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Me: Stories of My Life
A NEW YORK TIMES Notable Book of the Year
“In her book about her life, Miss Hepburn insists that that woman in the movies was not her at all. ‘I’m not going to hide behind you anymore,� she says.‘Who are you anyway? You're not me.� Sure she is. The woman in the book is cocky, fearless, smart, capable, and human, on screen and off.”—Anna Quindlen, The New York Times
Admired and beloved by movie audiences for more than sixty years, four-time Academy Award winner Katharine Hepburn is an American classic and an extraordinary, enduring presence on the international cultural scene. Yet her private life has been obscured by mystery. Now Miss Hepburn breaks her long-kept silence in this absorbing and provocative memoir.
With characteristic gusto and candor, Katharine Hepburn reflects on the events, people, and places that have shaped her life—her childhood and family, her early days in New York, and her experiences with political activism. She talks about the ups and downs of her career, her long friendship with Spencer Tracy, and of course, her close collaborations with several of the leading actors, directors, and producers of the past half century. Illustrated with 165 photographs from family archives, many of which have never been published, it is an unforgettable portrait of Katharine Hepburn as we have not seen her before.
“It is the understanding heart revealed just before the final curtain that makes us fall in love with Katharine Hepburn. ”� The New York Times Book Review
“In her book about her life, Miss Hepburn insists that that woman in the movies was not her at all. ‘I’m not going to hide behind you anymore,� she says.‘Who are you anyway? You're not me.� Sure she is. The woman in the book is cocky, fearless, smart, capable, and human, on screen and off.”—Anna Quindlen, The New York Times
Admired and beloved by movie audiences for more than sixty years, four-time Academy Award winner Katharine Hepburn is an American classic and an extraordinary, enduring presence on the international cultural scene. Yet her private life has been obscured by mystery. Now Miss Hepburn breaks her long-kept silence in this absorbing and provocative memoir.
With characteristic gusto and candor, Katharine Hepburn reflects on the events, people, and places that have shaped her life—her childhood and family, her early days in New York, and her experiences with political activism. She talks about the ups and downs of her career, her long friendship with Spencer Tracy, and of course, her close collaborations with several of the leading actors, directors, and producers of the past half century. Illustrated with 165 photographs from family archives, many of which have never been published, it is an unforgettable portrait of Katharine Hepburn as we have not seen her before.
“It is the understanding heart revealed just before the final curtain that makes us fall in love with Katharine Hepburn. ”� The New York Times Book Review
430 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1991
475 people are currently reading
12.3k people want to read
About the author
Katharine Hepburn
15books190followersKatharine Houghton Hepburn (1907-2003) was an American actress of film, stage, and television. Known for her headstrong independence and spirited personality, Hepburn's career as a Hollywood leading lady spanned more than 60 years. She cultivated a screen persona that matched this public image, and regularly played strong-willed, sophisticated women. Her work came in a range of genres, from screwball comedy to literary drama, and she received four Academy Awards for Best Actress—a record for any performer.
In the 1940s Hepburn was contracted to Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, where her career focused on an alliance with Spencer Tracy. The screen-partnership spanned 25 years, and produced nine movies.
Hepburn challenged herself in the latter half of her life, as she regularly appeared in Shakespeare stage productions and tackled a range of literary roles. She found a niche playing middle-aged spinsters, such as in The African Queen (1951), a persona the public embraced. Three more Oscars came for her work in Guess Who's Coming to Dinner (1967), The Lion in Winter (1968), and On Golden Pond (1981).
In the 1970s she began appearing in television movies, which became the focus of her career in later life. She remained active into old age, making her final screen appearance in 1994 at the age of 87. After a period of inactivity and ill-health, Hepburn died in 2003 at 96 years old.
In 1999, she was named by the American Film Institute as the top female Hollywood legend.
In the 1940s Hepburn was contracted to Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, where her career focused on an alliance with Spencer Tracy. The screen-partnership spanned 25 years, and produced nine movies.
Hepburn challenged herself in the latter half of her life, as she regularly appeared in Shakespeare stage productions and tackled a range of literary roles. She found a niche playing middle-aged spinsters, such as in The African Queen (1951), a persona the public embraced. Three more Oscars came for her work in Guess Who's Coming to Dinner (1967), The Lion in Winter (1968), and On Golden Pond (1981).
In the 1970s she began appearing in television movies, which became the focus of her career in later life. She remained active into old age, making her final screen appearance in 1994 at the age of 87. After a period of inactivity and ill-health, Hepburn died in 2003 at 96 years old.
In 1999, she was named by the American Film Institute as the top female Hollywood legend.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 734 reviews
July 27, 2014
Like listening to your grandma (your crazy, crazy grandma) tell you stories. Except that your grandma is Katharine Hepburn. Except that the stories are replete with digressions about that candy shop she used to visit as a child(of course, it's been torn down now), and that time she went to Italy with that writer and drove his Maserati, except she didn't drive and she needs glasses, and anyway, they almost had sex, but didn't, probably because he was eleven years younger, and also, she's decided to tell you this entirely in script form. Also, here's her recipe for currant cake. It's what separates us from the animals.
It's kind of charming but also kind of horrible. And tedious. But I learned much more about Katharine Hepburn than I ever hoped to know, and it's made watching "The Lion in Winter" even more epic.
Also, it's provided me with several new catchphrases. As Katharine Hepburn says, "FUCK THE ROOTS!"
Upon re-reading this review years later, I can't believe I didn't mention this: much is made of her relationship with Spencer Tracy, while her relationships with women (ahem) are largely obscured. This is probably the greatest tragedy of this book. More stories about ladies; fewer stories about currant cake. Thank you.
