Smash Up: The Story Of A Woman (1947)

A nightclub singer (Susan Hayward) with a promising career sets it aside to marry a struggling singer/songwriter (Lee Bowman). But soon, his career skyrockets and although the money starts rolling in, she feels neglected and suspicious of his relationship with another woman (Marsha Hunt). So she turns to alcohol. After the critical and commercial success of THE LOST WEEKEND, it was perhaps inevitable that a distaff version would follow in its tracks. Susan Hayward had been acting in films since 1938 (she even tested for Scarlett O'Hara), usually as the second female lead (as in I MARRIED A WITCH and REAP THE WILD WIND) without that one role that would push her to the A list. This overheated melodrama did the trick, even though it lost money, and she got her first Oscar nomination and started carrying movies on her own. But it's not very good and though she tries hard, she's not a strong enough actress (yet) to overcome the screenplay's soap opera weaknesses. It doesn't help that she has the dull Lee Bowman as a leading man but Marsha Hunt and Eddie Albert give strong support. Directed by Stuart Heisler. With Carl Esmond and Carleton Young.