Cinema Style File--Holidays with Katharine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy in 1957's DESK SET

Though it was given a less than festive-sounding name, Walter Lang's Desk Set is one of my favorite holiday films.  It takes place in December 1957 at the fictional Federal Broadcasting Company (FBC), surely only a slight cover for the real National Broadcasting Company (NBC).  Based in the network's New York skyscraper, Desk Set is a lovely fantasy of that midcentury office life where men still dominated the workforce but women were finally bursting into careers of their own.  Feminist icon Katharine Hepburn plays Bunny Watson, the head of FBC's Research Department whose brain blows away all of the men around her.  Spencer Tracy's method engineer Richard Sumner calls her mind and its memory "the major leagues"...after all, she practically rivals the computer his company has created to take on much of her work.  But her mind seems to be either unappreciated or a bit too challenging for most.  For instance, though her beau and boss Mike Cutler (Gig Young) has taken advantage of her at work, he has danced around the advancement of their personal relationship for seven looooooong years.  Let's just say that he ends up recognizing the great mistake too late.

This stylish film is a reminder that the late 1950s were a time when everyone...simply everyone...dressed for work.  It was especially true of the holiday office parties, where women arrived in their best silk shantung cocktail dresses to the delight of the male-dominated legal department. Who hasn't wished that their office could be so stylish?  Of course here we have Oscar winner Charles LeMaire dressing the Desk Set, known for his wardrobe direction in several Marilyn Monroe pictures such as How to Marry a Millionaire and Niagara.  Bunny's Reference Department is cast with Joan Blondell (the bold Peg), Dina Merrill (Grace Kelly-esque as the prim Sylvia), and Sue Randall (the naive Ruthie), and you'll see how appropriate both the colors and cuts of LeMaire's costumes are to the characters.  Ruthie's, for example, tend to have more interesting splashes of color--she even calls and orders a dress with the color "puce"--which indicates her relative youth within the group.  These women are such good friends and a talented team that I always find myself wishing to be one of them.

And as always, this movie gives us an opportunity to watch Hepburn and Tracy verbally sparring...it's what everyone loves about their nine movies together.  It's clear how much the two actors appreciate and admire one another.  There are certain moments that I truly treasure in Desk Set--when he tries to trip up her mental acuity (and fails), when he laughs at her champagne-induced giddiness, and when he finally makes a romantic move on her up in the book stacks at the holiday party.  Their chemistry is so strong that Spencer's delivery of "I bet you write wonderful letters" warms me to the core.  Though they obviously shared a nontraditional relationship offscreen, I love that they recognized something so special in one another and found a way to make the most of their 25+ years.

Katharine and Spencer were arguably the greatest actors of all time, but it's wonderful to see them so delightful in Desk Set having a little holiday fun.  So pop some champagne of your own and join the party...hopefully wearing an outfit inspired by the incredible clothes from the movie.  Merry Christmas!

Working at the Federal Broadcasting Company,
which can be seen as a television network like NBC

The ladies of the Research Department meet the strange Richard Sumner during his first mysterious visit--
(from l-r below) Ruthie (Sue Randall), Peg (Joan Blondell), and Sylvia (Dina Merrill)

Bunny arrives late after a demonstration of IBM's "electronic brain" only to see Sumner in her office

A business lunch on the freezing rooftop patio proves to Sumner

that Bunny is as special as a "rare tropical fish"

Tension brews in the office when Sumner keeps requesting the girls' personnel files from HR...
notice that the ladies are all in shades of gray at this time in character-appropriate styles

Bunny finds out at the last minute that Mike is canceling their weekend plans

to spend time in Miami with the boss after her (uncredited) report helps his career

Bunny and Sumner leave the office together...with Smithers, the building's biggest gossip

Bunny invites him into her warm and dry apartment for dinner

They change into robes...his has to be someone's gift with the monogram of "M.C." Hmmm...

Fried chicken by the fire until a guest arrives in time for coffee...someone with the initials M.C.

Mike Cutler.

Despite a jealous row over the innocent situation--and looking great in her lemon silk pajamas-- 

Bunny still can't help but wonder where she stands

Look at how festive both the office and the girls look--

Dina, for one, is wearing a grape silk shantung fit and flare cocktail dress...to work!

Bunny, wearing a gorgeous red coat and matching gloves,
bustles into the office bringing many things of good cheer

I suspect that's genuine pleasure in Spencer's face watching Kate play drunk

Silver silk shantung shirtdress with belt and delicate pearls and a watch as accessories

as she and Mike share a holiday toast

The office party gets livelier with the arrival of the legal department

and Sumner takes the opportunity to let Bunny know he's been thinking about her

Bad timing as the severe and appropriately-named Miss Warriner (Neva Patterson) comes on Christmas

and scares the girls once again that they may lose their jobs to Sumner's computer

Once EMERAC is installed in the office, it brings even more tension...

but I just love how polished all the girls look

Misunderstanding finally gets cleared when 

another computer wrongly fires everyone in the building

Bunny also begins to understand that Sumner loves her...

and Mike understands he missed his chance and leaves roses for the victor