Introduction

Top Secret Affair is a 1957 American romantic comedy film made by Carrollton Inc. and distributed by Warner Bros. that stars Susan Hayward and Kirk Douglas. It was directed by H.C. Potter and produced by Martin Rackin and Milton Sperling from a screenplay by Roland Kibbee and Allan Scott. (Carrollton Inc. was Hayward’s own production company, named for her adopted hometown in Georgia.)

Also known as Melville Goodwin, USA (working title) and Their Secret Affair (South Africa).

Outline

Melville Goodwin (Kirk Douglas), a decorated US Army general, is appointed chairman of the Joint Atomic International Commission by the President. But headstrong Dottie Peale (Susan Hayward), a high-powered media mogul, wants a close friend of her father’s to get the position. So she plots to torpedo Goodwin’s reputation. She invites him to her Long Island estate for an interview and photo session. Moreover, she assigns a cameraman to photograph Goodwin in compromising situations. However, every attempt to catch Goodwin off guard fails. Dottie even takes the general nightclubbing, hoping to get him drunk. Yet nothing works. Later, back in Long Island, Dottie, a little tipsy herself, falls off the diving board of her estate’s swimming pool. Goodwin rescues her, and this leads to a night of romance.

Dottie’s attitude is changed. She plans to marry Goodwin. But to her surprise, the general has no plans to continue the romance. He tells her about a love affair with a woman named Yvette to whom he revealed top-secret information during the Korean War. When he found out Yvette was an enemy spy, he ordered her shot. A rejected Dottie is now determined to ruin Goodwin. Her magazine’s story, “Blabbermouth Goodwin”, results in a Senate inquiry into his behaviour. Unfortunately for the general, the Yvette spy case is still top secret, and he is forbidden to discuss it. It is only after the President’s intervention that the story is declassified. Now Goodwin can defend his reputation and does so successfully. Goodwin is publicly cleared of wrongdoing and recognised as a bigger hero than ever. In front of a gaggle of Washington reporters, he drags a protesting but obviously willing Dottie into a waiting car, signalling that their romance is on again.

Cast

• Susan Hayward as Dorothy “Dottie” Peale
• Kirk Douglas as Major General Melville A. Goodwin
• Paul Stewart as Phil Bentley, Dottie’s assistant and conscience
• Jim Backus as Colonel Homer W. Gooch, Goodwin’s Public Information Officer
• John Cromwell as General Daniel A. Grimshaw, Goodwin’s commanding officer
• Roland Winters as Senator Burdick
• Arthur Gould-Porter as Holmes, Dottie’s butler
• Michael Fox as Reporter Laszlo “Lotzie” Kovach
• Frank Gerstle as Sergeant Kruger
• Charles Lane as Bill Hadley
• Ivan Triesault as the German field marshal (uncredited)

Trivia

• Under the title “Melville Goodwin, USA”, the film was to star Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall – both of whom had already filmed costume and makeup tests – but Bogart’s terminal illness forced his withdrawal from the project.
  • He was replaced by Kirk Douglas.
  • Bacall withdrew shortly afterward, opting instead to remain at home with her dying husband, and was replaced by Susan Hayward.
• General Goodwin tells Dottie that he’s 6 feet tall, but Kirk Douglas was really 5′ 9″.

Production & Filming Details

• Director(s):
  • H.C. Potter
• Producer(s):
  • Martin Rackin … producer
  • Milton Sperling … producer
• Writer(s):
  • John P. Marquand … (novel)
  • Roland Kibbee
  • Allan Scott
• Music:
  • Roy Webb
• Cinematography:
  • Stanley Cortez … director of photography
• Editor(s):
  • Folmar Blangsted
• Production:
  • Carrollton Inc.
• Distributor(s):
  • Warner Bros.
• Release Date: 30 January 1957.
• Running Time: 100 minutes.
• Rating: U.
• Country: US.
• Language: English.

Video Link(s)