Woman's World

Initially I was intrigued by the title and after investigating on IMDB was impressed by the actors all well known and respected. The premise is interesting however done in other films. This was a very pleasant movie with beautiful scenes of New York City and Long Island. Women's clothes quite lovely especially Lauren Bacall who can wear a dress like none other. While I was puzzled about the ending figured it out half way through. All characters played perfectly ie Clifton Webb his usual snobbish arrogant role. My only annoyance was June Allison's character a bit over the top and too stupid to be believed. I guess she does that role well. Favorite wife: Lauren Bacall favorite husband Van Heflin. He is an underrated actor who has played a wide range of roles always excellent.

This film is worth watching.

Last night I saw Woman's World: The plot concerns three hot shot salesmen who have been summoned to New York for consideration as the general manager of a fictional automobile company. They salesmen are asked to bring their wives along as the company president believes his executives need the proper kind of wife to be an effective senior manager. Much intrigue, drama, and hilarity ensue.

Ford motor company participated significantly in this movie. In addition to a large number of 1954 Ford products, the movie featured two Ford fiftieth anniversary concept cars from 1953: the X-100 and the XL-500

At the beginning of the movie, one couple is shown driving to New York in a Mercury Monterey.

The lead character played by Clifton Web is the president of 'Gifford Motors. Gifford Motors' cars all resemble Ford Motor Company cars. In one scene, the lobby of the Gifford building is shown with the X-100 and the XL-500 displayed. A Gifford manager is demonstrating the features of the X-100 to a member of the public. The Plexiglas roof panel is shown automatically sliding into position as the windows rise to prevent the interior from being damaged in case it rained while the car was left open. Apparently this was a big problem in the 50s as 'automatically closing in case of rain' was a feature of many concept cars including the Buick LeSabre.

Later, the three wives are given a tour of New York in the X-100 with street scenes of the car in front of the New York Public Library and the United Nations among other locations.

Throughout the movie, company executives come and go in a Lincoln sedan and a convertible.

In one scene the president take the three potential general managers to the 'proving grounds' where we see a variety of Fords whizzing around a banked oval at high speeds with appropriate sound effects.

Another scene shows a futuristic feature being demonstrated by three large-scale tabletop models of prototype cars: one model drives forward, stops, makes a whirring sound, and then moves sideways into a parking space between the other two models. Presumably it was lowering dolly wheels when it made the whirring sound. This was a 50s approach to solving the age-old parallel parking problem for which solutions are still being pursued today – see the latest Lexus automatic parallel parking feature. A boardroom scene also shows a tabletop model although it's not clear if it's different from the previous three. There is also a scene in the interior design department with many prototype seats of varying color and design.

In addition to being a great movie, it is a real treat for lovers of early 50s Ford products.

Slick, superficial CinemaScope stuff from Hollywood's early-'50s panic attack: How ya gonna keep 'em down at the flicks after they've seen TV? Fox tried to with big screens, splashy colors, and half a dozen or so stars crammed into one entertaining soap-opera premise. There's no cinema-making genius going on here, but the movie is overwhelmingly entertaining, both for its look and its morality. A consumerist's paradise, it's so stuffed with cars and gowns and doodads that you're seized with an overwhelming urge to go shopping after you've seen it. (The cars, in particular, are '50s-futurists designs from Ford/Lincoln/Mercury, and they're knockouts.) And the morality is so utterly of its time: The onscreen drinking and smoking are nonstop, the gender premises (men seek power, women seek men) are unquestioned, and the subtext is clearly that money and power are fine, but holding on to your man is what really counts. And to do that, you'd better learn to be a dear little klutzy wifey like June Allyson instead of a calculating harlot like Arlene Dahl. Of the women, Allyson's wife-waif act becomes monotonous, and while Dahl is luscious to look at and seems to be in on the joke of how one-note her character is, she's not really much of an actress. So Bacall, her crisp-sophisticate act honed to a fine sharpness, comes off best by default. The men are all OK, but New York is the real star.

Watching how the actors are strategically placed on screen while performing their chores in WOMAN'S WORLD made me recall how seldom close-ups were used when CinemaScope was new. Instead, medium shots are used almost extensively so that the screen is filled by someone standing far left and the other far right. Occasionally the camera does move in a little closer for an over the shoulder shot, but it's obvious that CinemaScope was new and lensing a film in Wide Screen was not an easy matter.

The performances are all interesting, with LAUREN BACALL and ARLENE DAHL coming off best, while JUNE ALLYSON is forced to play a klutzy housewife with too many slip-ups to be tolerable. CLIFTON WEBB is the auto executive who wants to examine the wives of men he's considering for a top job at his auto plant. The men are well played by VAN HEFLIN, CORNEL WILDE and FRED MacMURRAY.

If you liked films like EXECUTIVE SUITE, all about climbing the corporate ladder, you'll enjoy this one--and furthermore it has sumptuous settings enhanced by color photography. Women will enjoy all the costumes and men will stay tuned to see which man Webb chooses for his open executive job.

Witty dialogue helps with Lauren Bacall handling her lines with the kind of skill she always brought to these kind of roles. Arlene Dahl shows a little more skill than usual as an actress with a strong confrontational scene with Webb.

Worth a look, but don't expect anything deep.

Initially skeptical about "Woman's World" (1954), especially since it was directed by Jean Negulesco, whose previous work hadn't impressed me, I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of this romantic drama. The film's great merit lies in its impeccable cast. June Allyson, commonly perceived as bland, delivers a hilarious and touching performance as the naive Katie, while Lauren Bacall and Arlene Dahl exude elegance and charm as the sophisticated wives of Ralph (Fred MacMurray) and Ernest (Van Heflin), respectively. Clifton Webb, with his imposing demeanor, commands the screen as the acerbic Mr. Pendergast. MacMurray and Wilde overflow with sympathy in their roles, while Heflin demonstrates his versatility as an actor.

The plot revolves around Katie's "mishaps" and the "schemes" of the ambitious Carla (Dahl), while their husbands vie for the coveted position of company president. Despite the focus on the women, it's a shame that the three husbands are relegated to the background in the story.

Tension mounts as we try to guess which of the candidates will be chosen. The narrative holds some surprises, and I confess I guessed the outcome correctly.

"Woman's World" is a light and enjoyable film, ideal for those seeking quality entertainment. The chemistry between the actors, sharp dialogue, and Negulesco's competent direction (which excels here) ensure a rewarding cinematic experience. I recommend it to all lovers of classic romantic comedies and films with stellar casts.