User reviews

People talk a lot about Douglas Sirk and Ross Hunter when it comes to glossy soap operas, but let's not forget about "written, directed, and produced by Delmar Daves." As a writer, Daves was responsible for some wonderful films such as "An Affair to Remember," "Dark Passage," and one of my favorites, "It All Came True." Once the late '50s hit, he was happier with the big glossy films for the younger set - "Rome Adventure," "Youngbood Hawke," "Parrish," "A Summer Place," and "Susan Slade," all of which he directed.

"Susan Slade" stars Troy Donahue, Connie Stevens, Lloyd Nolan, Brian Aherne, Bert Convy, and Dorothy McGuire. Stevens plays the title role, that of a sheltered young woman who's been living with her parents overseas. She becomes involved on the ship back to America with a mountain climber named Conn (Grant Williams) who loses his life on a mountain and leaves Susan pregnant. She has a couple of men after her: the brooding Hoyt Brecker (Donahue), whose father was involved in a scandal, and Wells Corbett (Bert Convy), the son of the Slades' best friends (Brian Aherne and Natalie Schaefer). Susan's loving parents (Lloyd Nolan and Dorothy McGuire) are very concerned that an illegitimate child will ruin Susan's life and her prospects.

Well, needless to say, this is pretty dated, considering nowadays most people have babies and don't think about getting married, if they do, until much later! So all the hoopla hearkens back to a different morality.

Connie Stevens is good, though I prefer her in lighter comedy, where she really shone; and Donahue looks good (by Palm Springs Weekend he'd really had it) and Daves knew how to direct him to his best advantage. However, he always did a lot with that brooding look. Bert Convy doesn't seem all that comfortable, or is it that I associate him with game shows, I don't know.

Stevens and Donahue are surrounded by a terrific cast of veterans, which also includes Kent Smith as the doctor.

"Susan Slade" is very lushly photographed and scored, with young, vital, good-looking leads. It's entertaining, as are all of the Daves films in this genre.

Romance novel Susan Slade was acquired by Warner Brothers as a vehicle for two of their young stars Troy Donahue and Connie Stevens. In that respect it served them well as it made good box office and showed them well in what was the height of their careers.

In a part normally reserved for Sandra Dee, Connie Stevens plays the virginal daughter of Lloyd Nolan and Dorothy McGuire and they've all been living out in the Atacama desert area of Chile where Nolan is the chief mining engineer for Brian Aherne. For a job well done with efficiency that saved Aherne millions, Nolan has been given a real nice house in Aherne's neighborhood as a company bonus.

But on the way from Valparaiso to San Francisco, young Susan Slade who out at the mining camp was carefully sheltered was never given the facts of life talk by either parent gets seduced and pregnant by mountain climbing Van Williams. He'll marry her once he climbs Mount McKinley, but he's killed in the attempt.

Conventions being what they were and soap opera novels being what they are an elaborate scheme of McGuire claiming the baby for herself to preserve their social status is cooked up. Stevens also has two ardent suitors for her hand, Bert Convy the son and heir of Aherne and his wife Natalie Schaefer warming for her role as Mrs. Howell and Troy Donahue son of a man who embezzled money from Aherne's company and who runs a stable.

If you are a reader of this kind of literature I think you know where this one is going. If Connie who does acquit herself well in a role that had to have been written for Sandra Dee, Donahue is in the quintessential kind of role for him. The All American boy who is a noble fellow.

All this one needed was Ross Hunter producing and Douglas Sirk directing.

For those of us nostalgic for the early New Frontier years this is your film.

The first time I saw this was on TV when I was a little child. I had remembered bits and pieces and, over the years, had consulted my parents and others about it. I could never remember the title or who was in it but I had thought it was Troy Donohue and Sandra Dee. They, of course, had been together in A Summer Place. I'm writing this for all those out there who also have nagging recollections of movies and need to know more. I got information from a classic movies chat group. From there, I contacted Movie Hunters and they were able to have a DVD of this movie made for me. So, it's not been officially released but you CAN get it on DVD if you pursue it.

I can't believe I'm seeing "Susan Slade" again after all these years on Turner Classic Movies. Warner Bros cranked out these formula films with the same contract players for years. From "A Summer Place" to "Parrish," the exquisite music of Max Steiner and deft directing of Delmar Daves against a picturesque backdrop combined to create a certain screen magic for a naive early 60s generation. Troy Donohue was the handsome, brooding good guy, played with all the charisma of a turnip. Connie Stevens, not exactly Academy Award material her own self, was the naughty nubile. A supporting cast of fine older actors (Lloyd Nolan, Dorothy McGuire) helped with credibility, but couldn't overcome this sappy script. The names of the young characters rivaled the Elvis movies for creative crud (Con White, Hoyt Becker). Still, I watched and remembered. And it was 1961 all over again.

