
The Real Housewives of 1939: “The Women”
From Going Hollywood - Movies and Television from the Golden Age to Today by Brad Shreve & Tony Maietta
December 24, 2025 · 1h 16m · Season 2 · Episode 37
About this episode
The episode discusses the 1939 film 'The Women' and its cultural significance.
All women, all claws. Jungle Red! Call it “The Real Housewives of New York- 1939 Edition”. For our season two finale, we tackle MGM’s 1939 classic satire “The Women”. From savage one-liners to that wild Technicolor fashion show, we trace how Claire Boothe Luce’s play survived the Production Code, why Anita Loos’ screenplay still stings, and where the movie trades social ambition for a romance-first ending. We are joined by very special guest (and Brad’s husband) Maurice Chevalier and g...
People in this episode
Hosts: Brad Shreve, Tony Maietta
Guest: Maurice Chevalier
Topics covered
- film analysis
- 1939 cinema
- women in film
- satire
- Production Code
- fashion in film
Keywords
- The Women
- MGM
- Claire Boothe Luce
- Anita Loos
- Production Code
- Technicolor
- film satire
- 1939
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: MGM
Books & works: The Women
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