IMDb > The Women (1939)
The Women
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The Women (1939) More at IMDbPro »

Videos (see all 5)
The Women (1939) -- Open-ended Trailer from Warner Bros.
The Women (1939) -- Open-ended Trailer from Warner Bros.
The Women (1939) -- AllTrailers.net - Trailer (Flash)
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Overview

User Rating:
8.0/10   5,117 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Up 5% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
George Cukor
Writers:
Clare Boothe Luce (play)
Anita Loos (screenplay) ...
(more)
Contact:
View company contact information for The Women on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
1 September 1939 (USA) more
Genre:
Comedy | Drama more
Tagline:
The Female Of The Species . . . when the men aren't watching ! more
Plot:
Wealthy Mary Haines is unaware her husband is having an affair with shopgirl Crystal Allen. Sylvia Fowler... more | full synopsis
Plot Keywords:
more
Awards:
1 win more
NewsDesk:
(19 articles)
Norma Shearer: Proudly and Inescapably Neurotic
 (From Alternative Film Guide. 28 November 2009, 1:56 PM, PST)
William Castle Film Collection Comes To DVD October 20th!
 (From Icons of Fright. 17 August 2009, 11:17 PM, PDT)
User Comments:
One of my all-time favorites more (101 total)

Cast

  (in credits order) (verified as complete)

Norma Shearer ... Mrs. Stephen Haines (Mary)

Joan Crawford ... Crystal Allen

Rosalind Russell ... Mrs. Howard Fowler (Sylvia)
Mary Boland ... The Countess De Lave

Paulette Goddard ... Miriam Aarons
Phyllis Povah ... Mrs. Phelps Potter (Edith)

Joan Fontaine ... Mrs. John Day (Peggy)
Virginia Weidler ... Little Mary
Lucile Watson ... Mrs. Morehead
Marjorie Main ... Lucy
Virginia Grey ... Pat (perfume counter clerk)
Ruth Hussey ... Miss Watts (Stephen's secretary)
Muriel Hutchison ... Jane (Mary's maid)
Hedda Hopper ... Dolly Dupuyster (columnist)
Florence Nash ... Nancy Blake
Cora Witherspoon ... Mrs. Van Adams

