Wanting to be all things Katharine Hepburn on this blog, we come across another little ditty that we wanted to share. A clipping from the former Sandusky Star Journal about the time actresses, Katharine Hepburn and Ann Harding took a trip to Sandusky, Ohio. I’m just trying to picture this, two stars motoring about with one of Hepburn’s brothers.

As is documented, the trio, on October 27th, 1940, was in the Hepburn Lincoln Town Car…the New York license plate was H-97. I’m supposing the “H” was for Hepburn? Anyway, they were on a promotional tour for the stage play “The Philadelphia Story” which of course went on to be a blockbuster motion picture achieving many Academy Award nominations. The stop in Sandusky came as they had left Cleveland and were on their way to Detroit. Harding had lived in this area of Ohio so she was the guide.

The two visited the Sloane House Hotel, (as seen in the photo) Harding telling a housekeeper that she was a direct descendant of Rush Sloane for whom the hotel was named..that was never documented. The hotel was built in 1880, it was in operation for 75 years before being razed in 1957.

At one point Hepburn and Harding slip into a motor boat in Put-in Bay and head out to the Lake Erie Islands…the spray from the lake drenches the two stars, but the accounting of the event reveals how much fun they had no matter that the looked like drowned rats.

A great day for the stars away from the limelight nearly in total anonymity.  It was written that only a dozen or so people even knew they were there.

See you at “The Kate!”
Ann Nyberg, Trustee, KHCAC