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IMDbPro

The Women

  • 19391939
  • Not RatedNot Rated
  • 2h 13m
IMDb RATING
7.7/10
14K
YOUR RATING
Joan Crawford, Rosalind Russell, and Norma Shearer in The Women (1939)
Home Video Trailer from Warner Home Video
Play trailer3:26
1 Video
99+ Photos
ComedyDrama
A study of the lives and romantic entanglements of various interconnected women.A study of the lives and romantic entanglements of various interconnected women.A study of the lives and romantic entanglements of various interconnected women.
IMDb RATING
7.7/10
14K
YOUR RATING
    • George Cukor
  • Writers
    • Clare Boothe Luce(from the play by)
    • Anita Loos(screen play)
    • Jane Murfin(screen play)
  • Stars
    • Norma Shearer
    • Joan Crawford
    • Rosalind Russell
    • George Cukor
  • Writers
    • Clare Boothe Luce(from the play by)
    • Anita Loos(screen play)
    • Jane Murfin(screen play)
  • Stars
    • Norma Shearer
    • Joan Crawford
    • Rosalind Russell
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 237User reviews
    • 68Critic reviews
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards

    Videos1

    The Women (1939)
    Trailer 3:26
    Watch The Women (1939)

    Photos137

    Joan Crawford and Rosalind Russell in The Women (1939)
    Joan Crawford, George Cukor, Paulette Goddard, Mary Boland, Florence Nash, Phyllis Povah, Rosalind Russell, and Norma Shearer in The Women (1939)
    Joan Crawford and Rosalind Russell in The Women (1939)
    Joan Crawford, Rosalind Russell, and Norma Shearer in The Women (1939)
    Joan Fontaine, Paulette Goddard, Mary Boland, Rosalind Russell, and Norma Shearer in The Women (1939)
    Joan Crawford, Rosalind Russell, and Norma Shearer in The Women (1939)
    Joan Crawford, Rosalind Russell, and Norma Shearer in The Women (1939)
    Joan Crawford, Rosalind Russell, and Norma Shearer in The Women (1939)
    Joan Crawford, Rosalind Russell, and Norma Shearer in The Women (1939)
    Norma Shearer in The Women (1939)
    Joan Crawford in The Women (1939)
    Joan Crawford, Paulette Goddard, Phyllis Povah, Rosalind Russell, and Norma Shearer in The Women (1939)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Norma Shearer
    Norma Shearer
    • Mrs. Stephen Haines (Mary)
    Joan Crawford
    Joan Crawford
    • Crystal Allen
    Rosalind Russell
    Rosalind Russell
    • Mrs. Howard Fowler (Sylvia)
    Mary Boland
    Mary Boland
    • The Countess De Lave (Flora)
    Paulette Goddard
    Paulette Goddard
    • Miriam Aarons
    Joan Fontaine
    Joan Fontaine
    • Mrs. John Day (Peggy)
    Lucile Watson
    Lucile Watson
    • Mrs. Morehead
    Phyllis Povah
    Phyllis Povah
    • Mrs. Phelps Potter (Edith)
    Virginia Weidler
    Virginia Weidler
    • Little Mary
    Marjorie Main
    Marjorie Main
    • Lucy
    Virginia Grey
    Virginia Grey
    • Pat
    Ruth Hussey
    Ruth Hussey
    • Miss Watts
    Muriel Hutchison
    Muriel Hutchison
    • Jane
    Hedda Hopper
    Hedda Hopper
    • Dolly DuPuyster
    Florence Nash
    Florence Nash
    • Nancy Blake
    Cora Witherspoon
    Cora Witherspoon
    • Mrs. Van Adams
    Ann Morriss
    Ann Morriss
    • Exercise Instructress
    Dennie Moore
    Dennie Moore
    • Olga
      • George Cukor
    • Writers
      • Clare Boothe Luce(from the play by)
      • Anita Loos(screen play)
      • Jane Murfin(screen play)
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      There are over 130 roles in this movie, all played by women. Phyllis Povah, Marjorie Main, Mary Cecil and Marjorie Wood originated their roles in the play, which opened September 7, 1937 and had 666 performances at New York City's Ethel Barrymore Theatre--a Broadway run which, unusually but quite proudly, is displayed in the movie's opening credits. No doubles were used in the fight sequence where Rosalind Russell bites Paulette Goddard. Despite the permanent scar resulting from the bite, the actresses remained friends.
    • Goofs
      The second model to enter for the fashion show is wearing a top with red spots (possibly strawberries) and a red skirt. After the cut she's wearing a top with red and blue stripes and a white skirt.
    • Quotes

