Pat Pemberton (Katherine Hepburn) is a PE teacher who finally has enough of her finance’s attitude when tells her to lose at a game of golf to impress his boss. It seems her whole life is just serving the men around her. She decides to enter a professional tournament of golf and soon gets the attention of sports promoter Mike (Spencer Tracy). He soon signs Pat and the pair take on the sports world by storm. The two soon find themselves falling for each other. The only issues are Pat’s nagging finance and Mike’s problems with the mob. 

Pat and Mike (1952) was written by screenwriters Ruth Gordon and Garson Kanin as a showcase for Katherine Hepburn’s athletic talents, especially her skills in tennis and golf. It would also be a return of the powerhouse duo of Tracy and Hepburn, who would become one of Hollywood’s most iconic couples. Starting with the success of George Steven’s Woman of the Year (1942), the on-screen pairing of Katherine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy was romantic comedy gold. With Pat and Mike, the magic is still as powerful, with George Cukor doing wonders from the already solid screenplay.

I’m not really a sports guy. In fact, I find most sporting events to be painfully dull and even worse is listening to people go on about sports. But when a movie can make a good story around a sport, or a series of sports, I’m usually impressed. I think this comes from the fact that I’m not personally affected by any sports stars but in a movie, I care about the characters. It’s the same thing with movies about gambling. Here sports are fun to watch with some bits of editing. It’s even more impressive once I learned that Hepburn performed all her sports scenes. Cukor and company also make some fun bits of Hepburn’s inner anxiety when she spots her finance watching her tennis match. The net gets large, the camera gets dizzier, and her racket shrinks. Its a standout sequence.

The rest of the cast is just as much fun as Tracy and Hepburn. Charles Bronson (billed here as Charles Buchinski) makes a fun gangster henchman in his limited screentime. His comic timing with Hepburn is spot on with some icy delivery of lines about spoiled milk. Future action star and Rifleman Chuck Conners makes his acting debut here in a memorable bit role as a policeman who has to make sense of a fight. Aldo Ray also shines as a boxer.

For romantic comedy at its best, check out Pat and Mike.

Warner Archives releases Pat and Mike on a visually stunning Blu-ray. The 1080p HD picture is crystal clear with no DNR issues. There is some natural film grain in some shots and the black levels are well defined. The 2.0 English mono track is smooth with clear audio and a well-mixed soundtrack. There is no hiss or pops. English subtitles are included. Extras are limited to just the original theatrical trailer. 

Director- George Cukor

Cast- Spencer Tracy, Katherine Hepburn

Country of Origin- US

Discs- 1

Distributor- Warner Archive

Reviewer- Tyler Miller