Sincere, sometimes campy drama from director Delmer Daves (sort of the stepchild to his more-popular "A Summer Place" and "Parrish") wherein young Susan has a baby out of wedlock and her mother poses as the infant's mother, causing jealousy and friction between the two. Beautifully shot by Lucien Ballard (a great choice for a location-rich film such as this), it moves along at a fast clip and has lots of high drama. Connie Stevens isn't Meryl Streep, and she jumps from different emotions with too practiced a speed, but I loved her acting in the hospital waiting room when she comes clean in front of Mama, and I really bought her romance with scowling Troy Donahue. As the elders, Lloyd Nolan and Dorothy McGuire are exceptional, as is the production design (featuring a gorgeous ocean-front home in Monterey). The infrequent voice-over narration (first by Nolan and then later by Stevens) is an intrusion--who are they talking to?--and there's a silliness inherent in the trappings of the plot that render it dated, but I did find myself thinking about it days afterward. As sudsers go, it's first-rate. ***1/2 from ****

Florid and overripe is too mild a description for this potboiler. The sets and photography are beautiful but the story is pure corn. And what a cast! Connie Stevens was never much of an actress but up against Troy Donahue and Bert Convy she seems like Vanessa Redgrave. Truly talented actors Dorothy McGuire, Lloyd Nolan and Brian Aherne are used to prop up the underwhelming leads and do the best they can with the meager material provided. The supporting cast is full of familiar faces, Lovey Howell is Bert's mother!, and they acquit themselves as well as they can given the tripe they're handed. If your in the mood for an over the top melodrama look no further.

After ten years in Chile, seventeen-year-old Connie Stevens (as Susan Slade) goes to live in California with mom Dorothy McGuire (as Leah) and pop Lloyd Nolan (as Roger). With tight dresses and open lips, Ms. Stevens is about as ready as a girl can get. She starts out on ship, losing more than her head to handsome mountain-climber Grant Williams (as Conn White). Meanwhile, Mr. Nolan is secreting a heart problem from his family. Settling near sunny Carmel, Stevens meets dimpled Bert Convy (as Wells Corbett), then blond hunk Troy Donahue (as Hoyt Brecker). Dressed up like James Dean, Mr. Donahue is an aspiring writer dealing with the death of his criminal father. Fate intervenes in their lives, again and again...

Soft-focused close-ups, beautiful location photography, and a lush soundtrack are what you expect from a 1960s Delmer Daves production helped by Lucien Ballard and Max Steiner - and they are all here. However, so is the tilt from serious to hysterical. Rich and friendly Brian Aherne and Natalie Schafer (as Stanton and Marion Corbett) help give it an upper-crusty air. Despite taking second billing, "Susan Slade" stars Stevens. It was a quick follow-up to "Parrish" (1961) starring Donahue. Both Donahue and Stevens were popular for their television characters "Sandy" and "Cricket" plus numerous magazine covers catering to young adults. In this one, the soap bubbles are on fire - literally, at a crucial moment.

***** Susan Slade (11/8/61) Delmer Daves ~ Connie Stevens, Troy Donahue, Dorothy McGuire, Lloyd Nolan

Literate, corny, beautifully photographed and scored, Susan Slade is pure soap opera elevated to the realm of high art through the brilliance of Delmer Daves' direction. I'd place Daves right up there with Douglas Sirk for his sheer command of the medium; his generous camera setups within a scene (such closeups!), use of color to suggest mood and character, and seamless transitions from scene to scene make his films a model of craftsmanship however one may feel about their content.

It's a mistake to self-righteously judge the story of Susan Slade and Dorothy McGuire's character by today's sensibilities. Part of the fascination of this film is trying to understand the moral standards and social pressures prevailing in 1961. As Dorothy McGuire says near the end of the film, "love is understanding." That's a message that should speak to any time.

After years in a remote Chilean desert mine, chief engineer Roger Slade (Lloyd Nolan), his wife Leah (Dorothy McGuire), and their 17-year-old daughter Susan (Connie Stevens) are going home to America. Susan is romanced by Conn White on the trip back. He's a mountain climber from a rich family. After he sets off for his next mountain conquest, she discovers that she's pregnant. She is told that he died in a climb. She is pursued by rich son Wells Corbett (Bert Convy) and social outcast Hoyt Brecker (Troy Donahue) while desperately hiding her situation.

