Tony Mastroianni Review Collection
Katharine Hepburn - Chanel No.1
Cleveland Press January 1, 1971
Katharine Hepburn will be in Cleveland for two weeks beginning Jan. 11 at the Music Hall in the musical "Coco." In it it she plays Gabrielle "COCO" Chanel, the most famous of French designers.
Playing no-nonsense business women is he sort of role that has happened frequently in her career. There is a touch of the no-nonsense about her personally as well.
When the program book for "Coco" was being prepared she wanted no part of sugary prose describing each thing she had ever done as a major hit.
APPENDED TO a chronological list of almost 60 plays and movies in which she has appeared were some very frank marginal notes. If the production received raves she said so. But she also said other things.
"Fired out of town, mixed reviews," she notes for "Art and Mrs. Bottle."
"Lead . . . fired after first night she states for ''The Big Pond."
SOME OF THE OTHER productions and her comments:
"A Bill of Divorcement" -- raves.
"Christopher Strong" -- mixed.
"The Lake" -- Roasted by all . . . bottom of the heap in two and a half hours.
"Sylvia Scarlet" -- total disaster.
"Break of Hearts" -- bore.
"Mary of Scotland" -- roasted.
"Holiday" -- mediocre, box office poison, couldn't get job.
"Philadelphia Story" -- raves; on tour, raves. And of the movie-raves, nominated.
IN FAIRNESS to Miss Hepburn it should be noted that there were abundant raves, that she is the only actress ever to have won three Academy Awards.
Two of them came in successive years for "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner" and "The Lion in Winter."
Recently completed but not yet released is another film, "The Trojan Women" which was filmed in Spain. Also in that movie -- Vanessa Redgrave, Genevieve Bujold and Irene Papas.
But right now she is on the road in "Coco," the first time since "As You Like It" which was 20 years ago.
Caption under headshot of Hepburn: Miss Hepburn won her third Oscar two years ago as Eleanor of Aquitaine in "The Lion in Winter."
