Katharine Hepburn at 30

On the occasion of my thirtieth, I found myself going down one of the many rabbit holes of the interwebs. I began googling all my favorite stars to see what they were up to at 30. Katharine Hepburn at 30, Myrna Loy at 30, Oprah Winfrey at 30, etc.

If you choose to do this yourself, it would be my suggestion that you just go ahead and skip Beyonce and Grace Kelly. Trust me. You say you’ll do it anyway? Fine: Bey (2011) was the highest-paid performer per minute in the world her 30th year. Grace Kelly (1959) had already completed her acting career and moved on to the title of princess. It’s alright, they’re not the star of this post anyway. Let’s move on.

When Myrna Loy turned 30 (1935), she’d just started playing Nora Charles–the seemingly definitive role of her career. (Click here for the Thin Man cocktail guide.)

Mary Richards was moving into her Minneapolis apartment. (Click her for the style file.)

Oprah (*/cue angels singing/*) relocated to Chicago to host a half-hour morning talk show. The first episode aired 27 days before her 30th birthday (1984). (Click here to read my open letter to Oprah’s hair.) 

And Martha Stewart? (All hail Martha. Martha!) In 1971, homegirl hadn’t even started her catering company yet.

Katherine Hepburn at 30 | Hannah & Husband

So why is this post titled “Katharine Hepburn at 30”? Well, Hepburn had just starred in two of my favorite films of all time–Bringing Up Baby and Holiday–both with Cary Grant, both playing strong female leads. In fact, Bringing Up Baby is now considered a definitive movie of the “screwball comedy” genre. But it was after these two movies and around her 30th, that Ms. Hepburn was labeled “box office poison” in Hollywood.

Box Office Poison?!?

A little harsh, don’t you think? Haters gonna hate.

So what was a girl to do? Well, Katharine Hepburn bought out her contract with RKO. She turned to the stage to play Ms. Tracy Lord in “The Philadelphia Story”–a role written specifically for her by Philip Barry. The role was so perfect for her that before the play hit the stage, she acquired the rights to the film. (Her friend Howard Hughes is said to have bought them for her as a gift.) Then, she sold them to MGM on the condition that she would star. Which she did alongside who else? Cary Grant, of course! It got her praise, accolades, another Oscar nomination, and Spencer Tracy–well lots of movies with Spencer Tracy and then, eventually, Spencer Tracy.

Katherine Hepburn at 30 | Hannah & Husband

“It’s life isn’t it? You plow ahead and make a hit. And you plow on and someone passes you. Then someone passes them. Time levels.”

-Katharine Hepburn

And, just because I think it’s a cool, Grace Kelly played Tracy Lord sixteen years later in the musical version, High Society. It was her last film role. (Click here for the style file.) 

TGIF!

Whoo! We made it. Spring officially arrives today! I don’t know about you, but this has been a whirlwind of a week around our house! Between Spring fever and big life choices, I’m ready for a couple days chilling at home with my honey (or at least some version of that involving a lot Spring cleaning and house guests). Per the usual, here are a few TGIF! links from around the interwebs curated for your enjoyment. Happy weekending, friends!

One

Lawrence Krauss wrote an article in The New Yorker this week that talked about the importance of teaching doubt to our children. Saying:

Informed doubt is the very essence of science.

Recent studies even suggest that being taught to doubt at a young age could make people better lifelong learners.

This article struck a chord with me because I often find myself wondering things like: Why aren’t discriminatory social norms questioned sooner by society? Why do religious peoples selectively use their texts as a treatise without looking at it’s cultural context?

For me, there’s a definite balance between doubt and faith, but I do believe that being content with my doubts in my 20s has made me a more avid learner and well-informed citizen. It’s an interesting thing to think about: teaching your children the importance of doubt.

Two

Currently working on finding your own version of the good life? According to Aaron Hutchins, habits are the secret to happiness. Fascinating read that began with a statement that has been a point of conversation around our house recently:

Habits are important because, as Gretchen Rubin puts it, “what we do every day matters more than what we do once in a while.”

Three

Confession: Between the Beach Party movies and a trip to Walt Disney World’s Polynesian Resort my sophomore year, my bedroom became a little bit of a tiki love fest in high school. So I thought this was pretty rad: 5 Reasons Americans Became Obsessed with Hawaii in the 1960s. #1 Reason: Elvis (Obviously.)

Four

If you’re anything like me, the idea of peeking inside the beauty cabinet of the prettiest girl in the room is right up your alley. Well, this week several different paths led me to Into the Gloss, a site that lets you do just that. Click here to read about Martha Stewart’s beauty routine. (And, of course, be baffled by her ridiculously beautiful life. Of course, “Frederic” [Fekkai] was your first hairdresser, Martha. We are surprised by nothing anymore… except perhaps the fact that you remove your eye makeup with Johnson’s baby oil. Keepin’ it real. Maybe you are just like us.) Other picks include this fab shoot with funny lady Ana Gasteyer and Joanna Goddard’s DIY Pregnancy Guide.

Five

While we’re on the subject of the good life, here are “22 Reasons It’s Good to be a Vegetable in Oprah’s Garden.” 

Six

My friend, Leanne, is a local potter. Recently she made a beautiful line of tableware for Blackberry Farm, a local resort to check out if you don’t know it. They’re simple, beautiful pieces and she even mixed ashes from Blackberry’s fireplace into the glaze to make them very unique to the Farm. This morning, I learned that you can actually buy her pieces on their website. Check them out!