Without Love (1945)

No, this is not at the level of the better known Tracy-Hepburn movies, like Desk Set or Woman of the Year. But it's pleasant enough viewing for the time it takes.What I found interesting was that sometimes the two main characters really hurt each other, something we don't see in the later T-H comedies. These are not perfect people, and they are not always careful of each other's feelings.As several others have noted, Lucille Ball gets good material here and does a fine job of it. Somewhat like Mary Astor in Philadephia Story.For me, the weakest part is Keenan Wynn's relationship to Edwina. What could she possibly have to attract him, or any man? So, a pleasant enough pastime, though I will probably have forgotten most of it by tomorrow.

During WWII there was a housing shortage in Washington, DC, and that's what sets the plot in motion in Without Love. Jamie Rowan (Hepburn), a fairly well-off widow, advertises for a caretaker for her Washington home (she also has a place in the country) and Pat Jamison (Tracy), a scientist working on an aviation invention for the government (but with no skill at taking care of the house) moves in. Both these people have been deeply hurt by love, she by the death of her husband, he by rejection from a woman he loved. They decide on a marriage "without love" because they want companionship without emotional entanglement. Lucille Ball and Keenan Wynn play another couple, Carl Esmond is a man attempting to romance Kate; Patricia Morison plays an attractive bitch.I guess the movie doesn't really reach any heights, but it's a lovely, thoughtful, intelligent, warm and yet surprisingly sharp comedy, with very good acting. The film creates a little world and invites you in. Harold S. Bucquet (who took over Kate's film, Dragon Seed, when Jack Conway fell ill) had been the director of the MGM Dr. Kildare films, which were pretty darn good programmers. He brings a nice quality to this love story.

Without doubt, one of the weakest of the Tracy-Hepburn films, still somewhat better than "Desk Set" in 1957.Keenan Wynn really does some really good ham acting earlier in the film when he appears drunk. Lucille Ball, of all people, nearly plays it quite straight as a Realtor on the make for Wynn. These 2 potentially comical people really aren't that funny here. In fact, later in the film, it seems that Hepburn borrows some of the Ball antics later used on television's "I Love Lucy."Even with the title, we know how this is going to turn out: There has to be love, even for a couple joined together as he rejects love due to a bad experience, and she is rejecting it after her ideal marriage ends with the tragic death of her husband. This is supposed to be a marriage of convenience in war-time Washington.The science sequences are ridiculous at best.Little use is made of Patricia Morison, who gives quite a bitchy performance as a nasty, wealthy woman. She is the epitome of bitterness here.While the science sequences are inane, the picture's oxygen is literally sucked out.

While not the best of the Spencer Tracy/Katherine Hepburn pairings, this is a decent film about a platonic marriage. While predominantly a comedy, there are some marvelous dramatic exchanges between the two (for example, the scene where each describes why they don't want love again).Keenan Wynn lends levity with his alcoholic playboy role, and he is quite good at it. In fact, he is as likable in this film as I've ever seen him. Interesting also is a supporting role by a young Lucille Ball.There are times the script is witty and engaging, and other times it really seems to drag a bit. It's worth watching at least once, but it may not find a spot in your DVD collection, while most of the other Tracy/Hepburn films probably will.