Of all four movies Rosalind Russell and Brian Aherne made together, you're best off starting with My Sister Eileen or Hired Wife. What a Woman has some fun moments, but the story is a little lacking, and it drags on a little.
Brian is a reporter sent on an assignment to interview a literary agent because no one knows who the author of a best-selling novel is. Naturally, I thought the continued mention of a pen name lent the plot's direction towards a certain path: I thought Roz, the literary agent, was secretly the author who thought no one would take her seriously if she used her own name. Instead, the real author is found fairly early on, and Roz and Brian travel to a prestigious university to track him down. Turns out, it's Willard Parker, a professor who wrote passionately but has no idea how to live it. When Roz tries to train him to become as three-dimensional as his books so he can star in the film adaptation, her idea blows up in her face.
Where does Brian Aherne come in? This really isn't his movie, and I don't know why he was cast in the role of "irritating reporter." Willard's character is supposed to catch every woman's eye when he walks in, and he's supposed to be six-foot-four with brains and brawn. Brian is incredibly handsome, and he's also six-foot-four! Why wasn't he cast as the lead? If you want more Brian, check him out in The Song of Songs or My Son, My Son! Roz is also a bit irritating in this movie. For a more endearing performance, check her out in She Wouldn't Say Yes.
Brian is a reporter sent on an assignment to interview a literary agent because no one knows who the author of a best-selling novel is. Naturally, I thought the continued mention of a pen name lent the plot's direction towards a certain path: I thought Roz, the literary agent, was secretly the author who thought no one would take her seriously if she used her own name. Instead, the real author is found fairly early on, and Roz and Brian travel to a prestigious university to track him down. Turns out, it's Willard Parker, a professor who wrote passionately but has no idea how to live it. When Roz tries to train him to become as three-dimensional as his books so he can star in the film adaptation, her idea blows up in her face.
Where does Brian Aherne come in? This really isn't his movie, and I don't know why he was cast in the role of "irritating reporter." Willard's character is supposed to catch every woman's eye when he walks in, and he's supposed to be six-foot-four with brains and brawn. Brian is incredibly handsome, and he's also six-foot-four! Why wasn't he cast as the lead? If you want more Brian, check him out in The Song of Songs or My Son, My Son! Roz is also a bit irritating in this movie. For a more endearing performance, check her out in She Wouldn't Say Yes.