A Woman's Secret

Director: Nicholas Ray

Overview

Screenwriter Herman J. Mankiewicz adopts the same prismatic-flashback technique he'd used so well in Citizen Kane for the 1949 filmic soap opera A Woman's Secret. Based on a novel by Vicki (Grand Hotel) Baum, the film begins with the shooting of nightclub singer Susan Caldwell (Gloria Grahame). Marian Washburn (Maureen O'Hara), who'd coached Susan into the Big Time, confesses to the shooting. Neither Marian's piano-player friend Luke Jordan (Melvyn Douglas) nor police inspector Fowler (Jay C. Flippen) completely buy her story, and it is their probing investigation of the facts that sparks the flashback parade. The film details in sometimes clever, sometimes maudlin fashion the perils of living one's life vicariously through the accomplishments of others. Though filmed before director Nicholas Ray's "official" debut feature They Live by Night, A Woman's Secret was released afterward.

Product Details

Release Date:	08/21/2012
UPC:	0883316574065
Original Release:	1949
Rating:	NR
Source:	Warner Archives
Region Code:	0
Presentation:	[Full Frame]
Time:	1:24:00
Sales rank:	25,695

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Maureen O'Hara	Marian Washburn
Melvyn Douglas	Luke Jordan
Gloria Grahame	Susan Caldwell
Bill Williams	Lee
Victor Jory	Brook Matthews
Jay C. Flippen	Det. Fowler
Mary Philips	Mrs. Fowler
Robert Warwick	Roberts
Curt Conway	Doctor
Ann Shoemaker	Mrs. Matthews
Virginia Farmer	Mollie
Ellen Corby	Nurse
Emory Parnell	Desk Sergeant
Lorelei Vitek	Waitress
Frederic Nay	Master of Ceremonies
Evelyn Underwood	Girl
Ralph Stein	Mr. Harris
Guy Beach	Policeman
Conrad Binyon	Messenger Boy
Oliver Blake	Mr. Pierson
Raymond Bond	Dr. Ferris
Eddie Borden	Waiter
Tom Coleman	Policeman
Bert Davidson	Radio Director
George Douglas	Policeman
Dan Foster	Stage Manager
Paul Guilfoyle	Moderator
Alvin Hammer	Fred
John Laing	Radio Announcer
Robert Malcolm	Bit
Rory Mallinson	Benson
Frank Marlowe	Whitey
Alphonse Martell	Waiter
Ralph Montgomery	Photographer
Forbes Murray	Mr. Emory
Norman Nesbitt	Announcer
John Parrish	Prof. Camelli
Lee Phelps	Policeman
Mickey Simpson	Policeman
Charles Wagenheim	Piano player
Lynn Whitney	Actress
John W. Goldsworthy	Harold

Technical Credits

Nicholas Ray	Director
Constantin Bakaleinikoff	Musical Direction/Supervision
Gordon Bau	Makeup
Nacio Herb Brown	Songwriter
Carroll Clark	Art Director
Gordon Clifford	Songwriter
Russell A. Cully	Special Effects
Albert S. D'Agostino	Art Director
George E. Diskant	Cinematographer
Frederick Hollander	Score Composer
Herman Mankiewicz	Producer,Screenwriter
Harley Miller	Set Decoration/Design
Clem Portman	Sound/Sound Designer
Frank Sarver	Sound/Sound Designer
Darrell Silvera	Set Decoration/Design
Edward Stevenson	Costumes/Costume Designer
Sherman Todd	Editor
Harry J. Wild	Cinematographer
A. Earl Wolcott	Sound/Sound Designer

Editorial Reviews

A very uneven little mystery flick, A Woman's Secret has so much going for it that it's a shame it can't keep from stumbling as often as it does. Let's start with Herman Mankiewicz's tasty dialogue, which comes in several flavors. Some of it is tart and tangy, especially when Gloria Graham is feeling feisty. Some is an intriguing mixture of world weary flippancy and gung ho enthusiasm, often courtesy of Melvyn Douglas. There's some silliness, some cynicism, some hardboiled -- a nice little smorgasbord. Mankiewicz's structure is a smorgasbord, too; that eventually becomes a problem, as the complexity of the plot sets up an expectation for a smash-band ending. Instead, we get a "that's IT?" resolution, and never do understand why Maureen O'Hara tells the lie that she does. Graham's character also doesn't come across clearly; she's two different people, and it feels as if a scene is missing that ties the two pieces together. And Nicholas Ray's direction is uneven, excellent in places, but disinterested in others. O'Hara also struggles a bit; she looks gorgeous, but she seems uncomfortable at times. Grahame does very well, even if she can't reconcile the two halves of her character, and Douglas is aces all the way. Throw in some nice work by Jay C. Flippen and Mary Philips, and there's plenty here to make Secret worth watching -- and to make you wish it was as good overall as it is at its best.

All Movie Guide - Craig Butler