Johnny Simmons

Some weeks are lucky to have one legend born in them, but not just this week – this day – marks the birth of three Oscar winning legends of the cinema: Bette Davis, Gregory Peck and Spencer Tracy. Because I’m such a devout follower of Kate Hepburn, it’s difficult for me not to think of Tracy in conjunction with her. He, obviously, has worth outside of his tempestuous liaison with the First Lady of Cinema. Tracy was the first man to win consecutive Oscars. Davis, was the second woman to win two Best Actress statues and I’m sure if I looked hard enough I’d find some Oscar record that Gregory Peck was a part of.

Of the three, I know the least of Peck – he reminds me of James Cagney in the sense that he’s obviously revered as an archetype of his time, but his name doesn’t endure like Brando or even Gable. I know that Paolo is a unremitting fan of Davis, another actor I can’t help but thinking in conjunction with Kate. When Kate won her third Oscar for The Lion in Winter Bette famously quipped that she’d never accept “half” an Oscar, which I find hilarious. I also think of her in conjunction with Kate because she was 1/3 of a flawless Best Actress trio in 1940 (other two being Hepburn and Fontaine) – naturally, none of them won, but I digress.

            

I can’t confess unmitigated love for all three – but I won’t deny that they’re each irreplaceable as far as classic cinema goes. Which three films of theirs would you remember them most for? My three: All About Eve, Woman of the Year, To Kill A MockingbirdWhat Ever Happened to Baby Jane?, Inherit the Wind, To Kill A Mockingbird.