DYNAMIC DUOS PART 2: CHERCE!
Katharine Hepburn & Spencer Tracy. 9 Films. Over a quarter of a century. The embodiment of the war between the sexes and their ultimate love and cooperation. The no-nonsense grumbling street-tough Irish Catholic and the headstrong independant-thinking Connecticut Yankee. Their first meeting on the studio lot; introduced by director Joseph Mankiewicz.
KATE: I'm afraid I may be a little too tall for you, Mr. Tracy.
JOE: Don't worry, Kate. He'll cut you down to size.
Newspaper sports writer feuds with intellectual feminist newspaper columnist. On the same newspaper. Never met. Spar with each other back and forth in their columns. Tess Harding and Sam Craig. One of the greatest on screen meetings in movie history. Sam is summoned to the editor's office. He rolls in like a tank, opens the door and stops dead in his tracks. There's that leg! Lovely, long and shapely. One of the best legs the screen has ever seen. Adjusting her stocking. They both lock eyes. Fireworks! Sparks! Embers!
EDITOR: Have you met Miss Harding?
SAM: Yes, yes. In a belligerent sort of way.
TESS: He hit me first. Hello.
They shake hands. AS the boss blathers on, the two size each other up, standing their ground, not giving an inch. But smoldering with obvious attraction. One of the greatest moments of non-verbal communication in movie history, in fact. That's a lotta mosts on 5 minutes. They shake hands and call a truce. Tess leaves the office. Sam hurries to catch up with her. She turns a corner and stops on the staircase to light a cigarette. He accelerates and turns the corner coming nose to nose with her. His one leg raised on the step above; encircling hers. Sheepishly, he moves past her up the stairs.
TESS: Isn't the sports department downstairs?
SAM: Uh . . . why yes, yes, I guess it is . . . but I . . .
TESS: Then aren't you going in the wrong direction?
SAM: Maybe I am. I - uh - - - are you always much too busy?
TESS: What for?
SAM: I was wondering about this afternoon.
TESS: Sorry.
SAM: Tomorrow afternoon, maybe?
TESS: What's on your mind?
SAM: I'd like to take you to a baseball game!
TESS: OK!
9 films. A quarter of a century. Screen magic. Cherce!
8 comments:
Bravo!! Was wondering why they were not #1?!?! When you put a list of the best screen duos you are hard pressed to find a better couple. Not only were they great in their own right but togetherm nagic. Adam's Rib and Guess Who's Coming To Dinner are as close to perfect as you get on the big screen. The only couples that can even come close to being mentioned in the same breath are Taylor and Burton or Bogart and Bacall. No questions asked. Of course if your talking about buddy movies that's a different sort of animal...but since I hit on the subject... other than the three legendary pairing of Hope/Crosby, Abbott/Costello, Martin/Lewis; Redford and Newman come to mind in Butch and Sundance. As well as Danny Glover and Mel Gibson in the Lethal Weapons movies. I kinda also put Jay and Silent Bob in there too but I think their movies may be a bit too controversial to ever get the credit they deserve.
Um... did I just put a serious comment/thought up on a blog? Damn I'm old!
How dare you not be silly!
And how dare you -- who told you you could make suggestions. It just so happens that a couple of them there thems that you guessed will be appearing in future installments. . .and perhaps not the ones you expect. . .
sorry didn't mean to steal your thunder
PUT IT BACK!!!! PUT BACK MY THUNDER!!!!!
I can't it's like lightninh in a bottle once it's out there's nothing I can do. Kinda like farting at a funeral
Ahhh, just blame that on the corpse!
Martin and Lewis?!?!?!? You ARE on crack!
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