Suzy (1936 film)
Encyclopedia
Suzy is a 1936
drama film
starring Jean Harlow
, Franchot Tone
, and Cary Grant
. The film was partially written by Dorothy Parker
and directed by George Fitzmaurice
, based on a novel by Herman Gorman. The Oscar-nominated theme song, "Did I Remember?", was sung by Virginia Verrill (uncredited).
In the cabaret where she works, Suzy meets famed French ace Capt. Andre Charville (Cary Grant) who immediately falls in love with her. Their sudden marriage is not welcomed at first by his aristocratic father, Baron Edward Charville (Lewis Stone) but Suzy cares for him as her husband goes to the front. After he is wounded, Suzy goes to his side but finds that her first husband who survived his shooting, is delivering new British fighters to Andre's squadron. She also discovers Andre has been unfaithful and the beautiful woman who has been caring for him was the German spy she saw in London.
In a confrontation with the spy and her henchman, Andre is killed but Terry flies his dangerous mission, taking revenge on the spy and the German fighters who had planned to ambush Andre. His crash landing back at the spy's chateau ends with Andre's dead body being placed next to his aircraft. At the funeral that follows, even German flyers pay homage and Terry is ordered to see the ace's widow back home to Paris.
(1935). Grant, who replaced Clark Gable as the third lead, also sang a few bars of the song.Other songs included: "When You Wore a Tulip and I Wore a Big Red Rose" and "Under the Bamboo Tree", uncredited but sung by Verrill.
In order to film the aerial sequences, footage was leased from Howard Hughes
and one scene was directly lifted from Hell's Angels
(1930), which had been Harlow's break-through film. A number of aircraft were prominently seen, including Andre's S.E.5
fighter, German Fokker D.VII
and Thomas-Morse S-4
fighters as well as a rare Sikorsky S-29-A
airliner filling in as a German Gotha
bomber.
considered it hackneyed, "...it plunges across the screen, creates some mild excitement and careens out again, leaving us with a few esthetic bruises and a feeling that a little fresh air would do no harm."
.
1936 in film
The year 1936 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*May 29 - Fritz Lang's first Hollywood film Fury, starring Spencer Tracy and Bruce Cabot, is released.*November 6 - first Porky Pig animated cartoon...
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...
starring Jean Harlow
Jean Harlow
Jean Harlow was an American film actress and sex symbol of the 1930s. Known as the "Blonde Bombshell" and the "Platinum Blonde" , Harlow was ranked as one of the greatest movie stars of all time by the American Film Institute...
, Franchot Tone
Franchot Tone
Franchot Tone was an American stage, film, and television actor, star of Mutiny on the Bounty and many other films through the 1960s...
, and Cary Grant
Cary Grant
Archibald Alexander Leach , better known by his stage name Cary Grant, was an English actor who later took U.S. citizenship...
. The film was partially written by Dorothy Parker
Dorothy Parker
Dorothy Parker was an American poet, short story writer, critic and satirist, best known for her wit, wisecracks, and eye for 20th century urban foibles....
and directed by George Fitzmaurice
George Fitzmaurice
George Fitzmaurice was a film director and producer. Fitzmaurice's career first started as a set designer on stage...
, based on a novel by Herman Gorman. The Oscar-nominated theme song, "Did I Remember?", was sung by Virginia Verrill (uncredited).
Plot
In 1914, American showgirl "Suzy" Trent (Jean Harlow) is in London, looking for romance and meets and marries Irish engineer and inventor Terry Moore (Franchot Tone). The couple stumble on a German plot and her husband is shot by Madame Diane Eyrelle (Benita Hume), a mysterious spy. Fearing she will be implicated in Terry's death, Suzy flees to Paris as World War I begins.In the cabaret where she works, Suzy meets famed French ace Capt. Andre Charville (Cary Grant) who immediately falls in love with her. Their sudden marriage is not welcomed at first by his aristocratic father, Baron Edward Charville (Lewis Stone) but Suzy cares for him as her husband goes to the front. After he is wounded, Suzy goes to his side but finds that her first husband who survived his shooting, is delivering new British fighters to Andre's squadron. She also discovers Andre has been unfaithful and the beautiful woman who has been caring for him was the German spy she saw in London.
In a confrontation with the spy and her henchman, Andre is killed but Terry flies his dangerous mission, taking revenge on the spy and the German fighters who had planned to ambush Andre. His crash landing back at the spy's chateau ends with Andre's dead body being placed next to his aircraft. At the funeral that follows, even German flyers pay homage and Terry is ordered to see the ace's widow back home to Paris.
