Above Suspicion (1943)

89-91 mins | Drama | May 1943

Director:

Richard Thorpe

Producer:

Victor Saville

Cinematographer:

Robert Planck

Editor:

George Hively

Production Designer:

Cedric Gibbons

Production Company:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Corp.
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HISTORY

Onscreen credits list George Hively as the film's editor, but James Newcom is listed as editor in all HR production charts. In Dec 1941, William Powell was announced as the male lead in the picture, and in Jul 1942, Myrna Loy was announced as his co-star. According to HR, M-G-M cast the popular starring team in an attempt to break them out of their "Thin Man" mold. After Loy left M-G-M in Oct 1942, however, Fred MacMurray and Joan Crawford were cast in the leads. Above Suspicion marked the only time that MacMurray co-starred with Crawford, and was the first M-G-M picture in which he appeared. According to M-G-M production files, Stuart Hall coached Crawford and MacMurray in Cockney accents. Neither actor used a Cockney accent in the completed picture, however. Although HR announced that George Glagori had portrayed a "Gestapo chief" in the picture, his appearance in the final film has not been confirmed. HR also announced that Leonard Walker was to conduct an orchestra in some scenes, but it has not been determined if he actually appeared onscreen. According to HR, for authenticity's sake, female bit players in the Germany scenes were not allowed to wear makeup, as Hitler had banned the wearing of makeup in 1933. Some scenes were filmed at an abandoned Acme gypsum mine near Bishop, CA, and mountain scenes were shot at Mt. Wilson, east of Los Angeles, according to HR. Conrad Veidt died of a heart attack on 3 Apr 1943; Above Suspicion was his last film. ...

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Onscreen credits list George Hively as the film's editor, but James Newcom is listed as editor in all HR production charts. In Dec 1941, William Powell was announced as the male lead in the picture, and in Jul 1942, Myrna Loy was announced as his co-star. According to HR, M-G-M cast the popular starring team in an attempt to break them out of their "Thin Man" mold. After Loy left M-G-M in Oct 1942, however, Fred MacMurray and Joan Crawford were cast in the leads. Above Suspicion marked the only time that MacMurray co-starred with Crawford, and was the first M-G-M picture in which he appeared. According to M-G-M production files, Stuart Hall coached Crawford and MacMurray in Cockney accents. Neither actor used a Cockney accent in the completed picture, however. Although HR announced that George Glagori had portrayed a "Gestapo chief" in the picture, his appearance in the final film has not been confirmed. HR also announced that Leonard Walker was to conduct an orchestra in some scenes, but it has not been determined if he actually appeared onscreen. According to HR, for authenticity's sake, female bit players in the Germany scenes were not allowed to wear makeup, as Hitler had banned the wearing of makeup in 1933. Some scenes were filmed at an abandoned Acme gypsum mine near Bishop, CA, and mountain scenes were shot at Mt. Wilson, east of Los Angeles, according to HR. Conrad Veidt died of a heart attack on 3 Apr 1943; Above Suspicion was his last film.

