Editing Katharine Hepburn (section)

=== Career setbacks (1934–1938) ===
[[File:Hepburn mary of scotland.jpg|thumb|left|upright|alt=Hepburn dressed in medieval clothes, standing with a concerned look on her face.|In ''[[Mary of Scotland (film)|Mary of Scotland]]'' (1936), one of a series of unsuccessful films Hepburn made in this period]]

After the failure of ''Spitfire'' and ''The Lake'', RKO cast Hepburn in ''[[The Little Minister (1934 film)|The Little Minister]]'' (1934), based on a Victorian novel by [[James Barrie]], in an attempt to repeat the success of ''Little Women''.{{sfn|Berg|2004|p=105}} There was no such recurrence, and the picture was a commercial failure.{{sfn|Higham|2004|p=66}} The romantic drama ''[[Break of Hearts]]'' (1935) with [[Charles Boyer]] was poorly reviewed and also lost money.{{sfn|Berg|2004|p=106}} After three forgettable films, success returned to Hepburn with ''[[Alice Adams (1935 film)|Alice Adams]]'' (1935), the story of a girl's desperation to climb the social ladder. Hepburn loved [[Alice Adams (novel)|the book]] and was delighted to be offered the role.{{sfn|Higham|2004|p=68}} The film was a hit, one of Hepburn's personal favorites, and gave the actress her second Oscar nomination. She received the second most votes, after winner [[Bette Davis]].{{sfn|Berg|2004|p=109}}

Given the choice of her next feature, Hepburn decided to star in George Cukor's new project, ''[[Sylvia Scarlett]]'' (1935), which paired her for the first time with [[Cary Grant]].{{sfn|Berg|2004|p=109}} Her hair was cut short for the part, as her character masquerades as a boy for much of the film. Critics disliked ''Sylvia Scarlett'' and it was unpopular with the public.{{sfn|Berg|2004|p=110}} She next played [[Mary, Queen of Scots|Mary Stuart]] in [[John Ford]]'s ''[[Mary of Scotland (film)|Mary of Scotland]]'' (1936), which met with a similarly poor reception.{{sfn|Berg|2004|pp=111–112}} ''[[A Woman Rebels]]'' (1936) followed, a Victorian-era drama where Hepburn's character defied convention by having a child out of wedlock.{{sfn|Berg|2004|p=126}} ''[[Quality Street (1937 film)|Quality Street]]'' (1937) also had a period setting, this time a comedy. Neither movie was popular with the public, which meant she had made four unsuccessful pictures in a row.{{sfn|Berg|2004|p=112}}

Alongside a series of unpopular films, problems arose from Hepburn's attitude.{{sfn|Horton|Simmons|2007|p=120}} She had a difficult relationship with the press, with whom she could be rude and provocative.<ref name="lat life" /> When asked if she had any children, she snapped back, "Yes, I have five: two white and three colored."{{sfn|Kanin|1971|p=284}} She would not give interviews and denied requests for autographs,{{sfn|Kanin|1971|p=85}} which earned her the nickname "Katharine of Arrogance".{{sfn|Berg|2004|p=111}} The public was also baffled by her boyish behavior and fashion choices, and she became a largely unpopular figure.<ref name="lat life">{{cite news|last=McNamara |first=Mary |title=It was her defining role: life |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2003-jul-01-et-mary1-story.html |access-date=October 2, 2011 |newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]] |date=July 1, 2003 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120113051140/http://articles.latimes.com/2003/jul/01/entertainment/et-mary1 |archive-date=January 13, 2012}}</ref>{{sfn|Britton|2003|p=16}} Hepburn sensed that she needed to leave Hollywood,{{sfn|Berg|2004|p=114}} so she returned east to star in a theatrical adaptation of ''[[Jane Eyre]]''. It had a successful tour,{{sfn|Chandler|2011|p=105}} but, uncertain about the script and unwilling to risk failure after the disaster of ''The Lake'', Hepburn decided against taking the show to Broadway.{{sfn|Berg|2004|p=114}} Towards the end of 1936, Hepburn vied for the role of [[Scarlett O'Hara]] in ''[[Gone with the Wind (film)|Gone with the Wind]]''.{{sfn|Haver|1980|pp=237–238}} Producer David O. Selznick refused to offer her the part because he felt she had no sex appeal. He reportedly told Hepburn, "I can't see [[Rhett Butler]] chasing you for twelve years."{{sfn|Higham|2004|p=94}}