Cast
- Jean HarlowJean HarlowJean Harlow was an American film actress and sex symbol of the 1930s. Known as the "Blonde Bombshell" and the "Platinum Blonde" , Harlow was ranked as one of the greatest movie stars of all time by the American Film Institute...
as Suzanne "Suzy" Trent - Franchot ToneFranchot ToneFranchot Tone was an American stage, film, and television actor, star of Mutiny on the Bounty and many other films through the 1960s...
as Capt. Terry Moore - Cary GrantCary GrantArchibald Alexander Leach , better known by his stage name Cary Grant, was an English actor who later took U.S. citizenship...
as Capt. Andre Charville - Lewis StoneLewis StoneLewis Shepard Stone was an American actor.Born in Worcester, Massachusetts, son of Bertrand Stone and Philena Heald Ball. Stone's hair grew gray by the time he was twenty. He fought in the Spanish-American War, then returned to a career as a writer. He soon began acting...
as Baron Edward Charville - Benita HumeBenita HumeBenita Hume was an English film actress. She appeared in 44 films between 1925 and 1955.She was married to actor Ronald Colman from 1938 to his death in 1958; they were the parents of a daughter, Juliet...
as Madame Diane Eyrelle - Reginald Mason as Captain Barsanges
- Inez CourtneyInez CourtneyInez Courtney was an actress on the Broadway stage and in films. Born in Amsterdam, New York, she came from a large Irish-American family. Her father died when she was fifteen so she decided to go onto the stage...
as Maisie aka "Frostbite" - Greta Meyer as Mrs. Schmidt
- David Clyde as Knobby McPherson
- Christian Rub as "Pop" Gaspard, the Pianist
- George Spelvin as Gaston
- Una O'ConnorUna O'ConnorUna O'Connor was an Irish actress who worked extensively in theatre before becoming a notable character actress in film.-Life and work:...
as Mrs. Bradley, Suzy's Landlady - Theodore von Eltz as Revue Producer
- Dennis MorganDennis MorganDennis Morgan was an American actor-singer. Born as Earl Stanley Morner, he used the acting pseudonym Richard Stanley before adopting his professional name....
as Lieutenant Charbret (actor credit shown as Stanley Morner)
Production
Dorothy Parker was notable as one of the screenwriting team, with much of the early scene's witty dialogue attributed to her. Harlow's cabaret song, Walter Donaldson and Harold Adamson's "Did I Remember (To Tell You I Adored You)" was dubbed by vocalist Virginia Verrill who also had dubbed for her in RecklessReckless (1935 film)
Reckless is a 1935 American musical film directed by Victor Fleming and starring Jean Harlow, William Powell and Franchot Tone. The story was based on the scandal of the 1931 marriage between torch singer Libby Holman and tobacco heir Zachary Smith Reynolds and his subsequent alleged...
(1935). Grant, who replaced Clark Gable as the third lead, also sang a few bars of the song.Other songs included: "When You Wore a Tulip and I Wore a Big Red Rose" and "Under the Bamboo Tree", uncredited but sung by Verrill.
In order to film the aerial sequences, footage was leased from Howard Hughes
Howard Hughes
Howard Robard Hughes, Jr. was an American business magnate, investor, aviator, engineer, film producer, director, and philanthropist. He was one of the wealthiest people in the world...
and one scene was directly lifted from Hell's Angels
Hell's Angels (film)
Hell's Angels is a 1930 American war film, directed by Howard Hughes and starring Jean Harlow, Ben Lyon, and James Hall. The film, which was produced by Hughes and written by Harry Behn and Howard Estabrook, centers on the combat pilots of World War I...
(1930), which had been Harlow's break-through film. A number of aircraft were prominently seen, including Andre's S.E.5
Royal Aircraft Factory S.E.5
The Royal Aircraft Factory S.E.5 was a British biplane fighter aircraft of the First World War. Although the first examples reached the Western Front before the Sopwith Camel and it had a much better overall performance, problems with its Hispano-Suiza engine, particularly the geared-output H-S...
fighter, German Fokker D.VII
Fokker D.VII
The Fokker D.VII was a German World War I fighter aircraft designed by Reinhold Platz of the Fokker-Flugzeugwerke. Germany produced around 3,300 D.VII aircraft in the summer and autumn of 1918. In service, the D.VII quickly proved itself to be a formidable aircraft...
and Thomas-Morse S-4
Thomas-Morse S-4
|-See also:-Bibliography:* Donald, David, ed. Encyclopedia of World Aircraft, p. 875, "Thomas Brothers and Thomas-Morse aircraft". Etobicoke, Ontario: Prospero Books, 1997....
fighters as well as a rare Sikorsky S-29-A
Sikorsky S-29-A
The Sikorsky S-29-A was an all-metal, twin-engine biplane airliner, first flown in 1924. It was the first aircraft that aviation pioneer Igor Sikorsky designed and built after coming to the United States, hence the special "-A" suffix signifying "America"...
airliner filling in as a German Gotha
Gotha G.IV
|-See also:...
bomber.
Reception
Although Harlow dominates the film, it is not considered one of her finest with a mundane plot and only the Grant and Tone roles being notable. Critic Frank S. Nugent of The New York TimesThe New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
considered it hackneyed, "...it plunges across the screen, creates some mild excitement and careens out again, leaving us with a few esthetic bruises and a feeling that a little fresh air would do no harm."
Accolades
Walter Donaldson (music) and Harold Adamson (lyrics) were nominated in the category, Best Music, Original Song for the song "Did I Remember" at the 1937 Academy Awards9th Academy Awards
The 9th Academy Awards were held on March 4, 1937 at the Biltmore Hotel in Los Angeles, California. They were hosted by George Jessel. This ceremony marked the first time in which the categories of Best Supporting Actor and Best Supporting Actress were awarded.My Man Godfrey became the first film...
.