The Women (1939)

Director:

George Cukor

Writers:

Clare Boothe Luce (play)
Anita Loos (screenplay) ...
(more)

Release Date:

1 September 1939 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama

Tagline:

The Female Of The Species . . . when the men aren't watching !

Plot:

Wealthy Mary Haines is unaware her husband is having an affair with shopgirl Crystal Allen. Sylvia Fowler...

Plot Keywords:

Revenge | Songwriter | Extramarital Affair | Color Sequence | Dog

Awards:

1 win

Cast

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:
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	...	Bud 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)
Margaret Dumont	...	Mrs. Wagstaff (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)

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		(director of photography)

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)

Production Companies

• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (controlled by Loew's Incorporated)

Distributors

• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1939) (USA) (theatrical) (controlled by Loew's Incorporated)
• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1939) (UK) (theatrical)
• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1945) (France) (theatrical)
• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1947) (USA) (theatrical) (re-release)
• Delphi Filmverleih Produktion (1982) (West Germany) (theatrical)
• British Film Institute (BFI) (2004) (UK) (theatrical) (re-release)
• MGM Home Entertainment (????) (Italy) (video)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (USA) (VHS)
• Warner Home Video (2002) (USA) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (2005) (USA) (DVD)

Other Companies

• Ethel Barrymore Theatre  play presented at
• Max Gordon Plays & Pictures Corporation  movie made by arrangement with

Runtime:

133 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Italian

Color:

Black and White | Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Certification:

USA:Passed (National Board of Review) | Canada:PG (video rating) | France:U | Sweden:15 | USA:Approved (PCA #5546)

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles County Arboretum & Botanic Garden - 301 N. Baldwin Ave., Arcadia, California, USA

Company:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Trivia:

According to her autobiography, Rosalind Russell called in sick because Norma Shearer refused to share top billing. She stayed "sick" until Shearer finally relented.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Mary is reading in bed, the early long shots show the lamp on the left side of the bed to be a male figurineand the one on the right to be a female. In the close-ups the lamp on the left of the bed has changed and is female.

Quotes:

Maggie: Now don't that sound just like a husband?

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The Misadventures of Margaret (1998)

Soundtrack:

Forevermore

A fabulous fun movie!

This movie is two wonderful hours of gossipy, clever fun. The script is incredibly good and makes you wish every movie in the world could turn out as well as THE WOMEN. The performances all blend together perfectly, which is what you need if you are going to tell a story like this. Joan Crawford is sublime as the husband stealer and Norma Shearer plays the usual virtuous kind of part she always played in her career. However in my opinion, Roz Russell, who played Mrs. Fowler simply is at her best. It is one of the most funny and exquisite performances that i have ever seen given by an actress on film. It is plain to see she only cares about herself and her own superficial motives but you cant help being on her side and enjoying all the trouble she stirs up. And also Paulette Goddard gave a sassy performance as the sarcastic woman who has seen it all and wants no more of it. The best scene of hers is when she and Mrs. Fowler fight at the divorce ranch. I loved this movie!