Female (film)
Encyclopedia
Female is a 1933 Warner Bros.
pre-code film directed
by Michael Curtiz
and starring Ruth Chatterton
and George Brent
. It is based on the novel of the same name
by Donald Henderson Clarke
.
Alison hosts a party at her mansion, but becomes fed up with the men out to either sell her things or marry her for her money. She changes her clothes and goes to an amusement park, where she picks up a man at a shooting gallery
. They have fun together, but he refuses her offer to go home with him.
The next day, they meet again at her factory. To her astonishment, he turns out to be Jim Thorne (George Brent), a gifted engineer she has ordered her underlings to hire away from her competition. Saying that she has no time now, Alison has him come to her mansion that night, supposedly to discuss his plans for the company in detail. She attempts to seduce him, but he rejects her as anything other than his employer.
Annoyed, she turns to her assistant, Pettigew (Ferdinand Gottschalk), for advice. He tells her that men want women who are softer and less independent, so she adjusts her tactics. She tricks Jim into a picnic and wears him down. In the end, he succumbs to her charms.
The next day, he shows up at her office with a marriage license, but she informs him that she likes their relationship just the way it is. Outraged, he quits.
Alison has another problem on her hands. Her company needs more financing to survive, but another firm is intent on taking advantage of the situation to take over and has gotten the local banks to turn her down. She sets up an appointment to meet with bankers in New York City, but then breaks down when she realizes that she cannot live without Jim.
She has the police track down which way he went and drives off after him. She eventually finds him (at another shooting gallery) and tells him that she is willing to get married. Then, he realizes that they can fly to New York in time to save her company. Even so, she tells him that he will run the firm, while she has nine children.
began the film, and William Wellman took over to complete it when Dieterle became ill. When Warner's production head, Jack Warner
, decided he didn't like an actor in the film (either Lyle Talbot
or George Blackwood, depending on the source), Wellman wasn't available because he had starting shooting College Coach
, so Michael Curtiz
was brought in to re-shoot with Johnny Mack Brown
as the replacement actor. Curtiz ended up with the sole screen credit.
The film, which cost between $260,000 and $286,000 to make, and brought in $451,000 worldwide,
was made at Warners' Burbank
studios, with exterior shots of Chatterton's house filmed at Frank Lloyd Wright
's Ennis House
in the Hollywood Hills
.
said "Here is a film which is infinitely better than its title might lead one to expect, for although it possesses its reprehensible moments, it has the saving grace of having been produced with a sense of humor. [...] It is a film which has been made with the box office in mind and some of the interludes might very well have been excluded, as in more than one instance they tend to weaken the character of this modern Catherine. Miss Chatterton acts with the necessary flair for the rôle. Mr. Brent does quite well as Thorne. He is a strong-minded, good-looking fellow who frowns upon Alison setting her cap at him. Ferdinand Gottschalk is excellent as Alison's confidential secretary."
Warner Bros.
Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc., also known as Warner Bros. Pictures or simply Warner Bros. , is an American producer of film and television entertainment.One of the major film studios, it is a subsidiary of Time Warner, with its headquarters in Burbank,...
pre-code film directed
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
by Michael Curtiz
Michael Curtiz
Michael Curtiz was an Academy award winning Hungarian-American film director. He had early creditsas Mihály Kertész and Michael Kertész...
and starring Ruth Chatterton
Ruth Chatterton
Ruth Chatterton was an American actress, novelist, and early aviatrix.- Early life :Chatterton was born in New York City, on Christmas Eve 1892, to Walter Smith and Lillian Reed Chatterton...
and George Brent
George Brent
George Brent was an Irish film and television actor in American cinema.-Early life:He was born George Brendan Nolan in Raharabeg, County Roscommon on the opposite bank of the River Shannon from the town of Shannonbridge, County Offaly, Ireland, the son of a British Army officer.During the Irish...
. It is based on the novel of the same name
Female (book)
Female is a 1933 novel by Donald Henderson Clarke. It was translated into Czech as Samička : Román ženy .The novel was used as the basis of the feature film Female, produced the same year by Warner Bros...
by Donald Henderson Clarke
Donald Henderson Clarke
Donald Henderson Clarke was an American writer and journalist, known for his romantic novels, mystery fiction, and screenplays. Clarke was born on August 24, 1887 in South Hadley, Massachusetts, and died March 27, 1958 in Delray Beach, Florida Many of his screenplays were directed by John...
.
Plot
Alison Drake (Ruth Chatterton) is the hard-driving, no-nonsense, wealthy owner and head of a large automobile company. Her work has caused her to lose her youthful romanticism, and she has casual affairs with men, including her own employees.Alison hosts a party at her mansion, but becomes fed up with the men out to either sell her things or marry her for her money. She changes her clothes and goes to an amusement park, where she picks up a man at a shooting gallery
Carnival game
A carnival game is a game of chance or skill that can be seen at a traveling carnival, charity fund raiser, amusement park, or on a state and county fair midway....
