In 1992, ten years before her death at age 95, Katharine Hepburn participated in the documentary on her life. How like her: she controlled every aspect and asked that the film, and her biography (written by Scott Berg), not be released until after her death.

I caught the last 40 minutes of Katherine Hepburn on Turner Classic Movies. Based on her public persona, I thought of this Connecticut native as tough, godless, selfish, almost masculine. At the end of 40 minutes, I realized I'd misjudged. I was surprised at how easily her tears came when she spoke about Spencer Tracy. She really loved him deeply. She loved her family and had a very soft spot for all of them. She was loyal and kind to her employees. Even more surprising, she was "as terrified as the next person" of life. But she did love it, and claimed not to fear death. After a bit more research, I decided to write this piece.

Spencer Tracy and Katherine Hepburn met on the lot of MGM. Joseph L. Mankiewicz arranged for the two stars to meet up prior to their starring roles in Woman of the Year (1942), which was being produced by Mankiewicz. Katherine showed up in high heels, which made her taller than the 5'9" Tracy. According to Katherine Hepburn, who was 5'7 1/2 inches, she expressed concern that she was taller than Spencer with the heels, and promised to wear flat shoes during filming. Mankiewicz famously said, "Don't worry. He'll cut you down to his size."

The 26 year Spencer / Tracy affair began shortly thereafter, and ended with Tracy's death in 1967 - only 17 days after principle filming wrapped on their final, and ninth, film together: Guess Who's Coming to Dinner. Spencer Tracy was very ill both before and during that film, and there was great concern over his ability to complete his role. (He did, but filming was more or less arranged around his good and bad days.)There is a scene there where the now old and dried up Tracy describes his love for his character wife, and you can see the tears in Kate's eyes are real. Katharine Hepburn could never summon the courage to watch that film. Now that is pain.

On Spencer Tracy's marriage and wife, Louise: according to Ms. Hepburn, the Tracy's had been separated for years prior to the Hepburn/Tracy affair. This is the cookie cutter excuse men feed their perspective mistresses, but that fact is well documented. Tracy had already had affairs with numerous leading ladies before Hepburn, including Loretta Young, Bette Davis, Myrna Loy, Ingrid Bergman and others. He'd also had an affairs with Grace Kelly and Gene Tierney AFTER meeting Kate, and while she was away filming.

On her role in the relationship: Katherine Hepburn has repeatedly admitted that she "sat at" Spencer Tracy's feet and subjugated herself to him. According to a passage in her autobiography entitled ME

"We did what he liked. We lived a life which he liked. I struggled to change all the qualities I felt he didn�t like. Some of them which I thought were my best I thought he found irksome. I removed them, squelched them as far as I was able...."

On other actors: Meryl Streep was Katharine's "least favorite actress on the modern screen." Katharine Hepburn holds the record with the most Academy Awards won, four, compared, as of 2017, to Meryl Streep's three.

On the Catholicism / No Divorce myth: Tracy did not stay married to Louise Treadwell Tracy because he was a Catholic and didn't want a divorce. (I always believed that, and thought him quite hypocritical). Spencer Tracy, according to Hepburn, stayed married because Louise was very involved in raising funds for deaf children (John Tracy, their son, was profoundly deaf) and supporting the clinic for deaf children founded by her. Ms. Hepburn explained the lack of a divorce: being Spencer's legal wife gave a great deal of clout to her fundraising efforts. Katharine Hepburn never cared if they married or not, as long as she and Spence were together.

Katharine Hepburn on Spencer Tracy and his alcoholism, which was legendary. He could go months without a drink and then, for a reason unknown to Hepburn, or anyone else, disappear. He would check into a hotel room and drink himself into oblivion, often when Katharine hunting him down and caring for him between bottles. "I don't think I ever knew him. I just tried to help." (A biographer later claimed he began drinking after seeing his father waste away from illness.)

Those who know anything about Katharine Hepburn, who wore pants long before it was stylish for women, is shocked on how much she loved Spencer Tracy.

On why she changed some things about herself (her decision, with no suggestion from Tracy) to more likely please him: "It gave me pleasure to ease his pain."

On June 10, 1967, at about 3am, Katharine Hepburn heard Spencer Tracy awaken and get out of bed in his Beverly Hills apartment. She followed him quietly to the kitchen, where he'd gone to make himself a cup of tea. Standing outside the kitchen door, she heard a crash and then a thud. The 67 year old legend Spencer Tracy, her longtime lover, had died instantly of a heart attack.

Hepburn knew she had to stay away from "Spence's" funeral, where reporters would be waiting. It was his family's time. So she arose early the morning of the funeral and, along with her devoted secretary and friend, Phyllis, drove to the mortuary. When the mortician came out, she asked if they could help load the coffin into the hearse. He alliwed it, and she and Phyllis helped load the precious cargo into the back of the hearse. Then Katherine Hepburn and Phyllis followed the hearse through the streets. Ms. Hepburn planned on quietly slipping into the back of the church, unnoticed. But the massive, waiting crowd was visible two blocks from the church, and it became obvious her plans of stealth would not work out. She tapped the brakes and watched the hearse pull away.
"Goodbye, friend. Here's where I leave you"

Spencer Tracy obviously loved Katharine Hepburn, but never told Katherine Hepburn he loved her. Yet she believed strongly that he did. Why else would he stick around, was her logic.

As I always say: love is not a word, it's an action.

No judgment, just unconditional love.

If you are under the age of, let's say, 40, perhaps you are not familiar with the name Mark Goodson. But if you watch television, and pay any attention to the credits, you may be familiar with the name of Mark Goodson. He is the creative genius behind game shows such as Family Feud and the Price is Right, along with a slew of others. (A Goodson - Todman Production was the credit in the fifties. Bill Todman was a partner in the fifties through seventies.)

But, as you can see from the featured quote in his New York Times obituary, financial and career success didn't bring him complete happiness. Mark Goodson felt that the manner in which he amassed his enormous fortune - by creating game shows - was "without status". As he said, he regretted it and resented it.

Later in his life, after Mr. Goodson had lamented about his "status", he was rewarded richly with honors and accolades. In 1990, Goodson received the award that capped his 46-year career: the Emmy for Lifetime Achievement in Daytime Television. He'd also won the National Television Award of Great Britain, the Sylvania Award and three other Emmys. Source: Los Angeles Times

Some people will never be happy, no matter what hand life deals them. And it sounds like Mr. Goodson was one of them. May he rest in peace.