Pat and Mike | 
| Director: George Cukor
Actors: Spencer Tracy, Katharine Hepburn, Aldo Ray, William Ching, Sammy White
Studio: Warner Home Video
Category: DVD
List Price: CDN$ 32.98
Buy New: CDN$ 17.93
You Save: CDN$ 15.05 (46%)
New (17) Used (2) from CDN$ 14.99
Rating:  6 reviews
Sales Rank: 35139
Format: Ntsc
Languages: English (Original Language), English (Subtitled), French (Subtitled)
Region: 1
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Picture Format: Pan Scan
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 7.4 x 5.4 x 0.6
MPN: WARD65164D
ISBN: 0790745984
UPC: 012569516427
EAN: 9780790745985
ASIN: B00004TX2B
Theatrical Release Date: June 13, 1952
Release Date: September 19, 2000
Availability: Usually ships within 1 - 2 business days
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: BRAND NEW - Shipped within 24 hrs via Airmail from the USA - Average 5 to 10 workdays delivery time. Excellent customer service. NEUF - Envoy? par avion des USA sous 24 hrs - Livraison en moyenne de 5 a 10 jours ouvres. Service clientele en francais.
| |
| Editorial Reviews:
From Amazon.com
Kate plays Pat Pemberton, a college physical education teacher who excels at just about every sport there is. She's also a great athletic competitor, except when her overbearing, worrywart fiance, Collier Weld, is around. (As Weld, William Ching does an admirable job in a thankless role.) All Pat has to do is see Collier's face on the sidelines and her golf swing loses its power; her tennis game goes haywire. It takes crooked sports manager Mike Conovan (Spencer Tracy, of course) to recognize Pat's outstanding talent. He takes her on as his most important client and handles her with the same loving care that he gives to his favorite racehorse. Naturally, Pat and Mike's relationship is destined to overstep its professional boundaries. The mutual attraction grows from the moment they meet. Watching Pat walk away, Mike comments to his partner, "Not much meat on her, but what's there is 'cherce'." pThe film carries a powerful feminist message, especially considering that it was made in the early 1950s: Pat is undone by Collier, who would rather have her stick to being "the little woman" and forget about succeeding. But with Mike in her corner, Pat can have a great career. Her union with him is a true partnership; everything is, as he says, "Five-oh, five-oh." In the end, he's secure enough to be comfortable as "the man behind the woman." The film features terrific comic performances by Aldo Ray as a bone-headed boxer, a young Charles Bronson (before he changed his name from Buchinski) as a small-time gangster, and iOur Gang/i's Carl "Alfalfa" Switzer as a high-strung bus boy. I--Laura Mirsky/I
|
| Customer Reviews: Read 1 more reviews...
 For the Hepburn/ Tracy fans June 21, 2003
D. L. Phillips (Merriam, Ks United States)
A comedy almost classic. I am more disapointed in this multi pro cameo line up with Katheryn in awe playing with them. Her tennis and golf swings are amusing to watch as the balls dribble off to the sides. Watch this when you are bored and cann't sleep.
 Tracy Hepburn are CLASSIC in this remastered DVD!!! June 1, 2003
forrie (Nashua, NH United States)
MGM does a grand job in restoring this 1952 comedy classic to DVD perfection!!! Presented in Black/White, Standard Screen size (4:3 tv aspect ratio - before WideScreen (1953)).pThis was Spencer Tracy's Katherine Hepburn's 7th film together and as always are Classic Team mates!!! Now digitally remastered and on DVD makes it even better. Flawlessly digitalized makes the picture quality absolutely astounding to watch. Hepburns athletism can be more appreciated especially during the golf scenes when she drives the balls into the far distance (only now can we see these tiny spheres in the distance with DVD clarity!).pSummary; Masterfully directed by George Cukor, Athletic Pat (Hepburn) plays a very skillful amateur female sports nut who seems trapped in a rich socialite engaged to be married life. Mike (Tracy) a sports promoter eyes Hepburn in a Pro-Amatuer Golf match sees a gold mine to be had. Hustling her to turn pro be his client Hepburn decides this is a way to escape her miserable dominating fiances to be married life. Hepburn shows hows some amazing athletic talents in golf tennis. Tracy Hepburn are a grand pair to watch Hollywoods 1950's happy ending prevails. This is a keeper and the DVD is a beauty! pSpecial Features include: Cast Crew, Behind the Scenes, Theatrical Teaser Trailer.pPat Mike is great family entertainment Katherine Hepburn shows how women can be independent (wearing slacks), athletic (amazing golfer tennis player) feminine (beautiful vunerable) all in one. Enjoy.
Pat and Mike October 26, 2002
Emily Hunt (Illinois)
Pat and Mike is a lovely story of a star athlete, played by Katharine Hepburn, who is discovered by a sport's manager, Spencer Tracy. Hepburn's character realizes that she is going to be watched every minute of every day while in training. This companionship between athlete and manager finally turns to love. brIn Pat and Mike, Katharine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy again play opposite each other. Hepburn also gets to show off the skills in sports and physical agility, which she posesses in real life.
