Pat and Mike (1952) - Cukor

Plot;  A  great woman athlete is torn between her shady sports manager  and her middle-class fiance.
Stars: Katherine Hepburn, Spencer Tracy, Aldo Ray, William Ching
Best Quote: Not much meat on her, but what's there is 'cherce'.

Showcasing Hepburn's athletic talent, Pat and Mike has some good lines and humorous moments , but its weighed down by overly-long sports sequences and  repetitive situations. Even at 95 minutes, it seems padded. Examples? After Pat beats-up two gangsters, she then replays the whole fight - in slow motion - for the Police. Also, we see Pat lose *three* times when her fiance (Ching) jinxes her - and it wasn't funny the first time.

As for the Actors: Aldo Ray steals every scene, and Jim Backus, Charles Bronson and Chuck Connors do well in bit parts. Hepburn and Tracy are skilled pros - although Tracy should have dropped the "dem and dos" accent. William Ching fares poorly. He's annoying and has zero chemistry with Hepburn - their relationship is unbelievable.

Summary: A middling Tracy-Hepburn comedy, I'd place it above Desk Set, but its a definite cut below Adam's Rib and Woman of the Year.  Some good jokes, but a weak story line and too much padding.  Although Hepburn dominates the movie (Tracy has few lines in the first 30 minutes) her character is strangely passive.

The Most Unusual Hepburn-Tracy Comedy
Supposedly Hepburn's favorite comedy with Tracy, you can understand why. This is really Hepburn's movie.  As stated before, Tracy has few lines before the 30 minute mark, and we see Hepburn playing golf and tennis for at least 15 minutes. But its their oddest comedy, because Hepburn's character is so passive.

In most of the comedies, Hepburn stays true to her established comic persona. She's the strong, smart women. Sometimes a little over-the-top, a "charming bulldozer" - that Tracy needs to rein in.  But in Pat and Mike,  she's  strong in body, but weak in head. She's so eager to please her fiancee she collapses under the pressure.  She rebels against him, but then allows herself to be dominated by her shady sports manager. Unlike most Tracy-Hepburn comedies, there is no "battle of the sexes" and I can't think of a single smart, funny, line by Hepburn.