It's kind of charming but also kind of horrible. And tedious. But I learned much more about Katharine Hepburn than I ever hoped to know, and it's made watching "The Lion in Winter" even more epic.
Also, it's provided me with several new catchphrases. As Katharine Hepburn says, "FUCK THE ROOTS!"
Upon re-reading this review years later, I can't believe I didn't mention this: much is made of her relationship with Spencer Tracy, while her relationships with women (ahem) are largely obscured. This is probably the greatest tragedy of this book. More stories about ladies; fewer stories about currant cake. Thank you.
February 6, 2020
Oh, she's a sly boots, our Kat.
Those familiar with Ms. Hepburn are well aware of her salt o'the earth Yankee stoicism. And with that hardy pilgrim spirit comes the correspondingly stubborn, puritanical bent on the issue of privacy. What happens behind closed doors - well, they're closed for a reason, aren't they? The click of a latch, to Katharine, commands a certain respect. How then to profit in the field of memoir while leaving the meat of it all unsaid? You've got to hand it to her. She does her best.
Those looking for dish must, perforce, look elsewhere. Yet what this work contains for me that merits such a healthy smattering of stars is its solid and sincerely pragmatic approach to life and aging. Hers is an honest account of where a silly choice will take you, the six car pile-up that occurs at the wall of one's limitations, how regret, like a bad peach, must be noted only long enough to properly discard. Mistakes will be made. Failure happens. The body runs down and falls apart. What can be fixed will be fixed, the rest one learns to live with.
I've found part of the difficulty of growing older lies in the ever decreasing chorus of guiding voices. Those on the road ahead drop off, never to offer their advice again. Here is the ancient gravel of a girl who, on the page at least, is still speaking, still punching her fist in the air, still insisting, "You just go through it!" And that is a very fine thing to have.
Those familiar with Ms. Hepburn are well aware of her salt o'the earth Yankee stoicism. And with that hardy pilgrim spirit comes the correspondingly stubborn, puritanical bent on the issue of privacy. What happens behind closed doors - well, they're closed for a reason, aren't they? The click of a latch, to Katharine, commands a certain respect. How then to profit in the field of memoir while leaving the meat of it all unsaid? You've got to hand it to her. She does her best.
Those looking for dish must, perforce, look elsewhere. Yet what this work contains for me that merits such a healthy smattering of stars is its solid and sincerely pragmatic approach to life and aging. Hers is an honest account of where a silly choice will take you, the six car pile-up that occurs at the wall of one's limitations, how regret, like a bad peach, must be noted only long enough to properly discard. Mistakes will be made. Failure happens. The body runs down and falls apart. What can be fixed will be fixed, the rest one learns to live with.
I've found part of the difficulty of growing older lies in the ever decreasing chorus of guiding voices. Those on the road ahead drop off, never to offer their advice again. Here is the ancient gravel of a girl who, on the page at least, is still speaking, still punching her fist in the air, still insisting, "You just go through it!" And that is a very fine thing to have.
February 20, 2010
When I "write" the story of my life, I will also title it ME. This was a gem of a good/bad book.
Chuckle worthy Passages:
Oh, I meant to tell you. I was standing on my head the other day and I got to thinking how probably unusual it is for someone of my age to do this.
Everyone came and we made seventy-five dollars to buy a Victrola for the Navajo Indians.
Putnam was a poet. He was sort of medium-sized and had a very handsome head.
Any kind of English or WASP part I had a good chance for in those days.
And the half-boy, half-woman had been born.
It was agony. We had to do it over and over again because of sound. Agony. I finally threw up and we had to try again the next day.
It was wartime, 1942, and it was also rush hour.
He was a man of considerable reputation with the ladies despite his rather sinister looks.
It was thrilling. And thrilling is what we can do with ourselves if we really try.
They represented his dream--a child's dream--that once-upon-a-time dream. It's come true--the prince--the princess. I'm riding a great white stallion.
So we got the credit and George didn't. I wonder if I'm right. I think so.
I think this weakness went a long way toward ruining Howard's life and making him into an oddball.
It was she who told me how when certain guests would come to dinner they would set the table with the cheap china and glassware and when the dinner was over she (Beatrice) would break the cheap china and glassware and throw it away. I don't quite understand what this prived. I once said to Howard, "I think that if you picked your friends more carefully you wouldn't have to break so much china."
I look back at our relationship and I think that we were both cool customers.
You won't do anything else if you decide that you are going to resurrect and rearrange a human being.
I'm like the Statue of Liberty to a lot of people.
Why this is so I do not know.
I've made forty-three pictures. Naturally I'm adorable in all of them
He was his true self--a real cockney--slightly plump and full of beans.
Another report about S.T.: "How can I do a picture with a woman who has dirt under her fingernails and who is of ambiguous sexuality and always wears pants?"
John Wayne is the hero of the thirties and forties and most of the fifties. Before the creeps came creeping in.
They both thought it was fun. It is fun. But is it?
Well that's the end of the story about refurbishing the south bank of the swamp.
They disgorged their passengers--they drove on.
For once I had sensible luggage. You had two rather large suitcases, as I recall. I had one Vuitton suitcase and two sort of duffel bags--also Vuitton.
But for some trivial reason I didn't like the name Joey. What kind of insecurity could so dominate a man that he could imagine that it meant any more than that? I meant exactly that--that I didn't like the name.
I had a wonderful sleep, although the waterfall outside the window made a terrible noise.