. They have fun together, but he refuses her offer to go home with him.
The next day, they meet again at her factory. To her astonishment, he turns out to be Jim Thorne (George Brent), a gifted engineer she has ordered her underlings to hire away from her competition. Saying that she has no time now, Alison has him come to her mansion that night, supposedly to discuss his plans for the company in detail. She attempts to seduce him, but he rejects her as anything other than his employer.
Annoyed, she turns to her assistant, Pettigew (Ferdinand Gottschalk), for advice. He tells her that men want women who are softer and less independent, so she adjusts her tactics. She tricks Jim into a picnic and wears him down. In the end, he succumbs to her charms.
The next day, he shows up at her office with a marriage license, but she informs him that she likes their relationship just the way it is. Outraged, he quits.
Alison has another problem on her hands. Her company needs more financing to survive, but another firm is intent on taking advantage of the situation to take over and has gotten the local banks to turn her down. She sets up an appointment to meet with bankers in New York City, but then breaks down when she realizes that she cannot live without Jim.
She has the police track down which way he went and drives off after him. She eventually finds him (at another shooting gallery) and tells him that she is willing to get married. Then, he realizes that they can fly to New York in time to save her company. Even so, she tells him that he will run the firm, while she has nine children.
Cast
|
|
Production
Three directors worked on this film. William DieterleWilliam Dieterle
William Dieterle was a German actor and film director, who worked in Hollywood for much of his career. His best known films include The Devil and Daniel Webster, The Story of Louis Pasteur and The Hunchback of Notre Dame...
began the film, and William Wellman took over to complete it when Dieterle became ill. When Warner's production head, Jack Warner
Jack Warner
Jack Leonard "J. L." Warner , born Jacob Warner in London, Ontario, was a Canadian American film executive who was the president and driving force behind the Warner Bros. Studios in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California...
, decided he didn't like an actor in the film (either Lyle Talbot
Lyle Talbot
Lyle Talbot , born Lisle Henderson, was an American actor on stage and screen, best known for his long career in movies from 1931 to 1960 and for his frequent appearances on TV in the 1950s and '60s, including his decade-long role as Joe Randolph on television's The Adventures of Ozzie and...
or George Blackwood, depending on the source), Wellman wasn't available because he had starting shooting College Coach
College Coach
College Coach is a 1933 drama film starring Dick Powell and Ann Dvorak. The film features John Wayne in his last bit-part role.-Cast:* Dick Powell - Philip 'Phil'/'Sarge' Sargeant* Ann Dvorak - Claire Gore...
, so Michael Curtiz
Michael Curtiz
Michael Curtiz was an Academy award winning Hungarian-American film director. He had early creditsas Mihály Kertész and Michael Kertész...
was brought in to re-shoot with Johnny Mack Brown
Johnny Mack Brown
Johnny Mack Brown was an All-American college football player and film actor originally billed as John Mack Brown at the height of his screen career.-Early life:...
as the replacement actor. Curtiz ended up with the sole screen credit.
The film, which cost between $260,000 and $286,000 to make, and brought in $451,000 worldwide,
was made at Warners' Burbank
Burbank, California
Burbank is a city in Los Angeles County in Southern California, United States, north of downtown Los Angeles. The estimated population in 2010 was 103,340....
studios, with exterior shots of Chatterton's house filmed at Frank Lloyd Wright
Frank Lloyd Wright
Frank Lloyd Wright was an American architect, interior designer, writer and educator, who designed more than 1,000 structures and completed 500 works. Wright believed in designing structures which were in harmony with humanity and its environment, a philosophy he called organic architecture...
's Ennis House
Ennis House
The Ennis House is a residential dwelling in the Los Feliz neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, USA, south of Griffith Park. The home was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright for Charles and Mabel Ennis in 1923, and built in 1924....
in the Hollywood Hills
Hollywood Hills
The Hollywood Hills is an affluent and exclusive neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, in the southeastern Santa Monica Mountains. It is bound by Laurel Canyon Boulevard to the west, Vermont Avenue to the east, Mulholland Drive to the north, and Sunset Boulevard to the south.-Hollywood Hills...
.
Reception
Mordaunt HallMordaunt Hall
Mordaunt Hall was the first regularly assigned motion picture critic for The New York Times, from October 1924 to September 1934....
said "Here is a film which is infinitely better than its title might lead one to expect, for although it possesses its reprehensible moments, it has the saving grace of having been produced with a sense of humor. [...] It is a film which has been made with the box office in mind and some of the interludes might very well have been excluded, as in more than one instance they tend to weaken the character of this modern Catherine. Miss Chatterton acts with the necessary flair for the rôle. Mr. Brent does quite well as Thorne. He is a strong-minded, good-looking fellow who frowns upon Alison setting her cap at him. Ferdinand Gottschalk is excellent as Alison's confidential secretary."