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GEOGRAPHIC LOCATIONS
SOURCE CITATIONS
SOURCE
DATE
PAGE
Box Office
1 May 1943
---
Daily Variety
28 Apr 1943
p. 3, 6
Film Daily
28 Apr 1943
p. 8
Hollywood Reporter
11 Dec 1941
p. 2
Hollywood Reporter
12 Jul 1942
p. 14
Hollywood Reporter
15 Oct 1942
p. 2
Hollywood Reporter
6 Nov 1942
p. 4
Hollywood Reporter
10 Nov 1942
p. 1
Hollywood Reporter
13 Nov 1942
p. 8
Hollywood Reporter
18 Nov 1942
p. 6
Hollywood Reporter
8 Dec 1942
p. 7
Hollywood Reporter
11 Dec 1942
p. 9
Hollywood Reporter
19 Jan 1943
p. 6
Hollywood Reporter
29 Jan 1943
p. 6
Hollywood Reporter
4 Feb 1943
p. 6
Hollywood Reporter
23 Feb 1943
p. 2
Hollywood Reporter
3 Mar 1943
p. 2
Hollywood Reporter
28 Apr 1943
p. 3
Hollywood Reporter
9 Aug 1943
p. 6
Motion Picture Herald
1 May 1943
---
Motion Picture Herald Product Digest
1 May 1943
p. 1289
New York Times
6 Aug 1943
p. 10
Variety
28 Apr 1943
p. 8
CAST
NAME
CREDITED AS
CREDIT
Lotta Palfi
Hans von Morhart
Steve Geray
Giselle Werbiseck
Hans Furberg
Kurt Newman
Sven-Hugo Borg
Phil Van Zandt
Capt. John Van Eyck
+
PRODUCTION CREDITS
NAME
PARENT COMPANY
DISTRIBUTION COMPANY
NAME
CREDITED AS
CREDIT
DIRECTORS
Asst dir
PRODUCERS
Assoc prod
PHOTOGRAPHY
Dir of photog
ART DIRECTORS
Art dir
FILM EDITORS
Film ed
James Newcom
Film ed
SET DECORATORS
Set dec
Assoc
COSTUMES
Cost supv
Men's cost
MUSIC
Mus score
SOUND
Rec dir
VISUAL EFFECTS
Spec eff
MAKEUP
Makeup created by
PRODUCTION MISC
Tech adv
SOURCES
LITERARY
Based on the novel Above Suspicion by Helen MacInnes (Boston, 1941).
LITERARY SOURCE AUTHOR
MUSIC
Selections from Piano Concerto No. 1 by Franz Liszt.
SONGS
"My Love Is Like a Red, Red Rose," words by Robert Burns, music traditional; "Bird in a Gilded Cage," words by Arthur J. Lamb, music by Harry Von Tilzer.
SONGWRITERS/COMPOSERS
+
DETAILS
Release Date:
May 1943
Production Date:
10 Nov 1942--3 Feb 1943
Copyright Info
Claimant
Date
Copyright Number
Loew's Inc.
21 May 1943
LP12090
Physical Properties:
Sound
Western Electric Sound System
Black and White
Duration(in mins):
89-91
Length(in feet):
8,138
Length(in reels):
9
Country:
United States
PCA No:
9144
Passed by NBR:
Yes
SYNOPSIS

In spring 1939, American-born Oxford professor Richard Myles and his American bride Frances begin their honeymoon at an English roadside inn, registering under the names Mr. and Mrs. Edward Smith. Their first night together is interrupted by the unexpected arrival of Peter Galt, a former classmate of Richard's, now employed by the Foreign Office. Aware that the newlyweds are headed for southern Germany, Peter asks Richard and Frances to track down a scientist "friend," who has information about a magnetic mine the Germans have developed. Richard and Frances eagerly agree to help, feeling that as American tourists, they are "above suspicion." Upon arriving in Paris, Frances buys a hat decorated with a rose, which is to serve as a signal for their contacts. In a Parisian restaurant, Frances and Richard meet up with their first contact, who silently instructs them to go to a café in Montmartre. There, a guide book to southern Germany is slipped into Richard's coat pocket. Frances and Richard notice a series of pinpricks on a map in the book, and Frances discovers that, when connected, the dots become the opening notes to the song "My Love Is Like a Red, Red Rose." The guide book also indicates that the couple is to go to Austria, to a certain bookstore in German-occupied Salzburg. At the bookstore, the newlyweds mention the song title, and under the noses of some Gestapo officers, the owner, A. Werner, signals them to head for a Salzburg museum. There, a tour guide named Hassert Seidel suggests that they check into a guest house run by Frau Kleist. After a few uneventful days ...

