While I've never had a problem with an actor or actress having their singing voice dubbed in a movie, I still maintain that it should be a believable dub. The non singer should be able to convince the audience that he or she is singing. Susan Hayward had her voice dubbed by the real Susan Froman, a soprano, but she did nothing to alter her classically low speaking voice. If she was unable to, perhaps another actress should have been cast.
In this drama that was supposed to be a heart-wrenching tearjerker, tragedy threatens to end Susan's career and happiness. She's a singer married to an unsuccessful songwriter, David Wayne, but even before her accident, there was trouble in paradise. David's character is whiny, irritating, unsupportive, and selfish. However, through marital squabbles, career ups and downs, and her great tragedy, Susan never appears to be struggling. The entire point of this movie is to show one woman's personal struggle and how she inspired millions to overcome theirs by her example. In every scene, Suzy looks like she just walked out of the salon. Her greatest struggle might have been a smudged nail.
Susan Hayward made a career out of acting in melodramas, so I don't know why she failed to be convincing in this one. She may be beautiful, but she didn't bring so much as a lump to my throat. Thelma Ritter also earned an Oscar nomination for her "tough love" nurse character. If she had any flip-side to her role, where she eventually showed compassion or gave anything other than wisecracks or shame-filled-speeches as support, I would have agreed with the Academy. However, her version of help gets tiresome very quickly. For a better Thelma performance, check out Pickup on South Street. For a better Suzy performance, check out I'll Cry Tomorrow.
In this drama that was supposed to be a heart-wrenching tearjerker, tragedy threatens to end Susan's career and happiness. She's a singer married to an unsuccessful songwriter, David Wayne, but even before her accident, there was trouble in paradise. David's character is whiny, irritating, unsupportive, and selfish. However, through marital squabbles, career ups and downs, and her great tragedy, Susan never appears to be struggling. The entire point of this movie is to show one woman's personal struggle and how she inspired millions to overcome theirs by her example. In every scene, Suzy looks like she just walked out of the salon. Her greatest struggle might have been a smudged nail.
Susan Hayward made a career out of acting in melodramas, so I don't know why she failed to be convincing in this one. She may be beautiful, but she didn't bring so much as a lump to my throat. Thelma Ritter also earned an Oscar nomination for her "tough love" nurse character. If she had any flip-side to her role, where she eventually showed compassion or gave anything other than wisecracks or shame-filled-speeches as support, I would have agreed with the Academy. However, her version of help gets tiresome very quickly. For a better Thelma performance, check out Pickup on South Street. For a better Suzy performance, check out I'll Cry Tomorrow.