Smash-Up: The Story of a Woman

There is a lot to like about this film and it's sure a shame that it's not better-known. Unfortunately, Miss Hayward was later given an Oscar for her WAAAAAY over the top performance in I WANT TO LIVE, whereas she only was nominated for this film. Oddly, Loretta Young won for THE FARMER'S DAUGHTER, a kooky and not particularly deep film--in my opinion Hayward definitely deserved the award. Perhaps she lost since she was a relative newcomer.

The reason I liked the film so much was that it was an excellent study of alcoholism as well as the contribution an enabling spouse can have on the drinking. This aspect of alcoholism was not explored in the award-winning LOST WEEKEND, plus LOST WEEKEND ended on a very unrealistic and overly optimistic note that just didn't ring true. In most ways, SMASH-UP was a better film (though the scenes of Ray Milland having DTs were incredible).

By the way, if you liked this film and want to see an even better film on drinking and a destructive relationship, try DAYS OF WINE AND ROSES--perhaps the best study of alcoholism ever put on screen.

In the Citadel Film Series, The Films of Susan Hayward, the authors put forward the proposition that if The Lost Weekend had not come out the year before and carried all the awards it won, Smash-Up: The Story of a Woman might have garnered a lot more acclaim and maybe an Oscar for Susan Hayward.

As it is the film got two Oscar nominations for Best Story by Dorothy Parker and Frank Cavett and for Best Actress for Susan Hayward. It was Hayward's first of five nominations and she lost to Loretta Young for The Farmer's Daughter. That in itself was an upset because odds-makers had Rosalind Russell the favorite for Mourning Becomes Electra. Rounding out the field were Dorothy McGuire for Gentleman's Agreement and Joan Crawford for Possessed.

At the time Smash-Up came out there were hushed rumors going around that this film was based on the troubled marriage of Bing Crosby and Dixie Lee. Having just read a biography of Gene Autry that came out last year an equally good case can be made for it being modeled on his first marriage to Ina Mae Spivey. Especially since Lee Bowman's character starts out as a cowboy singer and branches out as Autry was doing right about that time.

In any event the story has Susan Hayward as a lounge singer who falls in love with another singer Lee Bowman and marries him and they have a daughter. Bowman's career surges ahead of her's and she's left at home bored and raising the daughter they both love. She turns to drink and with that come all the attending problems. How they're resolved you'll have to see Smash-Up: The Story of a Woman to find out.

The musical score was written mostly by Jimmy McHugh and Harold Adamson and two songs really stand out. The theme song Life Can Be Beautiful and another terrific ballad I Miss That Feeling. The latter was recorded by Tony Martin for Mercury Records, I've not heard a commercial recording of the former.

Bowman and Hayward were dubbed by vocalists Hal Derwin and Peg LaCentra respectively. The voices perfectly suit the players.

In the supporting cast Marsha Hunt should be singled out as the agent's secretary carrying the Olympic torch for Bowman. Even though he doesn't notice her, she sure gets Hayward's back up and they have one outstanding chick fight in a powder room.

Still the film belongs to Susan Hayward as the girl from Erasmus Hall High School in Brooklyn was taken seriously as an actress for the first time in her career. After Smash-Up no one took Susan Hayward any other way.

This was Hayward's watershed film, thrusting her into the A-Bracket. That's not surprising since she delivers an ace performance as a down spiraling alcoholic wife. Angie's (Hayward) given up her singing career so that hubby Ken (Bowman) can shoot to the top of his. Trouble is he now neglects his wife, while his super organized assistant Martha (Hunt) attends to his every need. So Angie looks for consolation in one bottle that quickly leads to two, and so on. Now Bowman must take informal custody of their baby. Looks like both the marriage and Angie are doomed.

The movie's pretty strong melodrama with some nice touches by director Heisler, (e.g. the subjective camera conveying Angie's delirium). It's hard to picture the wooden Bowman as any kind of lounge singer; still he is recessive enough not to take focus from Hayward's central role. I expect that's why he was cast. Eddie Albert certainly has an easy way as nice guy Steve, while Marsha Hunt appears ice cold except for her one revealing scene, (btw, she's still with us as of 2015 at age 98, a fine actress whose career was unfortunately damaged by the blacklist). And catch the omniscient psychiatrist (Esmond) back when Hollywood was having a love affair with head doctors.

Anyhow, the film holds up as human interest, even if it long ago lost its cutting edge. Too bad there's that phony Code enforced ending. It's so abruptly brief, my guess is writer Lawson and director Heisler wanted to lessen the sappy impact as much as possible. Nonetheless, the film does showcase one of Hollywood's few glamour girls who was also a whale of an actress. RIP Susan.

Susan Hayward's fine performance, for which she is deservedly well-remembered, is easily the best reason to watch this feature. Overall it is not bad, but mostly unremarkable, and it is Hayward's ability to make her character interesting, believable, and sympathetic that makes the rest of it work.

The story has many familiar elements, with Angie (Hayward's character) sacrificing her singing career for the sake of her husband's own singing career. Her ups-and-downs, her battle with alcoholism, and her fears about her relationships all provide good material for Hayward to work with.

As the husband, Lee Bowman is quite bland and one-dimensional, so much so that it almost looks deliberate. Eddie Albert helps out as the husband's partner, and Marsha Hunt gives a good performance as Angie's cold-blooded rival. Carl Esmond gets a couple of good moments as the caring doctor who tries to set things right.

While much of the story follows familiar formulas, it does bring out a few useful thoughts, and more than that it allows for a well-developed look at its main character. Its strengths as a character study and as an acting performance make it worthwhile, despite a few weaknesses elsewhere.

Smash Up (1947)

A moving, dramatic story of a singer and then wife and mother and her battle with alcohol. At first you don't know this is going to figure, and it seems to be about a female singer stepping aside to let her new husband's singing career rise. Which it does. And singing dominates the first half to the point of being a musical (and to the point that some viewers might give up on it).

But don't. It's a really good film, the voices are strong even if very old fashioned, and the leading woman's performance is all out, really terrific. She got an Oscar nomination for this role and it's no wonder.

The leading man was probably chosen for his silky rich voice, but Lee Bowman is a very natural actor, and he keeps up his end of the relationship. And this relationship suffers, thanks to career and to the sharp looking and devious Marsha Hunt playing a secretary who likes this singer too much. There are lots of great scenes of parties and night clubs, and even (by contrast) raising a baby. There are lots of movies with these kinds of themes, including a baby who has a brush with death (I give nothing more away), and everything is played out with elegance and smarts.

The elegance comes from great cinematographer Stanley Cortez ("Night of the Hunter") and the smarts come from director Stuart Heisler ("The Glass Key") who never quite rose to his potential in the industry, turning eventually to television. The supporting cast is terrific, including a very natural and likable Eddie Albert, but it's Hayward to eventually steals the show. See her!