[[File:Bringing up baby film still.jpg|thumb|alt=Hepburn and Cary Grant in Bringing Up Baby, she is pointing at something and both look alarmed.|Hepburn made four films with [[Cary Grant]]. They are seen here in ''[[Bringing Up Baby]]'' (1938), which flopped on release, but has since become renowned as a classic [[screwball comedy]].{{sfn|Dickstein|2002|pp=48–50}}]]

Hepburn's next feature, ''[[Stage Door]]'' (1937), paired her with [[Ginger Rogers]] in a role that mirrored her own life—that of a wealthy society girl trying to make it as an actress.{{sfn|Berg|2004|p=116}} Hepburn was praised for her work at early previews, which gave her top billing over Rogers.{{sfn|Hepburn|1991|p=238}} The film was nominated for [[Academy Award for Best Picture|Best Picture]] at the Academy Awards, but it was not the box-office hit RKO had hoped for.{{sfn|Berg|2004|p=116}} Industry pundits blamed Hepburn for the small profit, but the studio continued its commitment to resurrecting her popularity.{{sfn|Berg|2004|p=117}} She was cast in [[Howard Hawks]]' [[screwball comedy]] ''[[Bringing Up Baby]]'' (1938), where she played a flighty heiress who loses a leopard while trying to woo a palaeontologist (Cary Grant). She approached the physical comedy of the film with confidence,{{sfn|Berg|2004|p=117}} and took tips on comedic timing from her co-star [[Walter Catlett]].{{sfn|Higham|2004|p=88}} ''Bringing Up Baby'' was acclaimed by critics, but it was nevertheless unsuccessful at the box office.{{sfn|Higham|2004|p=90}} With the genre and Grant both hugely popular at the time, biographer [[A. Scott Berg]] believes the blame lay with moviegoers' rejection of Hepburn.{{sfn|Berg|2004|p=118}}

After the release of ''Bringing Up Baby'', the Independent Theatre Owners of America included Hepburn on a list of actors considered "[[Box Office Poison (magazine article)|box office poison]]".{{sfn|Berg|2004|p=118}} Her reputation at a low, the next film RKO offered her was ''[[Mother Carey's Chickens (film)|Mother Carey's Chickens]]'', a [[B movie]] with poor prospects.{{sfn|Berg|2004|p=118}} Hepburn turned it down, and instead opted to buy out her contract for $75,000.{{sfn|Hepburn|1991|p=201}} Many actors were afraid to leave the stability of the [[studio system]] at the time, but Hepburn's personal wealth meant she could afford to be independent.{{sfnm|1a1=Verlhac|1y=2009|1p=8|2a1=Chandler|2y=2011|2p=142}} She signed on for the film version of ''[[Holiday (1938 film)|Holiday]]'' (1938) with [[Columbia Pictures]], pairing her for the third time with Grant, to play a stifled society girl who finds joy with her sister's fiancé. The comedy was positively reviewed, but it failed to draw much of an audience,{{sfn|Edwards|1985|p=166}} and the next script offered to Hepburn came with a salary of $10,000—less than she had received at the start of her film career.{{sfn|Berg|2004|p=119}} Reflecting on this change in fortunes, Andrew Britton writes of Hepburn, "No other star has emerged with greater rapidity or with more ecstatic acclaim. No other star, either, has become so unpopular so quickly for so long a time."{{sfn|Britton|2003|p=13}}