The Iron Petticoat

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The Iron Petticoat
Directed by	Ralph Thomas
Produced by	Betty E. Box Harry Saltzman
Written by	Ben Hecht Harry Saltzman
Starring	Bob Hope Katharine Hepburn
Music by	Benjamin Frankel
Cinematography	Ernest Steward
Distributed by	London Films
Release date(s)	1956
Running time	87 min.
Language	English
IMDb profile

The Iron Petticoat is a 1956 motion picture directed by Ralph Thomas, starring Bob Hope and Katharine Hepburn. The original story Not for Money was written by Ben Hecht with Hepburn in mind to play Captain Vinka Kovelenko, a Russian aviatrix who lands in West Germany. After defecting she is quickly converted to capitalism after sampling life in the West in the company of Major Chuck Lockwood (Hope). There are subplots with Lockwood trying to marry Connie (Noelle Middleton), a member of the British upper class, and Communist agents trying to get Kovelenko to come back to the U.S.S.R.

The main story owes a lot to Greta Garbo's Ninotchka. However, Hope turned the script over to his own writers to punch it up and tailor it to his style. Supposedly a lot of Hepburn's best scenes ended up on the cutting room floor. Eventually Hecht insisted that his name be removed from the credits, and printed an open letter in the film trade journals disclaiming the picture and offering Hepburn and her fans an apology. The film's credits ended up saying it was "Based on an Original Story by Harry Saltzman" and this Cold War comedy is arguably Hepburn's worst film appearance.^{[citation needed]}