I have a happy nature--I like the rain--I like the sun--the heat--the cold--the mountains, the sea--the flowers, the--Well, I like life and I've been so lucky. Why shouldn't I be happy? I don't lock doors. I don't hold grudges. Really the only thing I'm not mad about is wind. I find it disturbing. I mean wind in the heavens.
Chuckle worthy Passages:
Oh, I meant to tell you. I was standing on my head the other day and I got to thinking how probably unusual it is for someone of my age to do this.
Everyone came and we made seventy-five dollars to buy a Victrola for the Navajo Indians.
Putnam was a poet. He was sort of medium-sized and had a very handsome head.
Any kind of English or WASP part I had a good chance for in those days.
And the half-boy, half-woman had been born.
It was agony. We had to do it over and over again because of sound. Agony. I finally threw up and we had to try again the next day.
It was wartime, 1942, and it was also rush hour.
He was a man of considerable reputation with the ladies despite his rather sinister looks.
It was thrilling. And thrilling is what we can do with ourselves if we really try.
They represented his dream--a child's dream--that once-upon-a-time dream. It's come true--the prince--the princess. I'm riding a great white stallion.
So we got the credit and George didn't. I wonder if I'm right. I think so.
I think this weakness went a long way toward ruining Howard's life and making him into an oddball.
It was she who told me how when certain guests would come to dinner they would set the table with the cheap china and glassware and when the dinner was over she (Beatrice) would break the cheap china and glassware and throw it away. I don't quite understand what this prived. I once said to Howard, "I think that if you picked your friends more carefully you wouldn't have to break so much china."
I look back at our relationship and I think that we were both cool customers.
You won't do anything else if you decide that you are going to resurrect and rearrange a human being.
I'm like the Statue of Liberty to a lot of people.
Why this is so I do not know.
I've made forty-three pictures. Naturally I'm adorable in all of them
He was his true self--a real cockney--slightly plump and full of beans.
Another report about S.T.: "How can I do a picture with a woman who has dirt under her fingernails and who is of ambiguous sexuality and always wears pants?"
John Wayne is the hero of the thirties and forties and most of the fifties. Before the creeps came creeping in.
They both thought it was fun. It is fun. But is it?
Well that's the end of the story about refurbishing the south bank of the swamp.
They disgorged their passengers--they drove on.
For once I had sensible luggage. You had two rather large suitcases, as I recall. I had one Vuitton suitcase and two sort of duffel bags--also Vuitton.
But for some trivial reason I didn't like the name Joey. What kind of insecurity could so dominate a man that he could imagine that it meant any more than that? I meant exactly that--that I didn't like the name.
I had a wonderful sleep, although the waterfall outside the window made a terrible noise.
I have a happy nature--I like the rain--I like the sun--the heat--the cold--the mountains, the sea--the flowers, the--Well, I like life and I've been so lucky. Why shouldn't I be happy? I don't lock doors. I don't hold grudges. Really the only thing I'm not mad about is wind. I find it disturbing. I mean wind in the heavens.
December 23, 2022
I loved this memoir from one of my all-time favorite actresses... what a woman!
While she glosses over some of the more interesting aspects of her love life, she doesn't pull any punches when talking about what it was like to be a woman in a man's world... MGM and companies.
If you love old movies, this is a great read!
While she glosses over some of the more interesting aspects of her love life, she doesn't pull any punches when talking about what it was like to be a woman in a man's world... MGM and companies.
If you love old movies, this is a great read!
November 24, 2018
I have always liked Katharine Hepburn, so I bought this book years ago. All I remember is that she talked about her movies and not so much about herself. I really don't care to hear about these things; I wanted to know about her.
I also recall back then that I found a brownie recipe that was supposed to be hers, so I tried it out, and my own recipe was so much better. I sent her one of my recipes, don't recall which one, and the woman in charge of her mail thanked me for it and said that Hepburn would try it. I should have known better than to think that she would reply since she never gives out autographs.
Here is my brownie recipe:
MY FAVORITE BROWNIES
1/2 c. plus 2 T. butter
1 c. sugar
1/4 t. vanilla
Pinch of salt
1/4 c. flour
2 eggs
6 to 8 T. unsweetened cocoa
1 c. chopped walnuts, optional
Mix first five ingredients. Add eggs and cocoa; mix well. Oil and flour an 8x8 inch cake pan or use one round cake pan. Bake at 325 degrees for 35 to 40 minutes.
Comment: A darker chocolate makes for a richer brownie.
Katharine Hepburn's Brownies
½ cup cocoa or 2 squares (2 oz.) unsweetened baker's chocolate.
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter.
1 cup sugar.
2 eggs.
1/4 cup flour.
1 teaspoon vanilla.
Pinch of salt.
1 cup roughly chopped walnuts or pecans.
Important note: The kind of butter you use is very important to the taste of of anything you cook. I use only organic real butter, not just butter, and I don't use margarine. I have actually found that I like cookies that have used shortening instead of butter, but I won't use shortening because it is unhealthy. As for lard, forget it. For example: This a.m. I buttered my toast, and it really tasted funny. I went to look at the carton, and it was regular real butter. My husband didn't buy organic for some reason. He can eat it himself.
Note: The only difference I see in her recipe than in mine is that she uses more vanilla.
I also recall back then that I found a brownie recipe that was supposed to be hers, so I tried it out, and my own recipe was so much better. I sent her one of my recipes, don't recall which one, and the woman in charge of her mail thanked me for it and said that Hepburn would try it. I should have known better than to think that she would reply since she never gives out autographs.
