I Take This Woman (1939)
Georgi has attempted suicide in reaction to an earlier love affair.
Now that Dr. Decker has married her he sets out to get her to love
him. To make enough to give her what she wants he becomes
physician to the rich, abandoning his clinic services to the poor.
Directed by W.S. Van Dyke, Frank Borzage, Josef von Sternberg
Writing credits: Charles MacArthur, James Kevin McGuinness, Ben Hecht
Cast:
Spencer Tracy .... Dr. Karl Decker
Hedy Lamarr .... Georgi Gragore Decker
Verree Teasdale .... Madame 'Cesca' Marcesca
Kent Taylor .... Phil Mayberry
Laraine Day .... Linda Rodgers
Mona Barrie .... Sandra Mayberry
Jack Carson .... Joe, Man Yelling for Decker in Subway
Paul Cavanagh .... Bill Rodgers
Louis Calhern .... Dr. Martin Sumner Duveen
Frances Drake .... Lola Estermont
Marjorie Main .... Gertie
George E. Stone .... Sid the Taxi Driver
Willie Best .... Sambo, the Clinic Attendant
Don Castle .... Dr. Ted Fenton
Dalies Frantz .... Dr. Joe Barnes
Reed Hadley .... Bob Hampton
Ernie Alexander .... Man in Clinic (scenes deleted)
Adrienne Ames .... Lola Estermonte (scenes deleted)
John Bagni .... Marx, an Intern (scenes deleted)
Bobby Barber .... Man in Clinic (scenes deleted)
Max Barwyn .... Waiter (scenes deleted)
Margaret Bert .... Nurse (scenes deleted)
Georgie Billings .... Ringleader Boy (scenes deleted)
Sonny Bupp .... Murphy Kid (scenes deleted)
Bill Cartledge .... Newsboy (scenes deleted) (as William J. Cartledge)
Naomi Childers .... Woman (scenes deleted)
Ina Claire .... Cesca Marcesca (scenes deleted)
Diane Cook .... Debutante (scenes deleted)
Baldwin Cooke .... Steward (scenes deleted)
George Cooper .... Tommy (scenes deleted)
Jack Daley .... Man in Clinic (scenes deleted)
Max Davidson .... Man in Clinic (scenes deleted)
Jean De Briac .... Waiter (scenes deleted)
Carlos De Valdez .... Ramos (scenes deleted)
Helen Dickson .... Woman with Hat (scenes deleted)
Frank Elliott .... Hudson, the Butler (scenes deleted)
Mary Field .... Crazy Woman (scenes deleted)
Dwight Frye .... Gus (scenes deleted)
Jack Grey .... Customs Man (scenes deleted)
Grace Hayle .... Mrs. Farthington (scenes deleted)
Marjorie Kane .... Cashier (scenes deleted)
James Kilgannon .... Steward (scenes deleted)
Paul Kruger .... Expressman (scenes deleted)
Grace Lenard .... Belle (scenes deleted)
Hal Le Sueur .... Man in Cafe (aborted verison) (scenes deleted)
Jacques Lory .... Man in Clinic (scenes deleted)
Herta Lynd .... German Girl (scenes deleted)
Roger McGee .... Murphy Kid (scenes deleted)
Paul McVey .... Police Lieutenant (scenes deleted)
George Mendoza .... Rinaldo (scenes deleted)
Claire Meyers .... Debutante (scenes deleted)
Helene Millard .... Miss May (scenes deleted)
Catherine Moore .... Woman in Clinic (scenes deleted)
Roger Moore .... Inspector (scenes deleted)
Alberto Morin .... Pancho (scenes deleted)
Lillian Nicholson .... German Mother (scenes deleted)
Patsy O'Byrne .... Woman in Clinic (scenes deleted)
Oscar O'Shea .... Dowling (scenes deleted)
Walter Pidgeon .... Phil Mayberry (scenes deleted)
Frank Puglia .... Milt, an Italian (scenes deleted)
Jack Raymond .... Man in Clinic (scenes deleted)
Harry Semels .... Man in Clinic (scenes deleted)
Charles Sherlock .... Steward (scenes deleted)
Pepi Sinoff .... Mrs. Abrams (scenes deleted)
Harry Strang .... Sailor (scenes deleted)
Billy Taft .... Page Boy (scenes deleted)
Harry Tenbrook .... Taxi Driver (scenes deleted)
George Travell .... Page Boy (scenes deleted)
