The Real Kate: A Personal Biography of Katharine Hepburn

by Charlotte Chandler

Drawing on a series of recordings over many years, beginning in the mid-1970s, acclaimed biographer Charlotte Chandler has written the most intimate and personal biography ever published of Hollywood legend, Katharine Hepburn. Introduced by George Cukor, who directed Hepburn in films such as The Philadelphia Story, and Adam's Rib, Chandler socialised with Hepburn at the Cukor estate, allowing Chandler to tape their conversations, during which Hepburn spoke candidly about her personal and professional finding the body of her adored older brother, an apparent suicide at fifteen, and assuming his birthday, even his name, as her own; intimate details of her marriage and divorce from Ludlow Ogden Smith, ‘ Luddy’ ; and her affair with Howard Hughes. She said that she enjoyed diving nude off the wings of his seaplane when they went swimming together. Her warmest recollections were of her twenty-seven-year affair with Spencer Tracy. Including the huge family influence that shaped Hepburn’ s personality, and including interviews with many of the stars that worked with Hepburn over the years, Katharine A Personal Biography is a fascinating, delightful, and personal book that brings readers as close as possible to the real Katharine Hepburn. Charlotte Chandler is the author of several biographies of actors and directors, including Groucho Marx, Alfred Hitchcock and Bette Davies all of whom she interviewed extensively.

Genres: Biography, Nonfiction, Biography Memoir

368 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2010

Reviews

[Kimberly · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book fell short of my expectations. If recording conversations and various recollections with Hepburn equates to writing a biography, then I suppose Chandler succeeded. However, I felt the author simply touched the surface of this remarkable woman's life. I wanted to find out more about Hepburn's relationships with such people as Howard Hughes and Spencer Tracy, not the synopsis of every film she made. Chandler spent more time on the filmography of Hepburn's career than the relationships that surrounded her life.

[Mom · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book talks about the movies that she did in chronological order which helped me immensely follow the flow of her life. Most of the time I don't like a prolonged list of filmography, but in this case it was shared with personal information about her life and feelings as she aged and really enjoyed it.

[Claire · Rating 5 out of 5]

A friend at the library set this book aside for me, but I confess my first thought was Another Katharine Hepburn biography? I've read both books by Hepburn and several biographies of her over the years, so I wasn't convinced I Know Where I'm Going would contain anything new to me.

However, the cover is particularly awesome with its black & silver photos of Kate in her prime, and I felt obliged to at least give the book a cursory look before returning it. The book begins with Kate describing her brother's death when they were young teens, an event she almost always declined to discuss, and I was hooked.

The author, Charlotte Chandler, stayed with George Cukor when Kate was living in one of the cottages on his property. George trusted Charlotte, so Kate did too. Thus began a series of conversations beginning in the seventies and spanning many years.

The book gives you the feeling that during her conversations with the author, Hepburn said, "Just wait until I'm dead to write your book." Hepburn still sounds like the Hepburn I've read about all these years, but in more detail, with more insights to the person, not just the persona.

In addition to the conversations the author had with Kate, there are also many Chandler had with other people who worked with or knew Hepburn over the years. Though I tend to favor autobiographies, the interjections of third parties' perceptions give a sense of what it was like to know Hepburn.

A fascinating, well-written, and enlightening read with some cool photos.

[Amy Andrews · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was certainly a readable biography, but I do find it quite hard to believe some of the passages of dialogue that Chandler claims are straight from Hepburn herself. Reading about one person as much as I recently have, you start to get a sense of what they would say and what they wouldn't.

There is lots that I recognise here in one version or another, but some of the more explicit stuff like details of her sex life with Howard Hughes and her husband Luddy, just don't seem authentic to me at all.

Don't get me wrong, this is nowhere near the absolute fan fiction that makes up the bulk of someone like Darwin Porter's account of her life, but I do hesitate to take everything quoted as Hepburn's own words here as absolute gospel.

[April · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn't care for the writing voice used. It was difficult at times to distinguish who was speaking. Too many direct quotes, and not enough personal information, as opposed to professional information.

[Benjamin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought it was very interesting and well written. My only issue was with the brief synopsis of every movie she was ever in, and that was quite a number. I felt that really broke up the narrative and the stories she had to tell.

[Dave · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of revelations about Ms. Hepburn; some quite amazing. Nudity was the norm in her family when she was a child! She was devastated by her older brother’s suicide at age 16. She was 14 and she is the one who found him hanging in the attic. Her father demanded that no one ever mention that son again. She was deeply hurt by that. She was very athletic as a youth; gymnastics, golf… She first experienced sex with her first lover/husband, but she did not experience passion until she was with Howard Hughes. Hughes also taught her to fly an airplane. Spencer Tracy was married with children so he and Kathrine had to be very discreet about their ongoing relationship. After he died Hepburn approached one of Tracy's daughters who was shocked to learn about the affair. She thought it had just been a rumor.

