I had never heard of this film before and picked up the video only because it had Clifton Webb. I have really loved him in the few films he made and thought I'd give this one a shot. To my surprise, it was not only a good film, but a very, very good film--so why isn't it a more famous film? The film has an excellent cast of mostly second-tier stars from the mid-1950s and I liked this because they all were extremely capable actors and actresses. Fred MacMurray (no longer the big-name star he was in the 1930s and 40s),Lauren Bacall, June Allyson, Cornell Wilde Van Heflin and Arlene Dahl all play husbands and wives who come to New York for a big meeting with the CEO (Webb) of a fictional car company (like Cadillac or Ford). Each of the men are up for the newly vacated position as number two in the company and their wives were asked to come along by Webb so he can not only look over the men but their wives to see if they were "#2 material". In many ways, this film seemed a little like a soap opera, as the personal lives and weaknesses or strengths of the marriages were explored as the film unfolded. However, unlike the stereotypical soaper, the film seemed more true to the characters and less salacious. The strength of the marriage and its secrets became a huge theme of the film--and was NOT jam-packed with affairs or crises.

There was really nothing I didn't like about the film. The plot was super-original, there many wonderful moments and performances and the production values of the film were just great. In fact, some of the stars gave real stand-out performances--such as June Allyson and Arlene Dahl. See this film if you want an intelligently written film with a superb ending. You most likely will not be disappointed.

I'm not sure how the movers and shakers of television never saw the Dynasty like possibilities in It's A Woman's World. Who knows, maybe some sharp TV executive will read this critique and act on it.

Lots of star power operating here and nicely mixed by Director Jean Negulesco. Automobile industry scion Clifton Webb is looking for a new general manager of Gifford Motors. His three top candidates are his franchise managers in Dallas (Van Heflin),Philadelphia (Fred MacMurray),and Kansas City(Cornel Wilde). Webb brings all three of them and their wives to New York so he evaluate all of them, including the spouses.

Van Heflin and Texas gal Arlene Dahl are ambitious, but she far more than he. Fred MacMurray and Lauren Bacall are on the verge of splitting up over his total dedication to his job, Bacall doesn't want her hubby to have it because that ulcer he's got will exponentially increase and eventually kill him. Cornel Wilde would like the job, but not if it means upsetting homebody wife June Allyson. Who will get the nod. Watch the film boys and girls.

Clifton Webb is still the aesthete and as acerbic as ever, but he's toned down some from Laura and The Razor's Edge and Belvedere films. Still he's a joy to watch, silently evaluating those three Hollywood hunks.

One thing I can't figure out. All the major automobile companies main offices are in Detroit. So why isn't the film located there, especially since Webb and the other three visit a factory? Answer; Detroit just ain't got the glamor of the Big Apple, never has never will. It wouldn't be that much of a stretch from Kansas City to Detroit for June Allyson and Arlene Dahl would look real silly saying to Van Heflin that she's fallen in love with Detroit. This was before the Ewing family made Dallas chic, you know.

It may have been a Woman's World back then, but a Woman's World consisted of just being in support of the male breadwinner. If the film were made today, one of the women would be an executive in the film. If not for reality, definitely for political correctness.

Which brings up an interesting possibility. Clifton Webb was the closest thing to an out male movie star that gay people had back then. One of the big "inside" jokes of the time was one of the wives offering up her body to Webb for that promotion for hubby. If one of the husbands offered himself to Webb for his wife's promotion, I don't think Webb would have turned down any of them, especially Cornel Wilde.

It's nice soap opera if your taste runs to that kind of film and maybe we'll see a 21st century version of it yet.

Van Heflin with wife Arlene Dahl, Fred MacMurray with wife Lauren Bacall, and Cornel Wilde with June Allyson are competing for a position left vacant by an executive who has died and left some big boots to be filled in an automobile corporation. Clifton Webb is the President of the company who'll make the decision for the best man for the job (and the best woman) - because she has duties herself - to be an asset to her husband and the company, to be a social butterfly, and just to be ready for anything. Clifton Webb as the President has high expectations for those around him, and he is just the actor for the role, as he has the ego and presence to carry the film on his own. With different personalities and what each can give to the job, Clifton has quite a decision to make. June Allyson is a standout, as she is her usual ebullient self, and Arlene Dahl is decked out to the nines. But of course. As you can tell, I thoroughly enjoyed the film. The characters of the candidates and their spouses are established early on and we feel we are watching real people as they relate to each other in moments of love and moments of disharmony. The film may feel too much like the 1950s and therefore a bit dated, but I think it adds to its entertainment value. But I do grant you the title and how it works itself in is rather corny. But, hey, you're either invested in these peoples' lives or you're not. And, while it may not be that important to be remembered in the long run, Woman's World certainly gives us a chance to see all these stars together. Everyone wins!