Design for Scandal (1941) User Reviews (14)

Decent gentle comedy

[vincentlynch-moonoi · 7/10 · 23 July 2012]

While this is not one of the great movie comedies, I found it rather enjoyable. I'm not sure the casting was perfect. At first, I didn't find Walter Pidgeon to be logical for the male lead...I was thinking more along the lines of Cary Grant. But as I got further into the film, it occurred to me that Cary Grant (my favorite actor) would probably have played it too hard to the comedy side, while Pidgeon could play it with humor, but also on the sentimental side. In reality, although this is not the typical Walter Pidgeon role, he actually is quite good in it. Esteemed character actor Guy Kibbee was not right in the part of the senior judge...he made the concluding courtroom scene just a little too silly. And, Lee Bowman's part -- as the "other" man -- could have been defined a little more sharply. I felt a little sorry for Edward Arnold, who was once a leading man himself, but was made to look a bit foolish in this film.

Rosiland Russell was perfect as the female judge. In the past couple of years, as I've seen more of the old Rosiland Russell films, I have come to realize what a fine actress she was, particularly in comedy.

The story moves along reasonably well, although perhaps it's a bit far-fetched to think anyone would attempt to influence a judge in the manner done here, but it makes for a gently funny script.

I doubt this will end up on very many home DVD shelves, but it's rather pleasant, and worth watching...at least once.

Predictable screwball comedy passes the time but it's nothing special...

[Doylenf · 5/10 · 20 August 2007]

ROSALIND RUSSELL plays another one of her working woman roles as a divorce court judge playing a tricky game of wits with her male sparring partner WALTER PIDGEON.

He's a newspaper man who makes a deal with EDWARD ARNOLD to get the female judge (Russell) off her high pedestal so that she loses her job and he can save his grateful boss from having to pay high alimony. It's strictly cornball comedy/romance with neither star having material worthy of their star status.

It's second rate as romantic comedy and nothing--not even the competent supporting cast--can do much to raise it above the ordinary level. The script is a virtual hodge-podge of clichés, the sort of film Russell found herself typecast in year after year during the '40s.

LEE BOWMAN has another one of his thankless second string roles, MARY BETH HUGHES pouts prettily and JEAN ROGERS is merely decorative as a scheming femme fatale.

It's all pretty artificial but it passes the time on a dull afternoon.

A reporter sets a lady judge up for a fall

[blanche-2 · 6/10 · 8 March 2006]

Walter Pidgeon is a reporter who agrees to do some dirty work for his boss in "Design for Scandal," also starring Rosalind Russell and Edward Arnold. After Arnold takes a beating in his divorce case, presided over by Russell, Pidgeon offers to help him out in return for getting his job back (when he thought he was going to die, he told off the boss - always a mistake). His assignment is to devise a scandal involving the judge so that his boss can have her removed from the bench. Pigeon follows the lady on her vacation and makes his play, enlisting the help of his girlfriend to build an alienation of affections case.

This is a very mild comedy, highly predictable, and this type of role wasn't Pidgeon's forte. He's quite handsome in the role, but the part called for someone like Cary Grant, Errol Flynn, Clark Gable - an attractive, fast-talking rogue. Russell, like Celeste Holm and sometimes Katharine Hepburn, played these strong career women since her beauty was not conventional. She's very good, but the theme is always the same, isn't it - a successful career is fine but you're deluding yourself. What you really want to do is take off those tailored suits and get a man - because being a smart and successful woman will never win you anything important. It all gets a little tired, but it does give me some insight into why my mother turned out the way she did.

Now I know why they hate the name Sherman in Georgia!

[sol-kay · 6/10 · 10 March 2006]

(There may be Spoilers) Zany and sophisticated 1941 screwball comedy that has big city newspaper mogul J.M "Cuddle Baby" Bair, Edward Arnold, enlisting his former ace reporter "Smilin Jeff" Sherman, Walter Pigeon, to do a job for him. "Cuddle Baby" wants Jeff to get the goods on the Judge who just threw the book on him giving his gold digging 22 year former party girl wife Adele, Mary Beth Bowman, a $250,000.00 settlement in his divorce suite.

