Little recognition of TV movies

[Karina]

Why is it that apart from the Emmy nominated "Love Among the Ruins", Katharine's TV films are largely ignored or merely lumped togther & dismissed as being works of minor importance? Obviously not every single one is among her greatest work, but I for one really admire her portrayal of Mrs Delafield. Not only does the film have several fascinating themes, but the viewers also get to a see a very personal view of Katharine in later life, quite unlike that shown in any of her other post 1980s work. And at the end when she literally purrs "perfect", it reminds me of the sensuous romantic Kate/Tess in "Woman of the Year" - that she could still do this some 44 years later is absolutely amazing!

[Kerrie]

I just love Mrs Delefield . Its probably the last romantic film that Katharine ever did and she looks great . And its funny as well as being pretty modern . And Dernholm Elliot is fantasic as the nosy neighbour

[Cate]

The only Kate TV movie I've seen is One Christmas, which was about two weeks ago. I love seeing her at the ripe old age of 87 still doing movies but at the same time it breaks my heart! To know that she is towards the end of her career and her life. Her shaking head and gravelly voice are distracting, too, and I could barely make out what she was saying but I can't help but watch because it's Kate!

Catherine

[Judy]

I think she's great fun in "Delafied." Watched it again recently for the first time in a long time....Her speech to her disapproving children alone makes it worth the price of admission....And I also think her Amanda Wingfield is terrific as is the entire production of the TV "Glass Menagerie." Great cast and beautifully shot and directed...."The Corn Is Green" was a very, very good adaptation of the play, and I loved seeing her in those Welsh settings playing a role played by one of her idols - Ethel Barrymore (I have a letter in my collection from Emlyn Williams to George Cukor in which he writes how thrilled he was with their loving recreation of his work)....And then, of course, there was the aforementioned "Love Among the Ruins," which is sublime.

The way I look at the others is that we had two choices: Either we could have said goodbye to her after "Ruins" and she could have faded into a life out of the spotlight as did most of her generation of star OR we could have had the pleasure of her company in, if not great, then certainly nothing-to-be-ashamed-of TV movies. How many actors close to 90 could still have received such fanfare by the networks or such loving care by the group that shepherded her through these? So what's an octogenarean movie star - who hadn't played a supporting part since she was first put on film - to do? TV was the only outlet in which she could still practice her considerable craft. And as she did her entire career, she chose not to go gently. She chose to appear in stories that elevated rather than dumbed down. I, of course, would've wished for better scripts, the absence of which was, I think, far more crucial to the quality of those movies than was her increasing tremor or the vagaris of her voice. I, of course, also did not want to see her grow old. But I wouldn't have given up the opportunity to see her on screen for anything.

JS

[karina]

Well said Judy, and of course any opportunity to see Kate on screen - big or small - is better than no opportunity at all.

I also liked that scene in Delafield, but for a different reason. I had many of the same feelings as the awful children, when my own Father remarried after my Mother's death, but listening to Kate's speech shamed me into realising how selfish I'd been and how much my Father deserved a second chance at happiness.

[Hepburner]

The Glass Menagerie was fantastic!
I bought it here in New Zealand for $20 which would be about $10 in America I guess.
Fantastic.
Absolutely great. Kate did Tennessee Williams well. I'd love to have seen her play Blanche Dubois to be honest. Surely Kate could have done wonders with that role. Although...hmm. I dunno.
but The glass Menagerie was great! A bit on the glum side, but great.

[Sherry]

Hi Shane,
Have to agree with your comment that Kate did Tennessee Williams well. He wanted her to play the New England spinster in "The Night of the Iguana" and she wanted to do the role of Alma Winemiller in "Summer and Smoke" in the film version. She talks about wanting to do SAS on a clip of her discussing Hal Wallis which can be seen on YouTube. Unfortunately, sometimes these things don't happen but I think Kate would have been fantastic in both. I know when I saw the films, my immediate thought was that Kate could/should have played these roles.
Fortunately, Deborah Kerr was also a very good choice for Night of the Iguana as was Geraldine Page for Summer and Smoke. I'd have also liked to seen Kate play the part that Deborah Kerr played in the film version of the Robert Anderson play "Tea and Sympathy".