“Who is Katharine Hepburn? I worked hard to create that creature on the screen, to make her fascinating and endurable. […] I’ve been around so long, though, that people treat as some sort of oracle or grandmother of the world, maybe, wanting to know what I think about the important things in life. Well, I think that just being alive is a tremendous opportunity — it’s what you do with it that matters. I know that work never hurt anyone, it’s the lack of work that destroys people. In some ways, I’ve lived my life as a man; made my own decisions, I’ve been as terrified as the next person, but you’ve got to keep going. You’ve got to dream. Now, I don’t know if there’s an almighty, but I do know you can’t expect Him to do all your work. We have to take matters into our own hands and use plain old common sense as our guide. […] And old age, what’s the point of worrying about something you can’t control? Just make the best of it, and hope your body doesn’t let you down. And I have no fear of death; must be wonderful, like a long sleep. But let’s face it: it’s how you live that really counts. There’s been a motto with my family for as long as I can remember, my parents lived by it and so do I, and it says, ‘Listen to the song of life.’”
Katharine Hepburn || 12 May 1907 - 29 June 2003
“I’ve always said you were our leading actress.” - Judy Garland, to close friend Katharine Hepburn
Katharine Hepburn performs as Cleopatra in Antony and Cleopatra for the American Shakespeare Festival; 1960.
inessentialhouses:
Happy 106th Birthday, Katharine Hepburn
(May 12, 1907 - June 29, 2003)
“Time with her was more than time well spent. A little bit with her was worth days and weeks and months with somebody else.” - Lauren Bacall
“She’s the most completely honest woman I’ve ever met.” - Cary Grant
“She used to say to me, ‘Be fascinating, Christopher,’ and I’d say, ‘Well, that’s easy for you. The rest of us have to work at it.’” - Christopher Reeve
“Joan was so vital it’s difficult to realize she is no more; vital in voice, thinking and movement. It was with this vitality, among other things, that the chorus girl, Lucille LeSueur, painstakingly shaped herself into Joan Crawford, and Joan Crawford painstakingly shaped herself into the great star she remained until she died - and the legend she is sure to be.” - Modern Screen
Joan Crawford || 23 March 1906 - 10 May 1977
“I thought Joan Crawford could never die. Come to think of it, as long as celluloid holds together and the word Hollywood means anything to anyone, she never will.” - George Cukor
Happy 107th birthday, Joan.
Thank you for your work, your talent, your ineffable dedication to your act, and thank you for you.
Only a few years ago, I, like so many unfortunate others, knew you only from misconceived notions from Mommie Dearest. For that, I truly am sorry. I am sorry for contributing to the destruction of your image, which you fought so hard to build. However, as the years past, I, like some fortunate others, grew to know you—the real Joan Crawford—and you became one of my favorite actresses, along with one of my favorite people.
As I said, so many unfortunate others do not experience the greatness of truly knowing the real Joan Crawford, the Joan Crawford you fought so hard to build. I am sorry for them, as well. I am sorry for those who, when hearing your name, think only of wire hangers. I am sorry for those who accept Christina’s story of her life with you as absolute fact with no research. I am sorry for the damage it has done to your image, and your reputation.
With that said, I would like to thank you for doing all you did. For giving the world a star among stars, an actress among actresses. Thank you for your correspondence to your loyal fans, for your films, for your talent; thank you for existing, Joan. Thank you for the glimmer of talent you have supplied the world.
Happy birthday.
(don’t reblog please)
Joan Crawford in films from 1950-1970 (Harriet Craig, Goodbye, My Fancy, Torch Song, The Best of Everything, Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?, Strait-Jacket, Berserk!, and Trog).
Joan Crawford in films from 1945-1950 (Mildred Pierce, Humoresque, Possessed, It’s a Great Feeling, Flamingo Road, and The Damned Don’t Cry).
Joan Crawford as Helen Wright in Humoresque (dir. Jean Negulesco); 1946.
Joan Crawford as Helen Wright in Humoresque (dir. Jean Negulesco); 1946.
Joan Crawford in films from 1936-1942 (The Bride Wore Red, Love on the Run, Strange Cargo, A Woman’s Face, Reunion in France, and The Women).
