Designing Woman
Encyclopedia
Designing Woman is a 1957 romantic
comedy
about fashion
. Vincente Minnelli
directed stars Lauren Bacall
and Gregory Peck
. George Wells
won an Academy Award for the screenplay.
) meets fashion designer Marilla Brown (Lauren Bacall
). The two instantly bond and quickly get married, only to realize they have little in common.
Mike is a sports fan and poker enthusiast with working-class friends. Marilla designs clothes for a wide array of artistic personalities. Their friends clash memorably one Wednesday night when his Poker Club and her Drama Society both convene at Marilla's apartment.
Marilla becomes suspicious of Mike after she finds a photograph of Lori Shannon (Dolores Gray), Mike's girlfriend. Mike tries to hide his former relationship, but fails miserably. Complicating matters even further is Mike's continuing series of exposés of the activities of crooked boxing promoter Martin Daylor (Edward Platt
). Mike's life is in danger, but he hides that from his wife too. What results is a series of misunderstandings and mishaps.
One of the supporting actors was the famed choreographer Jack Cole
.
, who designed dozens of gowns and dresses for Bacall for Designing Woman. She gives an interview / screen test in the DVD's special features.
Lauren Bacall
was dealing with husband Humphrey Bogart
's eventually-fatal illness during the shooting. According to her autobiography, she took the role (which was originally intended for Grace Kelly
) in order to avoid her home situation, but in interviews she has stated that this film is among her favorites. Bogart died January 14, 1957, four months before the film's release.
Both James Stewart
and Cary Grant
turned down the role that went to Peck (Grant citing the heavy drinking of the character as the main reason).83.170.103.156 (talk)
of the New York Times comparing the leading couple with Katharine Hepburn
and Spencer Tracy
and proclaiming, "(the film) obviously endeavors to generate the same kind of verve and general sardonic humor as flowed from that older comedy team. It does, too — at least, in certain stretches."
As for modern reviews, website Rottentomatoes.com has given Designing Woman an overall positive note, regarding it 72 percent "fresh" as opposed to "rotten", while the website Allmovie.com gives it two and a half stars out of five, crediting Bacall for giving a "sparkling comic performance".
DVDverdict.com proclaims the comedy as "shiny, polished, and entertaining" and states that "it has held its value well over the years."
Romance film
Romance films are love stories that focus on passion, emotion, and the affectionate involvement of the main characters and the journey that their love takes through courtship or marriage. Romance films make the love story or the search for love the main plot focus...
comedy
Comedy
Comedy , as a popular meaning, is any humorous discourse or work generally intended to amuse by creating laughter, especially in television, film, and stand-up comedy. This must be carefully distinguished from its academic definition, namely the comic theatre, whose Western origins are found in...
about fashion
Fashion
Fashion, a general term for a currently popular style or practice, especially in clothing, foot wear, or accessories. Fashion references to anything that is the current trend in look and dress up of a person...
. Vincente Minnelli
Vincente Minnelli
Vincente Minnelli was an American stage director and film director, famous for directing such classic movie musicals as Meet Me in St. Louis, The Band Wagon, and An American in Paris. In addition to having directed some of the most famous and well-remembered musicals of his time, Minnelli made...
directed stars Lauren Bacall
Lauren Bacall
Lauren Bacall is an American film and stage actress and model, known for her distinctive husky voice and sultry looks.She first emerged as leading lady in the Humphrey Bogart film To Have And Have Not and continued on in the film noir genre, with appearances in The Big Sleep and Dark Passage ,...
and Gregory Peck
Gregory Peck
Eldred Gregory Peck was an American actor.One of 20th Century Fox's most popular film stars from the 1940s to the 1960s, Peck continued to play important roles well into the 1980s. His notable performances include that of Atticus Finch in the 1962 film To Kill a Mockingbird, for which he won an...
. George Wells
George Wells (screenwriter)
George Wells was an American screenwriter.Along with co-writer Harry Tugend, Wells was nominated for the 1950 Writers Guild of America Award in the category of "Best Written American Musical" for Take Me Out to the Ball Game. They lost to Betty Comden and Adolph Green, for On the Town.-External...
won an Academy Award for the screenplay.
Plot
While on vacation, sports reporter Mike Hagen (Gregory PeckGregory Peck
Eldred Gregory Peck was an American actor.One of 20th Century Fox's most popular film stars from the 1940s to the 1960s, Peck continued to play important roles well into the 1980s. His notable performances include that of Atticus Finch in the 1962 film To Kill a Mockingbird, for which he won an...
