SUZY (Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, 1936), directed by George Fitzmaurice, stars Jean Harlow in the title role not taken from some comic strip character nor anything from a children's story, but one taken from a novel by Herbert Gorman set during the Great War. Stressing more on melodrama than comedy, it's a mix of romance, espionage and war related theme with aerial battles thrown in.
As for the story, Suzy Q, actually Suzy Trent (Jean Harlow), whose philosophy being "blondes never go broke," happens to be an American chorus girl stranded in England. Upon completion in the final performance of "Melodies of 1914," Maisie (Inez Courtney), Suzy's closest her friend, invites her to come with her to Paris, but prefers staying in England hoping to meet some millionaire. She thinks she's met one during a foggy evening after getting nearly run over by a Rolls Royce driven by Knobby (David Clyde), with Terry Moore (Franchot Tone), in the back seat. Making amends for the near accident, Terry takes Suzy home and arranges meeting her again the next day. Hearing the honking sound of his car, she sees Terry awaiting for her in a jeep. Learning the Rolls Royce from the night before was actually borrowed, she also finds Terry is not rich but only an stabilizer inventor working at Schmidt and Company, an engineering firm owned by Mrs. Schmidt (Greta Meyer). Announcing plans on returning to New York, Terry, not wanting to lose Suzy, proposes. After getting married, Terry takes his new bride to the factory showing off his accomplishments. As they embrace, Suzy notices a mysterious woman, with face half covered, approaching from behind Terry, shoots him and disappears. As the sounds of police sirens come nearer, Suzy, afraid of being blamed, runs away, heading for Paris at the very moment the war has started. Maisie gets Suzy a job singing at the Cafe De Anges where she encounters Andre Charville (Cary Grant), a French aviator whom she soon marries. While away at war, Suzy remains at the estate of Andre's father (Lewis Stone), who grows fond of her, but keeps secret of his son's infidelity. When Suzy visits the wounded Andre in the hospital, she encounters his friend, Captain Terry Moore, very much alive. Accusing her as a title-hunter, regardless of her explanations, Terry wants nothing to do with her. About to confess her past to Andre, Suzy catches him in a romantic embrace with Madame Diane Eyrelle (Benita Hume), his mistress who happens to be the woman who shot Terry.
Returning Harlow to World War setting for the first time since her breakthrough performance in HELL'S ANGELS (United Artists, 1930), she's come a long way since then, from self-sufficient, tough talking, immoral and/or sometimes conniving young blondes. Harlow's Suzy comes across as softer, kinder, considerate and most of all, loyal, particularly to her two husbands. During those 94 minutes, Suzy acquires fast relationships before marrying, two weeks with love with Terry (Tone); and five hour courtship with Andre (Grant) following an air raid. The screenplay divides the two in half hour intervals before uniting the trio for its final portion of the story. Cary Grant, third billed in his MGM debut, is surprisingly more secondary performance than Tone. Not quite Academy Award winning material, SUZY did earn a nomination for best song. Not quite "If You Knew Susie," but a new one, "Did I Remember?" by Walter Donaldson and Harold Adamson. Vocalized twice by the dubbed Harlow, first at a cabaret, reprized by Grant, surprisingly effective using his own voice, and once more by Harlow in sentimental form while playing the piano at her father-in-law's home.
Contrived story is basically helped along by with the moral support of her male co-stars. British born Cary Grant seems surprisingly miscast as a French aviator, though fortunately never attempts a French accent, neither does Lewis Stone looking more British with his white mustache than French, if his role required him to be French. Grant's byplay with Harlow during their courtship is quite amusing, almost to a point of becoming a comedy. Although Tone might have assumed the French ace role instead, he might not been able to put off the humor as convincing not believable playing the unfaithful husband. Harlow, better known for comedy, does what she could as a serious actress. She's not so convincing with her outburst to her two men as the female spy (Hume) enters the room, "There she is. She's the one that shot him." Another drawback for Harlow is having her gowned in modern head-dress and costumes for a story set in and after 1914. Inez Courtney as the comedic friend disappears early while Una O'Connor as Mrs. Bradley, the kindly landlady of the boarding house, makes the most of what she's given. Stanley Morner, better known as Dennis Morgan, can be glimpsed briefly as one of the soldiers at the cabaret.
The stranded show-girl loved by two men theme must have been the inspiration for one called MAISIE (1939) that soon prospered into a film series starring another MGM blonde, Ann Sothern, As with both characters in a line summed up in SUZY, "there's no end to your loyalty." Maisie was loyal, too.
SUZY, distributed to home video in the 1990s, should be acceptable viewing for Harlow fans whenever it turns up on Turner Classic Movies. (**1/2)
