Stars:  Four and a half out of five stars

"Above Suspicion" was Joan Crawford's last film with MGM before she left for greener pastures and more challenging opportunities at Warner's.  Contrary to the general myth or consensus, this film, based on a novel by Helen MacInnes, is actually more satisfying and entertaining than some of her earlier MGM output (and later work) where the scripts were as thin as gossamer even though her charisma (or chemistry with a delicious co-star like Clark Gable) helped one overlook it.  To my mind, "Above Suspicion" is an escapist delight with a great cast (led by Crawford, Fred MacMurray, and Basil Rathbone), a swift pace and tongue-in-cheek lightness, all packed into an economical 90 minutes.  Surprisingly, Fred MacMurray and Joan Crawford have wonderful chemistry together and are quite engaging and believable as Richard and Frances Myles, a pair of American newlyweds improbably hired by the British Secret Service to act as spies in Nazi-dominated Europe during World War II.  The idea is that the couple will be "above suspicion."  The silly idiosyncrasies of MGM; the tunes and absurd oversized rose on Crawford's hat as "signals;" the assassination scene; the assorted kidnappings and disguises; the enthusiasm of the amateur sleuths in unraveling clues and their general cool under pressure; the incongruity of having MacMurray as a professor at Oxford -- it all rolls smoothly along with nothing to be taken seriously. Along with moments of genuine suspense and a sweet affection between the two leads, there are some fun musical interludes where Crawford plays the piano and together with MacMurray, sings.  Frances also has a charming tic -- she twists her ankle when nervous. 

Interestingly, the hard-shelled dame image most commonly associated with Crawford's screen work is actually not representative of the great bulk of her career.  She ran the gamut during her 50-year run as an actress and it's delightful when she plays "out of the box."  Here, she has the "classic Crawford" face in place (the one that would become best identified as her "look" henceforth), but her personality has the lightness of her MGM roles and a sweet, kittenish quality that is very winning.  Highly enjoyable entertainment. – D. Nowak