J.M feeling like a fool to be taken to the cleaners by Judge Cornelia Porter, Rosalind Russell, tries to get her transfered out of her job presiding over family matters in divorce court, so his appeal against her decision would be handled by a judge that he can buy off. J.M then find out that she's just been elected to a six year term and has an impeccable record as a jurist. Jeff comes up with this scheme to get Judge Porter involved in a love triangle with him being the effected party who's affections are stolen from his future wife Dotty, Jean Rogers, by the Family Courts straight as a arrow Judge Cornelia Porter.

working all the angles Jeff finds out that the Judge is an armature sculpture and artist. Finding she's going to the Cape Cod artist colony to spend the summer Jeff get's a local sculpture from there Alexander Roaul, Leon Belasco, a job back in NYC to paint the JM Blair Building as Jeff moves into his studio and in on Judge Porter trying to impress her with his, really Raouls, art works.

Jeff at first trying to entrap Judge Porter by romancing her starts to fall in love with the judge. Soon he scuttles his plans that he concocted with both Dotty and his boss J.M Blair. J.M is outraged with Jeff for leaving him out in the cold and having his "fiancé" and "future wife" Dotty stick "Cuddle Baby" Blair with a $5,000.00 tab, plus all the furs and jewelry she could buy with his checkbook, to go along with Jeff's insane scheme.

With the case now going to court Blair knows that he'll lose, again, in the courts when the "other woman" in Jeff's life Judge Porter takes the stand. Jeff instead of accusing her of destroying his "marraige", that's still some two months away, with Dotty admits that he's in love with Judge Porter and thus has the entire case against her thrown out with now "Cuddle Baby" Blair, as well as Jeff, facing time behind bars for trying to frame the good and incorruptible Judge Porter.

While all this is going on Blair came to an agreement with his former wife Adele to drop her divorce settlement against him for a lump sum of $150,000.00 saving him almost $100,000.00 in divorce payments. Later Blair find out to his shock and surprise that she was to marry a rich old oil geezer, John D. Rockerfeller Jr?, the next day after she already cashed his check! If Blair waited one more day his divorce payments would have been immediately halted since she was to be married and wouldn't be entitled to them!

Judge Porter, or Cornelia, finally realizes that she's in love with the buffoonish but handsome Jeff Sherman forgets all his zany antics and tricks that he played on her by now knowing that his heart not his brain was in the right place but not always at the right time.

vacillates between very funny to unbearable

[marymorrissey · 2 July 2008]

lee Bowman is sexy, Walter p is not... when RR begins to fall for him, how depressing it is! it's pathetic and sad and what about the other girl he's stringing along? I'm not sure if her loose ends were tied up cause I went to the kitchen to get mango which was a messy affair.

I thought Rosalind was very funny and all the actors were, except WP was just so unappealing but perhaps that was deliberate as he might have been intolerable if he were appealing. . .

anyway this movie has some of the most sexist sequences of any movie I've ever seen in my half century on the planet.

I enjoyed the costumes though some of them were actually rather awful.

the artist is adorable!

Please, no more singing and whistling

[RemiFasolati-881-771882 · 6/10 · 5 January 2014]

DESIGN FOR SCANDAL (1941) Walter Pidgeon, Rosalind Russell Lively Script. Pidgeon orchestrates a scandal to help his boss get even with a judge (Russell) for a ruling in a divorce case. Pidgeon, a fixer/reporter (more like an experienced con-man) is an amoral opportunist. Russell, the judge, is cold and emotionally walled-off from the world as Pidgeon tries to seduce and compromise her.

In my opinion Pidgeon deserved to be indicted despite how glib and affable he was.

Pidgeon's performance is adequate, he's likable as always. Russell is also adequate and beautiful. But I was distanced from immersion into the story by both of their slightly wooden line delivery. I kept getting the sense they were speaking lines, acting. The script was snappy, maybe that was the problem? Too snappy for ordinary people to be saying.

