Pat and Mike

"Pat and Mike" and images © MGM/UA Home Video


Alfalfa eagerly demonstrates how Katherine Hepburn
disposed of Charles Bronson in a scene from "Pat and Mike".
Click to enlarge.


Spencer Tracy is a Damon Runyonesque sportswriter (Mike) who develops an "interest" in Katherine Hepburn, who plays a talented golf and tennis player (Pat). Eventually he becomes her de-facto manager. A couple of tough guys try to horn in on the arrangement (they're played by a youthful Charles Bronson—still using the name "Charles Buchinsky"—and George Matthews, known to legions of "Honeymooners" fans as Harvey, the pool hall behemoth who Ralph foolishly challenges to a boxing match).

Bronson and Matthews pay a visit to Tracy and Hepburn while they are having dinner at a posh restaurant. The thugs ask Tracy to step outside so they can "reason" with him. Alfalfa, playing a busboy in the background, sees this happen. Hepburn must come to the rescue of an outnumbered Tracy, and as she completes her rout of Bronson and Matthews, a crowd which has gathered outside the restaurant cheers enthusiastically at Hepburn's prowess. The cheering group is led by Alfalfa.

The next scene is at the police station. Chuck Connors plays the police captain who is trying to get to the bottom of the Hepburn assault. She is there too, along with Tracy, Bronson, Matthews, and Alfalfa. Connors asks them if anybody saw what went on.

Alfalfa [steps forward, eager to tell what he saw]: I sure did, I—

He is cut off by Tracy, who is none too eager to reveal the actual facts of what happened, not only because he wants to keep his relationship with the thugs as quiet as possible, but because he is embarrassed at Hepburn having to come to his defense.



Connors continues to press the issue, and Alfalfa again chimes in.

Alfalfa: Yeah, this guy here with the glasses on [Matthews], he started it like he was gonna throw a punch!
Hepburn: That's when I ran down there.
Alfalfa [admiringly]: Yeah, like hell fleet, she ran down there!
Matthews: I never threw no punch.
Alfalfa: No, he didn't get the chance to...


Hepburn apologizes to George Matthews (pool hall bully
Harvey in "The Honeymooners") while Alfalfa looks on.


Later, Bronson refuses to re-enact the part of the melee in which Hepburn twisted him into a pretzel. So Alfalfa eagerly jumps in to assume Bronson's part. Hepburn grabs Alfalfa's arm, and he begins crumpling to ground in a contorted position, to re-enact what he saw Bronson do.

Alfalfa: Yeah, she grabbed him by the wrist and went halfway down like this, see..so she took the jack out of his hand and looked at it and whomped him right on the head, then he fell the rest of the way, like this! [Alfalfa drops to the ground dramatically].


Alfalfa volunteers to re-enact
the brawl with Hepburn.
Click to enlarge.

During the remainder of the scene, Alfalfa has no additional dialogue, but is seen eagerly jockeying for an opportunity to continue testifying about what he saw.


Alfalfa listens intently to Charles Bronson and Spencer Tracy.

Of all Alfalfa's grownup appearances, this one quite possibly had the most notable group of co-stars per square inch: Tracy, Hepburn, Chuck Connors, a young Charles Bronson (who, incidentally is very funny in a comedic turn), and George Matthews, who, as mentioned, played the immortal pool hall bully Harvey on "The Honeymooners". Alfalfa's character is clearly jumping out of his skin to tell all of what he witnessed of the brawl that occurred outside his place of employment. During this scene, he gets a chance to display some nice physical comedy with the immortal Hepburn.

Alfalfa also appeared with Hepburn and Tracy—albeit in a smaller role—five years earlier in "State of the Union".

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