Pat and Mike (1952)

It’s sentimental, ridiculously long and only occasionally funny

Great example of an old-fashioned, pure-at-heart escapist event movie that doesn't pretend to be anything that it's not and has boat loads of fun being its own ludicrous self.

Mostly, the movie is committed to the value of a good time.

A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.

"Pat and Mike" is one of nine movies that Katherine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy made together. Most were comedies. This film showcases some of Hepburn's athletic abilities. Apparently, she was moderately good in a few sports. She learned to play tennis for this film and became quite good at it. There aren't a lot of laughs in this film. The screenplay is okay, but it has few witty lines. The humor mostly is in the relationships between characters and the characters themselves. Tracy is good as Mike Conovan, and Hepburn is good as Pat Pemberton. William Ching actually gives one of the best performances, as Pat's fiancé, Collier Weld. Aldo Ray is good for some laughs as Davie Hucko. This film doesn't rank up there with the better comedies of Hepburn and Tracy, but it's decent light entertainment. One of the things I like best about "Pat and Mike" is the scenes it has with Babe Didrikson Zaharias. The script has Pat in a major women's golf tournament, playing against Babe. Babe was a real living multi-talented female athlete. She was named athlete of the year six times from 1932 to 1954. She was a 1949 founding member of the Ladies PGA. She won numerous golfing tournaments, including 10 major LPGA championships. She won two gold medals in track and field in the 1932 Summer Olympics and she also played basketball. Babe died in 1956 from colon cancer She was just 46 years old. This isn't a film to run out and buy, but it's a good movie to watch on a rainy afternoon.

I didn't like "Pat and Mike" when I first saw it in an MGM revival season at the movies. I still didn't like it when I viewed it on TV. So it was with rather mixed feelings that I decided to watch the DVD. I thought I could always turn it off if it was just as uninteresting and unfunny and as plain boring as I remembered it. But I was wrong. This time, I found the movie thoroughly entertaining. I enjoyed the script which provided Katherine Hepburn with so many wonderful opportunities to shine brightly and take the lead. I thought Tracy gave her excellent support. I wasn't over-impressed with Aldo Ray, but his role is small and he does no damage. I was surprised that George Cukor was able to stage all the sporting events so convincingly. Action is not generally regarded as his forte, but this time, no doubt aided by Hepburn herself and the other specialists on tap, he came through most convincingly not only on the various sport fronts, but on such wonderful scenes as when Hepburn beats all the bullies at their own game! My only quibble is that maybe we see too much of William Ching's character. In real life, one would hope that a Hepburn clone would give him his walking papers much sooner! But otherwise Ruth Gordon and Garson Kanin have provided a most entertaining, yet pleasingly unusual script. It's definitely one for connoisseurs.

Kate Hepburn was the consummate professional, and never hit a false note, in this film or any other. It was fun to see her show her athleticism in spite of her petite build. And the chemistry with her and Spencer Tracy was undeniable. I actually liked some of her later films much better, like "African Queen" and "The Lion in Winter". This film had a lot of familiar faces including Jim Backus, Chuck Connors, and Charles Bronson. Listed in the uncredited cast was Roger Moore as "Photagrapher". I looked for him but never saw him. Some famous athletes of the day were also featured, such as Babe Zahariah and Don Budge. Aldo Ray as the dim-witted boxer rather overplayed his part, but I suppose that this was the style for movies in those days. Overall, not Hepburn/Tracy's best, but pretty decent anyway.

In this disappointing follow-up to the excellent "Adam's Rib," Hepburn plays a multi-sport athlete who is managed and promoted by Tracy. There are two funny scenes: one involving a tennis match and another where Hepburn slugs a couple of goons to protect Tracy. The other ninety percent of this supposed comedy is devoid of laughs and there is little plot. Cukor can't overcome the witless script by Gordon and Kanin. In fact he makes matters worse by inserting extended sport sequences, particularly golf, that are neither funny nor exciting. The film provides early roles for Bronson, Backus, and Connors, as well as the opportunity to see various famed tennis and golf stars.