WOMAN OF THE YEAR: Katharine Hepburn & Spencer Tracy’s First Film Together

Sixty-four years ago, at the height of WWII and before television, the movie “Woman of the Year” was released. As was typical in the era of radio, people in the film connect with each other through a lot of dialogue and detailed communication. And communication is how the battle of the sexes begins! Spencer Tracy (Sam) and Katherine Hepburn (Tess) are columnists for the same newspaper: he’s a sports columnist and she’s an international affairs columnist. Classic components of American life are depicted, and romance blooms in the workplace. We’ll discuss the meaning of family, romance, sexual politics, and traditional versus modern male and female roles, as inspired by this film. We’ll view a few scenes for the purposes of discussion and example, but encourage you to enjoy the whole film in advance.

BOOM TOWN: Wildcatting for oil-- then and now.

Oil is essential to our economy and fuels the civilized world. In the 1860's, before the rise of major oil companies, oil was used as a disinfectant, a vermin killer and a cure for kidney stones. Wildcat oilmen drilled for oil in unproven, unexplored locations. Until 1970, The United States produced sufficient oil to supply the nation's own demand. By 1973, the major oil companies had lost control to Middle East countries. In 1977, the United States imported almost one-half of the oil it consumed, making our economy and the supply and price of oil dependent on an international cartel. The high price of oil together with the desire to reduce U.S. dependence on foreign oil, has sparked renewed interest in drilling for oil in the continental United States by wildcat oilmen. We’ll discuss the meaning of wildcatting, as inspired by the 1940 film Boom Town starring Clark Gable and Spencer Tracy. We’ll view a few scenes for the purposes of discussion and example, but encourage you to enjoy the whole film in advance.

THE LAST HURRAH: Let’s Play the Game of Politics

In Boston today, political tensions no longer exist between Irish Roman Catholics and Brahmin Protestants. Instead, differences of opinion flare up amongst Democrats and Republicans, liberals, conservatives, the politically-correct crowd and special interest groups. Adapted from Edwin O'Connor's novel loosely based on the life of notorious Boston Mayor James Michael Curley, director John Ford's 1958 classic movie, The Last Hurrah, offers a gripping view of political machinery that pitted ethnic hatred and old-time money against poor immigrant urban slum dwellers. The Last Hurrah is set against the political twilight of four-term Mayor Frank Skeffington -- played by legendary, two-time Academy Award winner, Spencer Tracy -- and the emerging post World War II youth culture of the 1950s when TV started to play a role in influencing election outcomes. We'll view some scenes to examine the good and evil inherent in politics, political campaigns and the components that go into winning and/or losing an election. When The Last Hurrah had its World Premiere in Boston, James Michael Curley considered the film an invasion of privacy and attempted, unsuccessfully, to get the movie banned in Boston. The Last Hurrah was named one of the best films of 1958 by the National Board of Review Awards. We encourage you to enjoy The Last Hurrah in advance of the workshop and come prepared to talk the game of politics.

THE ACTRESS: Women and Film
Many role models, events and circumstances shape a young girl's transition from adolescence into adulthood, including parents and friends, economic, educational and career opportunities and mentors. Set in Boston and Quincy (Wollaston), the 1953 award-winning film, The Actress, depicts the transformation of a conflicted teenager to maturity when seventeen-year old Ruth Gordon Jones becomes obsessed with acting on the stage after seeing a performance in 1913 by Hazel Dawn at the Colonial Theatre in Boston. We'll discuss and view scenes from The Actress which stars Jean Simmons in the autobiographical role of Ruth Gordon, the Academy-award winning actress and writer best known for her roles in Inside Daisy Clover (1966), Rosemary's Baby (1968), Harold and Maude (1972) and collaborations on the screenplays for the Katharine Hepburn-Spencer Tracy films, Adam’s Rib (1949) and Pat and Mike (1952).