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 | manager | sports promoter | championship | 

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Taglines:

"Not much meat on her but what there is...is choice!"

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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

The husband and wife writing team of Garson Kanin and Ruth Gordon were close friends of Hepburn and Tracy. They wrote this script especially for them to capture the essence of their real-life personalities and relationship as well as to showcase Hepburn's athletic abilities. Tracy really was cranky but lovable and Hepburn really was a terrific athlete. She was excellent at golf and one of the best tennis players in Hollywood.

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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: What do you weigh this morning?
Gibby: Ninety-eight, up two.
Mike Conovan: Why up two? Did you eat extra?
Gibby: No, no, honest.
Mike Conovan: Let him talk himself, will ya?
[looks at Hucko]
Davie Hucko: No, no, honest.

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Connections

Referenced in Caroline in the City: Caroline and the Cold Sesame Noodles (1997)

User Reviews

The Lady Needs Some Good Handling

Pat and Mike must have been a pleasure for Katharine Hepburn to make because she got to show off her athletic ability which was considerable. Had she not decided to pursue a thespian career, Hepburn could have gone into either tennis or golf, she was good at both or any of the other sports named which she actually played. Later on as she entered the ranks of senior citizens, health problems curtailed her athleticism.

But she's having a whale of a good time her and playing with some of the best women athletes of the 20th century.

Hepburn's a college professor who's leading a rather dull life with a rather dull bore of a sweetheart in William Ching, who in a subtle way, belittles her.

In a rather unorthodox way she meets Spencer Tracy, a sports agent who very narrowly treads the line between the legal and the illegal. She makes a believer out of him that you actually can make decent money legally.

The usual Tracy/Hepburn charm is running on all cylinders. Pat and Mike ranks in the upper division of their screen teamings. I'd say that this was more her film than his though.

A lot of familiar faces are in the cast. Look for Charles Bronson playing a hood and Chuck Connors playing a small town sheriff. Both of them make themselves noticed here which led to long careers for the two of them.