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In spring 1939, American-born Oxford professor Richard Myles and his American bride Frances begin their honeymoon at an English roadside inn, registering under the names Mr. and Mrs. Edward Smith. Their first night together is interrupted by the unexpected arrival of Peter Galt, a former classmate of Richard's, now employed by the Foreign Office. Aware that the newlyweds are headed for southern Germany, Peter asks Richard and Frances to track down a scientist "friend," who has information about a magnetic mine the Germans have developed. Richard and Frances eagerly agree to help, feeling that as American tourists, they are "above suspicion." Upon arriving in Paris, Frances buys a hat decorated with a rose, which is to serve as a signal for their contacts. In a Parisian restaurant, Frances and Richard meet up with their first contact, who silently instructs them to go to a café in Montmartre. There, a guide book to southern Germany is slipped into Richard's coat pocket. Frances and Richard notice a series of pinpricks on a map in the book, and Frances discovers that, when connected, the dots become the opening notes to the song "My Love Is Like a Red, Red Rose." The guide book also indicates that the couple is to go to Austria, to a certain bookstore in German-occupied Salzburg. At the bookstore, the newlyweds mention the song title, and under the noses of some Gestapo officers, the owner, A. Werner, signals them to head for a Salzburg museum. There, a tour guide named Hassert Seidel suggests that they check into a guest house run by Frau Kleist. After a few uneventful days at the guest house, Frau Kleist gives Frances and Richard a biography of Franz Liszt, aware that the couple is planning to attend a concert of Liszt's music that night. From markings in the book, Richard and Frances deduce that they are to go to a village called Pertisau, near Innsbruck, and inquire about a man who collects chess pieces. Before leaving for the concert, Richard meets fellow boarder Thornley, a recent Oxford graduate. Although Thornley, who has been practicing a noisy passage from Liszt's first piano concerto, advises Richard not to attend the concert, the couple goes anyway. At the concert, as the orchestra plays the same passage that Thornley had been practicing, a Nazi colonel is shot and killed. Nazi officials insist on questioning the entire audience, but Richard and Frances are rescued by Count Sig von Aschenhausen, a former Oxford schoolmate of Richard's. At Richard's behest, the count also intervenes on Thornley's behalf and invites all three visitors to his mother's nearby estate. There, Sig comments that the assassin must have been familiar with the Liszt concerto and asks Thornley to play the passage for him. Thornley claims not to know the piece, but later Thornley admits to Richard that he killed the Nazi as revenge for torturing and killing his Austrian girl friend. The next day, in Pertisau, the owner of a collectors' shop directs the newlyweds to the home of Dr. Mespelbrunn. While waiting to see the doctor, Richard and Frances notice the sheet music for "My Love Is Like a Red, Red Rose" on his piano. Just then, Sig appears, explaining that he has come to see Mespelbrunn on important business. When Sig does not respond to a signal that Richard gives him, the couple becomes suspicious. They then hear thumping noises upstairs and discover that Sig is holding Mespelbrunn prisoner. Before Frances and Richard can free the doctor, Sig and his Nazi cohorts interrupt them. The Americans flee to the surrounding woods, where they are surprised by the timely arrival of Hassert. With Hassert's help, Frances and Richard free Mespelbrunn, and all four head for Innsbruck. Outside Innsbruck, a now-disguised Mespelbrunn gives Richard a paper with the mine information on it, states the names of several trustworthy men, then goes his way. Hassert drives Richard and Frances, who are disguised in Tyrolean clothes, to Innsbruck, instructing them to obtain passports from a couple named Schultz. At the Schultzes, Richard and Frances dress as elderly people and have their photographs taken for their forged identification. After sending the newlyweds on their separate ways, the Schultzes are arrested by the Gestapo, who discover the negatives from Richard and Frances' passport photos. As she is about to reunite with Richard, Frances is spotted by Thornley, who also happens to be in Innsbruck. Frances is then picked up by the Gestapo, but manages to tell Thornley where to meet Richard. Thornley alerts Richard to his wife's plight, and Richard seeks Hassert's help. Waiting until most of the Gestapo have left headquarters for the night, Richard, Thornley and Hassert sneak in and, with guns blasting, take Frances' interrogators by surprise. The men steal some Nazis' uniforms and flee with Frances, who has been beaten, but as they are escaping, Thornley is killed. In a Nazi car, Hassert and Richard hide Frances, then drive to the Italian border. After fooling the Nazi border guards, Hassert and the newlyweds finally find freedom.

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Legend
Viewed by AFI
Partially Viewed
Offscreen Credit
Name Occurs Before Title
AFI Life Achievement Award

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