名人轶事:Katharine Hepburn, 1907-2003: An Independent and

Katharine Hepburn, 1907-2003: An Independent and Intelligent Actress

She has been called the greatest American actress of all time.

VOICE ONE:

I'm Steve Ember.

VOICE TWO:

And I'm Barbara Klein with People in America in VOA Special English. Today we tell about Katharine Hepburn, one of America's great film and stage actresses. Hepburn's career lasted almost seventy years. During that time she made more than fifty films. She became known all over the world for her independence, sharp intelligence, and acting¹ ability.

Katharine Hepburn holds the record for the most Academy² Awards for Best Actress. She won the honor³ four times. This star holds a special place in American film and popular culture.

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VOICE ONE:

Katharine Houghton Hepburn was born in Hartford, Connecticut in nineteen oh seven. She came from a wealthy and highly⁵ educated family. Her father, Thomas Hepburn, was a successful doctor. Her mother, Katharine Martha Houghton, was a great supporter of women's rights issues including the right to birth control. The Hepburns made sure to educate their children about important political and social subjects. The family members were not afraid to express their liberal⁶ opinions.

VOICE TWO:

Doctor Hepburn also believed in the importance of intense⁷ exercise. For most of her life Kate was an excellent athlete. She rode horses, swam and played golf and tennis. Here is a recording⁸ of Katharine Hepburn from a film about her life.

She is talking about the values her family taught her. She says she is not strange, but is fearless.

"I don't think I'm an eccentric⁹, no! I'm just something from New England that was very American and brought up by two extremely intelligent people…who gave us a kind of, I think the greatest gift that man can give anyone, and that is…sort of freedom from fear."

VOICE ONE:

Katharine graduated from Bryn Mawr college in Pennsylvania in nineteen twenty-eight. She soon started appearing in small roles in plays on Broadway in New York City. That year she also married a businessman named Ludlow Ogden Smith. Their marriage lasted only a few years. But Katherine later said Ludlow's support was very important to her during the early part of her career.

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VOICE TWO:

Katharine Hepburn was not the usual kind of actress during this period. She had a thin and athletic¹⁰ body. She spoke¹¹ with a clear East Coast accent. And she was very independent in her thoughts and actions.

For example, she wore men's pants as clothing at a time when women wore only skirts or dresses. Sometimes her independence and liberal opinions got her in trouble. After a few successful plays in New York, Hollywood filmmakers became interested in her. She later signed with the film production company called RKO pictures. Her first movie came out in nineteen thirty-two.

VOICE ONE:

The next year she made the film "Morning Glory." In her role as Eva Lovelace, Hepburn plays a stage actress fighting for a successful career. Few directors are interested in her. But by the end of the movie, she has a chance to let her acting skills shine and she becomes a star. This movie earned Hepburn her first Academy Award for Best Actress. Here is a recording from the movie. Hepburn's character, Eva, tells about how she has changed her name in preparation for becoming a great actress. She talks very quickly, but you can sense the energy behind her performance.

"I hope you're going to tell me your name. I want you for my first friend in New York. Mine's Eva Lovelace. It's partly made up and partly real. It was Eva Love. Love's my family name. I added the Lace⁴. Do you like it or would you prefer something shorter? A shorter name would be more convenient on a sign.

Still, Eva Lovelace in "Camille" for instance¹², or Eva Lovelace in "Romeo and Juliet," sounds very distinguished¹³, doesn't it?

I don't want to use my family name because I shall probably have several scandals¹⁴ while I live and I don't want to cause them any trouble until I am famous, when nobody will mind.

That's why I must decide on something at once while there is still time, before I am famous." 

VOICE TWO:

During the nineteen thirties, critics either loved or hated Katharine Hepburn. Some thought she was a fresh and exciting addition to the Hollywood industry. Others decided¹⁵ she was too bold¹⁶ and self-important. They thought her way of speaking sounded false. But Hepburn wanted to face the movie industry her own way. She liked to play the roles of strong women.

She did not want to be like other actresses. She did not wear make up on her face. She would not let photographers take sexy pictures of her. And she did not like talking to her fans or the media.

VOICE ONE:

Katharine Hepburn continued to work very hard making movies. Yet by the late nineteen thirties she had became unpopular with the public. So movie producers stopped wanting her in their films.

