Desk Set 1957
I have seen pieces of this movie over the years, but I don’t think I had ever seen all of it. This is classic Katharine Hepburn movie and a classic romantic comedy. Her scenes with Spencer Tracy are great as they hit all the right notes and have incredible chemistry. She has to play a few scenes drunk, which gets into comedy that is a little too broad for her, but mostly she plays it fiery, pensive, smart, and charming which are her strong suits. It isn’t a terribly funny movie, but it is light and entertaining. I think it is interesting that the reference computer that is introduced in the movie is able to understand natural language questions even though I don’t think that would happen for another 40 years plus, with the computer presented almost as a modern day chatbot, though not until the last few scenes. I looked up the slim blonde that works in Hepburn’s reference office, Dina Merrill, and was amazed to find out that she was the daughter of Edward F. Hutton (that's right, E. F. Hutton) and Marjorie Post, who inherited a cereal business from her father C. W. Post and turned it into General Foods. Spencer Tracy is also very good in this, of course, and plays it really smart by realizing that he can do more by doing less. Anyway, most rankings aren’t going to put this at the top of Hepburn's filmography, but it has to be one of her better movies.
Written: 25 May 2025
Owned on: Digital