Laura Treadwell .... Mrs. Winterhalter (scenes deleted)
Ruth Warren .... Bridget O'Sullivan (scenes deleted)
Billy Watson .... Murphy Kid (scenes deleted)
Delmar Watson .... Smaller Murphy Kid (scenes deleted)
Harry Watson .... Oldest Murphy Kid (scenes deleted)
Josephine Whittell .... Mrs. Brookhaven (scenes deleted)
Frank Worthington .... Murphy Kid (scenes deleted)
Armand 'Curly' Wright .... Man in Clinic (scenes deleted)
Lowden Adams .... Phil's Butler
Polly Bailey .... Mrs. Glutz, Woman in Clinic
Arthur Belasco
Leon Belasco
Ralph Brooks .... Night Club Dance Extra
Charles D. Brown .... Police Lieutenant
Jack Chefe .... Waiter
David Clyde .... Ship Steward
Tom Collins .... Intern Harry
Nell Craig .... Nurse on Ship
Richard Cramer .... Man with Packages in Subway
Rosina Galli .... Clinic Woman Who Lost Her baby
Jack Gardner .... Taxi Driver
George Humbert .... Tony, Pushcart Vendor and Clinic Supporter
Clarke Jennings .... Reynolds, Rodgers' Chauffeur
Edward Keane .... Dr. Harrison
Jack Kenny .... Clinic Well-Wisher with Cigar
Peggy Leon .... Martha, Georgi's Maid
Joe Levine .... Big Boy
Jimmie Lucas .... Taxi Driver
Sally Martin .... Murphy Kid
Matt McHugh .... Mike Fescue, Man in Clinic
Esther Michelson .... Woman in Clinic
Rhea Mitchell .... Decker's Secretary
Natalie Moorhead .... May, Saleslady
Albert Petit .... Waiter
Lee Phelps .... Policeman
Cyril Ring .... Night Club Extra
Ronald R. Rondell .... Night Club Extra
Syd Saylor .... First Taxi Driver
John Sheehan .... Clinic Patient with Good Blood Pressure
John Shelton .... Intern Steve
Florence Shirley .... Mrs. Leila Bettincourt
Napoleon Simpson .... Thompson, a Doorman
Rafael Storm .... Raoul Cedro
Charles Trowbridge .... Dr. Morris
Gayne Whitman .... Dr. Phelps
Florence Wix .... Mrs. Winterhalter
Produced by Bernard H. Hyman
Louis B. Mayer .... producer
Lawrence Weingarten .... producer
Original Music by Artur Guttmann, Bronislau Kaper
Cinematography by Harold Rosson
Film Editing by George Boemler
Art Direction by Cedric Gibbons
Set Decoration by Edwin B. Willis
Costume Design by Adrian (gowns)
Production Management Jay Marchant .... unit manager
Second Unit Director or Assistant Director Lew Borzage .... assistant director
Hugh Boswell .... assistant director
Richard Green .... assistant director
Art Department Paul Groesse .... associate art director
Sound Department Douglas Shearer .... recording director
Other crew:
Léo Arnaud .... orchestrator
George Bassman .... orchestrator
Robert Burns .... lyricist: "Auld Lang Syne"
Charles Lawton Jr. .... photographer
Paul Marquardt .... orchestrator
Runtime: USA:98 min
Country: USA Language: English / Italian
Color: Black and White
Sound Mix: Mono (Western Electric Sound System)
Certification: Finland:K-16 / Sweden:15 / USA:Approved (PCA #6000)
Trivia: Jack Carson is credited onscreen but has only one short scene
yelling in a subway. His voice is clearly dubbed, probably because he
couldn't be at the retakes.
Production of the film started in October 1938 and had a troubled history.
Director Josef von Sternberg quit because of artistic differences. Director
Frank Borzage took over, but the production was shelved in early January
1939 for more than 10 months, when W.S. Van Dyke took over and
practically re-shot the whole film, with many different cast members.
One contemporary reviewer quipped the film should have been called
"I Re-Take This Woman".
Quotes: Dr. Karl Decker: Everything that happens is fair.
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