Susan Slade is a 1961 American drama film

Drama film

A drama film is a film genre that depends mostly on in-depth development of realistic characters dealing with emotional themes. Dramatic themes such as alcoholism, drug addiction, infidelity, moral dilemmas, racial prejudice, religious intolerance, poverty, class divisions, violence against women...

 released by Warner Bros.

Warner Bros.

Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc., also known as Warner Bros. Pictures or simply Warner Bros. , is an American producer of film and television entertainment.One of the major film studios, it is a subsidiary of Time Warner, with its headquarters in Burbank,...

 The film was directed by Delmer Daves

Delmer Daves

Delmer Daves was an American screenwriter, director, and producer.-Life and career:Born in San Francisco, Delmer Daves first pursued a career as a lawyer...

 and stars Troy Donahue

Troy Donahue

Troy Donahue was an American actor, who was active between the late 1950s and late 1990s.-Life and career:...

, Connie Stevens

Connie Stevens

Connie Stevens is an American actress and singer, best known for her roles in the television series Hawaiian Eye and other TV and film work.-Early life:...

, Dorothy McGuire

Dorothy McGuire

Dorothy Hackett McGuire was an American actress.-Career:Born in Omaha, Nebraska, she began her acting career on the stage at the Omaha Community Playhouse...

, Lloyd Nolan

Lloyd Nolan

Lloyd Benedict Nolan was an American film and television actor.-Biography:Nolan was born in San Francisco, California, the son of Margaret and James Nolan, who was a shoe manufacturer...

, Bert Convy

Bert Convy

Bernard Whalen "Bert" Convy was an Emmy Award winning American actor, singer, game show host and panelist known for his tenure as the host for Tattletales, Super Password, and Win, Lose or Draw.-Early life:...

 and Grant Williams

Grant Williams

Grant Williams was an American film actor and operatic tenor. He is best remembered for his portrayal of Scott Carey in the seminal science fiction film The Incredible Shrinking Man , which has since become a cult classic.-Early life:Born John Joseph Williams in New York City to a Scottish father...

. The screenplay was based upon the 1961 novel The Sin of Susan Slade by Doris Hume.

Plot

The plot revolves around a naive 17-year old girl, Susan Slade (Stevens) who becomes pregnant during a shipboard romance with a mountain climber (Grant Williams). Her parents decide that it is best for Susan to allow them to pass the baby off as theirs to protect her reputation. Feeling helpless, Susan reluctantly agrees to pretend to be the baby's older sister. Later, two suitors, Troy Donahue and Bert Convy court Susan, unbeknownst that she is a mother. Susan increasignly struggles with the lie she is living with and finds it difficult to keep up the charade especially with the new love in her life.