katharine foiled

Kitty Foyle (1940)
3 Stars
Starring Ginger Rogers

Rogers won the Best Actress Oscar for this typical melodrama, beating both Joan Fontaine in Rebecca and Katharine Hepburn in The Philadelphia Story. All three deal with marrying into the upper class, in two cases the Philadelphia Main Line. So why do two end up in All-Time Top 100 lists, but the third get the Oscar?

Ginger Rogers is certainly pretty (although too old to attempt Kitty at fifteen), but Joan Fontaine was not exactly a dog either. Although quite good at comedy, Rogers was no drama queen, and certainly couldn't hold a candle to Hepburn at her height.

Maybe the Academy was spreading the wealth: the four major Oscars went to four different movies, Rebecca taking home Best Picture, and The Philadelphia Story winning for Best Actor — two categories Kitty Foyle didn't have a chance at winning.

For history buffs, it's interesting to note the older meaning of the term "white-collar": Kitty is described as a "white-collar girl", apparently referring to her job as a salesclerk, where she wears white lace collars. Also, there's a bit where Kitty imagines her unborn son, "the toughest kid in the block", overcoming his humble beginnings and winning the 2000 Presidential Election at the age of 65. Don't you love it when Presidential race predictions go horribly, horribly wrong?

Anyway, if you're looking for great post-Astaire Rogers, try Roxie Hart (the original film adaptation of Chicago) instead.