Top Secret Affair

1957
Approved
1h 40m

IMDb RATING

YOUR RATING

Unhappy about the appointment of an army general to the chairmanship of an atomic energy committee, a publishing empire female tycoon invites the general to her country estate in an effort t... Read allUnhappy about the appointment of an army general to the chairmanship of an atomic energy committee, a publishing empire female tycoon invites the general to her country estate in an effort to entrap him and ruin his reputation.Unhappy about the appointment of an army general to the chairmanship of an atomic energy committee, a publishing empire female tycoon invites the general to her country estate in an effort to entrap him and ruin his reputation.

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

6.2/10

574

YOUR RATING

See production info at IMDbPro

Photos9

Top cast69

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Susan Hayward

Dorothy 'Dottie' Peale

Kirk Douglas

Maj. Gen. Melville A. Goodwin

Paul Stewart

Phil Bentley

Jim Backus

Col. Homer W. Gooch

John Cromwell

General Daniel A. Grimshaw

Roland Winters

Sen. Burdick

Arthur Gould-Porter

Holmes, Dottie's Butler

Michael Fox

Reporter Laszlo 'Lotzie' Kovach

Frank Gerstle

Sgt. Kruger

Charles Lane

Bill Hadley

John Alban

Spectator at Hearing
(uncredited)

June Blair

Sgt. Ferguson
(uncredited)

Tex Brodus

Nightclub Patron
(uncredited)

Robert Carson

Military Counsel
(uncredited)

Sydney Chatton

Drunk at Table
(uncredited)

Jack Chefe

Waiter
(uncredited)

Bud Cokes

Protester
(uncredited)

Tom Coleman

Houseman
(uncredited)

Director
- H.C. Potter
Writers
All cast & crew
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Storyline

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Did you know

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Trivia
Under the title "Melville Goodwin, USA", the film was to star Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall - both of whom had already filmed costume and makeup tests - but Bogart's terminal illness forced his withdrawal from the project. He was replaced by Kirk Douglas. Bacall withdrew shortly afterward, opting instead to remain at home with her dying husband, and was replaced by Susan Hayward.

Goofs
Douglas gives Susan a pistol and says it's a Luger. It was in fact a Walther P-38.

Quotes
Col. Homer W. Gooch: You look peaked, what's wrong with you?
Maj. Gen. Melville A. Goodwin: A little off my feet, I guess.
Col. Homer W. Gooch: What have you been eating?
Maj. Gen. Melville A. Goodwin: Gnawing at myself, mostly.
Col. Homer W. Gooch: Well I should think that old tough battle-scarred carcass of yours would be highly indigestible, ha ha ha ha ha ha!
Maj. Gen. Melville A. Goodwin: Certainly is, I can't keep it down.

Connections
Referenced in Shadows (1958)

Soundtracks
Caissons Go Rolling Along
Music by John Philip Sousa from material by Edmund L. Gruber
Sung by Kirk Douglas

User reviews16

Review

Featured review

Fun for any fans of Douglas or Hayward, with unusual plot

Solid performances by both Hayward and Douglas and a nice turn by Jim Backus in this battle-of-the-wills comedy. Hayward is head of a Time/Life-style empire that attempts to smear the record of war hero general Douglas. As worthy opponents the sparks are subtle and adult, especially for the time. It avoids politics in an obvious way while showcasing why Kirk Douglas had legions of female fans, and why Susan Hayward was the thinking man's movie fave. Not a knee-slapper, but fairly realistic as a smart comedy. Worth a watch and better than Leonard Maltin thinks it is.