"You're a beautiful thing to watch... in action." August 8, 2002
PAT MIKE is the seventh Tracy-Hepburn collaboration, and it stars Spencer Tracy as Mike Conovan, the moneyminded sports racketeer with a heart of gold, and Katharine Hepburn (looking a great deal younger than she did in 1951's THE AFRICAN QUEEN) as his beautiful 'property', Pat Pemberton. Pat is an all-round 'lady athlete', adept at golf and tennis (not to mention shooting, basketball and presumably swimming), but completely frazzled whenever her fiance Collier Weld (a suitably smarmy William Ching) is around and watching her. In a bid to become more in control of herself and her life, she (contrarily) submits to Mike's management and he takes her around the country as a golf and tennis pro. It doesn't take much imagination to realise what happens next--Mike's 'handling' of Pat is the kind of handling she's willing to accept (switch 'Tracy' for 'Mike' and 'Hepburn' for 'Pat' and you get also a description of Tracy and Hepburn's real-life relationship), and before long, Collier is pretty much left in the dust.pThis film is evidently a star vehicle for Tracy and Hepburn, containing next to no artistic pretensions or even any real attempt to press a subtle feminist point (in contrast with other Tracy/Hepburn films like WOMAN OF THE YEAR or ADAM'S RIB). In fact, the film seems to be just a comfortable, familiar joke between actors, writers and audience--we know these characters, we know these actors, we know what kind of relationship they always have (bantering, sparring, and in the end just a perfect fit)... the only thing that's different is the names of the characters. Sam, Adam, Mike--Tess, Amanda, Pat--what's the difference?pTo be fair, Hepburn's character of Pat Pemberton is much softer and more vulnerable than either Tess Harding or Amanda Bonner. This character variation doesn't hide the real point of the screenplay though--Ruth Gordon and Garson Kanin evidently wanted a chance to display both Hepburn's natural athletic abilities (phenomenal for a non-professional, but possibly not 100% believable against sports stars like Babe Zaharias) and her incredible legs. Well, they did succeed at both of these things, to great effect. It's great fun for a Hepburn fan, having read about her deep and abiding love of any and all sports, to get a chance to actually watch her playing golf and tennis onscreen. (This doesn't mean, of course, that the frequent and long golf scenes don't test one's patience occasionally!)pSpencer Tracy has great fun as Mike as well, the sports agent who originally wants Pat to flub a game and come in second. He claims early on in the film that the trouble with her is that she's got too honest a face--it's only Tracy's ability to make rough-and-tumble characters believably vulnerable at heart that makes his later declaration ("I must have caught something from you" i.e. honesty) acceptable. The chemistry between the two is probably closer to the comfortable rapport they shared in ADAM'S RIB as man and wife than the fireworks that went off between them in WOMAN OF THE YEAR. Whatever the case, it is still always a joy to watch Tracy and Hepburn together onscreen, and it's largely because this film stars who it does that you can allow yourself to enjoy and be taken in by what is evidently a cutesy star vehicle written by the stars' friends (Gordon and Kanin), and directed by the leading lady's best and favourite director George Cukor. (Some of the visual tricks, particularly Hepburn's face appearing on that of a horse, are actually more disturbing than flattering, and I--for one--would prefer not to pursue the metaphor through to its end.) Tracy and Hepburn are also boosted by an excellent supporting cast, particularly William Ching as Pat's obnoxious suitor and Aldo Ray as Mike's dimwitted star protege (until Pat comes along, that is!).pPAT MIKE is a romantic comedy, but it's also romantic-comedy-*lite*. There are no forced or fake separations that are geared towards wringing tears from viewers before a reconciliation (contrast again with ADAM'S RIB and most formulaic films in recent years). The film is just a little piece of joyful fluff--not taxing at all for either the writers, the actors, or the viewers. For a brilliant comic set-piece, watch out for the scene in which Pat takes on the two seedy sports racketeers and dispenses them with remarkable ease and efficiency. Otherwise, watch PAT MIKE with the knowledge that this is neither Tracy and Hepburn's best, nor is it their worst. If you keep your expectations down, you'll certainly enjoy watching this film because it aims low (aiming only to please and amuse, and not necessarily to engage and thrill), and fulfils those aims very well. 8/10.
Surprising, Charming Comedy April 25, 2002
Gary F. Taylor (Biloxi, MS USA)
According to film lore, writers Ruth Gordon and Garson Kanin were inspired to write PAT AND MIKE when they realized that Katherine Hepburn was a near-professional-level golfer and tennis player. The result is a sprightly tale of a college physical education teacher named Pat (Hepburn) who turns pro with the help of a slightly shady promoter manager named Mike (Tracy.)pAs always, Tracy and Hepburn make for an engaging pair, and the supporting cast is crammed with memorable faces, including Jim Backus, Chuck Conners, a very young Charles Bronson, and even Carl "Alfalfa" Switzer--and every one plays with the same charming touch. The sports scenes also gives sports fans a glimpse at such legendary atheletes as Babe Didrikson Zaharias. But the real interest here is the script itself: in an era noted for sexism, PAT AND MIKE is flatly feminist, and the story finds Hepburn first rebelling against fiance William Ching's "little woman" mentality and then straightening out Spenser Tracy on the same point--and in one of the film's most memorable scenes, Hepburn effectively shoves Tracy aside to beat up two men who threaten him!pGiven the nature of its story, PAT AND MIKE spends quite a lot of time on the golf course and the tennis courts, and those who have little interest in sports may not find it to their taste; that said, in spite of its many charms, the film isn't really in the same league with Tracy and Hepburn's ADAM'S RIB. Still, fans of the screen team will enjoy it quite a bit, and even purely casual viewers will have a good time.
|
|
|
|
