Among the many letters that Ginger Rogers received for her work in the film, this was the one that she treasured the most: "Hello Cutie-- Saw 'Kitty' last night and must write this note to say 'That's it!' Yes, yes, a thousand times yes! You were superb, Ginge--it was such a solid performance--the kind one seldom sees on stage or screen and it should bring you the highest honors anyone can win!! Hope to see you soon, As ever your, Fred."
Ginger Rogers was initially reluctant to take on the lead role, as the novel the film was based on contained explicit sexuality, and Kitty has an abortion in it. Rogers' mother advised her to wait until she saw the screenplay before making up her mind, pointing out that the production code wouldn't allow most of the material she found objectionable to be seen in films anyway. Sure enough, the adapted screenplay was clean enough for Rogers.
Ginger Rogers wore a dress in the film that instantly became so popular that, to this day, the style is known within the garment trade as a "Kitty Foyle" dress. Characteristically, this would be a sleeved dress in black or navy with a white or ecru collar and cuffs.
After Ginger Rogers' Oscar win for this film, she returned to RKO and was greeted by staffers and actors in top hats and tails.
Ginger Rogers would listen to Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's "Romeo and Juliet" in her dressing room to get her into the mood for her sad scenes.
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