      Crystal Allen: There's a name for you ladies, but it isn't used in high society... outside of a kennel. So long, ladies!

    • Crazy credits
      In the opening credits, before the photo images of the actresses are shown, their characters are revealed by images of various animals.
    • Alternate versions
      At the start of the Technicolor Adrian fashion show, the video and TV versions have traditionally shown a Technicolor stage in the middle of the screen surrounded by pure white (this always struck me as odd but I never thought too much about it). The original 1939 version of the scene shows the Technicolor stage surrounded by the rest of the room IN BLACK AND WHITE, using a stenciling process developed for (but ultimately unused in) The Wizard of Oz (1939). Presumably, because the reel starts right BEFORE the transition, it was either too much trouble and expense to process the small bit of stray black and white footage for television (it would have to have been printed separately onto each release print in 1939)or, more likely, the footage has been lost. The new video and cable versions show The Women (1939) in a reconstruction of the original version, with the Technicolor stage printed over a black and white still from later in the film. The image, as now presented, is much less jarring than the original video release. The fashion show was also shot in black and white, with the models interacting with the stars as they move throughout the boutique. After principal photography ended, MGM decided to re-shoot the fashion show in Technicolor (this color footage was not shot by George Cukor)and the models no longer interact with Norma Shearer, 'Rosalind Russell', etc. The original black and white footage, saved in the MGM vault, can now be seen as a special feature on the Warner DVD. Older television prints often showed the fashion show in black and white, but it was not this alternate footage, just the color sequence printed without its tints.
    • Connections
      Featured in From the Ends of the Earth (1939)
    • Soundtracks
      Forevermore
      (1939) (uncredited)

      Music by Edward Ward

      Lyrics by Chet Forrest and Bob Wright

      Played at the end and sung by an offscreen chorus

    User reviews237

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    All-Time Classic Cat Fight
    A TCM announcer said the classic cat fight of all times was in this movie. It is a humdinger. But it doesn't start at the ranch -- it runs all the way through!

    So much has been noted about it, but wanted to comment on something about the Joan Crawford character. She works at a sales counter, yet has a nice place of her own and great clothes. She played a lot of shop girls, always having a knockout wardrobe, including over the top evening clothes and a very well appointed apartment. In the real world, a sales girl would have to be living at home or at the Y or have at least one roommate, and wouldn't be able to afford an expensive wardrobe. But, this is the movies, and we enjoy it that way.

    Also, really enjoyed Virginia Grey's part as the savvy sales girl who prickles Crystal while she's on the phone with Steven. "Holy mackerel, what a line!" With so much cleverness going on, that sequence doesn't get much mention, but she was priceless.

    How about that beauty clinic! What a setup.

    And we do love to admire the clothes, which were so interesting then, their dressing up so much. There's a lot to check out in this picture, as well as catching the snappy lines, as has been mentioned here. Yep, play it again, Sam-antha.
    helpful•8
    2
    • misctidsandbits
    • Sep 25, 2011

    FAQ7

    • What is 'The Women' about?
    • Is "The Women" based on a book?
    • Is it true that "The Women" has an all-female cast?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • September 1, 1939 (United States)
      • United States
      • English
      • French
    • Also known as
    • Filming locations
      • Los Angeles County Arboretum & Botanic Garden - 301 N. Baldwin Avenue, Arcadia, California, USA
    • Production company
      • Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

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    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • 2 hours 13 minutes
      • Black and White

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