Ann Morriss ... Exercise instructress
Dennie Moore ... Olga (manicurist)
Mary Cecil ... Maggie (Mary's town house cook)
Mary Beth Hughes ... Miss Trimmerback (notary)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Margaret Dumont ... Mrs. Wagstaff (scenes deleted)
Dorothy Adams ... Miss Atkinson (uncredited)
Ruth Alder ... Woman under sunlamp (uncredited)
Mariska Aldrich ... Singing teacher (uncredited)
Meeka Aldrich ... Masseuse (uncredited)
Barbara Jo Allen ... Receptionist (uncredited)
Judith Allen ... Corset model (uncredited)
Maude Allen ... Cyclist (uncredited)
Effie Anderson ... Nurse (uncredited)
Mary Anderson ... Young girl (uncredited)
Dorothy Appleby ... Treatment girl (uncredited)
Gertrude Astor ... Mud bath nurse (uncredited)
Bunny Beatty ... Debutante in powder room (uncredited)
May Beatty ... Fat woman / Society woman (uncredited)
Wilda Bennett ... Mrs. Carter (uncredited)
Joan Blair ... Miss Atkins (uncredited)
Gladys Blake ... Miss St. Claire (woman with tough girl) (uncredited)
Marie Blake ... Stockroom girl (uncredited)
Betty Blythe ... Mrs. South (uncredited)
May Boley ... Mud mask (uncredited)
Lilian Bond ... Mrs. Erskine (uncredited)
Frederika Brown ... Head saleswoman (uncredited)
Veda Buckland ... Woman (uncredited)
Aileen Carlyle ... Miss Hicks (uncredited)
Shirley Chambers ... Girl in a bath (uncredited)
Lita Chevret ... Woman under sunlamp (uncredited)
Dora Clement ... Woman under sunlamp (uncredited)
Mabel Colcord ... Woman getting massage (uncredited)
Beatrice Cole ... Negligee model (uncredited)
Mildred Coles ... Debutante (uncredited)
Nell Craig ... Nurse (uncredited)
Esther Dale ... Ingrid (Mary's country house cook) (uncredited)
Mary Dees ... Girl (uncredited)
Eva Dennison ... Old girl (uncredited)
Estelle Etterre ... Hairdresser #2 (uncredited)
Dot Farley ... Large woman (uncredited)
Nance Lee Ferrar ... Edith Potter's daughter (uncredited)
Flora Finch ... Woman window tapper (uncredited)
Ruth Findlay ... Pedicurist (uncredited)
Agnes Fraser ... Debutante (uncredited)
June Gittelson ... Mrs. Goldstein (uncredited)
Grace Goodall ... Head saleswoman (uncredited)
Rita Gould ... Dietician (uncredited)
Grayce Hampton ... Dowager in powder room (uncredited)
Sibyl Harris ... Fashion show commentator (uncredited)
Theresa Harris ... Olive (uncredited)
Winifred Harris ... Mrs. North / Society woman (uncredited)
Grace Hayle ... Cyclist (uncredited)
Brenda Henderson ... Mrs. Jones' daughter (uncredited)
Jany Hope ... Edith Potter's daughter (uncredited)
Joey Hope ... Edith Potter's daughter (uncredited)
Virginia Howell ... Receptionist (uncredited)
Carol Hughes ... Salesgirl at Modiste Salon (uncredited)
Jane Isbell ... Edith Potter's daughter (uncredited)
Suzanne Kaaren ... Countess Tamara (uncredited)
Alice Keating ... Saleswoman (uncredited)
Carole Lee Kilbry ... Theatrical child (uncredited)
Carole Lee Kirby ... Theatrical child (uncredited)
Lucia LaCerte ... Treatment girl (uncredited)
Lenita Lane ... Mrs. Spencer's friend (uncredited)
Priscilla Lawson ... Hairdresser #1 (uncredited)
Leni Lynn ... Edith's oldest daughter (uncredited)
Leila McIntyre ... Woman with bundles (uncredited)
Janet McLeay ... Girl in Shadowgraph / Glamour girl (uncredited)
Butterfly McQueen ... Lulu - Costmetics Counter Maid (uncredited)
Greta Meyer ... Masseuse (uncredited)
Helene Millard ... Cosmetic saleswoman (uncredited)
Sue Moore ... Masseuse (uncredited)
Natalie Moorhead ... Woman at Modiste Salon (uncredited)
Gertrude Needham ... Woman (uncredited)
Hattie Noel ... Maid on train (uncredited)
Florence O'Brien ... Euphie (uncredited)
Mimi Olivera ... Manicurist (uncredited)
Blanche Payson ... Masseuse (uncredited)
Edith Penn ... Nurse (uncredited)
Barbara Pepper ... Tough girl (uncredited)
Virginia Pine ... Glamour girl (uncredited)
Hilda Plowright ... Miss Fordyce (uncredited)
Aileen Pringle ... Miss Carter (saleslady) (uncredited)
Catherine Proctor ... Woman in cabinet (uncredited)
Isabel Randolph ... Woman in cabinet (uncredited)
Renie Riano ... Ugly saleswoman (uncredited)
Ruth Rickaby ... Nurse (uncredited)
Jo Ann Sayers ... Debutante (uncredited)
Dorothy Sebastian ... Saleswoman Pat (uncredited)
Peggy Shannon ... Mrs. Jones (uncredited)
Mildred Shay ... Helen, (Crystal's French maid) (uncredited)
Clarice Sherry ... Girl (uncredited)
Florence Shirley ... Miss Archer (uncredited)
Irene Shirley ... Nurse (uncredited)
Gertrude Simpson ... Stage mother (uncredited)
Ann Teeman ... Makeup artist (uncredited)
Terry ... Fighting dog at beauty shop (uncredited)
Charlotte Treadway ... Companion woman (uncredited)
Beryl Wallace ... Woman in cabinet (uncredited)
Josephine Whittell ... Mrs. Spencer (uncredited)
Marjorie Wood ... Sadie, (old maid in powder room) (uncredited)
Charlotte Wynters ... Miss Batchelor (uncredited)
Mary Young ... Grandma (uncredited)
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Directed by
George Cukor 
 
Writing credits
Clare Boothe Luce (play) (as Clare Boothe)

Anita Loos (screenplay) and
Jane Murfin (screenplay)

F. Scott Fitzgerald  uncredited and
Donald Ogden Stewart  uncredited

Produced by
Hunt Stromberg .... producer
 
Original Music by
David Snell 
Edward Ward 
 
Cinematography by
Oliver T. Marsh (director of photography)
Joseph Ruttenberg 
 
Film Editing by
Robert Kern  (as Robert J. Kern)
 
Art Direction by
Cedric Gibbons 
 
Set Decoration by
Edwin B. Willis 
Jack D. Moore (uncredited)
 
Costume Design by
Adrian (gowns)
 
Makeup Department
Sydney Guilaroff .... hair stylist
 
Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Edward Woehler .... assistant director (uncredited)
 
Art Department
Wade B. Rubottom .... associate art director
 
Sound Department
Douglas Shearer .... recording director
 
Stunts
Donna Hall .... riding double: Virginia Weidler (uncredited)
Stevie Meyers .... riding double: Virginia Weidler (uncredited)
Audrey Scott .... riding double: Norma Shearer (uncredited)
 
Costume and Wardrobe Department
Adrian .... fashion show
 
Other crew
George King .... dance teacher (uncredited)
 