There were also lots of details about the workings of Hollywood and all that goes on behind the scenes. How did anyone survive that mess?!

[Joi “Joy” · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an absolutely wonderful book. Katharine Hepburn was such a phenomenal woman that I’d imagine writing a biography would be challenging. She was larger than life - how do you even begin to approach her?!?

Charlotte Chandler, somehow, accomplishes the “impossible” and covers this fascinating woman perfectly. I have actually read the book twice because I wanted to make sure I never missed a single word.

Whether (like me) you’re obsessed with Old Hollywood and history or not, you’ll love this book and you’ll fall further in love with Katharine Hepburn with each chapter. She was something else!

[Tom · Rating 4 out of 5]

Katharine Hepburn was and is a singular American actor. She had a long career from 1932's Bill of Divorcement to the One Christmas TV movie in 1994. With 4 Oscars, she is Hollywood Gold. But it wasn't all a smooth ride. Charlotte Chandler tells the story in Kate's own words from a long period of recording access to the private star. It doesn't really matter what Katharine Hepburn would be in today's Hollywood because that's just a speculative exercise. Certainly there are great actors who avoid the publicity ride. She certainly was one-of-a-kind, and Chandler lets her tell the Katharine Hepburn story, which is not the Kath story except in small measure.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve enjoyed every biography I’ve read written by Charlotte Chandler. She is so lucky to have met and interviewed so many stars. Her books flow easily and I love that she gives details about the films the actress or actor is in. Katharine Hepburn is a legend and I learned quite a bit I didn’t know about her.

[Ann · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was entertaining and chatty. Chandler spends a lot of space on plot outlines of all of Hepburn's movies. I had no idea she made a movie with Bob Hope! There are some interesting anecdotes, but no big insights for anyone who knows the biographical basics of Hepburn's life/career.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an actress who lived a full life and did a wealth of movies and won an extraordinary amount of Oscars. One book you should not put aside but rather read cover to cover. This is a must read book for all book lovers of classic movie actors and actresses!!

[Brenda · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was a bit hard to follow. I never knew at times who was the person speaking. And there weren't any surprises.

[Elstirling · Rating 5 out of 5]

Always enjoyed Katharine Hepburn’s movies and enjoyed reading her thoughts about her life.

[Jennifer · Rating 2 out of 5]

Didn't finish, very slow

[Ari · Rating 4 out of 5]

IQ "I have the photographs of the people I love. I don't have any pictures of myself. I don't need pictures of me. I have me" Katharine Hepburn pg. 302

This was the first book I've read about Katharine Hepburn, or about any one movie star actually. I'm not sure what to make of it only because its hard to tell if its the real Kathy or Katharine Hepburn, the public persona Kathy nicknamed "the Creature". She seems very much like her on-screen image and it seemed like the book was entirely under her control, which is good and bad. Its very "official" which makes me wonder if its 100% truthful. However I've decided that Katharine Hepburn is honest, she just omits certain private details.

Fiery, talks a mile-a-minute, very blunt. She mentions a few times that she didn't think she was beautiful, just skinny. I always thought she was lovely, elegant. But everyone does look better in black-and-white. Really though, I don't think she gave herself enough credit. The book is filled with her poignant thoughts and witty one-liners and charming stories. She seems a bit more reserved in the book in terms of her personal life but she's open about sex, with everyone except Spencer Tracy (and lets be honest that's who we care about the most)! For me this book did reaffirm why I'm not a big fan of the Hepburn-Tracy romance, she talks about how he never said "I love you" and I think he did cheat on her a few times. She didn't deserve that. She's so fabulous she deserved someone who was gonna challenge her like Tracy but also love her back 100%. I just don't get that impression about Tracy...I also loved how Hepburn had nothing bad to say about guys she had affairs with. Then again, her exes she hated she might have decided not to talk about.

The transitions are awful. Its not always clear when the author is explaining something or when its her interviewee talking. Also I wish the author/Katharine Hepburn had talked more about her family. She mentions her older brother Tom a lot, since they were very close and his suicide deeply affected her. But she rarely mentions her other siblings. I would have liked to know what they thought of her acting, did they begrudgingly support her like her father? Oh and way more pictures were needed!

It was a really nice touch of the author to include lengthy interviews with Katherine Hepburn's co-workers and friends (and its not a hunky-dory image all the time. People do point out her flaws such as her bossy manner). Ultimately I finished this book with a renewed resolve to watch all of Katherine Hepburn's great films that I haven't seen yet, before summer ends (Morning Glory, Little Women, Stage Door, Woman of the Year). Along with her favorites (Pat&Mike).

