Designing Woman (1957)
Designing Woman (1957), directed by Vincente Minnelli.
Employing well-worn romantic comedy formulae, sportswriter Gregory Peck has a terrific hangover and alcohol-induced amnesia. Why did he give fashion designer Lauren Bacall $700 the night before? After sorting out that misunderstanding they have a quick romance and sudden marriage. Back home he finds she is much richer than him and their social circles don't intersect at all.
This is obviously mining Tracy-Hepburn territory, particularly Woman of the Year (1942). It's all pretty familiar, lovely to watch, modestly entertaining, if going on a bit too long.
Notes:
This was made during Humphrey Bogart's final months, and Lauren Bacall needed a distraction from his illness. She said Grace Kelly thought she owned the part and never forgave her for getting it instead.
Mickey Shaughnessy plays a comically punchy boxer. (Q: "Where's his nose?" A: "It's inside"). In a sweet instance of tough-guy charity they always let him win a few hands at the weekly poker game.
Dancer/Choreographer Jack Cole is one of the theater people who we are inclined to ridicule. When Peck questions his masculinity the dancer displays photos of his wife and kids and offers to knock his block off. The actor really was gay so I wonder what he thought of that scene?
In the end he saves the day in an alley fight behind the theater, employing choreographer-fu and wiping out the gangsters with acrobatic dance kicks.
Score by André Previn, photographed by John Alton.
Available on Blu-ray from Warner Archive. Good color, although with less hidef detail than we expect these days. That is likely due to the CinemaScope process itself.
