Despite her liberalism, Kate Hepburn mostly got on well her political opposites, including John Wayne, who kissed her on lips and called her a "hell of a woman". She laughed when her long time lover Spencer Tracy told story of visiting her family home in Connecticut. During dinner, her father Doc Hepburn and Kate got into a lively discussion as to what needed to be done by rich to help poor. Tired of their moralizing, Tracy went out to porch for a smoke. After a couple puffs, he noticed a very poor, very lost looking Mexican fisherman, had come onto property. "Hey better get another plate ready in there, poor are here to collect," said Tracy. Old man Hepburn came out on porch. "Hey you, get hell out of here! I'll sick dogs on you." After frightened fisherman ran away Doc Hepburn told startled Tracy," Got to get alarms fixed." Then men went back inside, and Hepburns resumed their discussion on how to help poor.

Hepburn was a fearless and generous performer. She fell backwards into garbage filled Venice canals five times to please Director David Lean for filming Summertime (1950), causing a permanent eye infection. She gave up her close-up scenes to Judy Holiday to help advance latter's career during filming of Adam's Rib (1949). She swam with crocodiles while filming "The African Queen" in 1951 and 30 years later dove in freezing cold of Squam Lake in Laconia, New Hampshire without a wet suit, during making of On Golden Pond. She was admired by women for her strong, independent stances, but her first marriage ended in divorce, and her lover Spencer Tracy never divorced his wife Louise. After he died in 1967 Hepburn disappointed feminists many times by saying she did not believe a woman could have it all, meaning both a successful career and a relationship.

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The film that most historians consider worst ever made includes flying saucers hanging from strings, wiggling tombstones, and day scenes suddenly turning into night. It was originally called "Grave Robbers From Outer Space" but Baptist ministers who financed it objected to that title, so director Ed Wood changed it to Plan Nine From Outer Space (1959), never explaining what first eight plans were. Four days before shooting began film's intended star, morphine addicted Bela Lugosi passed away due to a heart attack. He was replaced by Wood's wife's chiropractor, who was considerably taller and disguised his appearance by holding a cape over his face. Being mistaken for others was nothing new for temperamental Hungarian thespian. Forgotten by Hollywood producers (some who thought he had died years before) Lugosi had scraped by in early fifties by doing one man shows as Dracula. One night he was strolling through a small town when a young boy eagerly approached him with an autograph pad. "You see," he told a companion. "They know me everywhere." He took pad from boy then hesitated before signing. "And what is my name young man?" Without missing a beat kid said," Boris Karloff."

Special effects in low budget horror films often take very creative turns. In The Incredible Shrinking Man (1957) director Jack Arnold was stumped as how to show effect of giant rain drops falling around his protagonist, played by Grant Williams. Then he remembered as a kid dropping water balloons out of his third story apartment building window and impact they made when missed their intended target and hit sidewalk. Arnold gathered crew around and said,"Anybody here got a condom?" There was nervous laughter. "It's for an experiment for movie. Come on you guys." Reluctantly, one of men reached into his pocket. Filling contraceptive with water and dropping it worked perfectly on film. A few days later a female bean counter from Universal's front office approached Arnold. "I was looking over budget and was struck by all contraceptives you purchased. That's an unusual expense." Arnold said," Well everyone on film has done such a great job I thought I would reward them with a big party." "Oh I- I see," replied flustered woman. "Well. Carry on then."