Katherine Hepburn vs. Oklahoma State Police

First posted on 10-31-2007

It may have been the early 1950’s but , by her own account, the actress Katherine Hepburn was one fiery lady.

During her 1950-1951 U.S. tour to promote “As You Like It,” the feisty woman was stopped for speeding by an Oklahoma state trooper. But documents left by the actress who passed away in 2003 at the age of 96, say she tore into the officer with venom.

Apparently, Hepburn called the man a “moron,” said he was “handsome in a dull sort of way, and snapped that she was sorry she did not have a week to take off to deal with his complaint. Finally, she threatened that if she ever found an Oklahoma car in her domicile state of Connecticut, “I would flatten all the tires.”

This account was taken from boxes of Hepburn’s journals and memorabilia recently donated to the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts. The material is slated to go on display at the library in February.

There are 22 boxes in all – stuffed with the minutiae of Hepburn’s life. There, she recorded her impressions of life on the road and even detailed routes taken, box office receipts, stage dimensions and critiques of her performances as well as hotel service.

The boxes had been stored at her home in Manhattan after her death.