When Ladies Meet (1941 film)

When Ladies Meet
When Ladies Meet
	Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Robert Z. Leonard
Written by	; Anita Loos; Leon Gordon (playwright); John Meehan (screenwriter)
Based on	When Ladies Meet; 1932 play; by Rachel Crothers
Produced by	Robert Z. Leonard; Orville O. Dull
Starring	Joan Crawford; Robert Taylor; Greer Garson; Herbert Marshall
Cinematography	Robert H. Planck
Edited by	Robert Kern
Music by	Bronislau Kaper
Distributed by	Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Release date	August 29, 1941;
Running time	105 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$640,000
Box office	$1,846,000

When Ladies Meet (television broadcast title: Strange Skirts) is a 1941 American romantic comedy film by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer starring Joan Crawford, Robert Taylor, Greer Garson, Herbert Marshall, and Spring Byington in a story about a novelist in love with her publisher. The screenplay by and Anita Loos was based upon a 1932 play by Rachel Crothers. The film was directed by Robert Z. Leonard, who also co-produced the film (with Orville O. Dull). The film was a remake of the 1933 pre-Code film of the same name, which starred Ann Harding, Myrna Loy, Robert Montgomery, and Frank Morgan in the roles played by Garson, Crawford, Taylor and Marshall.

Plot[]

Mary Howard is a novelist with advanced ideas about love and marriage, and is in love with her married publisher, Rogers Woodruf. She decides the only logical thing to do is to lure him away from his wife and marry him. Mary's friend, Jimmy, however, is convinced he's the right man for her and pursues her. He sees through her rationalizations and wrong-thinking and decides to throw Mary and Woodruf's wife Clare together at the house of a friend. The two women do not know each other, but during their chats, Mary appreciates and respects Clare's maturity and wisdom. When Mary learns Woodruf is a philandering womanizer of long standing, she realizes she cannot love him and welcomes Jimmy's attentions.

Cast[]

Joan Crawford as Mary 'Minnie' Howard
Robert Taylor as Jimmy Lee
Greer Garson as Mrs. Clare Woodruf
Herbert Marshall as Rogers Woodruf
Spring Byington as Bridget 'Bridgie' Drake
Rafael Storm as Walter Del Canto
Mona Barrie as Mabel Guiness
as Pierre, Bridget's Summer House Handyman
Florence Shirley as Janet Hopper
Leslie Francis as Homer Hopper

Reception[]

Howard Barnes of the New York Herald Tribune wrote, "Even when [Crawford] is wearing spectacles, she is not particularly convincing in the part."^[2]

Box office[]

According to MGM records the film earned $1,162,000 in the US and Canada and $684,000 elsewhere resulting in a profit of $607,000.^[1]

Awards and nominations[]

The film earned an Academy Award nomination for art directors Cedric Gibbons, Randall Duell and Edwin B. Willis.^[3]

Home media[]

When Ladies Meet was released on Region 1 DVD on March 23, 2009 from the online Warner Bros. Archive Collection.

References[]

^ ^a ^b ^c The Eddie Mannix Ledger, Los Angeles: Margaret Herrick Library, Center for Motion Picture Study.
^ Quirk, Lawrence J.. The Films of Joan Crawford. The Citadel Press, 1968.
^ "NY Times: When Ladies Meet". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times. Baseline & All Movie Guide. 2012. Archived from the original on 2012-10-17. Retrieved 2008-12-14.

External links[]

When Ladies Meet at the American Film Institute Catalog
When Ladies Meet at IMDb
When Ladies Meet at AllMovie
When Ladies Meet at the American Film Institute Catalog

[Mannix-1] The Eddie Mannix Ledger, Los Angeles: Margaret Herrick Library, Center for Motion Picture Study.

[2] Quirk, Lawrence J.. The Films of Joan Crawford. The Citadel Press, 1968.

[NY_Times-3] "NY Times: When Ladies Meet". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times. Baseline & All Movie Guide. 2012. Archived from the original on 2012-10-17. Retrieved 2008-12-14.

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