Father's Little Dividend, 1951

Director: Vincente Minnelli

Stars: Spencer Tracy, Elizabeth Taylor, Joan Bennett, Don Taylor

The sequel to Father of the Bride, of course! Kay (Taylor) and Buckley (Taylor)--haha, taylor and Taylor!-- surprise the whole family with more news: they're having a baby! There isn't much more to say: that's the gist of it. Then after the baby is born, it's the story of how Stanley (Spencer) goes from not caring for this crying baby who doesn't seem to like him to being wrapped around his little grandson's finger.

Unlike the first movie and it's remake, this second one and it's later remake, Father of the Bride Part 2, are very different, though the same basic story. I don't want to say too much about the remakes, because I still want to review those two.

Father of the Bride, 1950

Director: Vincente Minnelli

Stars: Spencer Tracy, Elizabeth Taylor, Joan Bennett, Don Taylor

I grew up watching Father of the Bride- the 1991 version. I didn't know until probably a year ago that there was an older version, the original. If you've seen either of them, they are very similar. Extremely similar! But I did enjoy the remake better. Steve Martin is funnier than Tracy, and Martin Short is brilliant! The music is modern and more enjoyable, and I always cry no matter what, because the story is just lovely.

The story: Kay Banks (Taylor) surprises her parents Stanley (Tracy) and Ellie (Bennett) with news of her engagement to Buckley (Taylor). The journey from engagement to wedding day is the story, with the focus being on Stanley, the "father of the bride", as he deals with paying for the wedding, and more importantly, losing his only daughter to her husband.

I did like the remake better, but it was totally entertaining and enjoyable! 5 stars in my book

(5 stars for the great movies that are worth it---6 stars for the ones you must own and watch over and over again!)

NOTE: just so you know, Elizabeth Taylor and Don Taylor (who play the happy couple) just happen to have the same last name. They weren't married in real life!

Guess Who's Coming to Dinner, 1967

Director: Stanley Kramer

Stars: Spencer Tracy, Katherine Hepburn, Sydney Poitier, Katherine Houghton

Wow! I wasn't expecting this, but it was a pleasant surprise.

Joanna Drayton (Houghton) surprises her parents Matt (Tracy) and Christina (Hepburn) Drayton by coming home early from a trip to Hawaii. And she continues to surprise them by saying she met someone, she's getting married, and- oh, yeah- he's black.

And that's basically the story. The Draytons raised their daughter not to be racist at all, but even they have to struggle with this new and unthinkable idea of having a black son-in-law.

Very emotional at times. Especially Tracy big speech at the end.

NOTE: The moment Spencer Tracy showed up I remembered that the main character from Disney's Up! was based on Spencer Tracy. Or was modeled after him, at least. He's the spitting image of Spencer Tracy in this film!

This was Tracy's last film. It was finished just 17 days before his death.

State of the Union, 1948

Director: Frank Capra

Stars: Spencer Tracy, Katherine Hepburn, Van Johnson, Angela Lansbury

The description on Netflix didn't interest me, but I watched it because it's one of the many Tracy-Hepburn films, and I want to see them all.

Kay Thordyke (Lansbury) is the hardened editor of a newspaper in D.C., who chooses Grant Matthews (Tracy) as a Republican candidate for the Presidency, and uses her power and the paper to support him. He's a nice guy, but separated from his wife Mary (Hepburn) and in a relationship with Kay. At Kay's suggestion, Grant invites Mary along on the campaign (mostly for the appearance of having a wife's support), and she joins him. Though their relationship hasn't healed, she still believes in her husband and wants to do everything she can to help. But he soon sells out, and starts making speeches about the things he doesn't believe are right, just trying to get the votes.

I wouldn't have been interested if this wasn't a Tracy-Hepburn movie, to be totally honest. And because I love Angela Lansbury from Murder She wrote, it's hard to see her in something else, in which she is a mean, selfish, home-wrecker. It wasn't a bad movie, but I usually stay away from political ones unless they are comedies or thrillers. The ideas Grant Matthews start spouting in one part are scary. He stands for "one world government, one world currency," blah, blah. Yikes! Good thing the story was really about staying true and not being a corrupt politician. It really wasn't bad. Great ending! A must-see for all the Tracy-Hepburn fans out there like me! :) I have a crush on Spencer. He has a dreaminess about him. I want to see him in something where he's really young. Maybe he was even dreamier....

