Wednesday, December 05, 2018

favorite movie #100 - holiday edition: desk set

Favorite movies that have had an impact on me - #100 - Desk Set (1957) - Tracy and Hepburn. Librarians. New York City at Christmas. The early integration of computers (super-computer EMERAC) into the working world. Desk Set is just fun, fun, fun. Gig Young plays his usual leading-lady's-second-choice role and Joan Blondell and Dina Merrill get a few snappy lines as Katharine Hepburn's friends and research library assistants. Desk Set is Tracy and Hepburn's first color outing and their eighth and penultimate film together. They are always a wonderful screen duo, but this is my favorite of their teamings.

Richard Sumner (Spencer Tracy) introduces Bunny Watson (Katharine Hepburn) to EMERAC
The gals check out EMERAC (L-R: Joan Blondell, Dina Merrill, Sue Randall, Katharine Hepburn
Richard Sumner takes Bunny Watson "out" for lunch
Bunny Watson (Katharine Hepburn): Just for kicks. You don't have to answer it if you don't want to. I mean, don't dwell on the question, but I warn you there's a trick in it: If six Chinamen get off a train at Las Vegas, and two of them are found floating face down in a goldfish bowl, and the only thing they can find to identify them are two telephone numbers - one, Plaza Oh-Oh-Oh-Oh-Oh, and the other, Columbus Oh-1492 - what time did the train get to Palm Springs? 
Richard Sumner (Spencer Tracy): Nine o'clock. 
Bunny Watson: Now, would you mind telling me how you happened to get that? 
Richard Sumner: Well, there are eleven letters in Palm Springs. You take away two Chinamen, that leaves nine. 
Bunny Watson: You're a sketch, Mr. Sumner. 
Richard Sumner: You're not so bad yourself.

Link to Christmas: It's holiday season in New York, right before the Christmas break

p.s. It's got a 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes!

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