Here is my brownie recipe:
MY FAVORITE BROWNIES
1/2 c. plus 2 T. butter
1 c. sugar
1/4 t. vanilla
Pinch of salt
1/4 c. flour
2 eggs
6 to 8 T. unsweetened cocoa
1 c. chopped walnuts, optional
Mix first five ingredients. Add eggs and cocoa; mix well. Oil and flour an 8x8 inch cake pan or use one round cake pan. Bake at 325 degrees for 35 to 40 minutes.
Comment: A darker chocolate makes for a richer brownie.
Katharine Hepburn's Brownies
½ cup cocoa or 2 squares (2 oz.) unsweetened baker's chocolate.
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter.
1 cup sugar.
2 eggs.
1/4 cup flour.
1 teaspoon vanilla.
Pinch of salt.
1 cup roughly chopped walnuts or pecans.
Important note: The kind of butter you use is very important to the taste of of anything you cook. I use only organic real butter, not just butter, and I don't use margarine. I have actually found that I like cookies that have used shortening instead of butter, but I won't use shortening because it is unhealthy. As for lard, forget it. For example: This a.m. I buttered my toast, and it really tasted funny. I went to look at the carton, and it was regular real butter. My husband didn't buy organic for some reason. He can eat it himself.
Note: The only difference I see in her recipe than in mine is that she uses more vanilla.
February 28, 2009
This is my favorite actress so I will try not to be too biased lol. One of my favorite autobiographies. It isn't a chapter book. It contains different stories of Kate's life as she remembers them. A must have book if you are a Kate fan.
May 23, 2009
God, I tried to slog through this. It's Katherine Hepburn. It ought to be witty and profound and clever, and instead it was tedious and boring and who cares?
I left it in an airport.
I left it in an airport.
November 26, 2017
I am not disappointed. I loved the storytelling and the pictures were lovely. A remarkable woman.
July 18, 2013
Ms. Hepurn's editor was napping on the job.
March 14, 2016
Not sixty seconds ago did I finish reading Katharine's words, all of them, and I am floored with emotions. So many feelings, so many chaotic sensations tumbling through my body that I turn laughably poetic at just trying to express how deeply I am moved.
I've read many novels in my life, many nonfictional works designed to engage me, make me think, entertain me, do something. And, yet, of the no doubt thousand bindings of paper and electronic ink I've perused, never, ever, have I felt as I do now. That is not hyperbole, or dramatization, that is simplistic fact.
Oh, yes, I'm a fan of Kath's movie, sure. I have my favorites, and she's certainly unique on screen as she is...was...in life. But, reading Me: Stories of my Life gave me what I always have wished for, what I used to dream about as a little kid, seeing Desk Set for the first time with no real comprehension of the plot. All I knew was this pretty lady, with her pretty eyes and even prettier voice was fun. I liked her. Then, as I have until just tonight, I always wished to sit down with Kate, Kath, Miss Hepburn...to just...listen to her, and her words. Thank God she wrote this book, because I finally got that chance.
Some would no doubt bemoan this book's meandering structure, its lighting-fast pace and jumpy sequencing, but not I. Rather, I feel blessed this book has such uniqueness, because, as is obvious, it's befitting of its creator. Oh, there are flaws, no question. Superfluous "wrongs," such as a few dialogue entrances between Kate and William Rose and some such thing about planting plants, removing plants? And, no reflection on Desk Set. Three flaws, really, when considering it now. And, that's it. Three parts of lackluster in a 418 page volume. Three moments. Is it any wonder she was so fascinating?
It's cliche, but I laughed, I smiled...and, shockingly, I cried. Throughout the book, I had fun. It was engaging, and an intimate saga that satisfied me, but tears; that I absolutely did not expect. I read this to hear whatever Kate wanted to tell, and did not hold to any expectations in regards to Spence. In truth, Miss Hepburn held off on his subject until almost the very end, and such was perfectly fine by me, truly. First, she tells of a relationship which, for me, took the romance out of "Spence and Kate," for the picture she painted, and happily so, was one of total isolation and sacrifice on her part. In point of fact, Kate notes not even being sure if Spence loved her, or how he felt about her as a woman.
Upon reading the above, well, I first got angry on her behalf. Stupid me. For, really, how could I? I'm not she, and she was happy...truly, truly happy with Spence. I thought I would surely read through the "Spencer" segment of her work with smiles, but certainty not emotional heart-wrenching. Damn, I was so wrong. Kath tantalized us with "Her and Spence," her first segment about him entitled "Spencer," at page 275. It's short, barely three pages, and ends with "But more about Spencer later. Don't be impatient. I wasn't." Oh, so typical Kate. I read that, and heard her voice, so clearly, so tangibly in my head, my ear. Classic Kate.
Interestingly, the book somewhat concludes with Spencer, starting with the chapter "Love," all the way later at page 389. This is where my heart hurt for her, the story she relates with no martyrdom of how, frankly, she loved him and gave him her all, but never knew if Spencer was hers, truly hers. I'm angry here, but not long into the "Leaving the California House" chapter, I'm bawling. Bawling like a little baby with massive tears rolling down my face. I can't see the words on the page, so much I am crying. And, this emotional gut-punch concludes with the most beautiful, powerhouse, tell-all-subtly letter to Spencer that Kate wrote after his death. What's more, this is not by any means the first time I've heard this letter. Below is the link to Kate herself reading it, verbatim, and as within every viewing of the video, I cried right along with the transcript in the book.
