People

By Spencer Davidson

The 1,600 glittering spectators could have been excused if they became confused about what star was being honored. The subject of the Manhattan benefit for the American Academy of Dramatic Arts was Spencer Tracy, a 1923 academy graduate who went on to what he might have called a nice little career of 74 films and two Oscars. But the actual star of the evening, in the hearts of the audience at least, was Katharine Hepburn, Tracy's co-star in nine movies and his real-life love for more than 20 years, until his death in 1967. The evening featured her new documentary on Tracy (which will be on PBS this week). Following the recollections of such Tracy admirers as Frank Sinatra, Robert Wagner and Sidney Poitier, the 76-year-old Hepburn grinned broadly as she read off a list of Tracy's attributes, recorded when he first entered the academy: "Proportions -- good. Physical condition -- very good. Personality -- sensitive but masculine."