SimonJack
By the time she made this film, Bette Davis had been in more than two dozen movies, and she had attained leading lady status. Never known or remembered for comedy, she nevertheless made several comedies and this is one of her early ones. In "Front Page Woman," Davis has the looks and smarts that make her a competing "newspaperman," to rival journalist and boyfriend George Brent. Davis plays Ellen Garfield and Brent is Curt Devlin. A good supporting cast is headed by Roscoe Karns as Toots, a news photographer. All the cast are good and Ellen and Curt have a friendly rivalry for getting the front-page story. At times they are very serious, but love is in the making with these two. As the plot unfolds here, the two match wits to solve a crime and get the big front-page splash ahead of the cops and one another.It's a fun story and the leads have very good chemistry. Davis smiles a lot in this film – something moviegoers didn't see very often with this giant of the silver screen over five decades in her many serious, dramatic and mystery roles. It's nice to see Davis with Brent, whom she considered among her favorite leading men. It's easy to see why he was her favorite in this film. He has an affable, kind persona here, even as an otherwise shrewd and accomplished reporter. Most people should enjoy this film.
blanche-2
Bette Davis and George Brent star in "Front Page Woman," a 1935 film from Warner Brothers. Davis and Brent, of course, were often paired, and they make a cute couple here. Davis is reporter Ellen Garfield, and Brent is ace reporter Curt Devlin. They're in love, but competitive at the same time, Ellen determined to prove herself. Given the time period, Curt pooh-poohs Ellen's abilities, because of course as a married woman, she isn't going to be working. But she's not marrying him until she proves herself, and as far as working after marriage -- well, we'll see.The two compete getting the story on a murder case, even listening at the keyhole during jury deliberation and both reporting opposite verdicts - and both making headlines. It's a game of oneupmanship all the way through.Surprisingly feminist in its tone at the end, "Front Page Woman" is a fun film, with a hilarious performance by Roscoe Karns as a photographer thrown in. Always great to see Davis at any age. Here, young, blond, and vivacious, she's adorable.
jayms
Rival reporters Garfield and Devlin are also a couple who delight in scooping each other often to the detriment of their respective papers. Brent and Davis are charming together and have an easy rapport. Curtiz's workmanlike direction and the rapid fire dialogue still hold up well, helped by the story's hesitation to endorse traditional male/female roles. If this proto-screwball comedy has a flaw it's that Garfield never seems a savvy enough rival for Devlin despite topping him to keep their endless competition going. Reminiscent of `The Front Page' and `His Girl Friday.' Recommended.
Arthur Hausner
Bette Davis seems miscast as a hard-working dynamic reporter in a rivalry with star reporter, George Brent, who works for a different newspaper. The role is more suited to wise-cracking, fast-talking stars such as Glenda Farrell (who made a similar film, Blondes at Work (1938)), or Joan Blondell (who also made a similar film, Back in Circulation (1937)). Her make-up, too, belied her profession. With perfectly tweezed eyebrows and immaculately applied lipstick, she looked like, as well as sounded like, a Hollywood star rather than a reporter. Still, Bette Davis is always a pleasure to watch even if not perfect. She and Brent are supposedly in love, but she won't marry him until he admits she is just as good a reporter as he is. You would think he wouldn't place any obstacles in her path towards reporting equality, but his vanity won't allow that conclusion, so he does. After a jury comes to a "guilty" verdict in the trial both are covering, and the jurors leave the jury room, Brent sneaks in to examine the ballots so he can get an extra on the street as quickly as possible. But sensing Davis is following him, he replaces the ballots with ones that read "not guilty." With friends like that, who needs enemies? Davis does report the wrong verdict to her editor, leading to the two rival newspapers coming out at the same time with opposite verdicts. Davis gets fired because of this hostile and vicious act, but, of course, it's not the end of the story, and she does get the last laugh in the matter.
AD
