AllMovie

A comedy-drama with lots of action and a breakneck pace, Front Page Woman would have been a credit to Joan Blondell or almost any other star in the Warner Bros. stable -- except Bette Davis, who is absolutely delightful (and gorgeous) in the role of Ellen Garfield, the would-be hardboiled reporter, but who also obviously had bigger dramatic fish to fry. She and George Brent make an appealing pair of friendly rivals in the newspaper game, and Roscoe Karns steals almost every scene he's in as Brent's fast-talking photographer buddy -- and he manages to stand out even in a movie where everyone talks fast. Director Michael Curtiz shows his skill at storytelling in just about every frame of Front Page Woman, with rapid-fire dialogue and shots and action that rush by with the pacing of real-life, and also enough comic touches, overt and subtle, to keep the audience amused at several levels. (The title itself is something of an "in" joke -- does it refer to Davis's reporter or to Winifred Shaw's missing murder witness, Inez Cordova?). The plot and the comedy rush by so fast -- without time for any breaks for songs (even from Shaw), despite several backstage sequences -- that there is hardly any time for mistakes. And even sharp-eyed viewers may miss the presence of future Edward D. Wood, Jr. alumnus Tor Johnson in a tiny role. Credit should also go to editor Terrell O. Morse for Front Page Woman's effectiveness -- the tightness of the cutting keeps anyone from losing their willing suspension of disbelief, and help make this film -- not a terribly great of important movie, or brilliant cinema -- a whole lot of fun, and a genial showcase for the three leads.