Design for Scandal

Design for Scandal
Design for Scandal
	Film poster
Directed by	Norman Taurog
Written by	Lionel Houser
Produced by	John W. Considine Jr.
Starring	Rosalind Russell; Walter Pidgeon; Edward Arnold
Cinematography	William H. Daniels; Leonard Smith
Edited by	Elmo Veron
Music by	Franz Waxman
Distributed by	Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Release date	December 1941;
Running time	85 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$558,000
Box office	$1,057,000

Design for Scandal is a 1941 American romantic comedy film directed by Norman Taurog. Rosalind Russell stars as a judge targeted by a newspaper tycoon unhappy with her decision in his divorce case.

Plot[edit]

When wealthy newspaper publisher Judson M. Blair divorces his wife Adele, judge Cornelia C. Porter awards Adele alimony of $4,000 per month for five years or until she remarries. After learning from his lawyer Northcott that Porter refuses to hear an appeal, Blair is furious and unsuccessfully tries to wield his influence with Porter's boss Judge Graham to have Porter transferred.

Reporter Jeff Sherman, recently fired by Blair, offers a solution in exchange for a promotion, a raise, a bonus and an unlimited expense account. Blair accedes to all of his demands. Sherman convinces his manicurist girlfriend Dotty to pretend to agree to marry him in the near future. He then tries to romance Porter, intending to threaten her with an alienation-of-affections scandal to force her to reduce Blair's alimony burden.

When Porter takes a two-month vacation, Sherman follows her. Having researched Porter's interests, Sherman pretends to be a sculptor. To obtain an artist's studio in the fully booked resort town, Sherman persuades sculptor Alexander Raoul that Blair has offered him a commission to decorate his building. Sherman then begins to woo Porter. She considers him a nuisance, but he is eventually able to win her love. To his dismay, he finds that he has fallen for her as well.

Porter learns about the scheme before Sherman can confess, and has both Blair and Sherman arrested. At their trial, Sherman acts as his own lawyer and calls Porter to the witness stand, where he asks her to marry him. Under oath, she is forced to admit that she did love him at one point, and she runs out in tears. When Sherman chases after her, he is knocked down. Believing that he has been hurt, Porter rushes back to him, and they are reconciled. Blair becomes irate when he discovers that after he had convinced his ex-wife to agree to a lump-sum settlement, she promptly married another wealthy magnate.

Cast[edit]

Rosalind Russell as Judge Cornelia C. Porter
Walter Pidgeon as Jeff Sherman
Edward Arnold as Judson M. Blair
Lee Bowman as Walter Caldwell, Porter's coworker and admirer
Jean Rogers as Dotty
Mary Beth Hughes as Adele Blair
Guy Kibbee as Judge Graham
Barbara Jo Allen as Jane, Porter's sister
Leon Belasco as Alexander Raoul
Bobby Larson as Freddie, Porter's nephew
Charles Coleman as Wilton
Thurston Hall as Northcott
Anne Revere as Porter's Maid, Nettie
George Chandler as Taxi Cab Driver

Box office[edit]

According to MGM records, the film earned $659,000 in the U.S. and Canada and $398,000 elsewhere, resulting in a profit of $139,000.^[1]

References[edit]

^ ^a ^b ^c The Eddie Mannix Ledger, Los Angeles: Margaret Herrick Library, Center for Motion Picture Study.

External links[edit]

Design for Scandal at IMDb
Design for Scandal at AllMovie
Design for Scandal at the TCM Movie Database
Design for Scandal at the American Film Institute Catalog

[Mannix-1] The Eddie Mannix Ledger, Los Angeles: Margaret Herrick Library, Center for Motion Picture Study.

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