New DVD collection showcases old-school battle of the sexes.(Daily Break)

By Mal Vincent

The Virginian-Pilot

The battle of the sexes was never so wry or brittle than during on-screen combat between Katharine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy.

She, more than often than not, played a sophisticate, sometimes with an impressive career. His roles cast him as the unpolished, rough-edged, often grouchy presence who responded to her high-society ways with puzzlement as well as disdain. He sought to bring her down off her pedestal. She sought to polish him, refine him and train him.

They both won. So, in fact, did the audience.

Now, all nine of the films they made together have been packaged for DVD as "Tracy and Hepburn: The Definitive Collection," on sale in stores today. ($59.92).

The films, which date from 1942 to 1967, remind us that the debates between smart, savvy couples still focus on some of the same topics: career vs. home, ego vs. ego, beer vs. champagne.

The best thing about their screen pairings is that they were evenly matched. You never could take it for granted that either side would win, although he almost always deflated her ego and she smoothed his edges. In this case, a draw meant a happy ending.

One of the best, "Woman of the Year," featured Hepburn as an internationally famous political writer who speaks multiple languages and meets with heads of state. Tracy played a sports writer. They work on the same newspaper and eventually marry. A classic scene comes when he takes her to a baseball game and tries to explain the rules.

A gem, too, is her effort to cook breakfast, the way other, less "emancipated" women are assumed to do.

My own favorite is "Adam's Rib," (1949) in which they play opposing lawyers. She defends Judy Holliday, who is accused of shooting her erring husband. In one of its most memorable scenes, Kate accuses Spence of using "typical male brutality" when he pats her at the conclusion of a massage. "What've you got back there - radar?" he asks.

No less hilarious is "Pat and Mike" (1952), in which she plays a star athlete and he is her manager. She is superior in every way when it comes to sports such as tennis and golf - but she is a stranger to the attentions of men.

One of the better political satires in movie annals is "State of the Union" (1948), in which she has a more timid role, as the wife of a political candidate. Angela Lansbury plays the villainess as the other woman who, for a change, is more "modern" than Hepburn. The workings of politics prove not to have been changed much.

"Desk Set" (1957) was the couple's first film in Cinemascope and, in effect, introduced them to a new generation. A comedy based on differences brought about by the advent of the computer is still timely. She played a librarian who is threatened with obsolescence by the new machinery (a forerunner of today's Internet). He is the expert who installs the computer.

"Guess Who's Coming to Dinner" (1967) is a fond and poignant farewell, since Tracy died within weeks of its completion. It is somewhat dated, however, in that its treatment of racial questions is no longer shocking.

Two of the films, "Keeper of the Flame"(1942) and "Sea of Grass" are not worth the effort. Ironically, they are the two that previously were not released for home video. "Without Love" (1945) is also forgettable. These are useful only to make the set "complete."

Tracy and Hepburn's off-screen legend is separate, but related. They were a pair for decades although he, in keeping with his Catholic religion, never divorced his wife. It was an era in which respect for the two quieted the press. Hepburn largely gave up the middle period of her career to care for him. His problems with alcoholism were well known. In the period after his death, she returned to the screen to receive three additional Academy Awards, to make her the all-time champion among actresses. (She has won four.)

In deference to his wife, she did not attend Spencer Tracy's funeral. She has gone public, however, since his death, particularly with the heartfelt documentary "The Spencer Tracy Legacy: A Tribute by Katharine Hepburn," in which she is joined by Tracy's daughter.

"Legacy" is included in the new collection. The 10-disc set also contains cartoons, short subjects and previews, an apparent effort to re-create the moviegoing experience of the era.

The movie genre that has most been in need of repair during the past year is the romantic comedy. Tracy and Hepburn brought a maturity to their scripts that is missing in theaters today. Their pairings remind us that there is more to romance, and friendship, than superficiality. These two were evenly matched in a way that was a winner for the moviegoing public.

Mal Vincent, (757) 446-2347,mal.vincent@pilotonline.com

CAPTION(S):

Katharine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy on the set of "State of the Union" in 1948.