Designing Woman

Lauren Bacall is a "Designing Woman" in this vibrant, sophisticated 1957 comedy directed by Vincent Minnelli and starring Gregory Peck, Delores Gray, Sam Levene, Tom Helmore, Mickey Shaughnessy, Jesse White and Chuck Connors. Suggested by costume designer Helen Rose, this story of a designer marrying a sportswriter is a loose remake of "Woman of the Year" - two people meet, fall in love, marry hastily, and then discover that they're from different worlds. And Mike Hagen (Peck) comes with baggage - an ex-girlfriend (Delores Gray) who is starring in the show Mirella (Bacall) is doing the costumes for, plus he has mobsters after him because of a series of stories he's writing.

It's a recipe for good fun, some beautiful '50s fashions and most of all, excellent acting by the entire cast. Bacall and Peck work beautifully together, both displaying wonderful comic timing, the highlight being the ravioli scene. Mickey Shaughnessy is hilarious as Max, the punch-drunk fighter, and Delores Gray is sexy and sings up a storm as performer Laurie Shannon. Minnelli keeps the pace moving and gives us a good taste of putting on a Broadway show and some of the personalities involved.

Someone on the board mentioned that the Peck and Bacall looked as though they were having fun. Hopefully, that's true. This was made shortly before Humphrey Bogart's death - the film was actually released about 5 months after he died - and it's a tribute to Bacall's professionalism that she was able to pull off a comedy under such circumstances. I don't think her personal life could have been much fun at all.