Susan Hayward has had a large following among a select audience, and while she has an Oscar, some definite classics and a cult following, for some reason, she is often forgotten when cinema historians talk about the best. She was definitely one of a kind with her bright red hair, Brooklyn accent and independent manner, and with a three film marathon of watching her do her thing, realized that she was a woman who might have loved men, but only those who allowed her to be true to herself and no man's hanger on. These three films all had those themes which allowed her to show her femininity but her assertiveness and the manner in which she deals with people who try to control her or put something over on her. In this film, she's quite a tough cookie, working as the head of a major magazine out to get a profile on tough Major Kirk Douglas. Here, the men work for her, and while she's tough, she's as commanding as Douglas is rather than demanding, and that makes her a very likable early female boss. Interviewing Douglas strikes up sparks between the two, and spending time interviewing him makes her feel somewhat guilty over the hidden photographer she has following her around on their dates in order to help her get more of "the scoop".
It is interesting here to note that these two powerful people both have dedicated workers, but only Douglas has what would be referred to as a "yes man" working under him, in this case, the very animated Jim Backus who seems to really be emulating his Mr. Magoo character in his characterization here. At times, it gets to be too much, especially with him in a military uniform, and a colonel to boot! Paul Stewart plays Hayward's right hand man who tells her what's what and doesn't step in to protect her when her schemes catch up on her. The delightfully irascible Charles Lane is amusing as another assistant of hers. But the film definitely belongs to Douglas and Hayward who get into mischief in all sorts of ways. Susan has several amusing drunk sequences, in one stirring with squinty eyes a very large bourbon glass. Like Jean Arthur's character in "Mr. Deeds Goes to Town", she pushes Douglas into several odd situations, one which results him singing a military fight song. She is definitely the more comical of the two on the outside, while Douglas gets his laughs from being extremely serious throughout the entire film. Even his confessions about his past and his growing feelings for her are done in a very calculated manner which adds to the subtle comedy of his performance. Over all, however, the film is very calculated as well, where you can see the buttons being pushed and know in spite of how much you enjoy it that the premise is absurd and the situations not at all realistic.
It is interesting here to note that these two powerful people both have dedicated workers, but only Douglas has what would be referred to as a "yes man" working under him, in this case, the very animated Jim Backus who seems to really be emulating his Mr. Magoo character in his characterization here. At times, it gets to be too much, especially with him in a military uniform, and a colonel to boot! Paul Stewart plays Hayward's right hand man who tells her what's what and doesn't step in to protect her when her schemes catch up on her. The delightfully irascible Charles Lane is amusing as another assistant of hers. But the film definitely belongs to Douglas and Hayward who get into mischief in all sorts of ways. Susan has several amusing drunk sequences, in one stirring with squinty eyes a very large bourbon glass. Like Jean Arthur's character in "Mr. Deeds Goes to Town", she pushes Douglas into several odd situations, one which results him singing a military fight song. She is definitely the more comical of the two on the outside, while Douglas gets his laughs from being extremely serious throughout the entire film. Even his confessions about his past and his growing feelings for her are done in a very calculated manner which adds to the subtle comedy of his performance. Over all, however, the film is very calculated as well, where you can see the buttons being pushed and know in spite of how much you enjoy it that the premise is absurd and the situations not at all realistic.