I think that's one of the problems with these movies from the 40's that have such great writing. It undermines the credibility of our character identification. Who speaks like that? Who is that smart, that quick? Yet it's the same thing we enjoy so much, the thing that makes such movies rise above the rest.

So, the answer is to have characters that the audience can believe are smart enough to be delivering such quick-witted comebacks.

Also, the deliveries from the two lead characters here sounded a bit overly rehearsed.

I liked this movie from the start and as it developed but drifted away emotionally during the last act.

Lots of wonderful supporting cast including the great (and aging) Edward Arnold, the ubiquitous Guy Kibbee, and Leon Belasco (playing a sculptor).

some big names, but it was close to pearl harbor...

[ksf-2 · 6/10 · 9 August 2020]

Rosalind Russell day on TCM ! in this one, she's judge Porter, hearing the divorce proceedings between the Blairs (Eddie Arnold, Marybeth Hughes). she rules in favor of the wife, but mostly because Mr. Blair couldn't keep his big mouth shut, and kept yelling out in court. so when the judge goes on vacation, Blair sends his reporter Jeff (Walter Pidgeon) after her to get her to lower the alimony. Jeff even researches the judge's past, so he will have things in common. it's all way over the top, and overdone. so much effort put in by Pidgeon/Jeff, and the judge rebuffs him at every opportunity. and a precocious, troublesome tot Freddie thrown in, for more laughs. Bobby Larson was in a couple Peppers films, and was even in Bank Dick, with W.C. Fields. and Russell would be nominated for four oscars, but sadly, not for probably her best known work "His Girl Friday", which she had just done the year before. Directed by Norman Taurog, who had already won the oscar for Skippy. Design for Scandal story seems to be written by Lionel Houser; died quite young at age 41. this one is just okay. looks like it was released just around the time of pearl harbor, probably hurting its success. too bad they didn't give Guy Kibbee more lines (the Superior court judge). he could always jazz up a film.

Scandalous lady

[TheLittleSongbird · 6/10 · 5 February 2020]

'Design for Scandal' did sound quite interesting and had potential to be great. The story was a nice idea, giving the impression that the film would be enjoyable even if there was the possibility of it being not particularly plausible. Rosalind Russell and Walter Pidgeon, heading a talented cast, showed themselves to be great in other things and had a lot of appeal to them. Norman Taurog was not the most consistent or greatest of directors, but some of his work has not been bad at all.

My thoughts on 'Design for Scandal' when seeing it was that it was a decent and enjoyable film with a good deal to like about it. Albeit also a bit disappointing and not one of the best representations of particularly an against-type Pidgeon, with the big amount of potential it had it did have a lot of room to be much better than it turned out to be. It is definitely worth a viewing but it is not one of those watch it over and over films, more a film to see once or twice.

As said, there is a good deal to like. The production values are glossy but in a way that is nostalgic and quite sumptuous. Taurog directs at a brisk pace, everything moving along crisply with little signs of letting up.

The script deftly balances romance and comedy. There is some clever witty dialogue that is genuinely funny in a gentle way without being over-engineered, the interplay between Russell does sparkle at its best. The romance is frothy but also sweet and charming. Russell is in a role that suits her to the ground and she does fabulously at being icy and sophisticated with great comic timing. The supporting cast are solid generally, Edward Arnold being a standout.

Pidgeon however disappoints. It was great that he tried to do something different to his usual roles at this point, but he seemed ill at ease with the comic timing not coming naturally to him and the role would have benefitted from being handled with a much lighter touch, here played too heavily and seriously. The characters have little depth to them and are little more than stereotypes that don't always add very much, wouldn't have said no to Jean Rogers being given more to do.

Was also not all that taken with the long tangled string of cliches story, which did tend to be somewhat far-fetched to credibility-straining effect (even when taking the film for what it's meant to be and trying to not expect too much from) and not always focused, the cliches mounting all the time with so much here having been done before and much better. While the pace has a lot of energy the film loses steam towards the end in momentum and focus, and as an overall whole the film is quite ordinary. Pleasant enough but part of me wanted to connect with it much more and wanted it to do much more with its material, done competently more often than not but with not much imagination.