) meets fashion designer Marilla Brown (Lauren Bacall
Lauren Bacall
Lauren Bacall is an American film and stage actress and model, known for her distinctive husky voice and sultry looks.She first emerged as leading lady in the Humphrey Bogart film To Have And Have Not and continued on in the film noir genre, with appearances in The Big Sleep and Dark Passage ,...
). The two instantly bond and quickly get married, only to realize they have little in common.
Mike is a sports fan and poker enthusiast with working-class friends. Marilla designs clothes for a wide array of artistic personalities. Their friends clash memorably one Wednesday night when his Poker Club and her Drama Society both convene at Marilla's apartment.
Marilla becomes suspicious of Mike after she finds a photograph of Lori Shannon (Dolores Gray), Mike's girlfriend. Mike tries to hide his former relationship, but fails miserably. Complicating matters even further is Mike's continuing series of exposés of the activities of crooked boxing promoter Martin Daylor (Edward Platt
Edward Platt
Edward Cuthbert Platt was an American actor best known for his portrayal of "The Chief" in the 1965-70 NBC/CBS television series Get Smart...
). Mike's life is in danger, but he hides that from his wife too. What results is a series of misunderstandings and mishaps.
Cast
- Gregory PeckGregory PeckEldred Gregory Peck was an American actor.One of 20th Century Fox's most popular film stars from the 1940s to the 1960s, Peck continued to play important roles well into the 1980s. His notable performances include that of Atticus Finch in the 1962 film To Kill a Mockingbird, for which he won an...
as Mike Hagen - Lauren BacallLauren BacallLauren Bacall is an American film and stage actress and model, known for her distinctive husky voice and sultry looks.She first emerged as leading lady in the Humphrey Bogart film To Have And Have Not and continued on in the film noir genre, with appearances in The Big Sleep and Dark Passage ,...
as Marilla Brown Hagen - Dolores Gray as Lori Shannon
- Sam LeveneSam LeveneSam Levene was an American Broadway and film actor. He made his Broadway debut in 1927 with five lines in a play titled Wall Street, and over a span of nearly 50 years, appeared on Broadway in 37 Shows, of which 33 were the original Broadway Productions, many now considered legendary...
as Ned Hammerstein, Mike's editor - Tom HelmoreTom HelmoreTom Helmore was an English film actor. He appeared in over 50 films between 1927 and 1972, including three directed by Alfred Hitchcock.He was born in London and died in Longboat Key, Florida.-Selected filmography:...
as Zachary Wilde, Marilla's former boyfriend - Mickey ShaughnessyMickey ShaughnessyJoseph Michael "Mickey" Shaughnessy was an Irish American character actor who specialized in playing lovable, but not-too-bright lugs...
as Maxie Stultz, a punch-drunk ex-boxer friend of Mike's - Jesse WhiteJesse White (actor)Jesse White was an American television, film, and stage character actor. He is best remembered for portraying the Maytag repairman in television commercials, a role he played from 1967 to 1988.-Life and career:...
as Charlie Arneg - Edward PlattEdward PlattEdward Cuthbert Platt was an American actor best known for his portrayal of "The Chief" in the 1965-70 NBC/CBS television series Get Smart...
as Martin J. Daylor - Chuck ConnorsChuck ConnorsChuck Connors was an American actor, writer, and professional basketball and baseball player. His best known role from his forty-year film career was Lucas McCain in the 1960s ABC hit Western series The Rifleman....
as Johnnie 'O', one of Daylor's henchmen - Richard DeaconRichard Deacon (actor)Richard Deacon , born in Philadelphia, was an American television and motion picture actor.-Career:The bald and usually bespectacled character actor often portrayed pompous or imperious figures. He made appearances on The Jack Benny Show as a salesman and a barber, and on NBC's Happy as a hotel...
as Larry Musso (uncredited) - Dean JonesDean Jones (actor)Dean Carroll Jones is an American actor. Jones is best known for his light-hearted leading roles in several Walt Disney movies between 1965 and 1977, most notably The Love Bug.-Early years:...
as Assistant Stage Manager in Boston (uncredited) - Sid MeltonSid MeltonSid Melton was an American actor known for his roles as incompetent carpenter Alf Monroe in the CBS sitcom Green Acres and as Uncle Charlie Halper, proprietor of the Copa Club, in Make Room for Daddy and its spin-offs.Born as Sidney Meltzer in Brooklyn, New York, he was the brother of screenwriter...
as Miltie, Henchman (uncredited)
One of the supporting actors was the famed choreographer Jack Cole
Jack Cole (choreographer)
Jack Cole was an American dancer, choreographer, and theatre director known as the father of theatrical jazz dance.-Early life:...
