Adorable Debbie in Dated ‘Susan Slept Here’ 1954

Debbie Reynolds was the most darling of starlets in her day.

How’s this for a movie comedy plot? In Hollywood one Christmas Eve, two vice officers from the LAPD bring a 17-year-old female delinquent over to their screenwriter buddy’s bachelor pad that he shares with a Navy pal. The cops know that the comedy writer is looking for juicier material to inspire him. They figure that the girl can stay out of jail and with the writer, who can pump her for... umm… inside information. Of course, all kinds of wacky hee-larity ensue. I’m not overly PC, but can you imagine this story getting the green light today?

Vice squad giving middle-aged screenwriter underage delinquent Debbie as an Xmas present?

Even in 1954, Susan Slept Here was a bit dicey. But the year before, a controversial hit paved the way, The Moon is Blue. Starring William Holden and David Niven, their characters were both very interested in Maggie McNamara’s virginity. I bet that one holds up really well, too!

Howard Hughes, who owned RKO at the time, snapped up Susan. Hughes’ movie sensibilities were stuck in the late silent/early talkie era, his arrival in Hollywood, so is it any wonder this film feels like a time capsule?

Susan Slept Here sports a great cast, who try so hard to put over their unfunny lines and bits of business that Susan feels slightly surreal. Remember that scene in ‘59’s Imitation of Life, when “aspiring” actress Lana Turner tries out for a Broadway play? The audition is for a romantic farce, which isn’t funny, and she’s bombing. Well, that scene with Lana reminds me of this entire movie!

Debbie as delinquent, in gingham & jeans!

Bottom line: 22-year-old Debbie Reynolds in the title role is the best thing about Susan. Though Debbie always had a tendency to overplay, here it comes in handy. Even with just a few years in film under her belt, Reynolds is a pro, a game girl who is great at physical comedy, sly with a comic line, and appealing for the romantic scenes. Debbie also looks natural, still sporting light brown hair and subtle makeup. She’s petite, with a lovely figure, so it’s rather amusing that her Susan doubts her own appeal. But hey, she’s only “17.”

See Mark's PJ bottoms on Susan. When she borrows clothes from him, she swims in them.
Debbie was 5'2" & Dick 5'11", but his clothes on her look swiped from an NBA player!

Aside from Debbie, director Frank Tashlin’s trademark visuals and camera angles fleetingly entertain, but that’s not enough to carry this dull and dated comedy. At times, Susan feels like it’s filmed in 3-D, with actors and objects coming at the camera. Finally, fab fifties fans will admire the décor. Well, that’s about all Susan Slept Here has going for it!

Does this man look 29 to you? 35? Dick Powell at 50, started in films the year Debbie was born!
Apparently there was a shortage of 30-something comic actors in 1954.

Susan’s leading man is Dick Powell. As screenwriter Mark Christopher, he says he’s 35, but can pass for 29. Powell was 50 at the time, and frankly, looked it. While Dick was not as dissipated, in the tubby and/or toupee club, as fellow member Bing Crosby, but Dick had the same aging boyish face that now looked scowly and jowly. Ironically, Dick Powell made his movie debut in 1932, the same year Debbie Reynolds was born! Fittingly, Susan was Powell’s last feature film. While Dick is distinguished and possessed an authoritive speaking voice, these qualities aren’t very funny in a sex farce.

Anne Francis seems to be phoning in some early '50s Marilyn Monroe vibes here!

Anne Francis plays Powell’s fiancée Isabella, who is supposed to be more sophisticated than Susan—she’s all of 24. Francis shows a flair for bitchy comedy but is so glamorized that I didn’t recognize her at first. Still, this MGM starlet looks fetching, too. Francis is totally dolled up to look like the movies current “It” girl, Marilyn Monroe, ala Gentleman Prefer Blondes and How to Marry a Millionaire. Yet, Anne’s barely in the film, until the comedy comes to its climax.

Like How to Marry a Millionaire, putting glasses on a glamour puss gets laughs.

Alvy Moore, later Hank Kimble on Green Acres, plays Powell’s Navy buddy, Virgil. The only time I laughed out loud watching Susan was when Moore’s Virgil says he was Powell’s commanding officer—he was 17 years Powell’s junior! The age game in Susan fools no one, since it’s a plot point, and brought up repeatedly. Glenda Farrell, one-time WB star with sass, plays man-hungry screenwriter Maude, who likes booze almost as much. Farrell, the same age as former co-star Powell, is “comically” depicted as sexually desperate. This movie has more jokes about drinking and sex than your average Dean Martin Show. You know the movie’s in trouble when two reliable comic performers like Moore and Farrell can’t get laughs.

Glenda Farrell as Maude & Alvy Moore as Virgil, react differently to the Susan dilemma.

There are familiar faces that overreact wildly to the proceedings, including a bit by Ellen Corby—Grandma Walton herself—as a diner waitress. When Susan stops at a commissary café, she orders strawberries, pickles, and milk. Corby looks on disbelief, especially when Susan starts mixing them. Powell’s lawyer comes upon her and is aghast when he sees the girl eating the bizarre concoction. Their eye-popping has everything but thought bubbles popping over their heads that scream, “Pregnant!”

Strawberries, pickles, and milk...oh, my! Debbie must be pregnant!

Mark’s Oscar statue is cleverly turned into a character. Unfortunately, he is voiced by radio announcer Ken Carpenter, who loudly reads every line—just like everyone else in the movie. Producer Harriet Parsons’ mother was legendary gossip hobgoblin Louella, so she gets plenty of plugs, plus a chance to play herself, by phone. Finally, there’s a pointless surprise cameo by Red Skelton near the finale, as Maude’s first love.

This get up may be why Dick Powell retired from feature films after Susan Slept Here!

The “dream ballet” is a chintzy nightmare, with gaudy colors, simplistic fantasy, and little dancing. Dick Powell in a spangled version of his character’s Navy uniform makes him look like a missing member of The Village People. Anne Francis is done up like a sexy spider woman, and Debbie, in a shiny version of her gingham and denim outfit. It’s tacky, dreary, and feels like filler.

The two sides of Debbie: bride and tomboy. There's a LOT of pink and blue in this number!

The upsides to Susan Slept Here are the snappy presence of Debbie Reynolds and Frank Tashlin’s visual style. Beyond that, Susan Slept Here is a snooze fest.

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The title song, sung by an insanely cheerful chorus, sounds like a sitcom theme!