Reclaiming a Cinematic Masterpiece
In 1939, director George Cukor faced a significant professional pivot. After his abrupt dismissal from the production of Gone With the Wind—largely due to star Clark Gable’s opposition to working with a gay director—Cukor transitioned to MGM’s The Women. While the industry of the time viewed his firing as a personal and professional failure, the move resulted in one of the most remarkable films of the decade. The Women stands today as a testament to Cukor’s ability to orchestrate complex performances from a cast that included legends such as Joan Crawford, Rosalind Russell, Joan Fontaine, and Paulette Goddard.
The film features no male dialogue, a choice that could have easily failed in the hands of a less capable director. Instead, it became a showcase for what historian Thomas Schatz described as the genius of the studio system. It pooled the talents of costume designer Adrian, production designer Cedric Gibbons, and hair stylist Sydney Guilaroff to create a visual and narrative triumph. While auteurist theory often isolates directors, this project was a massive collaborative achievement.
Unearthing the Unsung Architects
Illeana Douglas, an accomplished actor and film historian, examines these hidden layers in her new book, Jungle Red: The Making of MGM’s ‘The Women’. Douglas argues that the film's success relied heavily on artists who have frequently been pushed to the margins of history. One such figure is screenwriter Jane Murfin. Murfin was a prolific writer who effectively invented the dog-film genre, yet she rarely received proper credit for her work or her influence on the industry.
Douglas connects these historical oversights to the present, noting that women in Hollywood often struggle to secure the recognition afforded to their male counterparts. Through extensive research, the book highlights how the collaborative nature of the studio era allowed for incredible work, even when the power dynamics were skewed. By focusing on figures like Murfin, Douglas provides a necessary corrective to traditional film historiography.
Hollywood Power and the Legacy of the Studio System
Beyond its artistic contributions, The Women remains a complex study of studio politics. The cast was filled with larger-than-life personalities who were often exploited by MGM publicists to drum up interest. The well-documented rivalry between Joan Crawford and Norma Shearer served as a promotional tool, even as the two actresses navigated their own personal and professional hurdles. Douglas uses her own perspective as a working actor to bring a grounded sense of humanity to these figures.
She points out that many of the creative decisions at MGM were driven by gay men, including Cedric Gibbons and Sydney Guilaroff, who operated within a system where their identities had to remain hidden. Despite this, they infused their work with a distinct sensibility that shaped the era. Cukor’s own career was later impacted by the film's success; he found himself typecast as a director primarily suited for women’s stories. This pigeonholing caused him to downplay the movie in his later years, an irony that Douglas addresses throughout her account. The broader significance lies in how we view the history of film production. It is not just about the individuals on screen, but the entire ecosystem that made such productions possible.