| Debbie Reynolds was the most darling of starlets in her day. |
How’s
this for a movie comedy plot? In Hollywood one Christmas Eve, two vice officers
from the LAPD bring a 17-year-old female delinquent over to their screenwriter
buddy’s bachelor pad that he shares with a Navy pal. The cops know that the comedy
writer is looking for juicier material to inspire him. They figure that the
girl can stay out of jail and with the writer, who can pump her for... umm… inside
information. Of course, all kinds of wacky hee-larity ensue. I’m not overly PC,
but can you imagine this story getting the green light today?
| Vice squad giving middle-aged screenwriter underage delinquent Debbie as an Xmas present? |
Even
in 1954, Susan Slept Here was a bit
dicey. But the year before, a controversial hit paved the way, The Moon is Blue. Starring William
Holden and David Niven, their characters were both very interested in Maggie McNamara’s virginity. I bet that one
holds up really well, too!
Howard
Hughes, who owned RKO at the time, snapped up Susan. Hughes’ movie sensibilities were stuck in the late silent/early
talkie era, his arrival in Hollywood, so is it any wonder this film feels like
a time capsule?
Susan Slept Here sports
a great cast, who try so hard to put over their unfunny lines and bits of
business that Susan feels slightly
surreal. Remember that scene in ‘59’s Imitation
of Life, when “aspiring” actress Lana Turner tries out for a Broadway play?
The audition is for a romantic farce, which isn’t funny, and she’s bombing.
Well, that scene with Lana reminds me of this entire movie!
| Debbie as delinquent, in gingham & jeans! |
Bottom
line: 22-year-old Debbie Reynolds in the title role is the best thing about Susan. Though Debbie always had a
tendency to overplay, here it comes in handy. Even with just a few years in
film under her belt, Reynolds is a pro, a game girl who is great at physical
comedy, sly with a comic line, and appealing for the romantic scenes. Debbie
also looks natural, still sporting light brown hair and subtle makeup. She’s
petite, with a lovely figure, so it’s rather amusing that her Susan doubts her own
appeal. But hey, she’s only “17.”
| See Mark's PJ bottoms on Susan. When she borrows clothes from him, she swims in them. Debbie was 5'2" & Dick 5'11", but his clothes on her look swiped from an NBA player! |
Aside
from Debbie, director Frank Tashlin’s trademark visuals and camera angles
fleetingly entertain, but that’s not enough to carry this dull and dated comedy.
At times, Susan feels like it’s
filmed in 3-D, with actors and objects coming at the camera. Finally, fab
fifties fans will admire the décor. Well, that’s about all Susan Slept Here has going for it!
| Does this man look 29 to you? 35? Dick Powell at 50, started in films the year Debbie was born! Apparently there was a shortage of 30-something comic actors in 1954. |
Susan’s
leading man is Dick Powell. As screenwriter Mark Christopher, he says he’s 35,
but can pass for 29. Powell was 50 at the time, and frankly, looked it. While Dick
was not as dissipated, in the tubby and/or toupee club, as fellow member Bing
Crosby, but Dick had the same aging boyish face that now looked scowly and
jowly. Ironically, Dick Powell made his movie debut in 1932, the same year
Debbie Reynolds was born! Fittingly, Susan
was Powell’s last feature film. While Dick is distinguished and possessed an
authoritive speaking voice, these qualities aren’t very funny in a sex farce.
| Anne Francis seems to be phoning in some early '50s Marilyn Monroe vibes here! |
Anne
Francis plays Powell’s fiancée Isabella, who is supposed to be more sophisticated
than Susan—she’s all of 24. Francis shows a flair for bitchy comedy but is so
glamorized that I didn’t recognize her at first. Still, this MGM starlet looks
fetching, too. Francis is totally dolled up to look like the movies current
“It” girl, Marilyn Monroe, ala Gentleman
Prefer Blondes and How to Marry a Millionaire. Yet, Anne’s barely
in the film, until the comedy comes to its climax.
| Like How to Marry a Millionaire, putting glasses on a glamour puss gets laughs. |
Alvy
Moore, later Hank Kimble on Green Acres,
plays Powell’s Navy buddy, Virgil. The only time I laughed out loud watching Susan was when Moore’s Virgil says he was
Powell’s commanding officer—he was 17 years Powell’s junior! The age game in Susan fools no one, since it’s a plot
point, and brought up repeatedly. Glenda Farrell, one-time WB star with sass,
plays man-hungry screenwriter Maude, who likes booze almost as much. Farrell,
the same age as former co-star Powell, is “comically” depicted as sexually desperate.
This movie has more jokes about drinking and sex than your average Dean Martin Show. You know the movie’s
in trouble when two reliable comic performers like Moore and Farrell can’t get
laughs.
| Glenda Farrell as Maude & Alvy Moore as Virgil, react differently to the Susan dilemma. |
There
are familiar faces that overreact wildly to the proceedings, including a bit by
Ellen Corby—Grandma Walton herself—as a diner waitress. When Susan stops at a
commissary café, she orders strawberries, pickles, and milk. Corby looks on
disbelief, especially when Susan starts mixing them. Powell’s lawyer comes upon
her and is aghast when he sees the girl eating the bizarre concoction. Their
eye-popping has everything but thought bubbles popping over their heads that
scream, “Pregnant!”
| Strawberries, pickles, and milk...oh, my! Debbie must be pregnant! |
Mark’s
Oscar statue is cleverly turned into a character. Unfortunately, he is voiced
by radio announcer Ken Carpenter, who loudly reads every line—just like
everyone else in the movie. Producer Harriet Parsons’ mother was legendary
gossip hobgoblin Louella, so she gets plenty of plugs, plus a chance to play
herself, by phone. Finally, there’s a pointless surprise cameo by Red Skelton
near the finale, as Maude’s first love.
| This get up may be why Dick Powell retired from feature films after Susan Slept Here! |
The
“dream ballet” is a chintzy nightmare, with gaudy colors, simplistic fantasy,
and little dancing. Dick Powell in a spangled version of his character’s Navy
uniform makes him look like a missing member of The Village People. Anne
Francis is done up like a sexy spider woman, and Debbie, in a shiny version of
her gingham and denim outfit. It’s tacky, dreary, and feels like filler.
| The two sides of Debbie: bride and tomboy. There's a LOT of pink and blue in this number! |
The
upsides to Susan Slept Here are the
snappy presence of Debbie Reynolds and Frank Tashlin’s visual style. Beyond
that, Susan Slept Here is a snooze
fest.
FYI: I put all the movie overflow on my public FB movie
page.
| The title song, sung by an insanely cheerful chorus, sounds like a sitcom theme! |