But...what amazes me is that this work impacted me with a gut-slam of emotion at the end. Throughout my absorption of the book, and, hell, my whole inspiration and desperation for reading it was because I wanted to know. I desperately, tirelessness wanted to know how she thought, what she did, what her struggles, her triumphs, her goals, her family, her childhood, her career...what all that was like. Her father, mother, siblings, loss, love, growth. I sound like a stalker, and I probably am, being half (oh, hell, all) in love with Katharine Hepburn. I'm so many generations removed from her, and I bet she's laughing at me in the afterlife right this very minute. She pursued Hollywood for the goal of fame, but she wasn't much for being admired. What a contradiction.
You were both, darling, and we miss you so terribly. You'd no doubt laugh at the cliche, but the world truly sucks more for your absence.
Quotes:
"Our house is gone - Victorian Gothic - three gables, trimmed with black lace. The driveway - the trees - gracious, simple - the brook - the daffodils. Gone. Even the brook has been put into a pipe. Well, that's the style today - pipe things - can things - freeze things - computerize things. Have to be careful about that. You can't develop a mind full of beauty or tender imagination and independence of spirit tearing along in a box without a bit of space and air - number XY-133-609-00. Well, yes, there are indeed so many of us and we've got to make room. "
“Everyone knew everyone. They � that is, most of them � came from Washington Street in Hartford. They were Brainards and Brainerds and Davises and Bulkeleys and Buckleys and Goodwins. They were very nice � very Republican � very Aetna Life Insurance.�
"All of a sudden I heard: "Kate! Kate! Come here!" His tone of voice made me leap out of the tub. I rushed in. Luddy was in flames - a trail of flames to the fireplace. The kerosene can in Luddy's hand burning and he couldn't drop it. I was stark naked. I belted Luddy in the stomach, knocked him down, grabbed a throw rug, smothered the fire on Luddy and knocked the kerosene can out of his poor hand - yelled, FIRE!"
"He was an angel. However big the flop. "Well, I don't know, Miss Hepburn. They just love you. That's all I can say. I just hear what they say. You're the greatest." All those heartwarming lies. They keep you going. Those liars who love you and protect you. For better or for worse. Till death do us part. How lucky I've been."
"Howard Hughes was a curious fellow. He had guts and he had a really fine mind, but he was deaf - quite seriously deaf - and he was apparently incapable of saying, "Please speak up. I'm deaf."...This was tragic...This is the real tragedy of any sort of personal defect. Just say it. Admit it. The person you say it to is not at all embarrassed. He or she just speaks up. He's just happy that he himself is not deaf. I think that this weakness went a long way toward ruining Howard's life and making him into an oddball."
"Then we got Cary Grant for the $150,000 for three weeks' work. He said that he would do it and that he wanted first billing over me. "O.K.," I said, "that's easy." He gave his salary to the Red Cross."
"It's rather the style now to romanticize certain of the older actors...No matter what you want to say, you just can't toss the parental figure. You can spit on it all you like, but eventually it has to come back. It's the strong thing to us, because it affects us very early on. It's something you can cling to."
"John Wayne is the hero of the thirties and forties and most of the fifties. Before the creeps came creeping in. Before, in the sixties, the male hero slid right down into the valley of the weak and the misunderstood. Before the women began dropping any pretense to virginity into the gutter. With a disregard for truth which is indeed pathetic. And unisex was born. The hair grew long and the pride grew short. And we were off to the anti-hero and -heroine."
"Now, why don't you stop, Kath - just admit it. You're dead and go in and take a bath and lie down...No, I'm not going to do that. I'm too proud. I'm going to stay out here and struggle until they quit or until I die."
"And anyway, down went the tire and off came the lugs. Then he jacked her up again and on went the good tire so that the tire spun free. On went the screws again, and holding them with the handle wrench, he spun the tire, to wind one up. Great, thrilling - a ballet. So lovely - to change a tire, to know what you're doing. Head down, enjoying it."
"Now I'm going to tell you about Spencer. You may think you've waited a long time. But let's face it, so did I. I was thirty-three. It seems to me I discovered what "I love you" really means. It means I put you and your interests and your comfort ahead of my own interests and my own comfort because I love you. What does this mean?...Think. We use this expression very carelessly. LOVE has nothing to do with what you are expecting to get - only with what you are expecting to give - which is everything."
"I have no idea how Spence felt about me. I can only say I think that if he hadn't liked me he wouldn't have hung around. As simple as that. He wouldn't talk about it and I didn't talk about it. We just passed twenty-seven years together in what was to me absolute bliss. It is called LOVE."
February 4, 2025
A must read for fans of Mommie Dearest, Faye Dunaway, Joan Crawford, Hollywood, camp, and Mara Hobel completists!
July 31, 2008
I've always admired Katherine Hepburn for being ahead of her time and unconventional in many ways. Thought surely this book would focus on her nearly 30 year love affair with Spencer Tracy. However, I barely managed to get through it. Mostly about mundane things, her growing up years, how much she loved and admired her parents and siblings, etc. Spencer only came in at the very end and there was no new ground covered. Lots of tidbits about making of various movies and the people she worked with - her anxieties about trying to sing in several roles...lots of rambling on. I wouldn't recommend this to anyone unless they're really into that time period - the actors, directors, producers, etc.
August 1, 2014
If you like reading about film stars, and stage actresses from long ago, this book should fit the bill. This memoir of Katharine Hepburn is very entertaining, as she grew up in a very unconventional family, and worked both on the stage and in the old movie studio system. She had a long and exciting life, and dated a lot of high profile men, like Howard Hughes, and for nearly 30 years Spencer Tracy.
March 15, 2013
I loved Katherine Hepburn and have read a lot about her. This is a very interesting account of her life, written with honesty and humility. She was a symbol of the social circle she was brought up in and the times she lived in. Fascinating, sad, triumphant. She lead a life without compromise.
