| Smash-Up, the Story of a Woman | |
|---|---|
 Film poster | |
| Directed by | Stuart Heisler |
| Written by | Frank Cavett John Howard Lawson Dorothy Parker Lionel Wiggam |
| Produced by | Walter Wanger |
| Starring | Susan Hayward Eddie Albert |
| Cinematography | Stanley Cortez |
| Edited by | Milton Carruth |
| Music by | Frank Skinner |
Production company | Walter Wanger Productions |
| Distributed by | Universal-International Pictures |
Release date |
|
Running time | 103 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $1,360,286[1] |
| Box office | $2,301,555[1] |
Smash-Up, the Story of a Woman, also called A Woman Destroyed,[2] is a 1947 American drama film with elements of film noir that tells the story of a rising nightclub singer who marries another singer and becomes an alcoholic after sacrificing her career for him.
The film starred Susan Hayward, Lee Bowman, Eddie Albert and Marsha Hunt. The screenplay was written by John Howard Lawson based on a story written by Dorothy Parker, Frank Cavett and Lionel Wiggam. Produced by Walter Wanger under his personal contract with Hayward, the film was directed by Stuart Heisler. Ethel Wales appears in an uncredited part.
The film was nominated for Academy Awards for Best Actress in a Leading Role (Hayward) and Best Writing, Original Story.
Because the film contains a story similar to that of A Star Is Born, it was rumored to be a cryptic biography of Bing Crosby and his stormy first marriage to Dixie Lee. A scene that has been popular with critics and fans is the violent slapping and hair-pulling fight between rivals Hayward and Hunt in the ladies‘ powder room (a scene repeated by Hayward 20 years later in Valley of the Dolls).[3]
This film is in the public domain.[4]
- ^ a b Matthew Bernstein, Walter Wagner: Hollywood Independent, Minnesota Press, 2000 p443
- ^ Higham, Charles; Greenberg, Joel (1968). Hollywood in the Forties. London: A. Zwemmer Limited. p. 83.
- ^ Eduardo Moreno, The Films of Susan Hayward, Citadel Press, Secaucus, NJ, 1979, pp. 102, 115 & 275.
- ^ "Smash-Up, the Story of a Woman". archive.org.