Comments for The Katharine Hepburn Cultural Arts Center Blog

Comment on Katharine Hepburn On Stage: It Must Be Fun! by Judy Samelson

Judy Samelson — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 23:43:13 +0000

Thanks for commenting with such a terrific story, Susan. When Miss H was interviewed by Dick Cavett she joked that she would have made a good school principal. I guess your story proves it. That she could command an audience shuffling out to the bar to return to their seats is priceless. She was right to do it, of course. A year or so ago, Patti LuPone made a big splash by berating someone rude enough to snap her photo in mid-song in Gypsy. Unfortunately, bad manners seem to never go out of style. Thanks for the stories. PS I’ve written you privately, too.

Comment on Katharine Hepburn On Stage: It Must Be Fun! by Susan Johnson

Susan Johnson — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 21:56:17 +0000

I don’t know how I missed this site. I was looking up something about A Matter of Gravity and stumbled onto you. My husband and I saw her in A Matter of Gravity here in Los Angeles in….hmmm, mid 70’s, I just can’t remember the year. We had 7th row center seats, and I still took my opera glasses. My husband couldn’t believe it. I said that if I was going to see her in person for the first time, I wanted to see her face as closely as I possibly could. We ended up at a rather remarkable performance, which happens to be written about in Wikipedia — but they have it slightly wrong. Before the beginning of the play, it was announced that there could be no flash photography. Somewhere in the middle of the 1st act, someone in the audience, way to the left of us, did take a flash picture of her. The play went on. When it was time for intermission, the curtains closed, the house lights came up and everyone began to rise from their seats to go out into the lobby. We were in “mid-rise” when Katharine Hepburn flung the curtains aside from the side of the stage and walked (not wheeled, as reported in Wikipedia) out onto the apron of the stage. The house lights went back down. People froze, and as she said in that fabulous voice “I AM APALLED!”, we all slunk back down in our seats like reprimanded children. She then went on to absolutly rip apart the person who took that photo. Then she disappeared as fast as she had appeared and the intermission began. It was unbelievable. It was a show all by itself. And yes, I did watch her through my opera glasses. She was magnificent! My husband and I named our daughter Katharine after her — and she was gracious enough to send us a play booklet chronicling her entire career, which she autographed to our daughter. She warned us in a separate note that our Kate would always have trouble with the “a” in Katharine. And she was right. People always want to spell it Katherine. Which I still correct everytime since I named her after my idol! Thanks for your great site, which I will now go and check out more thoroughly!!!

Comment on The CT Film Festival at The Kate, Feb 12-14, 2010 by Issac Mazzy

Issac Mazzy — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 01:49:33 +0000

By far my favorite Classical Festival!

Comment on Hepburn Gets Her Stamp on her 103rd Birthday by Marcia Tracy

Marcia Tracy — Fri, 21 May 2010 04:09:03 +0000

Judy: Well said…I agree!

Comment on Hepburn Gets Her Stamp on her 103rd Birthday by Judy Samelson

Judy Samelson — Sat, 15 May 2010 15:02:24 +0000

Even though we’ve known for a while what the stamp looked like, the sight of it being unveiled was exciting and unexpectedly moving. As though Katharine Hepburn had walked out on stage. This is the first stamp dedication I ever attended. The Postal Service throws a great party . . . and there is no better host than the KHCAC. Judy

Comment on The Kate is on Twitter! by Cate

Cate — Wed, 12 May 2010 07:53:55 +0000

How funny! “Kate” on Twitter. . .

Also, Hello Judy!! You probably don’t remember me…. but I used to be on a KH forum a few years ago . . . it’s been awhile.

Comment on Katharine Hepburn On Stage: It Must Be Fun! by Judy Samelson

Judy Samelson — Thu, 25 Mar 2010 18:48:43 +0000

Hi Leslie: Thanks for sharing your recollection – or rather your father’s recollection – of working with KH at Stratford. The fact that she presented him with that gift indicated that she thought as highly of him and his work as he did of her. Best, Judy

Comment on The Kate is on Twitter! by Marcia Tracy

Marcia Tracy — Thu, 25 Mar 2010 04:41:45 +0000

Thanks for the info, Judy…I wasn’t sure and was going to direct Martha’s comment to Ann figuring since she put that photo up that she probably would know.

Comment on Katharine Hepburn On Stage: It Must Be Fun! by Leslie

Leslie — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 22:59:58 +0000

Hi Judy!

I’m sorry to say that I was too young at the time to see Miss Hepburn perform at the Shakespeare Theatre but I wanted to share that my Dad, Chet, was the Master Carpenter and Stagehand at the Shakespeare when Kate was performing there. He had very fond memories of her and he had a pewter tankard with a glass bottom that she had given to the each of the crew. I remeber his tankard was engraved “To Chet” with the name of the play (I seem to remember it being Much Ado About Nothing) and her signature was also engraved his tankard. I’ve always thought that she must have been a swell lady to remember the crew like that.

Leslie

Comment on The Kate is on Twitter! by Judy Samelson

Judy Samelson — Mon, 22 Mar 2010 16:59:45 +0000

Right, Martha. 1943. Judy