January 20, 2019
What a woman, what a life! I could feel her energy while reading this book. And I loved it!
She makes me want to work hard, have fun, explore, go on adventures, and most importantly live, live, LIVE!
She makes me want to work hard, have fun, explore, go on adventures, and most importantly live, live, LIVE!
June 27, 2017
Katharine Hepburn has the most hilarious writing style. I truly believe that she sat in front of a tape recorder, soliloquized for a few hours, and her exact words were transcribed in this autobiography, stream of consciousness and all. What a powerhouse of a woman! Time and again (until she really became a star and no longer needed to prove herself) studio heads would underestimate her and she would just give them one look at they'd shut up. "Why should we listen to a woman who wears pants?"
She told some very charming stories about her childhood, talked about her first marriage to a man she still respects today, spent a long time describing her idolization and love for Spencer Tracy, and only spent a few short chapters rattling through her most famous film roles, almost as if she didn't believe anyone would be interested. She would literally say something like, "Philadelphia. That picture was directed by George Cukor. Made $XX. I had my pick of co-stars and I said, 'Get me Jimmy Stewart and Cary Grant.' They did." The Spencer Tracy stuff, Spence as she called him, was so interesting. It was such a contrast to see this brassy woman making herself so submissive and absolutely catering to his every need and worrying about him so much, completely fine being the other woman for thirty years.
Here's a great and random quote of hers when describing John Wayne in Rooster Cogburn- "John Wayne is the hero of the thirties and forties and most of the fifties. Before the creeps came creeping in. Before, in the sixties, the male hero slid right down into the valley of the weak and misunderstood. Before the women began dropping any pretense to virginity into the gutter. With a disregard for truth which is indeed pathetic. And unisex was born. The hair grew long and the pride grew short. And we were off to the anti-hero and -heroine. John Wayne survived all of this." Oh Katharine! How of your time!
She told some very charming stories about her childhood, talked about her first marriage to a man she still respects today, spent a long time describing her idolization and love for Spencer Tracy, and only spent a few short chapters rattling through her most famous film roles, almost as if she didn't believe anyone would be interested. She would literally say something like, "Philadelphia. That picture was directed by George Cukor. Made $XX. I had my pick of co-stars and I said, 'Get me Jimmy Stewart and Cary Grant.' They did." The Spencer Tracy stuff, Spence as she called him, was so interesting. It was such a contrast to see this brassy woman making herself so submissive and absolutely catering to his every need and worrying about him so much, completely fine being the other woman for thirty years.
Here's a great and random quote of hers when describing John Wayne in Rooster Cogburn- "John Wayne is the hero of the thirties and forties and most of the fifties. Before the creeps came creeping in. Before, in the sixties, the male hero slid right down into the valley of the weak and misunderstood. Before the women began dropping any pretense to virginity into the gutter. With a disregard for truth which is indeed pathetic. And unisex was born. The hair grew long and the pride grew short. And we were off to the anti-hero and -heroine. John Wayne survived all of this." Oh Katharine! How of your time!
July 14, 2012
I read the entire book with her voice in my head.
Loved it!
Loved it!
January 20, 2025
The tone of this memoir is very conversational, reading like the transcript of one side of an interview. Most of the time this works very well. Occasionally, it feels like pointless rambling. The addition of an unproduced script by Hepburn about an actress picking up a car based on experience she had with writer feels like padding. Much better are here memories of and opinions on specific films she was in, even if they are often very brief. For instance, this opinion of who took a film role opposite Katharine Hepburn in the made-for-television film The Corn Is Green, directed by George Cukor:
...and this portrait of John Wayne:
The shorter recollections are more focused. The longer ones tend to drift off into inane trivialities, IMO. These drifts seems to be concentrated in the last quarter of the book which makes me feel the manuscript missed the care and attention of a good editor. The resulting hodge-podge is a potpourri of pithy to charming observations soaked with discursive maundering.
Sincere love recalling here about . 'Tis a bit sad how one-sided it may have been:
We got the girl too. A girl walked in by the name of Toyah Wilcox. Five feet tall. Tiny waist. Big bosom. Skin like the inside of a shell. Eyes...
Oh-did I tell you about the boy's teeth? They are TEETH. He should pull them all out and sell them to the Arabs. Gorgeous! Anyway, Toyah's eyes are wide apart. And full of thoughts. Wicked thoughts. Suggesting so much. And so much fun too. Loves life and ... well, she read the part with me. George and I howled.
...and this portrait of John Wayne:
Rooster Cogburn
John Wayne is the hero of the thirties and forties and most of the fifties. Before the creeps came creeping in. Before, in the sixties, the male hero slid right down into the valley of the weak and the misunderstood. Before the women began drop- ping any pretense to virginity into the gutter. With a dis- regard for truth which is indeed pathetic. And unisex was born. The hair grew long and the pride grew short. And we were off to the anti-hero and -heroine.
John Wayne has survived all this. Even into the seventies. He is so tall a tree that the sun must shine on him whatever the tangle in the jungle below.
From head to toe he is all of a piece. Big head. Wide blue eyes. Sandy hair. Rugged skin-lined by living and fun and character. Not by just rotting away. A nose not too big, not too small. Good teeth. A face alive with humor. Good humor I should say, and a sharp wit. Dangerous when roused. His shoulders are broad-very. His chest massive- very. When I leaned against him (which I did as often as possible, I must confess I am reduced to such innocent pleasures), thrilling. It was like leaning against a great tree. His hands so big. Mine, which are big too, seemed to disappear. Good legs. No seat. A real man's body.
