Show Hepburn's Toes Register Love LoveIn In Arms of James Stewart By Paul Harrison HOLLYWOOD NEA There have been many favorable estimates estimates estimates esti esti- esti- esti mates of the talents of Katharine I Hepburn especially since her stage triumph in Philadelphia Story I But I believe this department is the first to be able to report authoritatively authoritatively authoritatively au au- au- au that she is an actress to the tips of her toes For one sequence in Metros Metro's filming filming filming film film- ing of the play Miss Hepburn not only emoted from those extremities extremities ties but also appeared to be to her patrician eyebrows She and Jimmy Stewart had had hada a big night with conversation and champagne by a swimming pool and she now was sas allowing herself to be carried in his unsteady arms armsto armsto armsto to the house Her hair was damply damply damply dam dam- ply disheveled and except for bare arms and legs she was wrapped inan inan in inan an old brown robe Thus greeting the dawn they also met the man whom she was supposed to marry that day In defiance defiance de do- fiance of such an awkward situation situation situation situa situa- tion Miss Hepburn proceeded to embrace Mr Stewart With her shoes on this would have been only an art ardent gesture With her feet bare it was something to watch While her arms clutched the man carrying her her rather long and astonishingly prehensile toes int intertwined intertwined inter inter- r- r twined and clasped If H feet can behave behave behave be be- have ecstatically hers did All this was carefully recorded by eight shots of the camera under the di direction direction direction di- di of appreciative George Cukor Performance Hailed As Worthy of Award Hollywood has had a hard time reconciling itself to the completely ingratiating manners of the new Katie Hepburn All I can say 1 is that if her current cordiality is isan isan isan an act it is a performance worth worthan an academy award Because her behavior goes beyond mere tolerance tolerance tolerance toler toler- ance of visitors on the set and amenity to interviews she's th the life of the company and the darling of the press agents Still-picture Still cameramen find her heran heran heran an easy subject and she rejects fewer photographs than almost any other star She works overtime without complaint and even asks Cukor's assurance that she isn't LI k i j J I. I L N Katie Kate Hepburn Yes even a scribbler dares to be so informal since a new amiability has seized the Philadelphia Story girl making faces races or Hogging boggIng any scenes Many an actress called difficult difficult difficult cult or worse by her ner home studio has zoomed into personal popularity popular popular- ity ily under friendlier circumstances Marlene Dietrich now whooping it up at Universal after unhappy years with Paramount is the best example Katharine Hepburn antagonized antagonized antagonized an an- by R-K-O R literally from the minute she got off the train still thinks of that studio with a adeep adeep adeep deep and abiding loathing We Ve had quite a lot of conversation conversation conversa conversa- tion lion disjointed by her frequent trips to an offstage mirror to disarrange disarrange disarrange dis dis- dis- dis arrange her hair and by Cukor's imperative howls for her presence on the set Once she talked about Philip Barry author of the play Next trip she praised Cary Gary Grant really the head man of the cast This is her fourth picture with him and it seems he has a marvelously mobile face She Plans Trip on the Road And Play in New York Another time she urged me to have tea tea tea-a a special kind and extra strong Back again she talked about Stewart Later she said shed she'd go on the road roal again with Philadelphia Philadelphia Philadelphia Phila delphia Story would do another play in New York late in the fall Pretty soon John Fords Ford's name was mentioned and my interview went overboard for an argument Miss Hepburn thinks hes he's a marvelous marvelous marvelous mar mar- guy And anyway I believe the circumstances circumstances circumstances cir cir- cir cir- were vere more interesting than the things she said Her one- one piece costume was a rag bag item instead of a gown She shuffled on and off oft the set in a pair air of old bedroom slippers She sat on a rolled up carpet on the he floor and talked smoked sipped tea fixed her up make-up examined ex- ex mined and praised some stills made a joke about Sylvia Scarlett Scarlett Scar- Scar lett ett her worst picture flop This is the gal we used to call Cantankerous Kate |