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Suzanne
Pleshette
The
Iron Lady
Suzanne
Pleshette was plucked from the Broadway stage after
two successful hit shows : Compulsion and The MIracle
Worker, in which she replaced Ann Bankcroft, and plunged
into movie stardom in 1962 with Warner Bros. “Rome
Adventure” aka Lovers Must Learn. Earlier in 1958,
she did make a foray into films with Jerry Lewis in
“Geisha Boy”, playing an air-hostess. But,
she felt films were not her forte and was more at home
on stage, treading the boards, as they say. In fact,
she lived and breathed plays. However, those night-after-night
performances for three years was taking its toll on
her health. She was physically exhausted and the doctor
advised her a vacation and regular hours of working.
Free of her contractual obligations with Broadway and
contemplating a vacation, she learng from her agent
that Warner Bros. was offering her the lead to star
opposite heartthrob of the day, Troy Donahue in their
big budget “Rome Adventure”. It was more than
she could ask for - a paid vacation to shoot a light
romantic caper while enjoying the sights of Rome and
Europe. What she didn’t bargain for was falling
in love with Donahue. What ensude was a stormy, see-saw
relationship with Donahue’s fedelity always being
at stake.
Superstardom followed after “Rome Adventure”
was declared a hit around the world. The theme song
“Al Di La” also became a cherished favourite
for many years. Going by other actors’ records
of miscalculation, Pleshette was shrewd enough not to
sign a contract with any of the studios, no matter how
tempting their offers were. The gambit paid off and
enabled her to bag prestigious projects with all the
top studios with an equally top roster of leading men.
Pleshette’s trademark was always her great histrionics
- a natural before the camera - coupled by her drop-dead
gorgeous looks and a very husky voice that most female
co-stars envied. Her stage experience enabled her to
evolve into an artiste of untold nuances.
Because of her on-again-off-again romance with Troy
Donahue, she refused to play the field. Letting her
heart rule hed, she married Donahue in 1964 only to
regret it after a couple of months. His reputation as
a lady-killer preceded him and marriage didn’t
seem to alter his life style. She filed for divorce
after six months, citing extreme mental cruelty and
was granted an interlocutary divorce. While her career
was soaring, his was great heartache. Donahue is still
a very touchy subject with her and when recently asked
to comment about him, she said: “Was I really married
to him. Yes, I think - for about a year.” Her innate
self-confidence has always helped her steer through
choppy waters. The idealist in her character was dismayed
by the shoddy goings-on in Hollywood. She found New
Yorkers more real. In Hollywood she found no one really
loved anyone, they just pretended. Under the make believe
was a dogie-dog world.
During 1962-80 her leading role catalogue was littered
with impressive hits and some misses, but she consistently
worked against type. These included: Youngblood Hawke
(1964 - An upstart Southern writer claws his way to
the top of New York’s literary world. Very watchable
melodrama with excellent performances by Pleshette and
James Franciscus), The Wall of NOise, 40 Pounds of Trouble,
A Distant Trumpet, Alfred Hitchcok’s “The
Birds”, Nevada Smith, The Power, A Rage to LIve
(She was miscast in this film based on John O’Hara’s
novel about a married woman still wanting to have love
affairs), Suppose they gave a war and nobody came, Adventures
of Bullwhip Griffin, Along came a Spider, Blackbeard’s
Ghost, Fate is the Hunter, Flesh and Blood, Hard Frame,
Hot Stuff, If it’s Tuesday this must be Belgium,
If Things were Different (a well acted tear-jerker),
In Broadlight, Law and Order, Legend of Valentino, Oh
God! Book II, Shaggy DA, Support your local Gunfighter,
The Ugly Dachshund.
In 1966, she received excellent reviews for “Mister
Buddwing” which starred James Garner, Jean Simmons
and Katherine Ross. Suzanne has a fragmentary love affair
with a man (Garner) suffering from amnesia. The film
combined a kaleidoscopic series of situations, interlaced
flashbacks and subliminal flashes in which the theme
was woven intricately. Highly watchable with fine pieces
of acting from Simmons, Garner and Pleshette.
This black haired, emerald eyed beauty was born in New
York in January 31, 1939. Her father managed the legendary
Paramount and Brooklyn Paramount Theatres in New York.
As a child, she met big performers like Frank Sinatra,
Danny Kaye etc. and knew them on first-name basis. An
only child, she wsa closer to her father and recalls:
“We had a similar mentality. I think I got some
mixed messages. In trying to give me the gift of his
wisdom and his love, he gave me a male work ethic. The
message I got from him was really, ‘You’d
better contribute something and don’t be afraid’.
‘I wish I had been told that it would be nice just
to be a girl too and not to always have to achieve so
much. I wish that I could have been easier on myself.”
Suzanne’s second marriage to Tom Gallagher, a wealthy
oil businessman, has lasted close to 30 years. The couple
are childless. “I’m a realist,” she says
quietly. “I certainly would have liked to have
had Tommy’s children. But my nurturing instincts
are fulfilled in other ways. I have a large extended
family; I’m the mother on every set. So if this
is my particular karma, that’s fine. There are
certain givens in life that you have to accept. I’m
not blonde and Swedish. I’m not 5-foot-9, I’m
5-foot-4 and brunette and I’ve managed to do OK,
right?”
Pleshette’s sexy style (helped by that voice) has
not diminished as she’s grown older. While her
Hollywood films have been marginally successful, it
never quite reached the pinnacle she sought. Television,
however, solidified her career. In addition to her comic
turn in “The Bob Newhart Show” for which she
won two nominations, Pleshette has taken on serious
parts that have generally stirred strong critical reviews.
She was nominated for Emmys for the powrful performance
as a drug-addicted nurse on Dr Kildare and for her unabashed
interpretation on Leona Helmsley, the real-estate mogul,
dragon lady and convicted tax cheat in “The Queen
of Mean” (1990), in which she was excellent.
She also began making guest appearances on the Tonight
Show starring Johnny Crson, where her gift for story
telling and her double entendres turned her into a regular.
“I’ve never had a problem working,” says
Pleshette. “I have a great range. They can come
to me with a comedy, a drama, a period piece, a character
piece and know I can do it. And I bring in the ratings.
I have the ability to bring a script to its full potential.”
Casts and crew who adore her confirm that she has a
no-holds-barred quality on the set, telling writers,
costars and the crew what bothered her about the script.
She’s brutally honest, holds nothing back. She
tells you just what is on her mind. She is always open
to suggestions and never had a closed mind to anything.
These are the qualities that have made her current show
“The Boys are Back” a big hit.
Plum movie parts still keep pouring in and in the ’80s
and ’90s she’s starred in “Belarus File,
Dixie: Changing Habits, One Cooks, The othe Doesn’t,
Help Wanted: Male, and the recent “Battling for
Baby” (1993) in which she starred with Debbie Reynolds.
When told that several of her friends claim she’s
not as tough and formidable as she seems,, Pleshette
nods. “Oh, yeah, I’m real tough,” she
says. “About as tough as a marshmallow.”
Compiled by Ian Edwards
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