Desk Set (1957)

100% of critics liked it
(16 reviews)
81% of users liked it
(5,677 ratings)

Based on the Broadway play by Robert Fryer and Lawrence Carr, Desk Set represents the eighth screen teaming of Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn. Hepburn plays the head of a TV network research department; Tracy plays an efficiency expert, hired to modernize Hepburn's operation. When Tracy has a… More Based on the Broadway play by Robert Fryer and Lawrence Carr, Desk Set represents the eighth screen teaming of Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn. Hepburn plays the head of a TV network research department; Tracy plays an efficiency expert, hired to modernize Hepburn's operation. When Tracy has a huge computer installed, Hepburn and her co-workers (including Joan Blondell and Sue "Miss Landers" Randall) fear that they're going to lose their jobs. Their suspicions are confirmed when the computer merrily begins issuing pink termination slips. But something is obviously amiss: the computer not only fires the ladies, but also the head of the network--and Tracy, who isn't even on the company payroll! At this point, Tracy explains that the computer was designed to help Hepburn and her staff and not replace them; he also confesses that, given the pink-slip incident, this might not have been such a hot idea. But Hepburn, who has fallen in love with Tracy, is in just the right mood to forgive him--and doesn't need to consult her research files to come up with this decision. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Play Trailer

Rating, Runtime: Unrated, 1 hr. 43 min.
Directed By: Walter Lang
Written By: Phoebe Ephron, Henry Ephron
Genres: Romance, Classics, Comedy

In Theaters: Jan 1, 1957 Wide
On DVD: May 4, 2004
Studio: Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment

Critic Reviews

Bosley Crowther, New York Times
[Miss Hepburn and Mr. Tracy] can tote phone books on their heads or balance feathers on their chins and be amusing -- which is about the size of what they do here.
Dave Kehr, Chicago Reader
The least, perhaps, of the Spencer Tracy-Katharine Hepburn collaborations...this 1957 comedy is nevertheless a bright and witty vehicle for its stars, directed well and anonymously by that fine old hack Walter Lang.
Emanuel Levy, EmanuelLevy.Com
Mildly amusing but not great comedy, penned by the Ephrons from a stage play, this eighth teaming of Tracy and Hepburn places the battle of the sexes in the workplace against the threat of new technology.
Jeffrey M. Anderson, Combustible Celluloid
Desk Set is a big, shiny, doohickey coasting on the warm offerings of earlier triumphs.
Carol Cling, Las Vegas Review-Journal
The Spence & Kate show starts to show its age.
Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews
So refreshingly smart.
Christopher Null, Filmcritic.com
Desk Set is quaintly funny and has a few memorable moments...it's ultimately harmless fun with a gossamer message about technology and gender roles.
Bill Chambers, Film Freak Central
You'd never find a backer for a rom-com with this little relationship anxiety now
Marjorie Baumgarten, Austin Chronicle
One of the great Tracy-Hepburn pairings, this adaptation from the Broadway stage focuses on the love that grows from the contentious relationship...
Robert Roten, Laramie Movie Scope
One of the better Tracy-Hepburn screen pairings.
Ken Hanke, Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)
Stagey, but pleasant star vehicle

Read all 11 critic reviews

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Featured Audience Ratings

Jennifer X

What I really appreciated in this movie was that Hepburn was like - what, 50? - and Tracy approaching 60, and they could still create a magic movie that never, ever alludes to their age (which modern studio execs, particularly Nancy Meyers, would absolutely leap on). Also, I think… More
What I really appreciated in this movie was that Hepburn was like - what, 50? - and Tracy approaching 60, and they could still create a magic movie that never, ever alludes to their age (which modern studio execs, particularly Nancy Meyers, would absolutely leap on). Also, I think that Joan Blondell is a ton of fun. It's nice to know she held onto her spark til the end.
AJ V

Even people today can relate to the problems of modernization in the workplace, which is what this movie deals with, but in a humourous way. Hepburn and Tracy are great together as always, and this movie is a lot of fun.
Red L

It is always fun to watch Katharine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy. Imagine a movie about a computer replacing staff researchers! Actually, the movie is a bit silly. Of course, Tracy and Hepburn fall for each other, so the computer story-line is only a side issue.
jay n

the best of the tracy-hepburn movies with a wonderful supporting cast. Did Joan Blondell ever give a bad performance?
Michael G

A very fun and very dated movie--which is a lot of the charm for me.
Daniel P

The performances of Tracy and Hepburn - and sometimes the writing - make <i>Desk Set</i> an addictive watch, but to be totally frank it's also a pretty awful film and the computer angle must have seemed ridiculous even in 1957.
Sunil J

Katherine Hepburn's character is a little pathetic at time the way she clings to this loser guy but this is a really good movie wtih some very sharp humor.