But Hepburn was not raised to quit easily. She decided to return to the stage on Broadway in New York City. She starred in a play called "The Philadelphia Story." Hepburn's friend Philip Barry wrote the play especially for her. It is about a wealthy and intelligent woman named Tracy Lord¹⁷. She is about to marry a man she does not love. In the movie she learns to be more honest with herself and others. She decides to marry a man from her past whom she has always loved.

VOICE TWO:

The play was a great success. Hepburn immediately bought the legal rights to the play. She knew "The Philadelphia Story" would be made into a movie. And she wanted to make sure she was the star of the film version¹⁸.

In nineteen forty, "The Philadelphia Story" became a great movie success. Hepburn received another Academy Award nomination¹⁹ for Best Actress. She had taken control of her career once again. And she would stay in control of it from now on.

Here is a recording from "The Philadelphia Story." Katharine Hepburn's character, Tracy Lord, is talking with her new friend, Macaulay Connor, a writer. She has just read his book and discovered something surprising about him.

Tracy: These stories are beautiful! Why Connor, they're almost poetry!

Macaulay: Well, don't kid yourself, they are.

Tracy: I can't make you out at all now.

Macaulay: Really? I thought I was easy.

Tracy: So did I. But you're not. You talk so big and tough, and then you write like this. Which is which?

Macaulay: Both, I guess.

Tracy: No. No, I believe you put the toughness on to save your skin.

Macaulay: Oh, you think so.

Tracy: I know a little about that.

VOICE ONE:

In nineteen forty-two, Katherine Hepburn starred in "Woman of the Year." This was the first of nine movies she starred in with actor Spencer Tracy. They would soon become a famous couple both on and off the movie screen. Usually their movies dealt with finding²⁰ a balance of power between their two strong characters. Hepburn and Tracy had a magical energy when they acted together. But in real life they kept their love hidden from the public.

Spencer Tracy was married to another woman. For religious reasons, he would not end his marriage and divorce²¹ his wife. So Hepburn and Tracy led a secret love affair for more than twenty years. Katharine Hepburn had had other love interests. She once had a relationship with the famous American millionaire Howard Hughes. But Spencer Tracy remained the love of her life.

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VOICE TWO:

One of Katharine Hepburn's most famous roles was in the movie "The African Queen." She made this movie in nineteen fifty-one with the famous actor Humphrey Bogart. In the film, their two very different characters fall in love on a riverboat in the middle of Africa.

As Katharine Hepburn became older, she played more and more wise and complex characters. In nineteen sixty-seven she starred in her last movie with Spencer Tracy. He died a few weeks after filming ended. For this movie, "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner," she won her second Academy Award. She won her third Academy Award the next year for "A Lion in Winter." And, in her mid-seventies she won her last Academy Award for "On Golden Pond."

VOICE ONE:

Even into her eighties, Katharine Hepburn kept working. She had roles in several movies and television programs. She also wrote several books, including one about her life. In two thousand three, Katharine Hepburn died. She was ninety-six years old.

As part of her last wishes, she helped create the Katharine Houghton Hepburn Center at Bryn Mawr College. This program helps support the things that were important to her: film and theater, women's rights, and civic²² responsibility.

VOICE TWO:

An actor who worked with Katharine Hepburn once said that she brought with her an extra level of reality. He said that when she was near, everything became more interesting, intense and bright. This intensity²³ and intelligence shine in the films that Katharine Hepburn made over her lifetime. People still enjoy her films today. Katharine Hepburn's work and personality have had a great influence on American film and culture.

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VOICE ONE:

This program was written and produced by Dana Demange. You can download this program and others from our Web site, voaspecialenglish.com. I'm Steve Ember.

VOICE TWO:

And I'm Barbara Klein. Join us again next week for PEOPLE IN AMERICA in VOA Special English
 

1 acting   

n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的

参考例句：

• Ignore her,she's just acting.别理她，她只是假装的。
• During the seventies,her acting career was in eclipse.在七十年代，她的表演生涯黯然失色。

2 academy   

n.(高等)专科院校；学术社团，协会，研究院

参考例句：

• This is an academy of music.这是一所音乐专科学院。
• I visited Chinese Academy of Sciences yesterday.我昨天去访问了中国科学院。

3 honor   

n.光荣；敬意；荣幸；vt.给…以荣誉；尊敬

参考例句：

• I take your visit as a great honor.您的来访是我莫大的光荣。
• It is a great honor to receive that prize.能拿到那个奖是无上的光荣。

