MGM. 117 minutes.
US release: 6/7/40. (In production beginning 2/10/40.) VHS
release: 6/24/92. Encyclopedia Entry • Films Main
Susan and God
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MGM. 117 minutes.
US release: 6/7/40. (In production beginning 2/10/40.) VHS
release: 6/24/92.
Cast: Joan Crawford (as "Susan Trexel"), Fredric March, Ruth Hussey, John Carroll, Rita Hayworth, Nigel Bruce, Bruce Cabot, Rita Quigley, Rose Hobart, Constance Collier, Gloria DeHaven, Richard O. Crane, Norman Mitchell, Marjorie Main.
Credits: Based on the 1937 play by Rachel Crothers. Screenplay: Anita Loos. Producer: Hunt Stromberg. Director: George Cukor. Camera: Robert Planck. Art Director: Cedric Gibbons. Music: Herbert Stothart. Costumes: Adrian. Editor: William H. Terhune.
Variety (1940):
Joan Crawford provides a strong portrayal of Susan, a mature, matron characterization which is a marked departure for the player. There's still a tinge of the glamor girl in Miss Crawford but role provides the studio with key to future assignments for its star, which might bring her back considerably as a box-office personality. Picture indicates that Miss Crawford studiously followed the Gertrude Lawrence technique in the play in delivering the flighty and rapid-fire dialogue in the early sequences....
Howard Barnes in the New York Herald Tribune (1940):
Since it is what is vaguely known as a woman's picture, the production ultimately depends on Miss Crawford's make-believe. While her characterization of Susan represents the best acting job she has done in a long time, she is not entirely successful in blending silliness with romantic power.
Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide:
When Susan and God was first released in 1940, Joan Crawford's performance was occasionally compared unfavorably to that of Gertrude Lawrence, who created the role of Susan on Broadway; it was suggested by some that Crawford patterned her portrayal exactly on Lawrence's, right down to the line delivery. Modern audiences, denied the opportunity to see Lawrence's interpretation, are less inclined to downgrade Crawford's work, which rates among her best.
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