How a newcomer snatched a career-defining role from a studio's biggest star in 1933
In short: Katharine Hepburn was not the original choice for the lead in Morning Glory. RKO initially tailored the script for their top attraction, Constance Bennett. Hepburn, then a newcomer, fought for the part, convinced the producer she was born to play it, and ultimately secured her first Academy Award win.
Morning Glory, a 1933 pre-Code drama, chronicles the ascent of Eva Lovelace, a small-town performer navigating the volatile world of Broadway. The film, adapted by Howard J. Green from an unproduced stage play by Zoë Akins, captures the high stakes of theatrical ambition. Eva’s journey is marked by financial instability and personal vulnerability, culminating in a dramatic opening night where she replaces a demanding star, Rita Vernon, to secure her own breakthrough.
The production process was as unconventional as the protagonist's rise. Director Lowell Sherman negotiated a unique arrangement with RKO: he secured one week of rehearsal time in exchange for a tight 18-day shooting schedule, which ran from April 21 to May 12, 1933. Notably, the film was shot in the exact sequence of the script, a rarity for feature films of the era. Despite the compressed timeline, the film proved successful, earning a profit of $115,000 after cinema circuits took their share.
The film’s legacy extends beyond its initial release, having been remade in 1958 as Stage Struck. It also found a second life in radio adaptations, including a 1938 Lux Radio Theatre broadcast starring Barbara Stanwyck and a 1942 version featuring Judy Garland. The title itself serves as a poignant metaphor for the fleeting nature of fame; as a character in the film notes, a morning glory is a flower that fades before the sun is high. Yet, for Eva Lovelace, the risk of such transience is a price she is willing to pay for her moment on stage.
Katharine Hepburn’s performance was the cornerstone of the film's success, earning her the first Academy Award for Best Actress of her career. Her weekly salary for the project was $2,500. While the character of Eva Lovelace remains a symbol of the fragile, intense pursuit of stardom, the film concludes on an optimistic note, with the protagonist embracing the uncertainty of her future with newfound confidence and resolve.
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- Summary by Intellect · source: Morning Glory (1933 film)
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