What The Opposite Sex (1956) is About
The Opposite Sex tells the story of Kay, a former radio singer whose world unravels when her gossipy circle of friends reveals that her husband Steve has been unfaithful with a chorus girl named Crystal. What starts as painful gossip becomes undeniable when Crystal performs a musical number at a charity benefit—and Kay watches it happen. The humiliation is too much. She heads to Reno to file for divorce, convinced their marriage is over. But then she hears that Crystal, far from being the dream girl Steve thought she'd be, is actually making him miserable. That's when Kay makes her move: she's going to win him back, no matter what it takes. It's a story about pride, jealousy, and the messy reality that sometimes the grass isn't greener—it's just different.
Behind the Making of The Opposite Sex (1956)
The Opposite Sex arrived as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's ambitious 1956 answer to a 1939 classic. The studio didn't just remake The Women; they flipped the script, literally, by making it a co-ed affair and loading it with Technicolor musical sequences that the original never had. The cast reads like an MGM roster at its height: June Allyson carried the lead as Kay, with Joan Collins, Dolores Gray, Ann Sheridan, and Ann Miller rounding out the female ensemble. Leslie Nielsen, Jeff Richards, and a supporting cast anchored by Agnes Moorehead, Charlotte Greenwood, Joan Blondell, and Sam Levene provided the male perspective and comedic ballast.
At 116 minutes, the film was a substantial production—not a quick cash-in. The runtime allowed for both the romantic entanglements that drive the plot and the production numbers that were becoming essential to MGM's musical comedies of the era. While the film didn't become a box-office juggernaut, it found its audience among those who appreciated the studio's formula of star power, color, and melody. The picture landed a respectable IMDb rating of 5.4 out of 10, which suggests it's a film that works better as a period piece and entertainment artifact than as a timeless masterpiece. Still, for fans of 1950s Hollywood glamour and musical comedy, it's exactly the kind of thing the studio system excelled at producing.
Why The Opposite Sex (1956) Still Entertains
What's striking about The Opposite Sex, even now, is how it tries to have it both ways—it's a comedy about infidelity and jealousy, yet it's also deeply invested in the spectacle of big musical numbers and romantic resolution. The film doesn't take itself seriously enough to be tragic, but it takes the emotional stakes seriously enough that you actually care whether Kay gets her husband back. June Allyson brings a particular kind of 1950s sincerity to the role; she's not winking at the audience, and that commitment makes the material work better than it probably should.
The supporting cast—particularly Joan Collins as the scheming Crystal and Ann Miller as one of Kay's loyal friends—elevates the ensemble comedy. There's real chemistry in the scenes where the women scheme and gossip, and the musical numbers, while occasionally feeling like they've wandered in from another film, do offer visual spectacle that was a draw for audiences of the era. What nobody mentions much is how the film manages to be both a product of its time (the gender roles, the assumption that winning back your man is the ultimate victory) and oddly progressive in its decision to make a woman the active agent of her own romantic destiny, however that destiny is defined. She doesn't wait to be rescued; she orchestrates her own comeback.
Where to Stream The Opposite Sex Online
The Opposite Sex is available on major OTT services, and checking Movie OTT will show you exactly where it's streaming in your region right now. The platform aggregates current availability across multiple services, so you won't waste time hunting. Since streaming rights shift frequently, Movie OTT's real-time tracking means you can catch this 1956 gem whenever it's actually accessible rather than chasing dead links. The Where to Watch widget at the top of this page displays all current platforms carrying the title, making it easy to decide where to watch.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Is The Opposite Sex a remake?
Yes. The film is a 1956 remake of the 1939 comedy The Women, but with a significant twist: it adds male characters to the story and incorporates elaborate musical numbers that the original didn't have, fundamentally changing the tone and structure.
Q: Who stars in The Opposite Sex?
June Allyson leads the cast as Kay, supported by Joan Collins, Dolores Gray, Ann Sheridan, and Ann Miller among the women, with Leslie Nielsen and Jeff Richards playing the male leads.
Q: How long is The Opposite Sex?
The film runs 116 minutes, which was a substantial runtime for a comedy in 1956 and allowed for both romantic plot development and musical sequences.
Q: What's the plot of The Opposite Sex?
Kay discovers her husband Steve has been unfaithful with a chorus girl named Crystal. She files for divorce, but when she learns that Crystal is actually making Steve unhappy, Kay decides to win him back.
Q: Where can I watch The Opposite Sex?
The film is available on major streaming platforms. Movie OTT tracks all current availability, so check the Where to Watch widget on this page to find which service has it in your area.
Final Thoughts on The Opposite Sex
The Opposite Sex isn't a perfect film—it's a little long in places, and some of the musical numbers feel tacked on rather than essential to the story. But it's exactly what it sets out to be: a colorful, entertaining 1956 musical comedy with charm, star power, and enough plot twists to keep things moving. If you're a fan of classic Hollywood, 1950s Technicolor musicals, or just want to see how studios approached romantic comedy before everything got cynical, it's worth your time. Don't expect a masterpiece. Expect a well-crafted studio product that still knows how to entertain.
