After preforming for a New York City radio station, popular singer Gloria Grahame (as Susan "Estrellita" Caldwell) goes back to the apartment she shares with roommate-manager Maureen O'Hara (as Marian Washburn) and threatens to give up her lucrative singing career. As we watch a maid perform her duties, a gunshot rings out – then, Ms. Grahame is found on the floor with Ms. O'Hara kneeling over her body. Through flashbacks, we learn what led up to the unfortunate opening. "A Woman's Secret" begins with intrigue, but falters as the flashbacks are confusing and the main characters become increasingly awkward. We are left to wonder why O'Hara "suddenly lost" her singing voice, due to a rare laryngitis, and how the voice is transferred to Grahame; moreover, O'Hara, both intelligent and uncommonly beautiful, decides to devote her life to the dim-witted perfume clerk from Azusa...The top-billed men involved with O'Hara and Grahame are pianist Melvyn Douglas (as Luke Jordan) and angry Bill Williams (Lee Crenshaw). They don't seem to know how to make sense of what is going on, which is understandable. Putting some life into the on-screen proceedings are police inspector Jay C. Flippen (as Fowler) and his wife Mary Philips (an amateur detective). Off-screen, director Nicholas Ray took Grahame over the threshold. While interesting in spots, Mr. Ray starts off the climactic O'Hara-Grahame confrontation with a fail – apparently, as evident in the scene where O'Hara walks in on Grahame burning a "Western Union" telegram, O'Hara lost her sense of smell along with her singing voice. She should have asked, "What did you burn, Susan?" Adding to the confusion, the beginning flashbacks don't match later events – maybe this was intended to make it all more interesting.**** A Woman's Secret (3/5/49) Nicholas Ray ~ Maureen O'Hara, Gloria Grahame, Melvyn Douglas, Bill Williams

Director Nicholas Ray's Soapy and Flippant Flop is one of His Lesser Known and Lesser Accomplished Films. It Looks Great and so do Gloria Grahame and Maureen O'Hara. But the Movie is All Over the Place in Terms of Tone and Style Incorporating Dull Songs (quite a few), Sloppy Motivations, and Flashbacks to Tell a Story that in the End, Few will Care About.Melvyn Douglas is Miscast as is Victor Jory. Surprisingly the Most Entertaining Part of the Film, other than Looking at the Female Beauties, is the Sharp and Sarcastic Dialog Between a Police Detective (J.C. Flippen) and His Amateur Sleuthing Wife.It's All Professionally Done and is a Mediocre Melodrama with Ill Fitting but Enjoyable Comedy Bits. Not a Film-Noir Although Many Categorize it as such because they had Hoped and Wanted it to be, but not even in a Stretch should this be Considered Despite its Inclusion of some Genre Ingredients.

The title -- "A Woman's Secret" -- might be enough to turn some viewers off. It sounds like a Joan Crawford beastie from the 1930s. And actually the opening isn't too promising. Partners Maureen O'Hara and Gloria Graham have an argument. Graham, a singer and protégé of O'Hara's, wants to break up the deal. She runs upstairs. O'Hara follows, full of anger. A shot rings out. The maid dashes upstairs and finds Graham on the floor with a bullet near her heart. O'Hara is standing over her. Shortly afterward, O'Hara confesses to the cops, led by Jay C. Flippen.Well, in the kind of typical genre movie that suggests itself, one of the young ladies (and they're both young) should have been exploiting and abusing the other, who will have suffered in silence. There should be a man in the picture -- jealousy, intrigue, confused emotions, one crisis piled upon another.Instead, it's a meandering B movie sort of plot with quite a few character making an entrance, followed by a few remarks. There's the angry Bill Williams, the effete Mamma's boy Victor Jory, and mostly Melvyn Douglas as a close friend of the female duo, closer to O'Hara than to Graham.Sometimes you may wonder what the point is, what direction the plot is heading in, but the movie is saved mainly by the appealing presence of O'Hara and Graham, and by a subtle wit built into the dialog, not always obvious. I'll give one example.Graham is in the hospital recovering from the gunshot wound. Douglas comes to visit her but is blocked by a gnarled old cop seated by the door. "No hangin' around here is allowed. There's a waiting room at the end of the hall," says the cop authoritatively.Douglas tries to wheedle his way in but gives up and begins to walk away. Then he stops and points to a door at the end of the hallway. "That door that says "Waiting Room," is that where you wait?" The cop nods firmly and says yes, the barb sailing completely over his head.And don't worry. Maureen O'Hara didn't shoot Gloria Graham. Would Maureen O'Hara ever shoot ANYONE? No, she wouldn't, although if you sassed her too much she might slap you roundly.The two ladies sing some pretty pop tunes -- "Estrellita" ("Little Star") written in 1912 and based on a Mexican folk song, and "Paradise", which tune you may recognize, if not the title.

Vicki Baum was a popular German novelist. Because she was Jewish, she and her husband left Germany in the 1930s and she became a Hollywood screenwriter. One of her books "Mortgage on Life" became the basis for the film "A Woman's Secret". There are a lot of secrets in the film. What really happened when the gun was fired, what type of person was Susan Caldwell?The film starts with a fight between Susan (Gloria Grahame) and Marion Washburn (Maureen O'Hara). Susan is the singing sensation Estralita but she is fed up with the grind of public appearances and radio shows and wants to retire. She and Marion go upstairs, there is a shot and when police come, Marion calmly confesses that she fired the gun that could fatally have injured Susan.Luke Jordan (Melvyn Douglas) and Brooke Matthews (Victor Jory) get involved. Luke, a very good friend of Marions, persuades Brooke, a lawyer, to represent her. Both are convinced that Marion could never do such a thing. From the start there are conflicting personalities. Marion is presenting herself as "hard as nails" and all business, yet she inspires love from everyone - Susan is funny and quirky, yet she is less than loved. Luke takes Inspt. Fowler (Jay C. Flippen) to lunch and gives his version.Marion was a singer and he, her pianist. She is on her way to the top when she is stricken by a rare throat infection. After a year off she begins to sing again but her voice is gone. After leaving a rehearsal they run into Susan, a young singer down on her luck. Gloria Grahame really lifts the film up. She has just the right amount of quirkiness and knowing innocence as Susan, who just happens to have a great voice. She is happy for Marion to do all the work, promoting, booking, pushing her to practice etc. Marion then takes her to Paris to give her some much needed polish. Luke follows to keep an eye on them but Susan has already gone, pursuing a man to Algiers, with the promise of a place in an Opera company. Needless to say, there was no Opera company. On the ship back to New York, Susan, with a new name, Estralita, meets Brooke and sweeps him off his feet!!! By the end of the film she also has a hot headed young soldier (Bill Williams) madly in love with her and unwilling to believe she is anything but sweet and innocent.Melvyn Douglas is great and really gives the film a witty touch. Maureen O'Hara is very classy but she doesn't have her usual spark - in this film she seems quite subdued. Gloria Grahame is a bright light - if it wasn't for her the film would be pretty dull.Jay C. Flippen is also very good as the Inspector who feels something is amiss with Marion's confession. Mary Phillips, who was Humphrey Bogart's second wife, plays Mary Fowler.Recommended.