Morning Glory (1933)

5/21/06

It was for Morning Glory, only her third theatrical film that Katharine Hepburn won her first Best Actress Academy Award. Her part in the film, that of aspiring actress Eva Lovelace was just perfect for her, and I think that the more you know about Ms. Hepburns personality and early career the more you will agree with that statement. Though her characterization in the film was later much lampooned, "really it was", she sells it well and it works in the context of its time. Adolphe Menjou and Douglas Fairbanks Jr. play Kates two love interests, with Mr. Douglas's acting in this picture being a step up from his performance in the only other of his films I remember seeing, Little Caesar. C. Aubrey Smith plays Eva's mentor and teacher R. H. "Bob" Hedges, the character who offers the metaphor that gives the film its title. Though the film is only 74 minutes in length my biggest complaint with it is that the closing sequence ran to long, was a little corny and not completely satisfying. The film was produced by Merian C. Cooper, and released the same year as his immortal King Kong.