Other fav quotes: [referring to her ex-husband, S. Ogden Ludlow] "When I married him, I wasn't certain about what I was doing, although I couldn't imagine that I would ever like anyone more than I liked him. I could imagine the possibility that I would love someone more or feel greater passion, but liking is very important." pg. 58

"She [referring to her dear friend Laura Harding] was an objective observer of my life in Hollywood and elsewhere, and that gave her a different perspective on what I was experiencing than on my own. When you are so involved in your own life, its ups and downs, and your own emotions are at play, you need someone standing back and watching who isn't so involved in your life a you are, who can explain your life to you." pg. 70

"In our private life, Spencer didn't talk a lot, but what he said counted. It suited me because I always preferred a man who didn't talk too much, for two reasons. One, it doesn't seem manly to me for a man to babble, and second, if he talked a lot, we would be talking at the same time. You know, the way birds do. I think I don't talk as much nw as I once did. I don't think I have the same drive to communicate because so may of the people I wanted to communicate with are gone to where no one can communicate with them." pg. 234

[Angela · Rating 4 out of 5]

This books starts off with the death of her brother.

She even took his date of birth as her own Nov. 8th. Kate said she was a fake Scorpio.

He lacked confidence and father’s competitive spirit. She taught her father had sadness, but shame that his eldest son would have that kind of weakness. A great deal of everything was a matter of will.

There are a lot of quotes in this book!

Don’t let fear control you. Panic destroys your rational ability.

Her father made her take ice cold baths.

He didn’t like complainers or whiners. As lucky as we were had no right to complain.

She wanted to be called Jimmy no one said anything. So she said it again, and still nothing. Words weren’t doing it So she cut off her hair. Still not much attention was given. Her parents were pretty smart people.

She wanted to be a boy because she was athletic. She was never told what a beautiful child you have. She was never vain. She didn’t think she could compete with other girls.

She loved going to the movies Empire, Majestic, strand.

Try not to hear and see bad things which can over whelm you. If you think about it you have given them the power to go on hurting you.

Her mother was never a nag. The kids would play loudly and that’s what kids are to do. When you are a mother you give up your self for them. She hated when people said don’t to their children. Their lives were a series of unexamined limitations imposed by others who found it easy to just say don’t.

Page 48 I didn’t want to know about her parents sex life.

Page. 53 proud of nude pictures

page 54-55 her sex life

Page 56-59 marriage

page 64-65 metal pieces in her eye

Page 71 A bill of Divorcement 1932 John Barrymore I wonder if related to Drew I’ll have to look that up

page 74 affair with Leland Hayward

She slept with Howard Hughes to get The Philadelphia Story.

“Oh, Spence”
He told me he felt over rewarded
Plumber is a honorable job

page 154 Gretchen was Loretta Young real name
She had a affair with Spencer Tracey and Clark Gable.

Getting kinda bored because all the movie reviews

page 235 Spencer death

Page 309 I was bloody Lucky. I worked hard for it, but other people who worked just as hard weren’t so lucky.

Page 318 Writer’s have that chance to say all the bad things about you that they were afraid to say when you were alive, or nothing because they forgotten you because you out lived your fame.

All in all it was a great book but sometimes you didn't know who was speaking to who.

[Amanda · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don’t read many biographies. I’ve not read Katharine Hepburn’s autobiography or any other biographies of her, nor have I read any of Charlotte Chandler’s other books.

At first I was put off by the odd writing style of this book – Chandler uses long quotes to tell the story, only rarely adding in her own statements for clarification. However, once I got used to it, I enjoyed the book. It felt like you were just following a series of conversations, which do tend to ramble at times. The structure may have seemed awkward at times, but the voices seemed mostly genuine.

So upon finishing, I was ready to give the book a good review. Then, I became curious about the author, who seemed to have access to so many Hollywood stars and insiders. I couldn’t find much info about Chandler, and then I read some very negative book reviews from Katharine Hepburn fans, who seemed to think they know her style of speech, and think the Chandler book is a big lie.

Now I’m not sure what to think. I’m not convinced Chandler’s book is a complete fabrication, but I would certainly be disappointed if it were.

