2hotFeature one of my absolute favorites!

Stellead Don't listen to the Hype. It's awful

Janae Milner Easily the biggest piece of Right wing non sense propaganda I ever saw.

Marva It is an exhilarating, distressing, funny and profound film, with one of the more memorable film scores in years,

SnoopyStyle Mark Christopher (Dick Powell) is a successful Hollywood writer struggling with writer's block. War buddy Virgil is his assistant. Maude Snodgrass is his secretary. Isabella Alexander is his girlfriend. Vice cop Sam Hanlon brings over 17 year old juvenile delinquent Susan Beaurgard Landis (Debbie Reynolds) who he hopes would give Mark writing material. Mark allows her to stay instead of the reformatory over the Christmas holidays."Remember you guys. She's underage." That line alone makes this one of the most awkward comedy setups ever and it made me chuckle. Honestly, there are a few jokes that made me laugh. The premise is completely unrealistic. I wonder if it's as awkward for a contemporary audience. This is very light and romantic which keeps clashing with the underage part. I kept repeating to myself that it's another era until the romance takes one step too far. Old timey morals can't excuse that. It's undeniable that Debbie Reynolds is adorable and I want to accept this for her. I would give this a pass if they didn't go that extra step.

calvinnme This is the kind of odd thing that RKO would put together on its downhill slide in the 50's that sometimes would work and sometimes would not. This time it does seem to work although an ick factor seems to be hanging around just off camera that doesn't ever quite completely present itself. At least part of the enjoyment is seeing two veterans of the 30's Warner Brothers musical comedies together playing mature roles twenty years after the fact - Dick Powell as screenwriter-in-a-rut Mark Christopher and Glenda Farrell as his secretary Maude who likes to stay inebriated but is quite the philosopher and friend during her sober moments. She still has all of the bite and fun she had when she was Torchy Blaine.The ick factor I talked about before is the marriage in name only of middle-aged Mark to 17 year old Susan Landis (Debbie Reynolds) who is left on Mark's doorstep by the police of all people, because one of the detectives thinks Susan would be good research for a serious script by Mark, and plus the detective doesn't want to put her in jail on Christmas Eve. The detective promises to return for her in two days. The marriage occurs because Susan will be booked on vagrancy without a visible means of support, so off they go to Vegas with Mark looking at this whole thing as a good deed to keep a basically good kid out of jail. However, Susan, the romantic, wants it to be something more. After the wedding Mark deposits Susan back in his Hollywood apartment while he goes off to an isolated spot - without Susan - to try and redeem the script he's been writing.Susan and writer's block aren't Mark's only problems. He also has a rich girlfriend (Anne Francis) whom he seems to want to quit almost as much as the job at the studio he had writing fluff pieces but that paid well. It's hard to leave something behind that's comfortable and familiar for the unknown, even if it's slowly strangling you.The funniest part of the movie is watching Susan, after she's legally married and living apart from Mark, trying to figured out how to win her man back. She tries everything from watching home movies of Mark's girlfriend and trying to imitate her moves and expressions to basting a turkey in an evening dress waiting for Mark to arrive for dinner, to memorizing how to make various mixed drinks. Then you have to wonder how much of this is love and how much of this is a teenage girl's natural curiosity about sex. Since Debbie Reynolds is just five years older than the part she's playing, she gives the role of Susan the realism of someone who is young enough to have recent memories of their teen years but is old enough to see the humor in them. This thing works because it is the 50's, because it is Susan with all of the romantic and aggressive sexual impulses rather than Mark, and because of the excellent supporting players. The one thing that doesn't quite work here is Dick Powell as a 35 year old. He seems like he's playing a man quite a bit older and more beat down than one of 35 - Dick Powell was actually 50 at the time- and perhaps Mark is lying - to himself and to Susan - when he says that's how old he is.This isn't a masterpiece, but it is a cute romantic comedy that works.

Donna Thorne Susan Slept Here is considered a Holiday classic in our household. With an exceptional plot and great acting, it's a definite must see. After the movie, I find myself humming "Hold My Hand" for days. Debbie Reynolds plays innocent very well and William Powell is just the person to grow up for. I must admit to not being a fan of Mr. Christopher's girlfriend but then, that's all to the good. Susan impacts the lives of everyone she meets and I always get a chuckle at Maude's dear Oswald. The repartee between Susan and Mr. Christopher is snappy and clever, especially in the climax of the film. This is definitely a romantic favorite and a Holiday classic.

DSchryer The plot of this movie was a bit silly even when it came out in 1954. But because it features Debbie Reynolds at age 22 (playing a 17 year old) -- when she was very beautiful, vibrant, and also quite sexy -- it's one of my favorite films. Everyone seems to concede that the young Debbie Reynolds was talented and spunky, but because of her girl-next-door persona, few seem to recognize that she had more genuine beauty and sex appeal than many overtly "sultry" or "sexy" actresses of her era -- or, indeed, of any era. The rest of the cast is quite adequate but it's Debbie who makes this movie a lot of fun to watch.