.
Background
The original concept for the film reportedly came from Helen RoseHelen Rose
Helen Rose was an American costume designer and clothing designer who spent the bulk of her career with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer-Career:...
, who designed dozens of gowns and dresses for Bacall for Designing Woman. She gives an interview / screen test in the DVD's special features.
Lauren Bacall
Lauren Bacall
Lauren Bacall is an American film and stage actress and model, known for her distinctive husky voice and sultry looks.She first emerged as leading lady in the Humphrey Bogart film To Have And Have Not and continued on in the film noir genre, with appearances in The Big Sleep and Dark Passage ,...
was dealing with husband Humphrey Bogart
Humphrey Bogart
Humphrey DeForest Bogart was an American actor. He is widely regarded as a cultural icon.The American Film Institute ranked Bogart as the greatest male star in the history of American cinema....
's eventually-fatal illness during the shooting. According to her autobiography, she took the role (which was originally intended for Grace Kelly
Grace Kelly
Grace Patricia Kelly was an American actress who, in April 1956, married Rainier III, Prince of Monaco, to become Princess consort of Monaco, styled as Her Serene Highness The Princess of Monaco, and commonly referred to as Princess Grace.After embarking on an acting career in 1950, at the age of...
) in order to avoid her home situation, but in interviews she has stated that this film is among her favorites. Bogart died January 14, 1957, four months before the film's release.
Both James Stewart
James Stewart (actor)
James Maitland Stewart was an American film and stage actor, known for his distinctive voice and his everyman persona. Over the course of his career, he starred in many films widely considered classics and was nominated for five Academy Awards, winning one in competition and receiving one Lifetime...
and Cary Grant
Cary Grant
Archibald Alexander Leach , better known by his stage name Cary Grant, was an English actor who later took U.S. citizenship...
turned down the role that went to Peck (Grant citing the heavy drinking of the character as the main reason).83.170.103.156 (talk)
Reception
The movie ended up being one of Bacall and Peck's more successful films both critically and commercially, with Bosley CrowtherBosley Crowther
Bosley Crowther was a journalist and author who was film critic for The New York Times for 27 years. His reviews and articles helped shape the careers of actors, directors and screenwriters, though his reviews, at times, were unnecessarily mean...
of the New York Times comparing the leading couple with Katharine Hepburn
Katharine Hepburn
Katharine Houghton Hepburn was an American actress of film, stage, and television. In a career that spanned 62 years as a leading lady, she was best known for playing strong-willed, sophisticated women in both dramas and comedies...
and Spencer Tracy
Spencer Tracy
Spencer Bonaventure Tracy was an American theatrical and film actor, who appeared in 75 films from 1930 to 1967. Tracy was one of the major stars of Hollywood's Golden Age, ranking among the top ten box office draws for almost every year from 1938 to 1951...
and proclaiming, "(the film) obviously endeavors to generate the same kind of verve and general sardonic humor as flowed from that older comedy team. It does, too — at least, in certain stretches."
As for modern reviews, website Rottentomatoes.com has given Designing Woman an overall positive note, regarding it 72 percent "fresh" as opposed to "rotten", while the website Allmovie.com gives it two and a half stars out of five, crediting Bacall for giving a "sparkling comic performance".
DVDverdict.com proclaims the comedy as "shiny, polished, and entertaining" and states that "it has held its value well over the years."
Awards and nominations
- Academy Award for Best Writing, Story and Screenplay - Written Directly for the Screen (George WellsGeorge WellsGeorge Wells may refer to:* George Albert Wells , Emeritus Professor of German at Birkbeck, University of London* George H. Wells , American soldier, lawyer and politician* George Wells , Anglican bishop in Canada...
) - won - Laurel Award for Top Female Comedy Performance (Lauren Bacall) - 3rd place
- Laurel Award for Top Comedy - fifth place
- Writers Guild of AmericaWriters Guild of AmericaThe Writers Guild of America is a generic term referring to the joint efforts of two different US labor unions:* The Writers Guild of America, East , representing TV and film writers East of the Mississippi....
's WGA Award for Best Written American Comedy - nominated