The Gorgeous Hussy

If you think Joan Crawford is gorgeous, you're in much better shape than I was to watch The Gorgeous Hussy, since she plays the title character. Despite what the title leads you to believe, this is a movie about President Andrew Jackson. Lionel Barrymore plays the beloved president, and he puts his whole heart into the many speeches the script provides. Beulah Bondi plays Rachel Jackson, and in case you don't know your history, I won't tell you anymore, except that she was nominated for Best Supporting Actress in 1937.

Where does Joan Crawford come in, and why is the movie named after her? She's Jackson's niece, and she's desperately in love with a much older senator, Melvyn Douglas. When he sends her away for her own good, she throws herself into a relationship with the second man who flirts with her, Robert Taylor. A very young, gawky James Stewart is the first man, but she doesn't want anything to do with him. Robert is handsome and flirtatious, but he's also a sailor and therefore a little untrustworthy.

Joining the cast is Joan's then-husband Franchot Tone, Louis Calhern, and Gene Lockhart. The film alternates between a political drama and a love triangle between Joan, Melvyn, and whichever guy Joan is flirting with at the moment, hence the title. If you know your trivia about Gone With the Wind, you'll know that Melvyn Douglas was on the short-list for Ashley Wilkes, and after you watch this movie, it's easy to imagine him running circles around Leslie Howard's performance. He would have been a wonderful Ashley Wilkes, and if you agree, rent this movie for the next best thing.

Fictionalized historic soaper about Andrew Jackson's friendship and protection of a young woman named Peggy O'Neal. Lionel Barrymore plays Jackson and Joan Crawford plays Peggy. The rest of the cast is pretty impressive. Melvyn Douglas, James Stewart, Robert Taylor, Franchot Tone, Beulah Bondi, and Louis Calhern....not a bad lineup. Too bad the movie is boring. Andrew Jackson's wife dies and asks Peggy to look out for him. Thus she becomes the unofficial First Lady, despite not being married to or even romantically involved with the President. Peggy has a somewhat scandalous reputation of her own, which reminds Jackson of his wife, who suffered at the hands of Washington gossips. Worth seeing for Lionel Barrymore alone. But the rest of the cast being what it is warrants you check it out.

No! No! No! What is that most modern, at least to her time, of actresses Joan Crawford doing in hoop skirts and crinoline? Pretty much making a fool of herself, not that it's her fault MGM should have known better. There is not one look or gesture that she makes that has a feeling of any period but the 20th century.

Both stagnant and silly this completely miscast picture takes an interesting and scandalous piece of American history, The Petticoat Affair, and make it seem asinine and trivial when it practically tore Jackson's presidency apart and did lead to most of his cabinet's resignation.

Proof positive that not every film that came out of Hollywood's golden age and its premiere studio was a classic worth seeing filled with top flight talent or not. Even if you are a completist of any of the stars work this will be a struggle to get through.

'The Gorgeous Hussy' had a lot of potential to be good. The subject sounded really interesting. Clarence Brown may not be one of my favourite directors, but he did do some good films. His films more often than not looked great and he was often very good in his direction of his lead actresses, a prime example being Greta Garbo. Have always loved period drama films. Plus who can resist a cast with the likes of Joan Crawford, Lionel Barrymore, Melvyn Douglas and Beulah Bondi in the same film?

Sadly, the film was a pretty major disappointment. There are certainly far worse films out there and it has its good things, but a story that actually is a lot more interesting than the film made it deserved better. As far as Brown's films go it is a lesser effort and it is a lesser effort of Crawford's too, both film and performance. Everybody, even the few actors that came over well, did a lot better both before and since (primarily since as some of the cast are in early roles).

Certainly there are good things. The best asset is the production values. It is sumptuously designed and costumed and even better is the cinematography, it clearly loved Crawford who didn't always look this luminous at this point of her career. The best performance belongs to Barrymore, he has the juiciest character and gives the role so much zing and enthusiasm (it may not be what one calls a subtle performance but then again Barrymore was not a subtle actor, which is not actually a bad thing in his regard).

Bondi also comes over very well, making the very most with what she was given. The score is not too over-bearing or melodramatic.

Most of the cast disappoint. Crawford to me was too mannered in her role and never seemed to gel with the setting with too modern a look. Douglas, Robert Taylor, Franchot Tone and James Stewart all gave their fair share of good performances, but all four are dull in sketchy roles. Tone is particularly wronged and doesn't look comfortable with dispiriting material. Brown's direction at best is undistinguished and quite leaden.

Also felt that the story never properly engaged, with too deadingly dull a pace and with too much narratively being too uneventful. It is a shame too that the story didn't have the same amount of juice and venom that the character of Andrew had and took on a far too careful approach that made the film feel very safe. The script is well intentioned, but came over as too talky and preachy.

Summarising, rather lacklustre though not without good things. 4/10

Fanciful, but silly biography of Peggy Eaton (Crawford), a controversial figure during the Andrew Jackson administration in the late 1820s, and her relationships with influential men of that era. Semi-fiction story is "gorgeous" to look at thanks to elegant period settings and costumes, not so much the performances or script.