Tracy & Hepburn in Capra’s ‘State of the Union’ 1948

Spencer Tracy & Katharine Hepburn 's characters already have problems
before he decides to run for president, in 1948's "State of the Union."

State of the Union, successful in 1948, has been long considered second-tier Frank Capra. Hard to top a string of hits from original material during one's youth, for sure. Post-war, Capra questioned his place in movie making. He turned out It's a Wonderful Life in '46, not a smash but not the flop that legend has long claimed.

Frank Capra's "State of the Union" still has some pertinent political zingers!

Noteworthy is the fact that State of the Union came from a 1945 Pulitzer Prize-winning play, from Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse, the creators of Life with Father, among other hits. Capra wasn't exactly slumming here! And this was a faithful rendition, with plenty of its sharp political humor intact. Technically a Frank Capra Liberty film, State of the Union was essentially a MGM movie, with their contract talent. Metro head L.B. Mayer probably wouldn't have permitted all of this adult, liberal material. Still, it reunited Tracy and Hepburn much more successfully than the previous year’s soapy Sea of Grass, directed by the young hotshot Elia Kazan.

The stars of Frank Capra's political comedy-drama, 1948's "State of the Union."
L to R: Katharine Hepburn, Spencer Tracy, Van Johnson, & Angela Lansbury.

State of the Union was filmed in the last quarter of 1947. Spencer Tracy was 47 and looked much older; Katharine Hepburn was 40 and looked great onscreen, with the aid of MGM's glam squad. Then there’s Angela Lansbury as the villainous other woman, who turned 22 during production! Angela always looked older and was cast as such, though she could have been cast as Tracy and Hepburn's daughter. 

Spencer Tracy as self-made man and presidential hopeful Grant Matthews,
in 1948's "State of the Union."

Katharine Hepburn as Mary Matthews, the estranged "good wife"
of Spencer Tracy's presidential candidate, in 1948's "State of the Union."

Tracy is the beacon of decency as Grant Matthews, though that light flickers a bit since he has had an affair with Angela Lansbury's Kay Thorndyke. In his latest test of integrity, running for President, the self-made man has a hard time not being made over by political hacks. Fear not, Grant is played by Saint Spencer, who will come through it all, decency intact. 

Kate, fussing over Spence as usual,  in 1948's "State of the Union."

Hepburn plays her political wife well, though her '40s woman, whose man has wronged her, feels that she deserves a kick in the pants... for not being unquestionably loyal. I also didn't realize that Kate’s doting on Spence so slavishly onscreen went back this far. Most movie fans eat it up, but I find it a bit much. That said, Tracy and Hepburn perform with their usual professionalism, intelligence, warmth, and wit as a couple who have had their ups and downs.

Political pillow talk with Spencer Tracy & Katharine Hepburn's at odds couple, 

in 1948's "State of the Union. "

Angela Lansbury's performance as Kay Thorndyke steals the show, from a cast at the top of their game. As a newspaper heiress, her Kay wants to determine the next Republican presidential candidate. The ruthless character is played with precision and no mercy, reminding me of Faye Dunaway's mad programmer in 1976's Network.

As the malevolent political opportunist, Lansbury gets a dress rehearsal for her classic political manipulator of nearly 15 years later, in The Manchurian Candidate. And once again, Angie was cast as much older. At 37, she was cast as Laurence Harvey's mother!

Adolphe Menjou & Angela Lansbury are the political heavies of 1948's 

"State of the Union." Angela's thinking maybe a game of solitaire to pass the time!

Lansbury's performance is extraordinary at such a young age. And had it been an actual MGM movie, Angie might have scored a Best Supporting Actress nomination. The film's opening scene, where Kay is saying farewell to her dying news magnet father (an excellent Lewis Stone), is chilling, and made me think of Bette Davis at her stone cold best.

Angela Lansbury as Kay Thorndyke, about to be come heir to her father's
 newspaper empire.  With Lewis Stone in 1948's "State of the Union."

Van Johnson, not a favorite of mine, is very good as a one man Greek chorus of non-stop humorous sarcasm. As Spark, he has some of the best lines in this movie, reacting to all the political monkey business. The only scenes with Van that I didn't like was of the maid (Margaret Hamilton) mooning over him, and Spark wincing in response—it seemed like a cheap shot at her expense.

Van Johnson is Spark, the freckled Greek chorus of 1948's
"State of the Union."

Adolphe Menjou was famously a right-wing Republican, so he's well-cast as Jim Conover, who only wants a candidate that will win. Menjou was an expert actor in comedy and drama, and it's fascinating to watch him in scenes with the famously liberal Hepburn. 

Adolphe Menjou schools Katharine Hepburn & Spencer Tracy's characters
on political realities, in 1948's "State of the Union." 

Frank Capra must have had a soft spot for Carl "Alfalfa" Switzer. Capra gave the fading young star a fun bit in It's a Wonderful Life and a showy one in State of the Union as the over-tipped bellboy.

