Rent Smash-Up (1947)

3.4 of 5 from 50 ratings
1h 43min
Rent Smash-Up (aka Smash-Up: The Story of a Woman) Online DVD & Blu-ray Rental
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Synopsis:
Nightclub singer Angie Evans (Susan Hayward) marries struggling songwriter Ken Conway (Lee Bowman) and retires to raise a family. He has a change of luck and his star begins to rise, but is tempered by her growing dependence on alcohol. The role earned Susan Hayward her first Oscar nomination.
Actors:
, , , , , , , , Sharyn Payne,
Directors:
Producers:
Walter Wanger
Voiced By:
Milburn Stone, Wilbur Mack, Peg La Centra, Joan Fulton, Matt Dennis
Writers:
Dorothy Parker, Frank Cavett, John Howard Lawson, Lionel Wiggam
Aka:
Smash-Up: The Story of a Woman
Studio:
Elstree Hill Entertainment
Genres:
Drama, Music & Musicals
BBFC:
Release Date:
25/10/2004
Run Time:
103 minutes
Languages:
English Dolby Digital 1.0
Subtitles:
None
DVD Regions:
Region 0 (All)
Formats:
Pal
Aspect Ratio:
Full Screen 1.33:1 / 4:3
Colour:
B & W

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Reviews (1) of Smash-Up

Hayward Blockbuster. - Smash-Up review by Steve

Spoiler Alert
31/12/2022

The first of Susan Hayward's trademark powerhouse performances which would make her the premier American female dramatic actor of the fifties. Smash Up gave her a debut Oscar nomination. She plays a nightclub singer who parks her career to bring up baby and support her crooner husband (Lee Bowman). Social anxiety leads to her becoming a drunk.

The Production Code didn't like this story at all, and many compromises were made. While the film is surprisingly realistic in its depiction of alcoholism, Hayward's descent into booze hell is much less ugly than in I'll Cry Tomorrow in 1955. Everything works out by the fadeout. But it's a typically emotional and volatile portrayal from the star.

There's a hot blooded face off between Hayward and Marsha Hunt as Bowman's lonely personal assistant who is in love with the boss. It's a great touch when Angie's swanky apartment fills up with gifts that her rival bought on his behalf. The feud finally erupts into a punch up in the girls-room, with the pie-eyed wife going in fists first.

Eddie Albert plays his standard best friend role with his usual warmth, and Marsha Hunt is excellent. Bowman is an insipid male lead. It's a pulpy melodrama with quite an expressionistic look as the singer loses her struggle with the bottle. The main pull is Hayward's star-making performance and she's on the screen all the way. She even has a soliloquy!

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