Designing Woman (1957)

Director:

Vincente Minnelli

Writer:

George Wells (writer)

Release Date:

29 July 1957 (Sweden)

Genre:

Comedy | Romance

Tagline:

His world is guys and dolls! Her world is gowns and glamor!

Plot:

When Mike Hagen and Marilla Brown marry after a whirlwind romance on the west coast, they return to...

Plot Keywords:

Apartment | Boxing | Sports Writer | Theatrical Producer | Musical Number

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 1 win & 2 nominations

Cast

Gregory Peck	...	Mike Hagen
Lauren Bacall	...	Marilla Brown Hagen
Dolores Gray	...	Lori Shannon
Sam Levene	...	Ned Hammerstein
Tom Helmore	...	Zachary Wilde
Mickey Shaughnessy	...	Maxie Stultz
Jesse White	...	Charlie Arneg
Chuck Connors	...	Johnnie 'O'
Edward Platt	...	Martin J. Daylor
Alvy Moore	...	Luke Coslow
Carol Veazie	...	Gwen
Jack Cole	...	Randy Owens

Runtime:

118 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Italian

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

4-Track Stereo (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

Canada:G (Ontario) | West Germany:16 (nf) | Australia:G | Finland:K-16 | USA:Approved (PCA #18350)

Filming Locations:

Beverly Hills Hotel & Bungalows - 9641 Sunset Blvd., Beverly Hills, California, USA

Company:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Trivia:

George Burns later told Gregory Peck that his reaction to getting the plate turned over in his lap was one of the best of its kind Burns had ever seen.

Goofs:

Audio/visual unsynchronized: In Marilla's office, just after she's accepted the job with the Broadway show, the men's shoes make the sound of shoes on hard flooring, despite the fact that they're actually on a thick shag rug.

Quotes:

Marilla Hagen: We never argue anymore. And when we do, it never lasts more than a week or two.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Family Ties: Designing Woman (#7.2)" (1988)

Soundtrack:

Music Is Better than Words

Light and amusing

Who would have possibly realized in this bubbly and frothy romantic comedy, behind the scenes was a looming tragedy. While shooting this film with Gregory Peck by day, Lauren Bacall was nursing dying husband Humphrey Bogart. It was quite an ordeal for her.

Fortunately she's called on to be a fashion designer, beautiful and chic and Lauren Bacall can do that in her sleep. I'm sure working on this film took her mind off what she was dealing with at home.

As has been said, this borrows heavily from Woman of the Year. And like in Woman of the Year, the male lead is a sports columnist. He's also doing a bit of crusading journalism going after racketeers in the boxing game. Which, by the way, in real life was also going on, giving Designing Woman a certain current topicality.

Gregory Peck may be reprising Spencer Tracy, but I think he's poaching here on Rock Hudson's territory. Still he does have some good moments as Mike Hagen, sportswriter and would-be Bob Woodward. His best moments are with Dolores Gray, his jilted girlfriend who dumps a plate of ravioli in his lap at a posh restaurant and later in her apartment hiding from Bacall and wrestling with Gray's pink poodle for his shoe which the dog appropriates for a chew toy.

The rest of the cast nicely fills out their roles. Two standouts for me are Mickey Shaughnessy as a punchdrunk ex-pug who is Peck's appointed bodyguard. It seems like Mickey Shaughnessy was in about every good film in the 1950s and worked with everyone. The second is Jack Cole, choreographer who plays a choreographer in a show Bacall is designing costumes for.

We've certainly come a long way from 1957 when you had to hide the fact a character was gay. If Designing Woman was made today Jack Cole would be openly gay and no nonsense about it. Let us say his presence in the mad finale is absolutely crucial to Peck's and Bacall's life and marriage.