Crew verified as complete


Production CompaniesDistributorsOther Companies
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Additional Details

Parents Guide:
View content advisory for parents
Runtime:
133 min
Country:
USA
Language:
English | Italian
Color:
Black and White | Color (Technicolor)
Aspect Ratio:
1.37 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Mono (Western Electric Sound System)
Certification:
France:U | USA:Passed (National Board of Review) | Canada:PG (video rating) | UK:A (original rating) (1939) | UK:U (re-rating) (2004) | Sweden:15 | USA:Approved (PCA #5546)
Filming Locations:
Los Angeles County Arboretum & Botanic Garden - 301 N. Baldwin Avenue, Arcadia, California, USA more
Company:
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) more

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
Butterfly McQueen's film debut. more
Goofs:
Continuity: When Sylvia is sitting on the couch knitting after the "color" fashion show - she does not have her glasses on - then in the next moment her glasses appear on her face. more
Quotes:
Edith Potter: [Wiping her hands on towel] Oh, cheap Chinese embroidery, you know I'll bet Peggy gave her these...
Sylvia Fowler: It wouldn't be so bad if only Mary's friends knew we could keep our mouths shut.
Edith Potter: I know plenty, I'd never breathe about my friend's husbands.
Sylvia Fowler: Oh so do I!
[They both turn around and look at each other]
Edith Potter: Well you know I adore Mary!
Sylvia Fowler: I worship her, were not only cousins, She's my dearest friend in the world, after all we WERE raised together!
[Turns around quickly]
Sylvia Fowler: Oh Edith I forgot to tell you...
[Whispers to Edith]
[...]
more
Movie Connections:
Featured in "Veronica Mars: Debasement Tapes (#3.17)" (2007) more
Soundtrack:
I Cried for You more

FAQ

Do Mary and Stephen get back together at the end of the movie?
Is "The Women" based on a book?
From what book was Mary reading when she was sitting in bed?
more

User Comments

   (Comment on this title)
64 out of 68 people found the following comment useful.
One of my all-time favorites, 6 February 1999
10/10
Author: eskridge from Houston, Texas

The fact that Norma Shearer and Joan Crawford would consent to appear in a movie together is amazing. Shearer in 1939 was the queen of MGM, being the widow of Irving Thalberg, and had her choice of material and co-stars. Crawford, although a power in her own right, didn't have Shearer's pull and complained bitterly about it. Crawford agreed to take the somewhat supporting, albeit juicy, role because she needed an A picture after a string of flops. So she had to suck it up to work with Shearer.

The two stars had only one scene alone together, and there were no reported problems, except one. Director George Cukor sent Crawford home early when she caused a distraction by loudly clicking her knitting needles off camera as Shearer tried to do her close-ups.

Crawford was proved right in taking the movie, it's one of her most memorable and, finally for once, villainous roles. As Crystal Allen, the scheming shopgirl out to sleep her way to a Park Avenue penthouse, she was ideally cast. It was her life.

Rosalind Russell, previously not known as a comedienne, surprised everyone with her rapid-fire sarcastic delivery. She would continue to perfect the biting style for 20 years until she reached the pinnacle with Auntie Mame. Roz gives the strongest performance of the film as the viciously catty Sylvia Fowler, and I don't think Shearer or Crawford knew what hit them.

As for the long-suffering, hair-clutching, heavy-sighing Norma Shearer, even she was able to make the difficult role of saintly Mary Haines memorable. One of her best moments is when she raises her nails and growls "I've had two years to grow claws, Mother, and they're Jungle Red!," and then goes to take her man back from Crawford. Unfortunately, Shearer has a few Silent Screen moments that look out of place, such as collapsing and weeping at her mother's knee. But she makes the character warm and likable and we root for her to win.

There are many gems in the supporting cast. Most spectacular is Mary Boland as the heavy-drinking, high-living Countess De Lave. "L'amour L'amour" she wails as she's about to divorce her fourth studly husband -- for trying to kill her.

Paulette Goddard, the most beautiful member of the cast, is the best I've seen her, as the streetwise Miriam Aarons. Like Crawford, she plays a role she understands, the chorus girl who snags a millionaire. But unlike Crystal, Miriam has a heart -- and Goddard is great at doling out straight-shooting advice and rolling out put-downs under her breath.

Marjorie Main gives a preview of the persona she would later use as Ma Kettle. It was the first time she was able to step out and create the character, and she used it the rest of her career. I never tired of her raucous horse laugh.

I hope Hollywood has the good sense not to attempt a remake with an update of this classic. Time would not be kind. It is a priceless diamond in a golden setting.

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What a STUPID ending! mr_huffnpuff
Who was the actress that portrayed the tall maid (ranch hand) in Reno? leetallahassee
Joan Fontaine is great!! bjnevin
This movie's only flaw......... batkins-1
Notes on THE WOMEN JSlack3
The Women + the Oscars mattsmith89
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