The Strange Woman (1946)

In 1820s New England beautiful but poor and manipulative Jenny Hager marries rich old man Isaiah Poster but also seduces his son and his company foreman.

Directors:

Edgar G. Ulmer (as Edgar Ulmer), Douglas Sirk (uncredited)

Writers:

Herb Meadow (screenplay), Ben Ames Williams (novel)

Stars:

Hedy Lamarr, George Sanders, Louis Hayward

Cast

Cast overview:
Hedy Lamarr	...	Jenny Hager
George Sanders	...	John Evered
Louis Hayward	...	Ephraim Poster
Gene Lockhart	...	Isaiah Poster
Hillary Brooke	...	Meg Saladine
Rhys Williams	...	Deacon Adams
June Storey	...	Lena Tempest
Moroni Olsen	...	Rev. Thatcher
Olive Blakeney	...	Mrs. Hollis
Kathleen Lockhart	...	Mrs. Partridge
Alan Napier	...	Judge Henry Saladine
Dennis Hoey	...	Tim Hager

Storyline

Beautiful Jenny Hager finds she can always get what she wants from the men in the 1820's port of Bangor, Maine. Freed by his death from her drunkard father she soon manoeuvres herself into a position to marry a middle-aged monied local businessman. Though she often uses his money to do good, she continues to consider all other men fair game.

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Plot Keywords:

reference to cleopatra | year 1824 | swimming race | whiskey jug | girl bully | 

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Taglines:

"There was something in Jenny Hager that many men sensed...and it set men burning..."

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Genres:

Drama | Film-Noir | Romance | Thriller

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Certificate:

Approved

Did You Know?

Trivia

Female leads Hedy Lamarr and Hillary Brooke were born two months apart in 1914. They died 8 months apart in 1999 and early 2000.

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Goofs

No explanation is given as to how Hedy Lamarr's character, a young girl who grew up in Bangor, Maine, in the 1800s, acquired an Austrian accent.

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Quotes

Jenny Hager: [aloud in church] If the men of Bangor won't give to the church, the women will.

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Connections

Featured in Cinema: Alguns Cortes - Censura III (2015)

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Soundtracks

What Can You Do with a Drunken Sailor?
Traditional
Early 19th Century sea chanty
[Heard in tavern]

User Reviews

Should be better remembered

An obscure film which, because of surprising creative touches in directing, acting and editing, should be shown more often: more than a potboiler, more than a "women's picture" that did not happen to star Bette Davis or Joan Crawford, it offers an engaging story, characters of substance and - except for a convenient and contrived ending - an honest portrayal of people caught in a web of circumstances and emotions they cannot control. Aside from the glitter and sweep, it has more similarities to than differences from "Gone With the Wind."

This may be Hedy Lamarr's most challenging role, and she acquits herself quite well. George Sanders appears infrequently as a sympathetic character, but even he is victimized by the Scarlett O'Hara-like wiles of Hedy. That both of these performers have accents that are not suggestive of born-and-bred Maine residents should not constitute more than a minor annoyance. The picture has more than enough offsetting merits.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

25 October 1946 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Strange Woman

Filming Locations:

Samuel Goldwyn Studios - 7200 Santa Monica Boulevard, West Hollywood, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Hunt Stromberg Productions, Mars Film Corporation

Technical Specs

Runtime:

100 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1