Editing Ruth Gordon (section)

=== 1940s ===
Gordon was signed to a [[Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer]] film contract for a brief period in the early 1930s, but did not make a movie for the company until her supporting role in [[Greta Garbo]]'s final film ''[[Two-Faced Woman]]'' (1941). Gordon had better luck at other studios in Hollywood, appearing in supporting roles in a string of films, including ''[[Abe Lincoln in Illinois (film)|Abe Lincoln in Illinois]]'' (as [[Mary Todd Lincoln]]), ''[[Dr. Ehrlich's Magic Bullet]]'' (as Mrs. Ehrlich) and ''[[Action in the North Atlantic]]'', in the early 1940s. Gordon's Broadway acting appearances in the 1940s included Iris in [[Paul Vincent Carroll]]'s ''The Strings, My Lord, Are False'', Natasha in [[Katharine Cornell]] and [[Guthrie McClintic]]'s revival of [[Anton Chekhov]]'s ''[[Three Sisters (play)|Three Sisters]]'', and leading roles in her plays ''Over Twenty-One'' and ''The Leading Lady''.

Gordon married her second husband, writer [[Garson Kanin]], in 1942. Gordon and Kanin collaborated on the screenplays for the [[Katharine Hepburn]]&nbsp;– [[Spencer Tracy]] films ''[[Adam's Rib]]'' (1949) and ''[[Pat and Mike]]'' (1952). Both films were directed by [[George Cukor]]. They were close friends of Hepburn and Tracy, and they incorporated elements of the actors' personalities in the films. Gordon and Kanin received [[Academy Award]] nominations for both of those screenplays as well as for ''[[A Double Life (1947 film)|A Double Life]]'' (1947), also directed by Cukor.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://catalog.afi.com/Film/25521-A-DOUBLE-LIFE?cxt=filmography|title=AFI{{!}}Catalog A Double Life (1948) History|website=catalog.afi.com|access-date=2020-02-02}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://catalog.afi.com/Film/25613-ADAMS-RIB?sid=c28a11b0-6ca3-45c3-93f1-da138c051047&sr=22.19036&cp=1&pos=0|title=AFI{{!}}Catalog Adam's Rib (1949) History|website=catalog.afi.com|access-date=2020-02-02}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://catalog.afi.com/Film/50612-PAT-ANDMIKE?sid=f9f07450-f8e1-42f4-9fe1-390cdbe1652f&sr=13.860557&cp=1&pos=0|title=AFI{{!}}Catalog Pat and Mike (1952) History|website=catalog.afi.com|access-date=2020-02-02}}</ref>