And the base of this incredible creation. A pair of small sensitive feet. Carrying his huge frame as though it were a feather. Light of tread. Springy. Dancing. Pretty feet.
Very observing. Very aware. Listens. Concentrates. Witty slant. Ready to laugh. To be laughed at. To answer. To stick his neck out. Funny. Outrageous. Spoiled. Self-indulgent. Tough. Full of charm. Knows it. Uses it. Disregards it. With an alarming accuracy. Not much gets past him.
...
Politically he is a reactionary. He suffers from a point of view based entirely on his own experience. He was sur- rounded in his early years in the motion picture business by people like himself. Self-made. Hard-working. Independent. Of the style of man who blazed the trails across our country. Reached out into the unknown. People who were willing to live or die entirely on their own independent judgment. Jack Ford, the man who first brought Wayne into the movies, was cut from the same block of wood. Fiercely independent.
They seem to have no patience and no understanding of the more timid and dependent type of person. Pull your own freight. This is their slogan. Sometimes I don't think that they realize that their own load was attached to a very powerful engine. They don't need or want protection. Total personal responsibility. They dish it out. They take it. Life has dealt Wayne some severe blows. He can take them. He has shown it. He doesn't lack self-discipline. He dares to walk by himself. Run. Dance. Skip. Walk. Crawl through life. He has done it all. Don't pity me, please.
The shorter recollections are more focused. The longer ones tend to drift off into inane trivialities, IMO. These drifts seems to be concentrated in the last quarter of the book which makes me feel the manuscript missed the care and attention of a good editor. The resulting hodge-podge is a potpourri of pithy to charming observations soaked with discursive maundering.
Sincere love recalling here about . 'Tis a bit sad how one-sided it may have been:
I loved Spencer Tracy. He and his interests and his demands came first.
This was not easy for me because I was definitely a me me me person.
It was a unique feeling that I had for S.T. I would have done anything for him. My feelings-how can you describe them?-the door between us was always open. There were no reservations of any kind.
...
I have no idea how Spence felt about me. I can only say I think that if he hadn't liked me he wouldn't have hung around. As simple as that. He wouldn't talk about it and I didn't talk about it. We just passed twenty-seven years together in what was to me absolute bliss.
It is called LOVE.
Read
January 12, 2019Interesting tidbits and anecdotes, though the book takes a bit of patience to get through. Those looking for insight into Hepburns relationship with Tracey will likely just end up a bit more puzzled.
April 30, 2020
So Good! I thought it would have slow parts, but I enjoyed it all, start to finish.
November 11, 2021
3,5 stars rounded up to 4.
It was great to know about this impressive woman by her own words. She was quite honest too.
However, of course she selected what she wanted to talk about 😙
It was great to know about this impressive woman by her own words. She was quite honest too.
However, of course she selected what she wanted to talk about 😙
September 19, 2010
Katharine Hepburn: Glamorous? Beautiful? Sophisticated? Great actress? Yes, yes, yes, and yes. Writer? NO.
I know one reviewer inserted a bunch of silly quotes from the book. I'm just going to put in one: "Oh, I meant to tell you. I was standing on my head the other day and I got to thinking how probably unusual it is for someone of my age to do this." I think she spent too much time standing on her head - it made her a little dizzy, or should I say ditzy.
No, I don't mean that. But that is the tone of the whole book, a chatty conversational style, whether she's talking about having dinner w/someone or the tragic death of her brother. She also rambles a lot, jumping to a different topic in the middle of a story.
But all this chattiness and rambling also made her seem more down to earth than I had thought. But best to go elsewhere if you really want to know the story of her life.
I know one reviewer inserted a bunch of silly quotes from the book. I'm just going to put in one: "Oh, I meant to tell you. I was standing on my head the other day and I got to thinking how probably unusual it is for someone of my age to do this." I think she spent too much time standing on her head - it made her a little dizzy, or should I say ditzy.
No, I don't mean that. But that is the tone of the whole book, a chatty conversational style, whether she's talking about having dinner w/someone or the tragic death of her brother. She also rambles a lot, jumping to a different topic in the middle of a story.
But all this chattiness and rambling also made her seem more down to earth than I had thought. But best to go elsewhere if you really want to know the story of her life.
July 27, 2017
I liked Ms. Hepburn...until I read this book. She was exceedingly privileged, selfish and self-absorbed. Although later in life she became self aware of at least one or two of these traits, she never seems to have fully grasped the degree of all.
Although she rambles on with disjointed stories, much of the book is shallow - hollow, with her describing only the very surface of events without the emotion or depth below. Eventually, and taken in totality, one had to wonder whether any depth was there. Perhaps it wasn't.
If you seek details of her personal relationships, you won't find them here. Neither will you find what roles she lived most, or hated most, or why. You'll find lots of name dropping, many little vignettes, a few observations here and there, opinions on directors, actors and studios. Little else.
This book was so badly written and painted a portrait of a woman I so disliked the more I knew about her, I found it hard to finish. It never improved.
Although she rambles on with disjointed stories, much of the book is shallow - hollow, with her describing only the very surface of events without the emotion or depth below. Eventually, and taken in totality, one had to wonder whether any depth was there. Perhaps it wasn't.
If you seek details of her personal relationships, you won't find them here. Neither will you find what roles she lived most, or hated most, or why. You'll find lots of name dropping, many little vignettes, a few observations here and there, opinions on directors, actors and studios. Little else.
This book was so badly written and painted a portrait of a woman I so disliked the more I knew about her, I found it hard to finish. It never improved.
June 12, 2017
This was at once an undisciplined ramble, a woman over years reminiscing and straying here and there through her memory without a solid reason for her digressions.
