Heat of Anger

If you think Susan Hayward can pull off being a lawyer, by all means, go out and rent Heat of Anger. She's one of my favorite actresses, but I just couldn't imagine her with that much intelligence, keeping her temper down, and putting together logical arguments in front of a jury. And, now that I've seen the movie, I still can't.

Lee J. Cobb has been accused of murdering his daughter's married boyfriend, and since he can't remember what happened at the time of the murder, he's not much help to his lawyers, Susan Hayward and James Stacy. Throughout the course of the movie, Susan and James work to put together the pieces and find out everyone's secrets. Unlike many courtroom dramas that are actually entertaining, this one has no surprises, uninspired dialogue, and the star power behind the cast isn't enough to save it. Only die-hard fans of Susan Hayward are going to sit through this one. The only consolation is how pretty she looks, but since she always looks pretty, that's not really a reason to watch it.

Although Susan Hayward is good in anything she does and she's been in a few films that were less than classics, she does all right in this film, Heat Of Anger. In this Hayward is at her professional best as an attorney going into practice with nephew James Stacy.

Her first client is contractor Lee J. Cobb who is accused of murder when a man falls off a steel girder at a job Cobb was bossing. As Cobb was the only other one on the girder he gets arrested for murder. That and the fact that Cobb is known as a roughneck helps put him in a jackpot.

The ending is strictly on a minor key, the solution is a simple one that I won't reveal, but let's say Cobb is his own worst enemy.

This was one of two made for television films that Hayward did at the end of her career. The second, Say Goodbye Maggie Cole is far better than Heat Of Anger. This one is all right though.

Ironically both Cobb and Hayward would be gone in three years and Stacy had his career cut short in a bad motorcycle accident where he became a multiple amputee.

This might have been a good TV series.

Susan Hayward gives her all in this little movie. She's great and looks wonderful. Poor Lee J. Cobb looks very ill and would also pass a few years later.

This was the last project Stacey worked on before his horrific motorcycle accident. Strangely, the character who is killed in this movie was a daredevil who loved motorcycles.

This is worth a watch. An entertaining time capsule.

Susan Hayward was a fundamental star of the movie industry for 30 years branching out into television was a logical step.

Ms. Hayward inherited this role from another great actress Barbara Stanwyck who fell ill and in fact and one legendary exchange Miss Hayward sent a dozen roses to Ms. Stanwyck " from one 'Brooklyn broad to another"

Susan Hayward is very fine in this realm and co-starts with attractive James Stacy*; this would've been a good television series.

Ms. Hayward's early death deprived us of many years of fine work. Note that Ms. Hayward was Greta Garbo's favorite actress. Katherine Hepburn made personal visits to Susan's home as she lay dying of brain cancer. Stanwyck was a friend as was Roz Russe, Loretta Young , Paulette Goddard Joan Fontaine, Olivia to Haviland , Heddy Lamar. Hayward worked with the great male stars of the era Clark Gable, John Wayne Gary Cooper Gregory Peck, Richard Wilmark, close friend William Holden, nd her most attractive co star John Gavin in the great "Back Street" Hearing of Susan's death, Syanwyck sent flowers "From One Brooklyn Broad To Another"

Years after her death someone placed an unsigned notice in Variety re Hayward " A Star Is A Star Is A Star"

Susan is the only actress in Academy Award history to get a curtain call for her Oscar winning, shattering performance in O Want To Live

RIP Susan. Hayward

*Stacy once married to Connie Stevens had a great Western :"Lancer" and was slated to be a big star. Stacy lost an arm and a leg in a motorcycle accident and then went to Prison for a few years. Sad.