"There is a name for you, ladies, but it isn't used in high society... outside of a kennel." - Crystal Allen
Back in the day, when the Hayes Production Code was still in effect and censoring everything in film that the morality police considered offensive, insults had to able to fly under the radar. Joan Crawford was the queen of withering insults of the classical Hollywood style, and her performance in The Women has quite a few little gems. This comment that she makes to the other women in the film is a perfectly judged put down that lets them know exactly what she thinks of them without actually coming right out and using vulgar language, which obviously would not have been allowed in the movie.
Audrey Fox is an ex-film student, which means that she prefers to spend her days in the dark, watching movies and pondering the director's use of diegetic sound. She currently works as an entertainment writer, joyfully rambling about all things film and television related. Add her on Twitter at @audonamission and check out her film blog at 1001moviesandbeyond.com.
