A Tracy-Hepburn picture sans Spence and Kate. Of course, when it had those two it was called "Woman of the Year"--complete with the punch-drunk pug (Wm Bendix there, Mickey Shaughnessy here). This one tries to hide its origins by loading up on subplots, taking on in addition to romance sports writing, boxing, Broadway, fashion design, and Damon Runyon's world of gangsters. Toooooo much, it does none of them well and they stumble over one another. The gangster angle is especially clumsy and intrusive. The subplot that does work is the ex-partners subplot, which adds the single bright spot in the whole thing: Dolores Gray, who steals the flick without half trying. It doesn't help that Peck and Bacall appear to be 4th choices for their roles. Neither is a good fit--Peck plays the kind of liar and conman William Holden could get away with easily, but Peck is just too staunch and upright. You end up disliking him for being so dishonest. Bacall plays a rather ditzy flake, with the same problem--she's just too solid and down-to-earth to carry it off, and ends up mugging. It's just plain embarrassing to watch her fly off the handle. Chemistry? None. Must've been a terrible year for stories and screenplays if this manipulative junk won an Oscar.
Review of Designing Woman
