Dorothy Comingore gives Citizen Kane an awkward, recognisable human presence as Susan Alexander Kane. We admire the emotional conviction, though the performance can turn shrill; Susan's unhappiness matters even when it is not easy to listen to.
Fi1m perspective
Comingore's Susan Alexander Kane can sound shrill, and we do not think that is always a mistake. In Citizen Kane (1941), her unhappiness is awkward to watch; we admire the performance, with a reservation about how insistently she sometimes presses it. We were moved by Comingore because Susan's bitterness feels rooted in the same person as her innocence. She makes the character's feelings recognisable even when they are difficult company.
Her early screen work consisted of bit parts and uncredited roles in the late 1930s, including the Woman at Station in Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939). Citizen Kane gave her a breakthrough and remains the substantial reason to seek her out. Supporting parts followed, including Helen Parker in The Hairy Ape (1944). Her final film role was Julie Rostina in The Big Night (1951). We would not give those smaller credits equal weight simply to make the career look more evenly distributed.
Welles is the essential collaborator here, both directing her and playing opposite her. We value Citizen Kane for giving its technical ingenuity a human centre, and Comingore contributes through the realism of Susan's feelings. The film's elaborate structure sometimes keeps us at a distance; her directness is useful in a film that gives us so much else to notice. The innocent young woman and the embittered older figure are a demanding combination, and she makes the difference between them convincing.
There is still a point at which that sharpness becomes wearing, and we would not defend every inflection simply because the film deserves its reputation. Comingore is worth watching closely, with room to find some of her choices excessive. Start with Citizen Kane, and give Susan as much attention as the elaborate construction around her.
Biography
Dorothy Comingore was an American actress. Born Mary Louise Comingore on 24 August 1913 in Los Angeles, she appeared in earlier films under the name Linda Winters and on stage as Kay Winters. She played the role of Susan Alexander Kane in Orson Welles’s Citizen Kane (1941).
Comingore had an uncredited part in Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939) and later appeared in films including The Hairy Ape (1944), Any Number Can Play (1949) and The Big Night (1951). Her career ended after she was called before the House Un-American Activities Committee in 1952 and declined to answer questions. She died on 30 December 1971 in Stonington, Connecticut.
