Phoebe and Henry Ephron (When Harry Met Sally screenwriter Nora's parents) wrote the stage-to-screen adaptation for this efficiently smart and sophisticated 1957 romantic comedy starring the incomparable Katharine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy. A workplace comedy set at a time when automation rather than outsourcing was the leading source of worker insecurity, Desk Set stars Hepburn as Bunny, an "old fashioned" head researcher for the Federal Broadcasting Company, with Tracy playing Sumner, the "methods engineer" who has developed the "electronic brain" Bunny fears will replace her and her coworkers (Joan Blondell, Dina Merrill, and Sue Randall). Of course, it computes that these natural born adversaries will interface. Though the love story is predictable (poor Gig Young, as Bunny's rising executive boyfriend of seven years, never has a chance), Desk Set is essential for all library collections: this is the Citizen Kane of librarian films, a celebration of the profession's tireless reference efforts, fielding phone calls about everything from batting averages to the Eskimo habit of rubbing noses. Presented in Fox's acclaimed “Studio Classics” line in a widescreen format (a vast improvement over previously released pan-and-scan versions that could not accommodate all four researchers onscreen at the same time), the DVD also includes an audio commentary track by film historian John Lee (uncredited on the box) and Dina Merrill, but Neva Patterson, listed as a commentary co-participant, seems to be missing in action. Recommended. (D. Liebenson)[Blu-ray Review—Dec. 17, 2013—Fox, 103 min., not rated, Blu-ray: $24.99—Making its first appearance on Blu-ray, 1957's Desk Set sparkles with a solid transfer and DTS-HD mono audio. Extras include audio commentary by costar Dina Merrill and film historian John Lee, the brief Fox Movietone News segment “Designers Inspired for New Creation” on the set, and trailers. Bottom line: a librarian's favorite makes a delightful Blu-ray debut.]
Desk Set
Fox, 103 min., not rated, DVD: $14.98 Volume 19, Issue 4
Desk Set
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