What a Woman!

Irving Cummings, a contract director best known for his long tenure at Twentieth Century Fox where he directed Shirley Temple and many musicals, did this fast-paced, well-staged romantic comedy for Harry Cohn at Columbia. It's quite an achievement. Not only do the actors move as they deliver the dialogue, but the camera directed by Capra's favorite DP, Joe Walker, moves as well. The performances from the smallest to largest are perfect. One wonders, for example, why Williard Parker who plays the innocent professor never went on to stardom. He's both handsome and believable as is Ahern. This film is an ideal example of the Hollywood studio system at its best. Rosalind Russell in a star turn is surrounded by a superb supporting cast, and looks wonderful, lit by Walker. Was this picture ahead of its time? Did it lose money?

In this romantic comedy from Columbia Pictures and director Irving Cummings, Rosalind Russell stars as high-powered talent agent Carol Ainsley. She's after the mysterious author of a recent bestseller to try and get inspiration for finding the lead actor in a movie adaptation of the book. She tracks him down, only to discover that he's a college teacher named Michael Cobb (Willard Parker) with no interest in further fame. Carol becomes convinced that Michael himself would be the perfect man for the film role and sets out to woo him to the job. Meanwhile, world-weary reporter Henry Pepper (Brian Aherne) has been tasked with writing a profile article on Carol which requires him to shadow her on her daily rounds, eventually leading to romance.

This is a basically agreeable trifle, fast-moving and with good performances from Russell and Aherne. I'm not familiar with Willard Parker, and his role could have been recast with a stronger personality. Shelley Winters can be glimpsed briefly in her second film role as a secretary.

The '30s, women wore feminine, flowing dresses. They had boyfriends, some of whom were live in, and they flirted.

Then the Code hit, followed by the war, when women entered the workforce. So now it's the '40s, and the women are all business. They wear tailored suits, are unmarried, and apparently don't need a man.

Aha! But they really do. Women in the '40s learn that without a man, their great career has no meaning.

This brings us to What a Woman! Starring Rosalind Russell and Brian Aherne. She's a top agent handling a million book bestseller, Whirlwind.

In order for the film version to get off the ground, the perfect leading man must be found. The author (Willard Parker) is using a fake name. Russell tracks him down, and it turns out he's perfect for the role himself. She brings him to New York to prepare him.

Meanwhile, every time she turns around, she is being hounded by a journalist (Aherne) doing a profile of her. He knows Parker is falling for her and, interested in Russell himself, watches her discomfort with great amusement.

Russell is terrific in a role that was perfect for her '40s image: a strong beauty who talks a mile a minute and is very efficient ordering people around.

Aherne and Parker give good support, but this is Russell's show. After all, it's the '40s, and women ruled. Or thought they did.

Carol Ainsley is on top of the world as the best 10% agent for authors, musicians, artists, actors, etc. But after selling the movie rights to her latest hit author's book, her whole staff are in a quandary trying to find the right man to play the lead. Meanwhile, across town, the publisher of Knickerbocker Magazine assigns its associate editor and top writer, Henry Pepper, the job of doing a profile article on Miss Ainsley. That's in lieu of one on the hot author of "Whirlwind," Anthony Street, whom no one knows but his publisher. That's because it's a pen name of the author who wants to remain anonymous.

But, when Ainsley sees a picture of the handsome author, she decides that he's the guy to play the lead in the movie based on his own book. So, she wrangles the his true identify out of the publisher and boards a train for Buxton where he's a college professor. Pepper follows her because his way of writing a profile is by shadowing his subject to see what her work day is like and what makes her tick. But when Pepper and the anonymous author, Michael Cobb, meet and become friends, the top 10% agent has her hands full. And a complex comedy of personalities develops around these three people.

The film has a good plot idea, with a smattering of clever or witty lines. But, a better screenplay with more humor would have boosted it considerably. And, it should have had some inkling of World War II that was happening at the time. As is, it's a fair comedy romance. Rosalind Russell is Ainsley and Brian Aherne is Pepper. They made a few movies together - all comedies, that were fair to good. But they each made a number of comedies with other leading actors, including some that were great comedies. Among Russell's best comedies were "Rendezvous" of 1935 with William Powell, "His Girl Friday" of 1940 with Cary Grant, "They Met in Bombay" of 1941 with Clark Gable, and "Take a Letter, Darling" of 1942 with Fred MacMurray. Aherne made three smashing comedies - "The Great Garrick" of 1937 with Olivia de Haviland, "Merrily We Live" of 1938 with Constance Bennet, and "A Night to Remember" of 1942 with Loretta Young.

The supporting cast are all good, though few of them are among the better-known supporting players of the day. Willard Parker plays Anthony Street/Michael Cobb. He played in many Westerns of the period. Ann Savage, Alan Dienhart and Edward Fielding lead the rest of the cast.

