| Front Page Woman | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Michael Curtiz |
| Screenplay by | |
| Based on | Women Are Bum Newspapermen 1934The Saturday Evening Post by Richard Macauley |
| Produced by | Samuel Bischoff |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Tony Gaudio |
| Edited by | Terry Morse |
| Music by | Heinz Roemheld |
| Distributed by | Warner Bros. |
Release date |
|
Running time | 82 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Front Page Woman is a 1935 Americancomedy film directed byMichael Curtiz. Thescreenplay byLaird Doyle,Lillie Hayward andRoy Chanslor based on thenovelWomen Are Bum Newspapermen by Richard Macauley.
Ellen Garfield refuses to marry fellowreporter Curt Devlin until he admits she is as good at her craft as any man. The two work for rivalnewspapers, and their ongoing efforts to better each other eventually leads to Ellen getting fired when Curt tricks her into misreporting theverdict of amurdertrial. 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.
The film's working title wasWomen Are Born Newspapermen. The plots of the 1937 releaseBack in Circulation, allegedly based on a story byAdela Rogers St. Johns, and the 1938Torchy Blane filmBlondes at Work are very similar toFront Page Woman.[1]
TheWarner Bros. release was one of three 1935 films co-starringBette Davis andGeorge 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.
The New York Times 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."[2]
Variety said, "[It] lacks 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."[3]