Miss Susie Slagle's is a 1946 American drama film directed by John Berry. It was based on the popular novel by Augusta Tucker. The film was Berry's directorial debut and first starring role for Joan Caulfield. Plot summary A nursing student falls in love with a young medical intern in 1910 Baltimore, but their lives start to fall apart when he catches a deadly disease. Principal cast Production Original novel Augusta Tucker's novel was published in 1939. Paramount paid $20,000 for the film rights. The novel became a best seller. A sequel came out in 1942, The Man Miss Susie Loved.<ref>"Miss Susie Slagle: THE MAN MISS SUSIE LOVED. By Augusta Tucker. 510 pp. New York: Harper & Brothers. $2.75." Feld, Rose. New York Times 1 Nov 1942: BR22.</ref> Development In 1939 Martin Berkley was assigned to write the script. John Cromwell was assigned to direct under the supervision of Arthur Hornblow. In January 1941 Paramount announced Jean Arthur would star and Sam Wood would produce and direct with Lorraine Nobel writing a script. Jack Oakie was to play the comic male lead. In May 1941 Irene Dunne was named as lead. In June 1941 filming was postponed so Wood could make For Whom the Bell Tolls. John Houseman In August 1943 the project was reactivated when Paramount head of production Buddy DeSylva have it to producer John Houseman, who had just made The Unseen for the studio. In January 1944 the project was officially put back on Paramount's schedule with a new screenplay done (Hugo Butler was borrowed from MGM to do this) and Betty Field listed as star. The novel was set in Baltimore at Johns Hopkins Hospital but references to that specific city and hospital were removed from the script. Director It was thought Houseman might get Orson Welles involved as a star or director. However Welles did not have anything to do with the film. At one stage Harold Clurman was going to direct - he worked on the script - but left the project and in May 1944 signed a contract with RKO."Donald Cook of Stage 'Claudia' Movie-Lured: Donna Reed Awarded Idealistic Role in 'The Picture of Dorian Gray'" Schallert, Edwin. Los Angeles Times 3 Mar 1944: 11. In June the job of directing was given to theatre director John Berry, who had worked with Houseman and Welles in the theatre. He had never made a