Woman of the Year, 1942

Director: George Stevens

Stars: Spencer Tracy and Katherine Hepburn

Yes, another one with these two legends!

Tess and Sam meet and fall in love. Not the end! After the wedding, Sam begins to resent his wife's busy lifestyle, and after she is named "woman of the year", his frustrations come to a head and he moves out. Tess, a fiercely independent workaholic, is crushed and at last decides that she loves her husband more than being woman of the year.

Sorry, I just sort of gave it away, but I would not have even thought of watching it if I didn't think it ended happily. And with these two, in a romance, you know it will! Watching this one was almost like intruding on their lives, not like watching a movie. Because it involves so much of their relationship and is not a comedy, it really felt personal. But I enjoyed it, too!

FACT: This was their first film together, and it started their on- screen relationship, and off-screen affair, which would last until Tracy's death in 1967.

FACT: There is a UCLA Spencer Tracy award, given to actors! Recipients have included: James Stewart, Michael Douglas, Tom Hanks, Jodie Foster, Harrison Ford, Kirk Douglas, and Jack Lemmon, just to name a few.

FACT: Spencer Tracy was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin! That practically makes us neighbors!

Desk Set, 1957

Director: Walter Lang

Stars: Spencer Tracy, Katherine Hepburn

Well, after I watched "Pat and Mike", I couldn't not watch this one! Especially since it's a "watch instantly" on Netflix! Now, how could I resist that?

Bunny Watson (Hepburn) works in the Reference department of a big television network. So, basically, she and 3 other women work in a library-type office, and they answer any old random question that comes their way; about baseball, poetry, the names of Santa's reindeer, passages in Scripture, etc. (Today, we would go to Google for this information. Back then, they apparently had reference women! Sounds like an awesome job to me!)

But wait, they might not have jobs for very long! Because Richard Sumner (Tracy) comes along to examine their department, and Sumner was one of the creators of the "electronic brain" (that would be a computer) which took over several jobs in the Payroll department. Needless to say, Bunny and the girls are worried, but they put up with him.

And, of course, the film goes into Bunny's romantic life, which consists of a guy who can't seem to propose after 7 years, and now, suddenly, of Mr.Sumner, as well!! I love the end scene. The way he proposes is too sweet! (I don't think that really ruined anything!)

I've only seen a few Tracy-Hepburn films, but this one is my favorite. Well worth the hour and a half! An absolute delight!

Pat and Mike, 1952

Director: George Cukor

Stars: Spencer Tracy, Katherine Hepburn

Tracy and Hepburn.

I swear, kids these days don't even know who these two are! But Spencer Tracy and Katherine Hepburn were once household names, like bacon and eggs.

In this one, their 7th movie together (do stars ever do that anymore? Who makes 7 movies with one person? Ok, probably a lot of stars still do...), Pat (Hepburn) plays an athlete who needs a manager, and that's where Mike (Tracy) comes in. As a story, I didn't really care about it, to be perfectly honest. It was just another sports/slight romance story. The scene on the cover (above) is the best one!

But these actors! Legendary! Brilliant! Hilarious! So great together! I didn't know what to think at first- I believe the first film I saw them in together was "Desk Set", and I was really confused as to why they should like each other at first. They seemed like opposites to me. And maybe they were. But, oh boy, did I ever fall in love with Spencer Tracy! Their chemistry is wonderful to watch!

Want an enjoyable film? This will do just fine. But "Desk Set" is my favorite of theirs so far!

(And by "so far", I mean, of course, that I have not yet seen them all; because they are both dead, unfortunately, so they won't be making any more. Just needed to clear that up.)

Fact: The American Film Institute named Katherine the top female star in the history of American cinema! And Spencer Tracy ranked #9 for men. (Humphrey Bogart got #1.) Pretty cool!