Pat and Mike
Pat and Mike | |
---|---|
Directed by | George Cukor |
Screenplay by | Ruth Gordon Garson Kanin |
Produced by | Lawrence Weingarten |
Starring | Spencer Tracy Katharine Hepburn William Ching Aldo Ray Jim Backus Sammy White Charles Bronson |
Cinematography | William H. Daniels (as William Daniels) |
Edited by | George Boemler |
Music by | David Raksin |
Production company | |
Distributed by | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer |
Release date |
|
Running time | 95 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Budget | $1,618,000[1] |
Box office | $2,696,000[1] |
Pat and Mike is a 1952 American romantic comedy film starring Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn. The movie was written by Ruth Gordon and Garson Kanin, and directed by George Cukor, who also directed The Philadelphia Story (1940) with Hepburn, and Adam's Rib (1949) with Hepburn and Tracy.
Plot
Pat Pemberton (Katharine Hepburn) is a brilliant athlete who loses her confidence whenever her charming but overbearing fiancé Collier (William Ching) is around. Women's golf and tennis championships are within her reach; however, she gets flustered by his presence at the contests. He wants her to give up her goal and marry him, but Pat does not give up on herself that easily. She enlists the help of Mike Conovan (Spencer Tracy), a slightly shady sports promoter. Together they face mobsters, a jealous boxer (Aldo Ray), and a growing mutual attraction.
Cast
- Spencer Tracy as Mike Conovan
- Katharine Hepburn as Pat Pemberton
- Aldo Ray as Davie Hucko
- William Ching as Collier Weld
- Sammy White as Barney Grau
- George Mathews as Spec Cauley
- Loring Smith as Mr. Beminger
- Phyllis Povah as Mrs. Beminger
- Charles Bronson as Hank Tasling (billed as "Charles Buchinski")
- Frank Richards as Sam Garsell
- Jim Backus as Charles Barry
- Chuck Connors as Police Captain
- Joseph E. Bernard as Gibby
- Owen McGiveney as Harry MacWade
- Lou Lubin as Waiter
- Carl "Alfalfa" Switzer as Bus Boy
- William Self as Pat Pemberton's Caddy
Sports Stars
- Gussie Moran as Herself
- Babe Didrikson Zaharias as Herself
- Don Budge as Himself
- Alice Marble as Herself
- Frank Parker as Himself
- Betty Hicks as Herself
- Beverly Hanson as Herself
- Helen Dettweiler as Herself
Production
Development
Garson Kanin and Ruth Gordon were friends with Hepburn and Tracy, and had the idea of writing a film to showcase Hepburn's athletic abilities. She was an avid golfer and tennis player, and indeed performed all the sports footage in the film herself.
Filming
Pat and Mike was filmed partly on location in California. The golfing scenes were filmed at the Riviera Country Club and Ojai Valley Inn. Tennis scenes were filmed at the Cow Palace in Daly City, near San Francisco. The opening scenes were filmed at Occidental College, standing in as fictional Pacific Technical College.
Casting
Many notable athletes appear in cameo roles as themselves in the film, including golfers Babe Didrikson Zaharias, Betty Hicks, and Helen Dettweiler, and tennis champions Don Budge, Gussie Moran and Alice Marble. Other notables in the cast include Charles Bronson (credited as Charles Buchinski) in his second credited movie role, Carl "Alfalfa" Switzer, Jim Backus, and, in his acting debut, former athlete Chuck Connors, later known as the star of The Rifleman television series.
Music
The score for the film was composed and conducted by David Raksin, with orchestrations by Robert Franklyn and Ruby Raksin.[2] Of his music, Raksin said "My music was sly and a mite jazzy, and despite the fact that everyone seemed to like it, so did I."[3]
The complete score was issued on CD in 2009, on Film Score Monthly records.
Reception
According to MGM records the film earned $2,050,000 in the US and Canada and $646,000 elsewhere, resulting in a profit of $74,000.[1]
See also
References
- ^ a b c The Eddie Mannix Ledger, Los Angeles: Margaret Herrick Library, Center for Motion Picture Study.
- ^ Bettencourt, Scott (2009). "David Raksin at MGM (1950-1957)". Film Score Monthly (CD online notes). 12 (2). David Raksin. Los Angeles, California, U.S.A.
- ^ Bradford, Marilee (2009). "David Raksin at MGM (1950-1957)". Film Score Monthly (CD liner notes). 12 (2). David Raksin. Los Angeles, California: 18.
External links
- 1952 films
- 1950s romantic comedy films
- American romantic comedy films
- American films
- American sports comedy films
- American black-and-white films
- English-language films
- Films directed by George Cukor
- Films scored by David Raksin
- Films about women's sports
- Films shot in Colorado
- Films shot in Los Angeles
- Golf films
- Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer films
- Occidental College