In conclusion, enjoyable if a bit underwhelming. With more imagination and a better male lead (others have mentioned Cary Grant and he definitely would have been a much better choice) it would have been a lot better than it turned out. Worth seeing though to see Russell in her last film she made when under her MGM contract, another interest point. 6/10

Designing A Good Scandal- Design for Scandal ***1/2

[edwagreen · 9/10 · 7 January 2014]

Very funny 1941 film with Rosalind Russell and Walter Pidgeon starring.

Russell plays a tough judge who lowers the boom on Edward Arnold when the latter's chorus girl wife divorces him. To get the judge off the case for future appeals, Arnold devises a plot with his photographer Walter Pidgeon to come on to her and then have her name smeared through the media by his alleged fiancée who he has hired for this nasty deed.

Russell comes into herself as a woman here and Pidgeon is quite a lady's man. It's a riot how Russell eventually discovers this plot and when Arnold and Pidgeon are brought into court for plotting such chicanery, Russell gets to see the other side of the law.

A very appealing comedy.

She's not a woman. She's a human law book.

[mark.waltz · 6/10 · 4 January 2018]

Women make horrible judges, powerful newspaper owner Edward Arnold announces in court, upset by judge Rosalind Russell's fining him for contempt and giving wife Mary Beth Hughes a huge settlement. That's all it takes for Arnold to vow revenge, rehiring recently fired employee Walter Pidgeon in his scheme against her. He presents himself to her when she goes on vacation, chewing her ear off and generally making a nuisance of himself as he poses as a sculptor and purposely romances her in an awkward manner to get her into an awkward position so Arnold can blackmail her. Obviously, nature isn't going to take that course of action, and there's a lot of silliness in taking this ridiculous plot in the direction it goes.

In spite of the implausabilities, this is an entertaining, if plot heavy, screwball comedy, with Jean Rogers as a blackmailing beautician, Vera Vague as Russell's malapropism spouting sister, Bobby Larson as Russell's prankster playing nephew (using the heads of sleeping bald men as an etch-a-sketch) and Guy Kibbee as an influencial judge. This is certainly a gorgeous film to look at (the type that probably produced gorgeous stills and lobby cards) and romantic in spite of it's con plotline. My judgement? Simply enjoy and throw the book at those thoughts that criticize the film as a whole.

Walter the womanizer?

[robertmarburger · 2/10 · 23 June 2005]

Walter Pidgeon distinguished himself in many films, but Design for Scandal isn't one of them. He is grievously miscast as a womanizing, fast-talking reporter out to besmirch Judge Rosalind Russell's reputation in order to save his boss's. Pidgeon looks uncomfortable much of the time, and delivers most of his lines without conviction or commitment.

Russell, too, gave many memorable performances in both dramas and comedies. Not here. As she so frequently did in the 40s, she panders to Hollywood convention by playing a brittle, sophisticated career woman who finds she needs a man to achieve true happiness. I wonder if many women didn't find that stereotype demeaning, even in 1941.

Delightful "Libeled Lady" rehash

[JimTK · 8/10 · 22 May 2016]

Delightful romantic comedy with a plot that is, basically, a rehash of "Libeled Lady" (1936), beautifully done with nice cast. Rosalind Russell appears as a judge — as she would again in "The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer" (1947) — but also as a career woman whose repressed femininity makes her easy game for unscrupulous ladies' man Walter Pidgeon. That particular feature adds interest to the interaction between both characters and even, in a way and to a certain extent, gives this unpretentious little comedy a sort of an edge on the aforementioned classic screwball comedy. The chemistry between the leading couple is perfect and both are great in their respective parts. Arnold is also effective in another of his roles as a ruthless businessman (here a newspaper editor), the kind of characterization he played to perfection in several Frank Capra's comedies. Famous 'Vera Vague' (Barbara Jo Allen) plays a bit part, and the character that made the actress's fame is credited under hers (between parentheses) in the main titles.

Some really dirty pool

[bkoganbing · 5/10 · 4 June 2018]

I'm sure William Powell was not available so in the MGM pecking order Walter Pidgeon got to star with Rosalind Russell in what turned out to be her last MGM film Design For Scandal. Pidgeon's part seemed to be cloned from Bill Powell's role as the reporter in Libeled Lady.

