Above Suspicion (1943)

Oxford Professor Richard Myles and new bride Frances are off on a European honeymoon. It isn't your typical honeymoon though, for they are on a spying mission for British intelligence on ... See full summary »

Director:

Richard Thorpe

Writers:

Keith Winter (screenplay), Melville Baker (screenplay)

Stars:

Joan Crawford, Fred MacMurray, Conrad Veidt

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Joan Crawford	...	Frances Myles
Fred MacMurray	...	Richard Myles
Conrad Veidt	...	Hassert Seidel
Basil Rathbone	...	Sig von Aschenhausen
Reginald Owen	...	Dr. Mespelbrunn
Richard Ainley	...	Peter Galt
Cecil Cunningham	...	Countess
Ann Shoemaker	...	Aunt Ellen
Sara Haden	...	Aunt Hattie
Felix Bressart	...	Mr. A. Werner
Bruce Lester	...	Thornley
Johanna Hofer	...	Frau Kleist
Lotte Palfi Andor	...	Ottilie (as Lotta Palfi)

Storyline

Oxford Professor Richard Myles and new bride Frances are off on a European honeymoon. It isn't your typical honeymoon though, for they are on a spying mission for British intelligence on the eve of World War 2.

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Plot Keywords:

espionage | honeymoon | oxford | germany | professor | 

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Taglines:

It Happened on a Honeymoon!

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Genres:

Drama | Thriller

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Certificate:

Passed

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English French German Arabic

Release Date:

May 1943 (USA)

Also Known As:

Bajo sospecha

Filming Locations:

Bishop, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

90 min 91 min (Turner library print)

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

In December 1941, William Powell was announced as the male lead in the picture, and in July 1942, Myrna Loy was announced as his co-star. According to Hollywood Reporter, MGM cast the popular starring team in an attempt to break them out of their "Thin Man" mold. After Loy left M-G-M in October 1942, however, Fred MacMurray and Joan Crawford were cast in the leads.

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Goofs

The song that represents Oxford in the film is the Eton Boating Song.

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Quotes

Gestapo man: Heil Hitler!
Frances Myles: Good day.
Gestapo man: I gave you our German greeting, American!
Richard Myles: We gave you ours, dope.

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Connections

Referenced in A Fine Romance: Below Suspicion (1989)

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Soundtracks

Who Is Sylvia?
(1826) (uncredited)
Music by Franz Schubert ("An Sylvia, D.891, Op.106, No.4" ) (1826)
Words by William Shakespeare (from "The Two Gentlemen of Verona", Act 4, scene 2) (ca 1594)
Played on piano by Joan Crawford
Sung by Fred MacMurray

User Reviews

A Great Premise,But an Average Result.

"Above Suspicion(1943)" was the last film Joan Crawford made under her Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer contract. Crawford had strictly made films for the studio since 1925. She left,because she was dissatisfied with the mundane scripts she was offered.Looking at this film,we can see her point.Here's an espionage thriller that has a great premise and a good cast,but falters midway through.The plot is basically about honeymooners(Crawford and Fred MacMurray)being ask to do spy work in Nazi Germany. They must get information about a secret German mine.Along the way,they encounter colorful characters that lead them to clues.They even witness an assassination of a German leader in an opera house.The first 45 minutes is extremely suspenseful and Crawford and MacMurray have great chemistry together.However,the rest of the film is less than plausible and the ending leaves much to be desired.The problem,though,is with the director,Richard Thorpe.Not one of MGM's best directors,Thrope puts too many unnecessary scenes in the film,that distract from the plot.In addition,he wastes the talent of some great character actors,putting them in one-dimensional roles.Basil Rathbone was great at playing sinister roles.Here he plays a conniving Nazi,but has very little to do.The major miscasting was letting Conrad Veidt play a charming spy.Veidt was marvelous at playing an acid-tongued Nazi officer,most notably in the classic,"Casablanca(1943)." In other hands like Alfred Hitchcock or Fritz Lang,this film could have been first-rate.Crawford wouldn't have a hit movie until "Mildred Pierce(1945)",where she gave perhaps the best performance of her career as a self-sacrificing mother. As it is, the film isn't a bomb,but there are much better spy thrillers out there.I give it 2 1/2 stars out of four.