The Gorgeous Hussy

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Movie
Original title The Gorgeous Hussy
Country of production United States
original language English
Publishing year 1936
length 104 minutes
Rod
Director Clarence Brown
script Ainsworth Morgan ,
Stephen Morehouse Avery
production Joseph L. Mankiewicz for MGM
music Herbert Stothart
camera George J. Folsey
cut Blanche Sewell
occupation

The Gorgeous Hussy is an American film starring Joan Crawford and Robert Taylor directed by Clarence Brown . The plot is very loosely based on the events surrounding the petticoat affair , which rocked Andrew Jackson's presidency .

action

The rambling story begins in Washington, DC in 1823. Major O'Neal runs a popular public house that is also frequented by members of the government and high-ranking figures. One of the attractions is Peggy, the pretty and quick-witted landlady's daughter. Her natural charm has earned her the friendship of such important men as Andrew Jackson , Daniel Webster and John Randolph, the Virginia State Senator . Peggy has secretly fallen in love with Randolph, who only sees her as a pretty girl, but not an equal partner. One day there is a fight between Randolph and Bow Timberlake, a handsome good-for-nothing. Peggy and Bow fall in love and marry, also thanks to gentle pressure from Randolph. However, Bow dies shortly after the wedding. The young widow Peggy has little time to mourn. In 1828 Andrew Jackson was elected President of the United States and his recently different wife Rachel made Peggy promise on her deathbed that she would look after the President. The gossiped society soon starts whispering about the real nature of their relationship, and nasty liaison rumors spread.

Peggy meets John again at an official reception, but the worsening conflict between the southern states and the central government prevents the lovers from marrying. Peggy magnanimously renounces John, who is shot a few months later and eventually dies in Peggy's arms. After a few more tangles, Peggy finally finds happiness in the arms of John Eaton. Both go to Spain as ambassadors, far from the scheming society in Washington.

background

The story of the innkeeper's daughter Peggy O'Neil, who, through her allegedly always platonic friendship with Andrew Jackson, gained access to the highest levels of government, was initially to be filmed in 1934 by RKO with Katharine Hepburn . Eventually MGM bought the script as a possible vehicle for Jean Harlow and Brian Aherne . When the film finally went into production, hardly anything remained of the historically documented events of the so-called petticoat affair . Certain facts were simply suppressed: Bow Timberlake actually committed suicide and John Eaton was forced to resign from the cabinet because of his marriage to Peggy. Instead, the script focused on the detailed description of all sorts of - fictitious - love affairs.

For Joan Crawford , who rose to fame in the last few days of silent film in flapper roles like Our Dancing Daughters , The Gorgeous Hussy would be a step in the direction of a dramatic actress. On the advice of her second husband, Franchot Tone , Crawford was increasingly anxious to play intellectually challenging roles. After some experience on the radio with adaptations of classics like Nora or a doll's house , she asked the studio to play a role in a costume drama. Films about historical personalities have been a real challenge for every actor of stature since the emergence of talkies and the participation was associated with a lot of prestige. Some actors like George Arliss and Paul Muni had spent most of their careers in elaborately produced biographies. Against the advice of her friends, including David O. Selznick , who said she was simply wrongly cast in crinoline and hoop skirt and much better off in modern subjects, she ended up taking on the role of Peggy.

The Gorgeous Hussy was produced with considerable effort. Gilbert Adrian designed some of his most opulent costumes, but they were only vaguely based on actual women's fashion of the time. In order to meet the expectations of the - predominantly - female fans, Joan Crawford, even as a poor landlord's daughter without an income of her own, appears in every scene in a new, lavish dress with a matching hairstyle. The romantic entanglements demanded by the fans meant that a total of 5 male co-stars acted alongside Crawford.

The actress regretted participating in the film in later years.

“I really wanted to shoot Hussy , like a fucking idiot, and I did it. Historical romances just weren't for me. A new actor named Robert Taylor did a good job, Franchot Tone and Melvyn Douglas and another newcomer named James Stewart were also good, but I was absolutely miscast. I think that was the origin of the term 'credibility gap'. "

Theatrical release

The film came into national distribution on August 28, 1936. Comparatively high costs totaling 1,119,000 US dollars made The Gorgeous Hussy a prestige production. Contrary to popular belief, the film was very successful at the box office and grossed a large sum of 1,458,000 US dollars in the USA, which was an indication of the continued great popularity of Joan Crawford with her fans. With overseas revenue of $ 651,000 and cumulative total earnings of $ 2,019,000, The Gorgeous Hussy proved to be one of Crawford's most successful films. In the end, the studio was only able to realize a profit of $ 116,000 due to the high cost, which was the lowest value for a Crawford film since 1932 Rain .

Reviews

The critics unanimously judged film as boring, bland and banal. Joan Crawford was heavily criticized for having taken on a role for which she was completely unsuitable for her personality. It was also criticized that the fans' claim to glamor would sacrifice historical credibility.

Frank Nugent quirkily wrote in the New York Times :

“What we have here [...] is a thoroughly romanticized biography in which Miss Crawford is indeed great, but never a witch. The only reproach the ladies of Washington society could make against her lies in her origins as the daughter of a pub keeper. Sweet, reserved, trusting and of rather modest influence on Old Hickory [...] Miss Crawford's Peggy is a suppressed Anne of Green Gables, a persecuted Pollyanna, a disregarded Dolly Dimple. "

Howard Barnes in the New York Herald Tribune summed up the concerns:

"Joan Crawford is attractive, although the period costumes don't go very well with her decidedly modern look."

Awards

The film received nominations in the categories at the 1937 Academy Awards

  • Best Supporting Actress - Beulah Bondi
  • Best Cinematography - George Folsey

literature

  • Roy Newquist (Ed.): Conversations with Joan Crawford . Citadel Press, Secaucus, NJ 1980, ISBN 0-8065-0720-9 .
  • Lawrence J. Quirk : The Complete Films of Joan Crawford . Citadel Press, Secaucus, NJ 1988, ISBN 0-8065-1078-1 .
  • Lawrence J. Quirk, William Schoell: Joan Crawford. The Essential Biography . University Press, Lexington, KY. 2002, ISBN 0-8131-2254-6 .
  • Alexander Walker: Joan Crawford. The Ultimate Star . Weidenfeld & Nicolson, London 1983, ISBN 0-297-78216-9 .

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ I wanted to do Hussy , like a damned fool, and I did. Historical romance simply was not for me. A new actor named Robert Taylor did a fine job, Franchot Tone and Melvyn Douglas and another new actor named James Stewart were also good, but I was so totally miscast I think this is where the term 'credibility gap' originated.
  2. ↑ What we have here […] is a thoroughly romanticized biography in which Miss Crawford is gorgeous, but never a hussy. An innkeeper's daughter she may be, but that is all the women of Washington can possibly hold against her. Sweet, demure, trusting and of rather doubtful inspiration to Old Hickory […] Miss Crawford's Peggy is a maligned Anne of Green Gables, a persecuted Pollyanna, a dismayed Dolly Dimple.
  3. ^ Joan Crawford is handsome, although century-old costumes do not go well with the pronounced modernity of her personality.