Woman’s World *** (1954, Clifton Webb, Lauren Bacall, Van Heflin, June Allyson, Fred MacMurray, Arlene Dahl, Cornel Wilde) – Classic Movie Review 13,912  

Fred MacMurray, Cornel Wilde and Van Heflin compete for the top job at Clifton Webb’s large car company, in the entertaining 1954 American CinemaScope and Technicolor drama film Woman’s World.

Director Jean Negulesco’s entertaining 1954 American CinemaScope and Technicolor drama film Woman’s World is based on a story by Mona Williams, and stars Clifton Webb, Lauren Bacall, Van Heflin, June Allyson, Fred MacMurray, Arlene Dahl, and Cornel Wilde.

Woman’s World is a sudsy, enjoyable soaper about big business as a New York car manufacturer called Ernest Gifford (Clifton Webb), who searches around for a new broom to run his companies after the general manager of Gifford Motors dies. He sends for workacholic Sid Burns (Fred MacMurray) from Philadelphia, reluctant Bill Baxter (Cornel Wilde) from Kansas City, and super-efficient Jerry Talbot (Van Heflin) from Texas. Who does he choose?

It is an entertaining, glossy, amusingly scripted yarn with capable, showy turns for the strong performers and brisk, efficient direction. The screenplay is revealing about the shenanigans of the business world, and, as the title implies, there is plenty of room for the characters’ wives (Lauren Bacall as Elizabeth Burns, June Allyson as Katie Baxter, Arlene Dahl  as Carol Talbot).

The screenplay is by Claude Binyon, Mary Loos, Richard Sale, Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse, based on Mona Williams’s short story May the Best Wife Win, originally published in McCall’s magazine in 1950.

Filming started 3 May 1954 and it was released on September 30, 1954. It was popular, taking $3 million in US cinemas against a budget of $2,010,000.

Cast: Clifton Webb, Lauren Bacall, Van Heflin, June Allyson, Fred MacMurray, Arlene Dahl, Cornel Wilde, Elliott Reid as Gifford’s nephew Tony Andrews, Margalo Gillmore as Gifford’s sister Evelyn Andrews, Alan Reed, David Hoffman, Rodney Bell, Billie Bird, Kathryn Card, George Eldredge, Conrad Feia, Jonathan Hole, Ann Kunde, Jarma Lewis, Melinda Markey, Eileen Maxwell, George Melford, Paul Power, Maudie Prickett, Janet Stewart, George E Stone, William Tannen, Beverly Thompson, Jean Walters, Eric Wilton, Carleton Young, Marc Snow.

June Allyson played another reluctant loyal wife in the same year’s similar film Executive Suite.

© Derek Winnert 2026 – Classic Movie Review 13,912

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