Katherine Hepburn is considered one of the greatest movie stars of all time. Nominated twelve times for the Best Actress Oscar, she won a record four times. Last Saturday marked the centennial of her birth, May 12, 1907. For those who may only know Kate Hepburn from the spot-on Oscar winning impersonation by Cate Blanchett in The Aviator, I make these recommendations of vintage films available on DVD.

5. Alice Adams (1935). Hepburn had already won her first Oscar for Morning Glory. This film by George Stevens about a small town girl with high society aspirations is better. Fred MacMurray is her would-be Prince Charming.

4. Sylvia Scarlett (1935) This was Hepburn’s first film with Cary Grant and a box-office bomb. Way ahead of its time, this gender-bending comedy has Hepburn pretending to be a boy for part of the story. The story of travelling actors was too sophisticated for film audiences seventy years ago. Contemporary viewers may marvel at what director George Cukor and his cast got away with.

3. Holiday (1938) Cary Grant is about to marry Miss Wrong (Doris Nolan) but finds her sister, Katherine Hepburn hiding in the attic with brother Lew Ayres. The three have a private Christmas party, and resolve to live life on their own terms. Another flop at the time of its release, Holiday has grown in stature over the years.

2. Bringing Up Baby (1938) Made during the time Hepburn was considered “box office poison”, Howard Hawks’ film is now considered one of the great screwball comedies. Hepburn and Grant get involved with a leopard named Baby, and dinosaur bones. Among the classic scenes is one of Grant, having lost his clothes, having to explain why he’s wearing a woman’s robe - “Because I just went gay all of a sudden!”

1. The Philadelphia Story (1940) Hepburn and Grant again, with James Stewart who won his Oscar in this comedy. Hepburn left Hollywood to appear on Broadway again, in the stage version of The Philadelphia Story. The play was a huge hit, and Hepburn owned the film rights. From this point, Hepburn’s star was firmly established. Her character’s name, Tracy Lord, was the inspiration for someone known for something other than her acting skills.

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