''Front Page Woman'' is a 1935 American

comedy film The comedy film is a film genre that emphasizes humor. These films are designed to amuse audiences and make them laugh. Films in this genre typically have a happy ending, with dark comedy being an exception to this rule. Comedy is one of the o ...

directed by

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

. The

screenplay A screenplay, or script, is a written work produced for a film, television show (also known as a '' teleplay''), or video game by screenwriters (cf. ''stage play''). Screenplays can be original works or adaptations from existing pieces of w ...

by Laird Doyle, Lillie Hayward and

Roy Chanslor Roy Chanslor (August 25, 1899 – April 16, 1964) was a novelist and screenwriter. Several of his works were filmed. Chanslor was born in Liberty, Missouri. He and his wife lived in Carmel, California. He died in Encino, California. Written works ...

based on the

novel A novel is an extended work of narrative fiction usually written in prose and published as a book. The word derives from the for 'new', 'news', or 'short story (of something new)', itself from the , a singular noun use of the neuter plural of ...

''Women Are Bum Newspapermen'' by Richard Macauley.

Plot

Ellen Garfield refuses to marry fellow

reporter A journalist is a person who gathers information in the form of text, audio or pictures, processes it into a newsworthy form and disseminates it to the public. This is called journalism. Roles Journalists can work in broadcast, print, advertis ...

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 poli ...

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 Murder is the unlawful killing of another human without justification (jurisprudence), justification or valid excuse (legal), excuse committed with the necessary Intention (criminal law), intention as defined by the law in a specific jurisd ...

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, w ...

. 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 of film, television, and theater. Regarded as one of the greatest actresses in Hollywood history, she was noted for her willingness to play unsympatheti ...

as Ellen Garfield * George Brent as Curt Devlin *

Roscoe Karns Roscoe Karns (September 7, 1891 – February 6, 1970) was an American actor who appeared in nearly 150 films between 1915 and 1964. He specialized in cynical, wise-cracking (and often tipsy) characters, and his rapid-fire delivery enlivened many ...

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, the youngest of 13 children of ...

as Inez Cordoza * Walter Walker as Judge Hugo Rickard * J. Carrol Naish as Robert Cardoza * June Martel as Olive Wilson * J. Farrell MacDonald as Hallohan * Dorothy Dare as Mae LaRue * I. Stanford Jolley (uncredited; his first acting role) *

George Chandler George Chandler (June 30, 1898 – June 10, 1985) was an American actor who starred in over 140 feature films, usually in smaller supporting roles, and he is perhaps best known for playing the character of Uncle Petrie Martin on the television ...

as Reporter * Adrian Morris as Guard * Miki Morita as Fuji (billed as Mike Morita)

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 film '' Blondes at Work'' are very similar to ''Front Page Woman''. The

Warner Bros. Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (WBEI), commonly known as Warner Bros. (WB), is an American filmed entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California and the main namesake subsidiary of Warner Bro ...

release was one of three 1935 films co-starring

and George Brent. 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'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' 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'' 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 English-language romantic comedy films