Pidgeon is a reporter who works for Edward Arnold a rich publisher who hates to part with a nickel. Arnold just got taken to the cleaners in a divorce settlement from gold digging Mary Beth Hughes and he's mad as hell at Judge Rosalind Russell for really socking it to him.

There's some really dirty pool played here as Pidgeon romances Russell so that Jean Rogers playing his girlfriend can sue her in a trumped up alienation of affections suit. What happens here is what happens in all movies of this type. You can truly figure out what's going on here.

The leads are fine, but Edward Arnold really steals this film as the 'mastermind' behind this scheme. His reactions every time another bill is brought to him are priceless.

Rosalind Russell plays another one of those patented career woman roles she did so well. Her fans who like to see her in these parts will be pleased.

Snappy script provides many laughs with some very good acting

[SimonJack · 9/10 · 29 June 2019]

Some fans of movie stars of the past think their favorites or certain actors were not cut out for one type of role or film. This is noted in some comments about Walter Pidgeon in this film. Specifically, that Pidgeon was ill suited for comedy because of his cultured and debonair stature. Having seen him in a few comedies, I think he's precisely fit for such roles. But, as with any actor, it depends on the material and the role. Pidgeon would show his mettle for comedy in a number of other films as well as this one, most notably, "Weekend at the Walldorf" of 1945 and "Julia Misbehaves" of 1948. Here, Pidgeon plays the consummate shyster.

In "Design for Scandal," Pidgeon plays wonderful comedy with a crisp, witty script. And, his debonair character and attitude fit perfectly into the picture. Rosalind Russell plays perfect comedy off of Pidgeon. Her Judge Porter is a hoot as she rolls her eyes or gives that knowing look of subdued humor at the silliness of some of the things the mature Jeff Sherman does and says. The rest of the cast, especially the principals, give very good performances. Edward Arnold shows why he was so highly regarded an actor in key supporting roles, here as J. M. Blair. Lee Bowman is the befuddled attorney friend of the judge, Walter Caldwell. Jean Rogers is very good as Jeff's former girlfriend, Dotty, whom he ropes into taking part in a scam. And Guy Kibbee is very good and very funny as Judge Graham.

This film has two very funny court scenes -- one in the beginning and one at the end. The latter is one of the funniest of all time. And the final scene is hilarious.

Here are some favorite lines from the film.

Judson M. Blair, "Well, you don't think I'm gonna let her get away with it, do ya?" Jeff Sherman, "Well, whadda ya gonna do, commit suicide?" Blair, "No, I'm not gonna commit suicide."

Dotty, "Why wouldn't she come?" Jeff Sherman, "Dotty, the first thing a smart man learns is never to worry why a woman changes her mind." Dotty, "An old Chinese proverb, huh?" Sherman, "Yeah." Dotty, "I don't think you're slipping." Sherman, "No?" Dotty, "No. I think you're numb from the shock of falling."

Walter Caldwell, "Forcible entry without permission is a crime. Between the hours of sunset and sunset it's a felony. You don't want to commit a new crime just to right an old one, do you?" Judge Cornelia Porter, "Yes, I do. I feel like breaking law as rule."

Judge Cornelia Porter, "I'll put him where he belongs - behind bars."

Judson M. Blair, "That's just exactly what this young lady is going to claim in our suit - alienation of your moth-eaten affections. Judge Porter stole them." Dotty, "Petty larceny."

Walter Caldwell, "I object. I object on the grounds that it's..." Judge Graham, "Immaterial, incompetent and irrelevant." Caldwell, "Right." Judge Graham, "I'm gonna have the record show, counsel, that you object to every question from here on. It can be considered as if you did make the objections." He nods to Jeff, "Go ahead." And looks at Caldwell, "We'll have no more interruptions. Sit down!"

Jeff Sherman, "Then why, on the night of July the eleventh this year, at the hour of 12:30, did you say to me in the establishment known as Frankie's Cape Cod Cellar Deluxe, that you love me?"