That complicated Katharine Hepburn!

[Shaun]

Does anyone have a theory about Kate's complicated and sometimes contradicting personality? For instance, in the Berg book he mentions a time he was at Fenwick making a salad and he dropped a carrot on the floor. When he went to toss it out she had a fit and said that it was still good and that he was wasting food. The other time this happened he decided to put it back in the bowl, but Kate was still unappeased. She said he had contaminated the salad and she threw it and the pieces of lettuce surrounding it, into the trash. (Speaking of food, can anyone remember how she liked her grapes sliced? It was either horizontally or vertically...if they were sliced any other way they didn't taste the same ;D)

Also, she was a competitive person--look at all the sports she played--but didn't believe actors should compete for awards like Oscars.

any ideas?

[Judy]

shaun said:

Does anyone have a theory about Kate's complicated and sometimes contradicting personality? For instance, in the Berg book he mentions a time he was at Fenwick making a salad and he dropped a carrot on the floor. When he went to toss it out she had a fit and said that it was still good and that he was wasting food. The other time this happened he decided to put it back in the bowl, but Kate was still unappeased. She said he had contaminated the salad and she threw it and the pieces of lettuce surrounding it, into the trash. (Speaking of food, can anyone remember how she liked her grapes sliced? It was either horizontally or vertically...if they were sliced any other way they didn't taste the same ;D)

Also, she was a competitive person--look at all the sports she played--but didn't believe actors should compete for awards like Oscars.

any ideas?

Hi, Shaun,

I think she would have felt that with sports, the competition made more sense. You all played the same game - to varying degrees of success, of course, but still the same game.

For the Oscars to compare, everyone would have to be playing Hamlet or whatever. But I also think it had to do with the unseemly nature of turning the arts and the interpretive arts into just another a horse race.

But I also think her opinion about that changed over the years. As she said to Dick Cavett when he asked her if she approved of what Brando and George C Scott did when they refused theirs: "You're either in a business or you're not...and you're not that important. Nobody is." In other words, she changed from her early 30's attitude about them not being a competition to a later, easier attitude that just said, Oh, don't be so serious about it all.

Of course, she still would never attend to in a year she was nominated for fear of being neither the bride nor the corpse. But that had to do with her innate shyness and self-consciousness at these things.

Wish she were here so we could ask her.

As to what Berg reported as her puzzling and sometimes contrary nature, I think most people are complicated and she was no exception. Also, let's face it, in her old age she was kinda ornery (you oughtta meet my father!).

I also think she did things like that to keep people off guard. I suppose that could be trying if you were the one she was testing. But I think she needed someone to say to her: Kate, don't be ridiculous. Yesterday you said the carrot was perfectly fine and today you say it isn't. Make up your mind and stop screwing around with me.

When she got that kind of response, she always seemed to give up the fight. Finding the courage to give her that kind of response was probaly most difficult. But as many colleagues of hers have commented, if you could stand up to her, she was your friend for life.

At the Sotheby's panel discussion I attended, Kathy Houghton said that her aunt sometimes just needed someone to say NO. To calm down her sometimes over-enthusiastic nature. To keep her balloon from floating totally off into the ether. Not to puncture it. Just to keep it from floating away. And that Spencer was often the one to do that.

Judy

PS Don't mean to sound like I'm pontificating...It's all just my opinion based on her comments over the years.

[Cate]

Didn't she cut the grapes length-wise?

I think the issue of Kate changing her mind about things is just her being human. She was stubborn but like a lot of people, she probably just changed her opinion on things with her mood. Maybe one day she figured a contaminated carrot in her salad wasn't a big deal and then the next day she couldn't let all those bacteria out of her head and decided against contaminated carrots.

[smith]

I think Katharine liked to test people - if you passed the test you were her friend for life .

And she was complicated - I think that's why I like reading about her .

[karina]

Ditto - I mean nothing like a bit of contradictariness to spice up one's reading:) Besides, as others have said, most human beings aren't always consistent in their behaviour - it'd make for a pretty boring world.

I think though, that Judy sums it up pretty well in saying that Kate just needed someone to tell her where to draw the line.

[Shaun]

PS Don't mean to sound like I'm pontificating...It's all just my opinion based on her comments over the years.

Oh, by all means pontificate away. I like it when we thoroughly discuss Kate. We should hold weekly debates ;D

Everything that everyone has said sounds right. Has anyone ever told y'all that you know a lot about Katharine lol I bet I'm the first one!

[kathfan88]

I think that her personality is definately what has made her last for so long and why people want to watch and read about her, everyone just loved to see what she could come up with next.
and she sliced the grapes across they're equators.

[HollywoodHepcat]

Oh, how lovely! A new member! Let me be the first to welcome you kathfan88! Hope you'll have some fun talking about Kath here. (I call her that, too. )

[kathfan88]

thanx metrostah! hello to you

[Shaun]

Welcome kathfan. I think you'll find that we're all viddy, viddy kind on this forum. That was my Phyllis impression ;D

[kathfan88]

I'm glad to hear that. nice phyllis impression Shaun! thanx for the welcome.

[gypsygem81]

hi kathfan! Great to have you here! Sorry I've been so late in my welcome, not been around much over Christmas. Busy busy busy.

Look forward to reading more of your posts!

Love Gem

[kathfan88]

hi gypsygem81! thnx for saying hi!

[Kama]

I think you all know this site, but If anybody doesn't read it: home.nyc.rr.com/alweisel/premierekatharinehepburn.htm

I knew some stories form Berg's book before, but some are new and fascinating for me. Especially memory of Dabney Coleman. And story of Mark Rydell about luggage... mixed feelings.

[di]

I find Kate a bit hard to figure out myself. Lots of contradictions. I agree she needed someone to stand up to her and put her in her place. I think she would of admired anyone who would do that.