Movies at Mechanics' Presents The Women (1939)

The two reigning queens of MGM face off in this zany, fast-paced comedy from 1939. 

When Mary Haines (Norma Shearer) discovers her husband’s affair with Crystal Allen (Joan Crawford), she has to decide how to move forward, while staving off "help" from her busybody cousin Sylvia Fowler (Rosalind Russell) and her gaggle of Park Avenue girlfriends. Featuring a cast entirely of women (even the animals), the film is notable for its quick dialogue, and a script that pushes against the restrictions of the production code.

The rivalry between Norma Shearer and Joan Crawford was a real one. When Crawford came to MGM in 1924, Shearer was the studio’s biggest star. She had been married to MGM’s head of production, Irving Thalberg, and Shearer had her pick of roles due to her connection to the studio’s top brass. Crawford had ambitions to rise to the top of the industry, and the two frequently butted heads. The choice of Shearer to play Mary Haines, and Crawford to play Crystal Allen, was a deliberate Hollywood inside joke.

 A spectacular Technicolor fashion sequence in the middle of the film is a showcase of impressively avant-garde looks. The outfits, designed by MGM costume designer Adrian with influence by Parisian designer Elsa Schiaparelli, cross the boundaries of 1930s fashion and give us, in the words of the film, “a glimpse of the future.”

September is Fashion in Film Month! Stay tuned for:

Funny Face on September 19 with co-host Tony Bravo of the San Francisco Chronicle

Movies at Mechanics' has welcomed film enthusiasts for classic cinema screenings and salons on Friday evenings for over 20 years. Join us for fresh popcorn, lively discourse, and your favorite films the first three Fridays of the month. Hosted by Lara Gabrielle, film writer and author of Captain of Her Soul: The Life of Marion Davies.