[Just Janet · Rating 2 out of 5]

Like other reviewers, this author has a very odd writing style. Chandler interviewed Hepburn over many years and used long rambling quotes to tell the story. Her writing style was difficult to follow and, oftentimes, I didn't know who was speaking - Chandler, Hepburn or another character. Chandler would repeat the same stories over and over yet fail to cover any new ground. Concerning her relationship with Spencer Tracy, it was clear that Hepburn was still very private and protective of their relationship and only told those things that were already known rather than share more intimate details of their relationship. Her perogative to do so. The best parts of this book were the interview with Christopher Reeves; Hepburn recounting the making of the African Queen with Bogart and the the making of Guess who's coming to Dinner with Spencer Tracy. The endless plot summaries of her movies were tedious. What was missing in this book, and impossible to tell, was how Hepburn was able to "capture lighting in a bottle" whenever she performed. She was one of our greatest American actresses - pure magic - flaws and all.

[Kristin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a really good book that was insightful and yet also not exactly revealing. It's told mostly through interviews with Hepburn the author conducted in the 70s and 80s. In starts with a pivotal and defining moment in her life - the suicide of her older brother at 15. She finds his body. After that it's fairly chronological, and she's very candid, almost deliberately so. You get the impression that she is always telling you what she wants to tell you, and that's not bad. It describes the title of the book well. Some people might want more details about her relationship with Spencer Tracy or something, but it says more about her professional life, which I'd rather hear about. I'm not sure that's she kidding herself on some of the things she discusses, but you feel in some cases that she's clearly in command of her own story. Very good book. You can hear her voice as you read.

[Tricia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Katharine Hepburn is one of my favorite actresses; her intensity on screen is magnetic. She was just about that intense in real life. I really felt like I got to know her through this book. But, it left me wanting more. Her relationship with Spencer Tracy was alluded to often, but because she was so private about it and the book was in her own words for the most part I guess that's understandable.
The woman who wrote this book really didn't have a good handle on transitioning from one piece to another, or how to string moments together to create a whole. The chapter which covers Hepburn's film career is particularly arduous.
Overall, worth reading just because I adore Katharine Hepburn.

[Shawn Hondorp · Rating 3 out of 5]

I went back and forth on this book. It was kinda of just a bunch of random quotes from Katherine Hepburn and people that knew here and at times it felt haphazard which annoyed me. I liked the personal details about her life, which seemed to be heavier in the beginning and in the end. Her relationship with her family and Spencer Tracy was interesting, although I would have definitely liked a few more details. The middle 3rd was a bit of a push to get through, but I'm glad I finished it because I liked some of her quotes in the end. She was certainly and interesting character and its always interesting to see what types of people result from certain upbringings.

[Tracyrn03 · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am not one to read biographies, but I have always been in love with Kate's acting ability, intelligence, bravery and raw honesty. To have been able to sit down and have tea and conversation with one of our all time true celebrities, had to be remarkable. It's start out with the death of Kate's brother so I almost put it away in a box, but I urged myself to come back to it and was very fulfilled, enlightened and just found more respect and love for this human being. There are two other books about Kate that I am looking forward to finding and reading but some how I feel this is the one all should read :-).

[Tollula · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you are as facinated by Katherine Hepburn as I am, read this book. It is a great supplement to her autobiography "Me: Stories of My Life". Read her book first then pickup "I know where I'm going". It picks up on stories that were left out from her book. There includes more intimate details of her relationship with Spencer Tracy and Howard Hughes, as well as oral interviews with people who have worked with her. The author, Chandler, was able to get her friends to open up about her. Chandler does a great job of complimenting Katherine's life with how other people viewed her.

[Ann · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've been a Katherine Hepburn fan since I was young, so I've waited for this supposed "authoritative" bio that would include details not found in any of the books Hepburn wrote about her own life, or others wrote. Only because I was home sick did I even finish this book, which is poorly written and edited, and often, hard to believe. There are so many inaccuracies and inconsistencies for even those who casually know about Hepburn that reader would be better off reading the movie star's own story of her life.

[Jos-Madelaine Standing · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked learning about the Suffragists in the early 1920s - one of which being K Hepburns' mother - and how strong and defiant they were.

How Katherine's whole life was an act at the start to 'be bigger than the world may have perceived her to be,' (should they had known about superflous details such as money and her somewhat humble beginnings) is wholly fascinating and inspiring.

[Bookho · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very unique biography in that it is almost exclusively in Katharine Hepburn's words. The author used hours of interviews with her to map out her life, from the death of her beloved older brother to her relationship with Spencer Tracy. Interesting and informative.

[The Book Studio]

Chelsey Philpot reviews I Know Where I'm Going by Charlotte Chandler on The Book Studio.

[Kathryn · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book gave insight to Katharine Hepburn's life, but I found it difficult to read because Hepburn's words were not distinguished from the author's words. It took some reading to decide who was speaking.

[Peg · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fair bio of Katherine Hepburn. I much preferred one I read back in 1972.
This book uses the plays and movies in which she performed to tell the story. The other book was much more about her as a person.