Morning Glory (1933)

User Rating:

6.6/10   

Director:

Lowell Sherman

Writers:

Zoe Akins (play)
Howard J. Green (writer)

Release Date:

18 August 1933 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Romance

Tagline:

She'll give you the heart thrill of your life !

Plot:

When a naively innocent, aspiring actress arrives on the Broadway scene, she is taken under the wing of several theater veterans who mentor her to ultimate success.

Plot Keywords:

New York | Theater | Playwright | Mentor | Aspiring Actress

Awards:

Won Oscar.

Cast

Katharine Hepburn	...	Eva Lovelace
Douglas Fairbanks Jr.	...	Joseph Sheridan
Adolphe Menjou	...	Louis (Lewis) Easton
Mary Duncan	...	Rita Vernon, blonde star
C. Aubrey Smith	...	Robert Harley 'Bob' Hedges
Don Alvarado	...	Pepi Velez
Fred Santley	...	Will Seymour, Easton's bespectacled asst. (as Fredric Santly)
Richard Carle	...	Henry Lawrence, elderly critic
Tyler Brooke	...	Charley Van Duesen, alcoholic writer
Geneva Mitchell	...	Gwendoline Hall, brunette actress
Helen Ware	...	Nellie Navarre, Lovelace's dresser

Runtime:

74 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Victor System)

Certification:

Canada:PG (Ontario) | Argentina:13

Company:

RKO Radio Pictures

Trivia:

Katharine Hepburn is the only movie star to win four Academy Awards (2009) for her leading roles in Morning Glory (1933), Guess Who's Coming to Dinner (1967), The Lion in Winter (1968), and On Golden Pond (1981).

Quotes:

Robert Harley Hedges: Youth has its hour of glory... but too often it's only a morning glory, the flower that fades before the sun is very high.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Carnivàle: Day of the Dead (#1.11)" (2003)

Kate's First Oscar

Morning Glory (1933)

** 1/2 (out of 4)

Katharine Hepburn, in her third film, won her first Oscar for her performance Eva Lovelace, a young woman who dreams of being on Broadway. Everyone can tell she's very ambitious but no one is quite sure of her actual talent so she begins seeking advice from an elder actor (C. Aubrey Smith), a producer (Adolphe Menjou) and a playwrite (Douglas Fairbanks, Jr.). This is a mildly entertaining film that hasn't aged too well due to the rather stagey production but I guess that should be figured since this was based on a stage play. The movie features some very good performances and that includes the work of Hepburn, although I'll be honest and say I'm not sure the performance is actually Oscar-worthy. I think the best thing about her performance is that her character could be looked at at being incredibly annoying yet Hepburn never crosses that narrow line. Instead, she plays the character right down the middle to the point where we begin to feel and root for her. I'm pretty sure Hepburn won her Oscar for a single scene in the film, which just happens to be the highlight, and that's where she's "drunk" and decides to put on an audition even though no one asked for it. The supporting cast offers up some fine work as well with Menjou, Mary Duncan and Smith all suiting their roles just fine. Fairbanks is equally as impressive as Hepburn and nearly steals the film as the tortured playwrite. The movie doesn't seem to have enough meet to carry the rather brief 74-minute running time and I think the thing will mainly appeal to those wanting to see a legendary actress in her first award-winning role.