Connie Stevens has both the beauty and the charisma. It is a lot of melodrama in tone and in substance. General cinema is moving to challenge the 50's social normality. This is doing it with a heavy hand. There is one moment after Wells' proposal. I would have liked Susie to take that moment and run with it. Instead, they leave the climax to a burning doll and that takes the movie to a different place.

I have an important note about this film. I have rented many hundred DVDs from Netflix and this is the first one which has absolutely horrid sound mixing. One minute, you can barely hear the actors....so you turn up the volume. The next, the music comes on and you are blasted with sound! Some of the actors are clear and understandable, while others sound like their whispering! I have no idea why they didn't correct this on the DVD...as it's nearly unwatchable. To get around this, kind of, I turned on the closed captions and then I didn't have to worry as much about the horribly uneven sound. I have no idea if this same problem exists if they show this film on television and not DVD...but the DVD is so bad that if I bought it, I'd return it!!

As I watched "Susan Slade" I kept thinking that the story was almost like "A Summer Place, Part II". This is because like this previous film, it stars Dorothy McGuire and Troy Donahue. Instead of Sandra Dee, the film features Connie Stevens, who, frankly, looks a lot like Dee. And the story, well, like "A Summer Place", it's about premarital sex and pregnancy's impact on a teenage mother. I can only assume that the studio and producers thought that since the previous film was a big box office hit, copying much of it would result in another hit.

The story is about Susan Slade (Connie Stevens), a girl from a rich and seemingly happy family. Life is good...until Susan realizes she's pregnant by a guy she met on a cruise. But he won't respond to her letters and she appears to have been dumped...and eventually she learns that he's died! So, her mother concocts a plan...for Susan to give birth in another country and when they return, her mother will pretend that the baby is hers. Can Susan still, somehow find love? And, what about this family secret?

"Susan Slade" is a soapy sort of drama that was rather popular in the late 50s and early 60s. Lushly filmed, great to look at and also, a tad plodding and bland. It's not like it's a terrible movie, but it SHOULD have been better and more interesting. I think the film could have used a bit of a trim to tighten it up and some of the acting is just not particularly inspired. Overall, an okay film....but nothing more.

I have seen this movie everytime it runs on tv. it is one of the great 60's movies like parrish and rome adventure and a summer place. loved them all but I would like to purchase this in vhs. could anyone help me out. It is a great movie. thank you cj

If you liked Peyton Place, you've got to check out Susan Slade. It's so soapy, you'll be talking about the suds for days! I love movies like these, so I was perfectly happy with it.

Dorothy McGuire and Lloyd Nolan are returning home to the United States on an ocean liner, and their naïve daughter, Connie Stevens, gets seduced by the world-wise Grant Williams. Grant and Connie go their separate ways with their separate families, but there's a lasting consequence to their affair... Connie hesitates to tell her parents, especially because her father needs extra rest and has taken a relaxing job from his old pal, Brian Aherne.

Trust me, you're going to like this one. Domestic, suburban dramas are so much fun, especially in the lush, Technicolor era of the late '50s and early '60s.

Delmer Daves specialized in expensive, louche melodramas for Warners, running roughly from "A Summer Place" to "Youngblood Hawke," all with unhappy love affairs, stunning location photography, and swelling Max Steiner scores--usually two or three main themes, actually lasting about sixty seconds but repeated over and over to fill out a two-hour running time. This one has Connie Stevens, post-"Hawaiian Eye," as the poor little rich-girl daughter of Dorothy McGuire (shot in aggressive soft focus) and Lloyd Nolan (given ridiculous Hollywood-notion-of-an-intellectual lines; he doesn't have dialog, he has pronouncements), who falls in love with dull Grant Mitchell on a South American cruise, carries his child, and then falls for soulful wastrel Troy Donahue, whose father ripped off Nolan's mining company and hanged himself in jail, in rich Warner Brothers chiaroscuro, with all that Max Steiner sawing away in the background. Stevens isn't bad, but why she'd entrance so many young available men, also including a pre-game-show Bert Convy as the rich son of Natalie Schaefer and Brian Aherne, isn't clear; her character's really sort of dull and stupid, and you'd never believe that Donahue, as a stable hand who writes Great American Novels on the side, would be captivated by her. Daves indulged in Douglas Sirk scenarios and externals, but lacked his irony and subversive social commentary. So this is straightforward soap, featuring Grandma-posing-as-Mom, attempted suicide, a baby on fire, and lovely views of Monterey, Guatemala, and Chile. As such, it's a fun chick-flick time-waster, and the Steiner themes will remain in your head for days, if only because of repetition.

