Smash-Up

Torch singer Angela Evans (Susan Hayward) gives up her career to marry radio performer Kevin Conway (Lee Bowman). When Kevin's career takes off, she develops a hardcore drinking problem that provokes him to leave her and gain custody of their young daughter. Angela is near death after a terrible accident and hits rock bottom before she begins a struggle to turn her life around. A stunning performance by five-time Academy Award nominee Hayward in her first starring role, and Eddie Albert as her piano accompanist, highlight this emotional drama. New Yorker writer and Algonquin Round Table member Dorothy Parker wrote the original story with Frank Cavett, for which they were nominated for an Oscar.