Desk Set
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| Desk Set | |
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 VHS cover |
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| Directed by | Walter Lang |
| Produced by | Henry Ephron |
| Written by | William Marchant (play) Phoebe Ephron Henry Ephron |
| Starring | Katharine Hepburn Spencer Tracy |
| Music by | Cyril J. Mockridge |
| Cinematography | Leon Shamroy |
| Distributed by | 20th Century-Fox |
| Release date(s) | May 1, 1957 |
| Running time | 103 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Desk Set (His Other Woman in the UK) is a 1957 American romantic comedy film directed by Walter Lang and starring Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn. The screenplay was written by Phoebe Ephron and Henry Ephron from the play by William Marchant.
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[edit] Plot
Desk Set takes place at the "Federal Broadcasting Network" (exterior shots are of Rockefeller Center, headquarters of NBC). Bunny Watson (Katharine Hepburn) is in charge of its reference library, which is responsible for researching and answering questions on all manner of topics, such as the names of Santa's reindeer. She has been involved for seven years with rising network executive Mike Cutler (Gig Young), with no marriage in sight.
The network is negotiating a merger with another company, but is keeping it secret. To help the employees cope with the extra work that will result, the network head has ordered two computers (called "electronic brains" in the film). Richard Sumner (Spencer Tracy), the inventor of EMERAC (an allusion to the early computers UNIVAC and ENIAC) and an efficiency expert, is brought in to see how the library functions, to figure out how to ease the transition. Though extremely bright, as he gets to know Bunny, he is surprised to discover that she is every bit his match.
When they find out the computers are coming, the employees jump to the conclusion the machines are going to replace them, whereas they are merely intended to help ease the research. Their fears seem to be confirmed when everyone on the staff receives a pink slip printed out by the new payroll computer. Fortunately, it turns out to be a mistake; the machine fired everybody in the company, including the president.
[edit] Cast
- Spencer Tracy as Richard Sumner
- Katharine Hepburn as Bunny Watson
- Gig Young as Mike Cutler
- Joan Blondell as Peg Costello, Bunny's sassy friend and co-worker
- Dina Merrill as Sylvia Blair, another reference desk worker
- Sue Randall as Ruthie Saylor, another reference desk worker
- Neva Patterson as Miss Warriner
- Harry Ellerbe as Smithers
- Nicholas Joy as Mr. Azae
- Diane Jergens as Alice
- Merry Anders as Cathy
- Ida Moore as Old Lady
- Rachel Stephens as Receptionist
[edit] Namesake
A Canadian radio program, Bunny Watson, was named for and inspired by Hepburn's character.
[edit] External links
- Desk Set at the Internet Movie Database
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