscar nomination for best screenplay.

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Goofs

Mrs. Beminger's lips don't move when we hear her say: "Why, a phonograph!"

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Quotes

Mike Conovan: I don't think you've ever been properly handled.
Pat Pemberton: That's right... not even by myself.

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Connections

Referenced in Hollywood Mouth 2 (2014)

User Reviews

Great Tracy/Hepburn Film

Although perhaps not the best of the Tracy/Hepburn series this classic has a few laughs and is definitely entertaining for the whole family!! Hepburn plays Pat Pemberton, an engaged college P.E teacher with a fantastic sporting ability (this movie just just an excuse to show off her sporting abilities in many sports such as tennis, golf, running etc) but her fiancé is unsupportive, overbearing and makes her feel self conscious. Tracy, wonderful as always, plays Mike Conovan, a sports manager and sees a lot of potential in her. At the last minute, she decides to take him up on his offer and he makes her his most important client.

I am not a sports fan, so I found the rather long sports scenes a little boring, but the scenes between Tracy and Hepburn were pure cinematic gold! The chemistry, as always, is perfect between them and naturally, their business relationship oversteps the boundaries of a manager/client relationship (much to the joy of the viewer!). There is wonderful freeing feminist message. Pat, under the influence of her fiancé, could have easily stayed a housewife and forgot about her dreams - what SHE wanted, but instead she put herself first and did what was right for her.

A thoroughly entertaining film with a perfect balance of comedy and subtle romance. I loved how the relationship grew so gradually. Wonderful movie magic. Priceless.