I Take This Woman (1940)

Georgi has attempted suicide in reaction to an earlier love affair. Now that Dr. Decker has married her he sets out to get her to love him. To make enough to give her what she wants he ... See full summary »

Director:

W.S. Van Dyke

Writers:

Charles MacArthur (original story), James Kevin McGuinness (screen play),

Stars:

Spencer Tracy, Hedy Lamarr, Verree Teasdale

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Spencer Tracy	...	Karl Decker
Hedy Lamarr	...	Georgi Gragore
Verree Teasdale	...	Madame Marcesca
Kent Taylor	...	Phil Mayberry
Laraine Day	...	Linda Rodgers
Mona Barrie	...	Sandra Mayberry
Jack Carson	...	Joe
Paul Cavanagh	...	Bill Rodgers
Louis Calhern	...	Dr. Duveen
Frances Drake	...	Lola Estermont
Marjorie Main	...	Gertie
George E. Stone	...	Sid
Willie Best	...	Sambo
Don Castle	...	Ted Fenton
Dalies Frantz	...	Joe Barnes

Storyline

Georgi has attempted suicide in reaction to an earlier love affair. Now that Dr. Decker has married her he sets out to get her to love him. To make enough to give her what she wants he becomes physician to the rich, abandoning his clinic services to the poor.

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Plot Keywords:

clinic | suicide | class distinction | suicide attempt | ship | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Italian

Release Date:

2 February 1940 (USA)

Also Known As:

A Mulher que Eu Quero

Filming Locations:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios - 10202 W. Washington Blvd., Culver City, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$700,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

98 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Production of the film started in October 1938 and had a troubled history. Director Josef von Sternberg quit because of artistic differences. Director Frank Borzage took over, but the production was shelved in early January 1939 for more than 10 months, when W.S. Van Dyke took over and practically re-shot the whole film, with many different cast members. One contemporary reviewer quipped the film should have been called "I Re-Take This Woman".

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Quotes

Dr. Karl Decker: She's like something you see in a jeweler's window. A single, flawless gem on a piece of black velvet. You take one long look and then you pass on.

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Connections

Referenced in Electrical Power (1938)

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Soundtracks

"Auld Lang Syne"
(uncredited)
Traditional Scottish music
Lyrics by Robert Burns
Sung a cappella by clinic patients at the end

User Reviews

Beautiful Movie

I watched I Take This Woman this morning on TMC. I am going to comment on the movie and the year it was filmed.

The year was 1940, and this country had just entered WW II. The mood in the country was somber and thousands of young men had just gone off to war. Many movies were made at this time to be up-lifting and romantic. Escapism movies, not realistic! I thought the chemistry between Tracy and Lamarr was fantastic! Was Tracy any more handsome, that expressive face of his. Lamarr was so beautiful, it almost hurt to look at her. I know it was kind of a rookie story, doctor saves the heroine on a boat from Yucatan back to the states. She has been scorned by her married lover. She tries to throw herself overboard. He saves her. How romantic is that! She gets a job in a clinic he works at in a poor neighborhood, and the story continues with a satisfying ending.

The only downer I have with this movie is "Sambo" the clinic janitor. Typical Hollywood stuff at that time about Blacks, that they should act like total morons. I felt very uncomfortable watching this movie with Sambo in the few scenes he was in the movie. Why was Hollywood projecting the image that all Blacks were nothing but nannies and janitors I am very offended by this, but then, so many movies of the time had this theme. That scene when Sambo was eating a piece of wedding cake was criminal! Anyway, a feast for the eyes, except for the Sambo stuff.