There's always something missing and strange to me when movies made during World War II and set in that time don't have anything to even hint of what's happening in history at the time. Most movies made then - comedies, dramas, crime pictures, etc. that had little or nothing to do with the war nevertheless had signs of the time. If nothing else, men and women in uniform would be apparent on the streets. So, to have this film set in 1943 with no sign of anything else going on in the world - that would surely affect the people in the story, seems odd. It's another minus for the film.

The top box office movie for 1943 was "This is the Army," a comedy musical war-time film set on the home front. It far outdistanced all others in ticket sales at $24.3 million. The fourth-place finisher at the box office was the biggest Academy Award winner - "The Song of Bernadette," with a box office of $13.4 million. In the top 20 films, a dozen were war or wartime related stories; and more than two-thirds of the top 50 films were war related.

"What a Woman" did fair at the box office, coming in 53rd with $5.2 million in U.S. ticket sales. But several comedies finished higher for the year. I don't know that any other characters would have made this film better. It just needed a better script.

Here are the best lines from the film.

Dillon, "Oh, and by the way, Pepper, Miss Ainsley doesn't permit her female clients to have babies."

Carol Ainsley, "Any soap?" Pat O'Shea, "Not a bubble."

Carol Ainsley, on the phone with an actress client, Monica, "Oh, but there's no such thing, angel, as a small part - just small actresses. Wh... Oh, you get killed in the first reel? Oh, but darling, think how they're going to miss you throughout the rest of the picture."

Michael Cobb, looking at the gifts that Carol has received but told Pepper that they are appreciations from members of a quartet that's a client of hers, "There's one more." Henry Pepper, "One more what?" Mike Cobb, "Gift." Pepper, "Oh, did you send these?" Mike Cobb, looking at Carol, "Oh, he didn't know?" Carol Ainsley, "No, he didn't know, but he knows now."

Carol Ainsley, "Uh, Michael, have you any idea how this happened?" Michael Cobb, "Well, darling, I spoke to the press tonight, but it was strictest confidence." All the dinner guests at her father's house laugh. Unidentified woman, "Strictest confidence!" Unidentified man, "With the newspapers." The group continues to laugh.

Henry Pepper, "Hello, everyone." Carol Ainsley, "Well, what are you doing here?" Pepper, "Me? I'm the best man."

Pat O'Shea, "Look, Pepper, how long has this been going on between Carol and Buxton?" Henry Pepper, "All the time. From the first moment she laid eyes on him. She's mad about him. Go to bed, Pat."

Miss Timmons,, "I can't understand it, Pat." Pat O'Shea, "She's mad about him. Always was. Go to bed."

Carol Ainsley, "Everything went blank, and suddenly I'm a bride to be."

Am saying this with regret. 'What a Woman' may have sounded quite silly in concept, which was not unexpected as romantic comedies and comedies at the time were not the type to be seen for their stories. Saw it anyway, being someone who likes Rosalind Russell and being someone that likes romantic comedy and films from the 30s. Haven't seen enough yet of Irving Cummings' work to say what my overall stance is on him as a director, what has been seen of his (and there is a lot more to see) has been variable.

'What a Woman' left me very mixed. It is a truly great showcase for Russell, in terms of performance that is, because without her or if her role was performed by somebody not as talented or as experienced in this type of role, 'What a Woman' would have been a dud most likely in my view. It does have things that are good, but it does have its fair share of frustrating failures that could have been avoided. A silly premise executed in an even sillier way.

Russell is the reason to see 'What a Woman' and she is a sheer delight all round. Her comic timing soars, even when the comedy itself flounders, she is really charming and easy to engage with. Brian Aherne is more mixed for me generally, have known him to be bland, but he here has a likeability about him and doesn't come over as dreary, he even amuses at times and suitably insensitive when needed. His chemistry with Russell is sweet and tense and it is not hard to see what they see in each other. Willard Parker has a more reserved character, one that isn't as interesting, but gives it a good go.

It looks great, Russell looks luminous in her clothes, the glossy style of the photography isn't gaudy or drab and the lighting is atmosphere. There are very amusing and witty moments in the banter between Russell and Aherne and the more romantic parts have moments of not too sentimental charm.

However, the story is very silly, sometimes straining credibility to the limit, is quite paper thin at times and has very few surprises. It could have done with a tighter pace, clearer character motivations as the final decision was not very easy to buy and the ending comes out of the blue and doesn't feel rounded off enough. The supporting cast are more competent but nobody stands out in sketchy roles, the most interesting being a debuting Shelley Winters. Cummings' direction similarly is far from inept but feels undistinguished.

The script has moments but could have done with more spark, and there isn't enough generally of the sparkling wit and sophistication associated with the best romantic comedies from this period. Funny moments come in spurts, at other points there is a try too hard feel, and the romance is predictable and more complicated than it needed to be.

Summarising, watchable for Russell fans but nothing special. 5/10