While some of the dialogue in State of the Union is dated, it makes you realize that nearly 80 years later, there's nothing new in the world’s second oldest profession!

Director Frank Capra is in good form here as a storyteller and State of the Union is stylishly done and moves at a good clip. Capra only goes Capra-corn when Tracy's idealist waxes political and the about-face finale where Grant reclaims his integrity. Corny, but Capra and the cast put it over.

It struck me as unbelievable that Kay Thorndyke would try to shoehorn old flame Grant Matthews into a typical Republican candidate. By this time, the actual party was becoming even more conservative and Grant's political views were very liberal left. Kay may think she can tone down Grant's pie in the sky liberalism, but the tough cookie should know better. BTW, director Capra was a populist who later became a Republican.

Old flames in 1948's "State of the Union." Well, at least one was old!
Spencer Tracy was 47 and Angela Lansbury was 23.

The only scene I found flat-out too much was the flying scene where Tracy goes all Top Gun with a fellow pilot, capped by tubby, middle-aged Spence putting on a parachute and leaping out of the plane. What a he-man! 

State of the Union may be the first film to look at the packaging of a political candidate with the modern media of television. This State is not a classic, but classy entertainment boasting a great cast and a subject that never goes out of style.

Spencer Tracy & Katharine Hepburn, on the set of 1948's comedy-drama,
 "State of the Union."

MGM’s 1942 drama, Keeper of the Flame.

MGM’s suspense story Keeper of the Flame is one of two dramas that Spencer Tracy & Katharine Hepburn made, from their nine films together. This is the story of a revered American hero who turns out to be a cultish fascist. Spencer is the reporter on the story; Kate is the hero’s widow. My take here: 

https://ricksrealreel.blogspot.com/2025/05/tracy-hepburn-team-in-rare-drama-keeper.html

Tracy & Hepburn Team in Rare Drama ‘Keeper of the Flame’ 1942

 

Spencer Tracy is a reporter & Katharine Hepburn is the widow of a wartime hero,
in MGM's 1942 suspense drama, "Keeper of the Flame."

MGM’s suspense story Keeper of the Flame is one of two straight-up dramas that Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn made, from their nine films together. (The other was The Sea of Grass.) This film premiered at the end of 1942, with its political overtones, a year after the Pearl Harbor attack. FDR's administration strongly encouraged Hollywood to make movies that inspired patriotism.

MGM’s Big Daddy, L.B. Mayer, was also a big American flag waver, who had just made Mrs. Miniver, and who reportedly didn't like Keeper of the Flame. The story of a revered American hero who turns out to be a cultish fascist wasn’t exactly what FDR and Papa Mayer had in mind! I can see this dark political thriller given the green light at WB or RKO, where grittier movies were made.

Despite the MGM gloss and some diva posturing, the message of 1942's
"Keeper of the Flame" is as timely as ever. 

So, Metro’s resulting Keeper of the Flame seems a rather odd entry. The film was based on controversial I.A.R. Wylie’s novel, with a screenplay by Donald Ogden Stewart, who was unapologetically political, and later blacklisted. Stewart seems inspired by the then-recent Citizen Kane in the telling of the investigation behind the death of a larger than life public figure. Cinematographer William H. Daniels noir-like photography, the extensive use of sets instead of location or exterior shooting, lots of matte work to suggest opulent mansions and scenic properties, makes this all feel like a dark fairytale. 

Some say that Keeper of the Flame was also inspired by the life of William Randolph Hearst. Others have said Charles Lindbergh, which feels closer to the mark, IMO. There were certainly enough world figures with secret fascist leanings at the time. Lindbergh, who came from modest means, became a world-wide hero, then a political figure, preaching isolationist and anti-Semitic and racist theories. By the late 1930s his reputation was tarnished; by the early '40s, FDR had isolated Lindbergh! The timing makes him the likely inspiration for Keeper of the Flame.

Director George Cukor on the set of 1942;s "Keeper of the Flame," with stars
Spencer Tracy & Katharine Hepburn.

Despite the sometimes prosaic plotting, the story’s premise, strong cast, and intelligent direction by George Cukor, all make the film worth watching. Spencer Tracy is at his best, with his solid and restrained performance as reporter Stephen O’Malley, who is an admirer of the revered public figure Richard Bennett, who has died in a mysterious car accident. Tracy is objective as the man who is intent on getting at the truth, despite surrounding suspicion that he is just a muckraker looking for scandal. Spence's interacting with Hepburn, child actor Darryl Hickman, and the array of distinctive character actors, is fascinating. Spence was truly one of the first of the naturalistic film actors.

Spencer Tracy is a rock as the principled reporter determined to get at the truth,
 regarding a dead hero and his wife, in 1942's "The Keeper of the Flame."

