Morning Glory has earned a place in history as being the first film for which Katharine Hepburn would win the first of her record-setting four Best Actress Oscar wins, a record that has not been tied or broken as of this writing. Unlike her future wins for Guess Who's Coming to Dinner, The Lion in Winter and/or On Golden Pond, few people know or remember Morning Glory. I think the reason may be because it is not a particularly good picture. A film that now would be seen as a bit over-acted, Morning Glory feels surprisingly longer than its actual runtime.
A woman who often tells others that her stage name is Eva Lovelace (Hepburn) has come to New York to pursue her smalltown dreams of ruling the Great White Way. She hoodwinks her way into meeting theater owner and Broadway producer Louis Easton (Adolphe Menjou). He isn't too keen on Eva Lovelace (that's her stage name). However, there are a couple of other men who are. Elderly actor and Easton "good-luck charm" Robert Hedges (C. Aubrey Smith) takes a fatherly interest, offering to coach her. Playwright Joseph Sheridan (Douglas Fairbanks, Jr.) takes a less-than-fatherly interest in our ingenue. She may be a trump card against Rita Vernon (Mary Duncan), a Broadway diva par excellence who is driving both men crazy.
Rita, however, is guaranteed box office. Eva Lovelace (that's her stage name) is not. Rita agrees to star in Sheridan's new play. In exchange, Easton and Sheridan agree to have Rita star in their future work, which would be a dramatic change of pace for Rita. Months pass, and Eva (that's her stage name) is struggling to keep body and soul together. Hedges, who lost touch with Eva, takes her to a party at Easton's penthouse. Here, Eva gets accidentally drunk, hit on by various stage door Johnnies and despite her boozed-up condition recites Shakespeare quite well.
Eva manages to finally get a small role in Rita's show. She is also Rita's understudy, but would an understudy go on to perform on opening night? She would if she had Rita Vernon to study under. Rita makes outrageous financial demands with only minutes to go before the curtain rises. Refused, she leaves. Will Eva Lovelace (that's her stage name) rally beyond her own fears to go out there a youngster, but come back a star? Will Joseph Sheridan finally admit to Eva his feelings for her? Will Eva pursue romance, or be a "morning glory", fated to fade after the spotlight ends?
Looking back on Morning Glory, I think most people will be genuinely puzzled how this won Katharine Hepburn her first of those four Best Actress Oscars. To be fair, at the time there were only three Best Actress nominees: Hepburn, Diana Wynyard for Cavalcade and May Robson for Lady for a Day. I have not seen Lady for a Day as of this writing. I have seen Cavalcade, and if it came between the Wynyard and Hepburn, Hepburn was the right choice.
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