Delmer Daves made some fine Westerns, but the flurry of romantic fluff that he made later usually starring Troy Donahue was a waste of his talent. But not only his talent, but that of Troy Donahue whose depths as an actor were rarely explored and sadly he lost out on the Warren Beatty role in ' Splendour in the Grass '. He had also ( far too briefly ) shown what a force in acting he could have been in Douglas Sirk's ' Imitation of Life '. In ' Susan Slade ' he barely has a decent scene and his boredom to a certain extent showed. The same goes for the other young male actor Grant Williams who equally showed his acting skills ( briefly again ) in Douglas Sirk's ' Written on the Wind '. I am not sure why but Hollywood in its fading Conservative prime did not give many biting roles for them to get their teeth into. Having seen a few of these bitter sweet romances made by Delmer Daves I conclude that ' Susan Slade ' was one of the weakest. It reeks of that hypocritical Puritanism that this kind of film did so well, bordering on the sensational so as to try to satisfy the audiences of the time about the ' Sins ' of life. Here it is Illegitimacy that takes centre stage and Connie Francis is the fallen victim of male desire. If you are in the right mood of complacency watch it and forget it, despite the fact that there is a certain amount of painting by numbers artistry in its making. For those who are alert take note of both Donahue and Williams trapped in the cobweb of Hollywood producers. Wasted talent, but even so there are glimpses of what they could have given to the screen.

I just wanted to share that when this movie came out--I was living in Brooklyn, New York at the time. This is Connie's birthplace.

Well, she and Troy were on a big p.r. junket and went in person to several movie theatres in the NYC area.

So, she and Troy came out after the showing of the movie and talked and joked. At one point, Connie said, "I'm going to teach Troy how to twist." Everyone applauded this.

It was really cute.

Later on it was always written how much these two hated each other.

I was one of those teeny boppers who just "loved Troy" and melted every time I saw him on the screen.

The movie is outdated and we can all now be cynical and write about the outmoded dialogue, old-fashioned mores, and ridiculous plot devices. But, if that is done, you lose the reason for film in the first place.

This film, which I always enjoy, exhibits for all to see what the early '60s and late '50s were like. How parents were willing to sacrifice everything to save the name and reputation of their young daughter, and how a man who truly loves a woman does not prejudge, but understands, and is willing to understand.

This little movie says all of this to me.

And those gorgeous Northern California locations that are underscored with the Max Steinman music, are a treat to behold.

What a gem!!

Jack L. Warner was one of those hideous Studio Moguls that dominated Hollywood until the 1960's. If he could find a "formula" that was Box Office, he'd exploit it over and over again. After the huge success of "A Summer Place", he assigned the accomplished Writer-Director Delmer Daves for more of the same. "Susan Slade" was one of these copy cats, but not one of the better ones. This time while Troy Donahue is back, Connie Stevens has the Sandra Dee role. During his lengthy career, Daves left a body of memorable films, but also a group that are subtitled "I did it for the money". "Susan Slade" is one of the latter. The biggest drawback is the single most important element in making a film -- the screenplay. The premise of "Susan Slade" is so ludicrous that not even a starry-eyed subteen would believe it.

A very dated film that one "loves to hate". Filmed in lush surroundings with an equally lush score, SUSAN SLADE is as campy, but fun as they come. A coming of age story done with taste (for its day) with some corny dialog that's hard to believe. Still, it's a good watch for a film of that period. How times have changed. A pregnant unmarried girl in those times WAS still frowned upon. Today nobody would blink an eye. Connie Stevens is pretty good as SUSAN as is Dorothy McGuire as her mother. Odd that Troy Donahue gets star billing while his part is at best a supporting role. He's only in about half of the run time all toll. He plays the same role here as he does in PARRISH; PALM SPRINGS WEEK-END and A SUMMER PLACE.

A classic soaper, beautifully photographed by the late Lucien Ballard, and the absolutely lush musical score by the late Max Steiner elevates this movie to dizzying heights.

Connie Stevens is perfectly cast as the the young naive girl falling in love for the first time. Unfortunately her beau is tragically killed before they can get married leaving her pregnant. Lloyd Nolan and Dorothy McGuire are perfectly cast as her understanding parents, as is faithful stable-boy Troy Donahue who pursues Connie until she finally give her heart to him.

Very typical early 1960s mores abound. Watching this film now is very dated in fact in some parts even laughable; but that doesn't matter. This film is very underrated, and deserves to be on DVD along with the other Delmer Daves films of that era.

It's hard to believe that the only actor alive from this film is Connie Stevens, everyone else has long since passed away.