Back in the golden age of Hollywood, it was hard to tell where the actor ended, and the art began. For Katharine Hepburn, a legend known for being stubborn and independent, there was no line at all. She did her own stunts, and she was proud of that.
However, it also gave her a health problem that stuck with her forever.
‘Summertime’ 1955 Venice Filming and the Dangerous Canal Scene
This ordeal didn’t happen in Africa, where she got dysentery while making ‘The African Queen‘. It happens in Venice, during the 1955 filming of David Lean’s ‘Summertime‘. The movie is about a lonely American woman who finds love in Venice. There is a key scene where her character gets drunk and falls into a canal. It looks beautiful on screen, but the water in the canals was dirty. The one they used for the scene was especially stagnant.
Related: The Tragic Loss That Made Katharine Hepburn Hollywood’s Toughest Icon
Hepburn was ready to do the stunt herself. At first, she did not want to because she knew the water was polluted, and she asked them to use a double. But the director, David Lean, was very particular. He wanted it to look real and said that using a double would be too obvious and ruin the scene. As a result, Lean needed Hepburn to fall.
The crew tried to protect her by putting a strong disinfectant in the water to kill the germs. But it made a lot of foam, which made Hepburn even more nervous. They also covered her skin with Vaseline to keep the dirty water off. Lean made her do the fall four times to get it right.
Katharine Hepburn Eye Infection and Permanent Health Damage from Stunt
The scene looks great and provides a tense moment in the movie. But that night, Hepburn’s eyes started to itch and water severely. The dirty water and the chemicals had gotten into her eyes. The doctors said she had a rare and bad form of conjunctivitis. They treated the initial infection, but her eyes were permanently damaged. A film historian said that from that point on, the infection “stayed with her for the rest of her life.” She had to deal with it for decades.
In case you missed it: Why Katharine Hepburn Hated Working With Golden Age Beauty Elizabeth Taylor
Hepburn did not like to talk about her health problems. She would make jokes about her shaky hands instead of admitting she was sick. She kept doing her own stunts because, as one report simply put it, “the stunt woman never stood up straight enough.” That same dedication made her do the ‘Summertime‘ stunt over and over, even though she was scared. She gave up some of her long-term health just to get that one scene perfect.
The ‘Summertime‘ incident shows what it cost to be authentic in old Hollywood. That scene is one of the most famous in her career. It shows how brave she was and how strong Lean’s vision was. But there is a sad side to it. Hepburn was left with a lifelong health issue, all for the sake of a perfect moment on film.
You might also want to read: Why Katharine Hepburn Considered Bette Davis Her Biggest Hollywood Rival
