The Gorgeous Hussy

directed by Clarence Brown
Category: "Drama"
Year of Release:1936
Date Added:04/14/2026
Date Watched:04/14/2026
Description:Fictionalized version of the Eaton affair during the presidency of Andrew Jackson (Lionel Barrymore). Peggy Eaton (Joan Crawford) is the daughter of a Washington innkeeper. She knows the politicians who come through town, and is in love with John Randolph (Melvyn Douglas), Jackson's chief opponent on the issue of union vs. states rights. When it becomes apparent that Randolph won't marry her, Peggy marries Bow Timberlake (Robert Taylor), who soon dies at sea. When Jackson is elected president, and his wife Rachel dies, Peggy becomes the unofficial first lady. She gets engaged to Randolph, but the can't reconcile their political views. She marries John Eaton (Franchot Tone), Secretary of War, but the wives of the other cabinet members are scandalized because Peggy is an innkeeper's daughter and because of stuff she's done—including visiting Randolph on his death bed. Jackson defends her, and when the cabinet members and their wives insist that she be sent out of Washington, he demands their resignations. John Eaton is made ambassador to Spain, and Peggy goes with him. Jimmy Stewart has a small role as — I'm not sure what. He courts Peggy early on, and takes her to see Randolph at the end, but I don't know why that role was needed or if he was based on an actual person.
My Rating:5

Reviews for The Gorgeous Hussy

Review - Gorgeous Hussy, The

Because of the code, Peggy Eaton was portrayed as a flirtatious but innocent woman. Rumors claim she wasn't so pure in real life. So, in the movie, she wasn't a hussy, and Joan Crawford was woefully miscast as an innkeeper's daughter.

I also hate dramatizes history — you can't know what's true and what isn't. The story is constrained by the need to stick somewhat close to the truth, but it's fictionalized enough so there's no way to know. Just read nonfiction and let the movies stick to straight fiction.

Reviewed by Roger on 2026-04-14 18:08:00

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