Main Cast: Ray Milland, Rosalind Russell, Edmund Gwenn, Janis Carter, Mary Jane Saunders
Release Year: 1950
Country: US
Run Time: 85 minutes
Plot
A Woman of Distinction serves as a tailor-made vehicle for Rosalind Russell. The star is cast as Susan Middlecott, a highly respected college dean. As can be expected, Susan is too busy for romance -- at least until handsome professor Alec Stevenson (Ray Milland) enters the picture. At first, the dean and the prof are thrown together by the overzealous machinations of a press agent, and they're none too pleased about it. No matter how hard they try to keep their distance from each other, Susan and Alec constantly find themselves in embarrassing situations in full view of the public. It takes the behind-the-scenes maneuvers of Susan's puckish papa (Edmund Gwenn) to straighten things out. Appearing in unbilled cameos are Lucille Ball as herself, and Ball's future TV cohort Gale Gordon as a railroad ticket agent. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Review
Dedicated fans on the inimitable Rosalind Russell will most enjoy A Woman of Distinction, a decidedly minor little comedy that gets by solely on the strength of its star and the cast that gamely supports her. Russell suffered through many a role and film that were not worthy of her talents, usually -- as in this case -- elevating the whole enterprise far more than the material deserved. It's an uphill battle with Distinction), one of those "let's take that stuffy career women off her high horse and show her the joys of marriage" flicks that are especially painful to view in modern times. In order to work for today's audiences, these kind of films need genuine wit in the dialogue, or a truly imaginative set-up of interesting circumstances, or at the very least a director with flair and verve. Distinction has none of these, settling instead for hackneyed dialogue, slapstick situations of the most obvious kind and, in Edward N. Buzzell, a journeyman director offering capable, by-the-book work. But there's always Russell, gamely trying anything that's asked of her and finding some way to make it come off as amusing. Ray Milland does fairly well as the eventual love interest; much better is Edmund Gwenn, lovable as {$Russell's father. There's also some able support from others in minor roles. ~ Craig Butler, All Movie Guide
