Desk Set

1957
PG
1h 43m

IMDb RATING

7.2/10

9.7K

YOUR RATING

Katharine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy in Desk Set (1957)

Trailer for this classic directed by Walter Lang

Play trailer2:18

1 Video

40 Photos

Comedy Romance

Two extremely strong personalities clash over the computerization of a television network's research department.Two extremely strong personalities clash over the computerization of a television network's research department.Two extremely strong personalities clash over the computerization of a television network's research department.

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

7.2/10

9.7K

YOUR RATING

See production info at IMDbPro

Videos1

Trailer 2:18

Desk Set

Photos40

+ 33

More like this

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7.1

6.7

7.2

6.6

6.3

7.7

6.9

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7.1

Storyline

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Did you know

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Trivia
Improvised Scene: Sumner is leaving Bunny's apartment, shortly after Mike leaves and Peg arrives, when Bunny and Sumner are recapping the afternoon's events for Peg. Sumner puts on the ruined shoes and grimaces as he tries to walk in them, which causes Bunny to laugh. He hobbles off stage and returns with his hat pulled down over his ears, his shirt dangling out of his pants, staggering as though drunk and talking crazy. This moment, including the women's hysterical laughter and Katharine Hepburn's nearly falling out of her chair, is spontaneous and not in the script.

Goofs
In the opening shot of the film at Rockefeller Center, the shot begins at ground level and tilts up the building, but it was clearly shot from the top of the building down to ground level and then reversed because all the people on the ground are walking backwards.

Quotes
[Sumner answers the phone while the girls are at a Christmas party]
Richard Sumner: Hello? Santa Claus's reindeer? Uh, why yes I can... let's see, there's Dopey, Sneezy, Grouchy, Happy, Sleepy, uh Rudolph, and Blitzen! You're welcome!

Crazy credits
Opening credits: "The filmmakers gratefully acknowledge the cooperation and assistance of the International Business Machines Corporation."

Connections
Featured in 20th Century-Fox: The First 50 Years (1997)

Soundtracks
Hark! The Herald Angels Sing
(uncredited)
Music by Felix Mendelssohn
Lyrics by Charles Wesley
Sung by a chorus during the shot of the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree

User reviews121

Review

Featured review

7/10

Trivial Pursuit with Emirac

Desk Set was the next to last teaming of Tracy and Hepburn and the first one away from MGM. It does have a different look to the product they did at MGM. Still good, but different. Probably because this was done in Cinemascope and Technicolor.

Hard to believe that Cinemascope would be used on a film essentially set indoors and on one set, the set being Hepburn's office. But that was to show the immense size of Emirac the giant computer being installed there which Katharine and her staff think is going to replace them.

Desk Set had been on Broadway two year ago and had a respectable run. It starred Shirley Booth in Katharine Hepburn's part and the rest of the cast were not names by any means. I'm sure Spencer Tracy's role had to be built up from the stage version.

Even so, the film is essentially Hepburn's. As usual in their films she has a rival to Tracy. In the past that part was played by such people as Melvyn Douglas, David Wayne, William Ching, and now Gig Young. It seemed like every movie comedy in the late 50s and early 60s had either Young or Tony Randall as the defeated rival role. Young gives his patented performance here.

A running gag throughout the film are the calls handled by Hepburn's staff at the broadcast network for inane information. Like someone up in the corporate headquarters is playing trivial pursuit.

Also look for good performances by Joan Blondell, Sue Randall, and Dina Merrill as Hepburn's staff and Neva Patterson as Emirac's installer and keeper.

A good addition to the Tracy-Hepburn pantheon.