''Front Page Woman'' is a 1935 American

comedy film A comedy film is a category of film which emphasizes humor. These films are designed to make the audience laugh through amusement. Films in this style traditionally have a happy ending (black comedy being an exception). Comedy is one of the ol ...

directed by

Michael Curtiz Michael Curtiz ( ; born Manó Kaminer; since 1905 Mihály Kertész; hu, Kertész Mihály; December 24, 1886 April 10, 1962) was a Hungarian-American film director, recognized as one of the most prolific directors in history. He directed cla ...

. The screenplay by

Laird Doyle Laird Doyle (1907–1936) was an American screenwriter.Brown p.76 Doyle was under contract to Warner Brothers during the mid-1930s, before his sudden death at the age of twenty-nine. One of his final films was the British comedy '' Strangers on H ...

Lillie Hayward Lillie Hayward (born Lillian Olenda Auen, September 12, 1891 – June 29, 1977) was an American screenwriter whose Hollywood career began during the silent era and continued well into the age of television. She wrote for more than 70 fil ...

and Roy Chanslor based on the novel ''Women Are Bum Newspapermen'' by Richard Macauley.

Plot

Ellen Garfield refuses to marry fellow reporter Curt Devlin until he admits she is as good at her craft as any man. The two work for rival

newspaper A newspaper is a Periodical literature, periodical publication containing written News, information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background. Newspapers can cover a wide variety of fields such as p ...

s, and their ongoing efforts to better each other eventually leads to Ellen getting fired when Curt tricks her into misreporting the

verdict In law, a verdict is the formal finding of fact made by a jury on matters or questions submitted to the jury by a judge. In a bench trial, the judge's decision near the end of the trial is simply referred to as a finding. In England and Wales ...

of a murder

trial In law, a trial is a coming together of parties to a dispute, to present information (in the form of evidence) in a tribunal, a formal setting with the authority to adjudicate claims or disputes. One form of tribunal is a court. The tribunal ...

. The tables are turned when she scoops him by getting the real perpetrator, Inez Cordoza, to confess to the crime. Forced to admit Ellen is a good reporter, he finally wins her hand.

Cast

Bette Davis Ruth Elizabeth "Bette" Davis (; April 5, 1908 – October 6, 1989) was an American actress with a career spanning more than 50 years and 100 acting credits. She was noted for playing unsympathetic, sardonic characters, and was famous for her pe ...

as Ellen Garfield *

George Brent George Brent (born George Brendan Nolan; 15 March 1904 – 26 May 1979) was an Irish-American stage, film, and television actor. He is best remembered for the eleven films he made with Bette Davis, which included '' Jezebel'' and '' Dark Victo ...

as Curt Devlin *

Roscoe Karns Roscoe, also spelled Rosco or Roscow, may refer to: People * Roscoe (name) Places United States * Roscoe, California (disambiguation) * Roscoe Township (disambiguation) * Roscoe, Georgia, an unincorporated community * Roscoe, Illinois, a villag ...

as Toots O'Grady *

Wini Shaw Wini Shaw (c. 1907 – May 2, 1982), sometimes credited as Winifred Shaw, was a 20th century American actress, dancer and singer. Early life She was born as Winifred Lei Momi in about 1907, in San Francisco, California, the youngest of t ...

as Inez Cordoza * Walter Walker as Judge Hugo Rickard * J. Carrol Naish as Robert Cardoza *

June Martel June Martel (born Martha Irene Greif; November 19, 1909 – November 23, 1978) was a singer and a stage and motion picture actress from Chicago, Illinois. She was a petite brunette. Singer and actress Her career began as a singer in Atlan ...

as Olive Wilson *

J. Farrell MacDonald John Farrell MacDonald (June 6, 1875 – August 2, 1952) was an American character actor and director. He played supporting roles and occasional leads. He appeared in over 325 films over a four-decade career from 1911 to 1951, and directed fort ...

as Hallohan *

Dorothy Dare Dorothy Dare (born Dorothy Herskind, August 6, 1911 – October 4, 1981) was an American actress and singer. Early life Dare was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. As a child, she often sang in church and developed good vocability. She first ...

as Mae LaRue * I. Stanford Jolley (uncredited; his first acting role) * George Chandler as Reporter * Adrian Morris as Guard

Production

The film's working title was ''Women Are Born Newspapermen''. The plots of the 1937 release '' Back in Circulation'', allegedly based on a story by Adela Rogers St. Johns, and the 1938

Torchy Blane Torchy Blane is a fictional female reporter, the main character of nine films produced by Warner Bros. between 1937 and 1939. The Torchy Blane series were popular second features during the later 1930s and were mixtures of mystery, action, adve ...

film ''

Blondes at Work ''Blondes at Work'' is a 1938 American comedy-drama film directed by Frank McDonald and written by Albert DeMond. The film stars Glenda Farrell and Barton MacLane. It is the fourth film in a series of Torchy Blane movies by Warner Bros. Release ...

'' are very similar to ''Front Page Woman''. The

Warner Bros. Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Warner Bros. or abbreviated as WB) is an American film and entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California, and a subsidiary of Warner Bros. D ...

release was one of three 1935 films co-starring

and

. The two were paired on-screen a total of thirteen times. This was the fourth collaboration for Davis and director Michael Curtiz. The two worked together a total of seven times.

Critical reception

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

'' said, "The three writers who adapted it . . . did a clever script job and Michael Curtiz directed at a brisk pace. Add to that a cast with a neat sense of comedy and you have an excellent tonic for the mid-July doldrums." ''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'' said, " tlacks authenticity and is so far fetched it'll hand newsscribes around the country a constant run of ripples. But it's light and has some funny lines and situations."''Variety'' review
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References

External links

* * * * {{Michael Curtiz 1935 romantic comedy films American romantic comedy films American black-and-white films 1930s English-language films Films about journalists Films directed by Michael Curtiz Warner Bros. films Films produced by Samuel Bischoff Films scored by Heinz Roemheld 1935 films 1930s American films