And yet, it is Hepburn. You will feel her through the book.and get to know her well. And although fiercely independent, she surrendered all herself to Tracy. Oh, by the way, that's barely touched upon in the book except for a passage at the end. That thirty five year relationship with her absolute love is only brushed.
Funny, flawed, uncompromising..the autobiography is different from any I've read and will not be liked by some folk. It is a conceit and maybe a transgression.
And yet, it is Hepburn. You will feel her through the book.and get to know her well. And although fiercely independent, she surrendered all herself to Tracy. Oh, by the way, that's barely touched upon in the book except for a passage at the end. That thirty five year relationship with her absolute love is only brushed.
Funny, flawed, uncompromising..the autobiography is different from any I've read and will not be liked by some folk. It is a conceit and maybe a transgression.
September 25, 2007
What a cool broad.
April 29, 2009
A pretty hefty book, but then would you really expect less from Katharine Hepburn? She is a good story-teller, this is one of the better autobiographies.
January 4, 2018
I love Katharine Hepburn, even more so after reading her book.
July 10, 2024
She describes her memories in such vivid detail—the rooms, the air, the glimmer of the water or the direction of the wind—I had to stop to catch my breath. She lived a million lifetimes in one, and we are so lucky she will forever live on through the screen—one of our greatest. (I’ve adapted her way of writing.)
She notes how lucky she feels often throughout this book. Luck luck luck. One of my favorite passages:
“And I was thinking, You have now discovered the truth about yourself. Your parents gave you a great start. You were planted in good soil—fed—watered—carefully nurtured. And you were sent out into the world. And you were lucky. And apparently you have been successful. But have you accomplished all that you could have—given your beginning? No, you have been careless. You did not get to the essence of things. You can’t do this and you can’t do that, and you could have if you had concentrated and just stuck to it and got to the bottom of it. It’s a bit late now, but profit by this—if you do it—do it. Get those weeds out. And plant carefully.�
Alone she forged her own path and never slowed down for anyone (except maybe Spencer Tracey). How remarkable. And to love her people so dearly as to capture their very essence in a few words attests to a life well lived. Now I get to read this and weep and remember how lucky I am!
She notes how lucky she feels often throughout this book. Luck luck luck. One of my favorite passages:
“And I was thinking, You have now discovered the truth about yourself. Your parents gave you a great start. You were planted in good soil—fed—watered—carefully nurtured. And you were sent out into the world. And you were lucky. And apparently you have been successful. But have you accomplished all that you could have—given your beginning? No, you have been careless. You did not get to the essence of things. You can’t do this and you can’t do that, and you could have if you had concentrated and just stuck to it and got to the bottom of it. It’s a bit late now, but profit by this—if you do it—do it. Get those weeds out. And plant carefully.�
Alone she forged her own path and never slowed down for anyone (except maybe Spencer Tracey). How remarkable. And to love her people so dearly as to capture their very essence in a few words attests to a life well lived. Now I get to read this and weep and remember how lucky I am!
September 4, 2023
Me is a darling book, which has both its ups and downs as a read. Written by Hepburn herself, it has a flow of consciousness style, and tells her life as she sees it.
It is not a factual history of her life, and the chapters have no linear flow. For example, her parents are born and die in the first few chapters, though they both lived through the first few decades of her career. She does not provide info that she assumes you already know. For example, that Spencer Tracy was married throughout their entire relationship. This makes it a challenge to read at times. (Thank goodness for google to fill in the gaps.)
However, this book has so much wonderful heart, honesty, and voice. As I read, I could hear her distinctive cadence. It read like her.
As a result, I feel like I see her more as a person now. Selfish yet beloved, adventurous yet always early-to-bed, devoted to work (acting) yet at the same time loving a good gathering of friends. By the end of the book, I wish I could have played a round of golf with her and gone for a swim.
If you’ve seen some of her pictures or even just want a glimpse of life in the early part of the 20th century, it is an enjoyable though challenging read. However, if you are looking to learn about the facts of her life, I’m sure there are many better biographies to choose.
It is not a factual history of her life, and the chapters have no linear flow. For example, her parents are born and die in the first few chapters, though they both lived through the first few decades of her career. She does not provide info that she assumes you already know. For example, that Spencer Tracy was married throughout their entire relationship. This makes it a challenge to read at times. (Thank goodness for google to fill in the gaps.)
However, this book has so much wonderful heart, honesty, and voice. As I read, I could hear her distinctive cadence. It read like her.
As a result, I feel like I see her more as a person now. Selfish yet beloved, adventurous yet always early-to-bed, devoted to work (acting) yet at the same time loving a good gathering of friends. By the end of the book, I wish I could have played a round of golf with her and gone for a swim.
If you’ve seen some of her pictures or even just want a glimpse of life in the early part of the 20th century, it is an enjoyable though challenging read. However, if you are looking to learn about the facts of her life, I’m sure there are many better biographies to choose.
March 8, 2021
Katharine Hepburn is such an iconic figure and I admire her greatly. I was looking forward to reading her biography but found myself disappointed. She was known for being a very private person and this biography makes this very explicit. I enjoyed reading about her family history and how she grew up with all her siblings and the fun adventures they had together. Her parents were extremely progressive for the time and were involved in politics and the Women’s Rights Movement. But as Hepburn continued with her story it became a list of chronological events of her theatre and movie credits. Her sentences are scattered all over the map, trains of thought move from one area to another. The reader is left with no purpose, no direction, and in the end, with fragments of what otherwise was a very interesting life. I just wish we got more of a taste of it.
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