4 lace   

n.饰带，花边，缎带；v.结带子，饰以花边

参考例句：

• She let a piece of lace into her dress.她在衣服上镶了一块花边。
• The bride is wearing a wedding dress made of lace.新娘穿一件蕾丝婚纱。

5 highly   

adv.高度地，极，非常；非常赞许地

参考例句：

• It is highly important to provide for the future.预先做好准备非常重要。
• The teacher speaks very highly of the boy's behaviour.老师称赞这个男孩的表现。

6 liberal   

adj.心胸宽阔的；自由(主义)的；慷慨的

参考例句：

• He has a liberal attitude to divorce and remarriage.他对离婚和再婚看得很开。
• This country adopts a liberal foreign policy.该国采用的是开放的外交政策。

7 intense   

adj.认真的，专注的；强烈的；紧张的；热情的

参考例句：

• Susan was an intense young lady.苏珊是一个热情的年轻姑娘。
• The quarrel caused her intense unhappiness.争吵令她极其不快。

8 recording   

n.录音，记录

参考例句：

• How long will the recording of the song take?录下这首歌得花多少时间？
• I want to play you a recording of the rehearsal.我想给你放一下彩排的录像。

9 eccentric   

adj.古怪的，怪癖的，异乎寻常的；n.古怪的人

参考例句：

• His actions since that morning have been eccentric and unpredictable.自从那天早晨，他的行动一直是反常而不可捉摸。
• He had the name of an eccentric.他有怪人之称。

10 athletic   

adj.擅长运动的，强健的；活跃的，体格健壮的

参考例句：

• This area has been marked off for athletic practice.这块地方被划出来供体育训练之用。
• He is an athletic star.他是一个运动明星。

11 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

12 instance   

n.例，例证，实例

参考例句：

• Can you quote me a recent instance?你能给我举一个最近的例子吗？
• He's a greedy boy,yesterday,for instance,he ate all our biscuits!他是个贪吃的孩子――比如，他昨天把我们的饼干都吃了！

13 distinguished   

adj.卓越的，杰出的，著名的

参考例句：

• Elephants are distinguished from other animals by their long noses.大象以其长长的鼻子显示出与其他动物的不同。
• A banquet was given in honor of the distinguished guests.宴会是为了向贵宾们致敬而举行的。

14 scandals   

丑事( scandal的名词复数 )； 流言蜚语； 闲话； 诽谤

参考例句：

• Recent financial scandals have necessitated changes in parliamentary procedures. 最近的金融丑闻使得议会程序必须改革。
• a series of sex scandals 一系列性丑闻

15 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

16 bold   

adj.果敢的，冒险的，无畏的；冒失的，鲁莽的

参考例句：

• Her words were so bold that people caught their breath.她的话太大胆了，使人们都倒抽了一口气。
• The room was decorated in bold colours.房间的色调布置得鲜明醒目。

17 lord   

n.上帝，主；主人，长官；君主，贵族

参考例句：

• I know the Lord will look after him.我知道上帝会眷顾他的。
• How good of the Lord not to level it beyond repair!上帝多么仁慈啊，竟没有让这所房子损毁得不可收拾！

18 version   

n.版本；型号；叙述，说法

参考例句：

• His version of the events is pure supposition.他对这件事的说法纯属猜测。
• What is your version of this matter?你对这件事情的看法 怎么样？

19 nomination   

n.提名，任命，提名权

参考例句：

• John is favourite to get the nomination for club president.约翰最有希望被提名为俱乐部主席。
• Few people pronounced for his nomination.很少人表示赞成他的提名。

20 finding   

n.发现，发现物；调查的结果

参考例句：

• The finding makes some sense.该发现具有一定的意义。
• That's an encouraging finding.这是一个鼓舞人心的发现。

21 divorce   

n.离婚；分离；vi.离婚；vt.离婚；脱离

参考例句：

• Did he divorce his wife or did she divorce him?是他要和妻子离婚，还是妻子要和他离婚？
• None of us like the divorce of word and deed.我们都不喜欢言行不一。

22 civic   

adj.城市的，都市的，市民的，公民的

参考例句：

• I feel it is my civic duty to vote.我认为投票选举是我作为公民的义务。
• The civic leaders helped to forward the project.市政府领导者协助促进工程的进展。

23 intensity   

n.强烈，剧烈；强度；烈度

参考例句：

• I didn't realize the intensity of people's feelings on this issue.我没有意识到这一问题能引起群情激奋。
• The strike is growing in intensity.罢工日益加剧。