"Woman of the Year" - A Tracy-Hepburn Classic Quiz

Answer: Ring Lardner Jr.

Many noted authors, including all four of the talented men mentioned in this question, at one time or another, were brought to Hollywood to write scripts for the fledgling movie industry. Some enjoyed the experience, but the vast majority hated working for the studios and tried to find more direct outlets for their creativity. Ringgold Wilmer "Ring" Lardner Jr. was one of these, working first in Los Angeles as a publicist, then as a script doctor.

He apparently did a good job fixing this particular script because he was awarded an Oscar for his efforts. Sadly, he was later one of the Hollywood Ten who were blacklisted during the HUAC (House UnAmerican Committee)'s trials of the 1950s.

Answer: The New York Chronicle

Sam Craig, portrayed by Spencer Tracy, is a sports writer for the Chronicle. Tess Harding, portrayed by Katharine Hepburn, is a political columnist for the same paper. At first at odds because of their vastly different philosophies and life experiences, they soon realize they love each other, differences and all.

Answer: Philadelphia

The Philadelphia Athletics were an American League baseball team which existed from 1901, when the American League began, until 1954 when the team moved to Kansas City. The Athletics won the American League pennants nine times between 1902 and 1931; six times going on to win the World Series. The Athletics have often been proclaimed "Philadelphia's Most Successful Sports Franchise".

Answer: Her hat

Fat Baseball Spectator is seated right behind Tess and feels that her wide-brimmed hat is blocking his view. The spectator tells Sam (not Tess, please note!) to tell Tess that it is not raining, which we infer is his subtle way of suggesting Tess remove her hat. Sam repeats what the spectator says to Tess verbatim, and she blithely ignores them both.

Answer: Chiang Kai-shek

Tess tells Sam she is more familiar with the Yangtze River than the Mississippi (which she has yet to see). She mentions a party at the Chiang Kai-sheks.

After the disintegration of the Chinese dynasty system, General Yuan Shikai was chosen as the first president of the Republic of China in 1916. However, he tried to assume too much power and it was not until 1920 that the country was somewhat reunited under Sun Yat-sen. When Sun died in 1925, one of his underlings, Chiang Kai-shek, took over. He was able to mostly keep control until 1945, when China was reorganized as the Peoples' Republic of China under a new leader, Mao Tse-tung (now called Mao Zedong). At the time this movie was made, Chiang Kai-shek would still have been the titular head of China.

Answer: Fay Bainter

Fay Bainter is not only best known for playing Aunt Belle in "Jezebel"; it was her Oscar-winning role. Marjorie Main is probably best known as Ma Kettle and Rosalind Russell had many memorable roles, including Mama Rose in "Gypsy". Celeste Holm is the youngest of these four women (roughly Hepburn's contemporary); her best known films are arguably "All About Eve" and "High Society".

Answer: South Carolina

According to this film, South Carolina (the city of Mackinac was specifically mentioned) features no-wait weddings, such as Las Vegas does today. When the wedding party (consisting only of Sam, Tess, Aunt Ellen and Tess's father) arrives, a hand-painted sign reading No-Wait Weddings is proudly hung on the front porch of the Town Justice who performs the ceremony.

Answer: Sam's hat

Ah, those clever 1940s filmmakers -- especially George Stevens -- really knew how to make a point without hitting us over the head with it, didn't they? I thought the close-up of the hat made the point much more nicely than the almost cliched 1930s or '40s cinema technique of just panning up to the ceiling.

However, by the 1950s, even this relatively obscure hint of premarital relations would probably have been censored.

Answer: True

This really surprised me! I was aware that Kate Hepburn's mother had been a woman's suffragist and a woman's rights advocate, but I was not aware that this group of women used the term "feminist" to describe themselves in the 1940s. See? Watch a movie; learn something!

Answer: Mrs. Tess Harding Craig

This conversation occurs after Tess is feeling some remorse that she has been putting her career ahead of her marriage. She tries to make Sam a nice breakfast, but of course, makes a total mess of the kitchen. She apologizes to Sam for the mess and says from now on she will try harder to be "Mrs. Sam Craig". Sam replies he didn't marry her to change her; he married her to be what she is.

It is then that they decide together she should be referred to as Mrs. Tess Harding Craig. I guess the term 'Ms.' or the idea of combining both names with a hyphen had not yet been thought of.