Katharine Hepburn, in one of her last glam leading lady roles, has the showier role as the haunted widow of the hero. Under favorite director George Cukor, Hepburn is mostly restrained, though some of that Metro diva posturing seeps through. As her character is conflicted and motivations misunderstood, Kate's Christine Bennett allows for some dramatic moments. Hepburn is undercut a bit by the over-lavish MGM production values, with her widow wafting through the mammoth mansion in Adrian gowns.  Especially in the first scene, where Kate looks like a ghost in a white gown, carrying an arm full of lilies to place before the portrait of her dead husband. At least, Kate didn't reprise her calla lily speech from Stage Door!

Spencer Tracy's reporter first encounters Katharine Hepburn's widow as she wafts
 into the library in white, placing flowers at her late husband's portrait,
in 1942's "Keeper of the Flame."

I was struck that Kate's grieving character was a foreshadowing of Hepburn in one of her latter day triumphs, 1959's Suddenly, Last Summer. In both movies, Kate's characters are distracted over larger than life dead people and determined to protect their reputations, though for different reasons. In both Keeper and Suddenly, the loved one was in reality a sordid character. Both of Kate's characters are faced with a hero who is seeking to find out the truth. And some of Kate's speeches in Keeper are in keeping with Suddenly's Violet Venable.

Katharine Hepburn as another haunted mourner in white,
in 1959's "Suddenly, Last Summer."

,

The male secretary character, Richard Whorf’s Clive, slavishly offers reporters speeches and information over the late hero's works. Protective to the point of obsessive, Clive comes across like a male version of Rebecca's Mrs. Danvers, even to the point of starting a fire in the finale!

Spencer Tracy, as the straightforward reporter determined to write the truth of a
late hero, with the revered man's assistant looking on with distrust, played by
Richard Whorf. From 1942's wartime suspense drama, "Keeper of the Flame." 

Darryl Hickman as the child of the groundskeeper, who idolized Bennett, is a bit overwrought. This is mostly from the way his character is written, rather than performed. A young Howard da Silva is instantly recognizable by his voice as the boy’s protective father. 

Darryl Hickman plays one of the children who are devastated by their hero's death,
in 1942's political drama, "Keeper of the Flame."

Percy Kilbride is a hoot as the close-mouthed cabbie who doesn’t like snoops. Audrey Christie as the brash reporter with a crush on Tracy is such a stereotype that she comes off like a Glenda Ferrell clone. I found her performance immediately irritating. Stephen McNally has an early role as a competing reporter—he kept reminding me of Zachary Scott!

Margaret Wycherly has a field day as the hero's elderly, demented mother. Old Mrs. Bennett’s scenes give you an idea where her son got his ideas on class superiority. The mother goes off on how once she was a maid to the wealthy, and because of her son's success, SHE now lives in a big house, declaring, “Big people live in big houses!” Ironically, I had just viewed a clip of Mary Trump talking about her namesake grandmother, and how she had come from Scotland and was a maid to the Carnegie family. Later, Mrs. Trump lived in a huge home with husband Fred after he climbed up the ladder as a realtor/landlord.

Margaret Wycherly is riveting as the demented mother of the deceased "hero,"
in 1942's wartime suspense drama, "Keeper of the Flame."

On a lighter note, newcomer Forrest Tucker was borrowed by MGM to play Hepburn’s handsome cousin. Six foot, four inch Tucker was a big boy, and director Cukor was not above hiring young beefcake for more than their on-screen talent!

Forrest Tucker plays Katharine Hepburn's brooding young cousin in "Keeper of the Flame." That's Audrey Christie, annoying as the brash gal reporter!

The baroque music score is by Bronislaw Kaper—was he MGM’s answer to Bernard Herrmann? Kaper’s score is both bombastic and creepy. I always hated his intrusive score for the later BUtterfield 8, a cross between a Tom and Jerry cartoon and a horror movie!

The climactic scene, when Richard Bennett's real leanings are revealed by Hepburn’s Christine, is chilling. The speech on fascism is fascinating and how insidiously it occurs may seem familiar to some modern audiences. The widow of the “hero” speaks of people's group gullibility in worshipping false idols, for a movement that pits different groups of people against each one another, all the while seizing power. Christine tells the reporter, “Of course they didn’t call it fascism. They painted it red, white, and blue. They called it Americanism.” Today, it might be called Nationalism? Or perhaps Bennett’s plan would be Project 2025?  

Katharine Hepburn plays the keeper of the secret files,
as well as "The Keeper of the Flame!"

Cukor later said he found Keeper of the Flame artificial and he was right. Yet, there is a message that is still true, and fascinating that it was told at the height of the United States patriotic movement in finally supporting WWII.

Here’s my look at Katharine Hepburn in a similar later role where she’s grieving and glossing over the reputation of her late poet son, with Montgomery Clift as the doctor determined to get at the truth, in 1959’s Suddenly, Last Summer. My review:

 https://ricksrealreel.blogspot.com/2018/03/suddenly-last-summer-1959.html

"Keeper of the Flame" was Tracy & Hepburn's 2nd film pairing, after their classic
 debut in "Woman of the Year." Parker Posey at times reminds me of Kate Hepburn!