As a travel reporter who seeks interesting stories from the far reaches of the globe, Sue Charlton visits Australia to discover the biggest story of her career. But far better than the research for her job, she finds something else she didn’t expect. Love does appear in the strangest of places.
Today’s Women Who Wow Wednesday celebrates the striking Sue Charlton (Linda Kozlowski) from the 1986 film Crocodile Dundee. Starring Paul Hogan in the title role, he is a character right out of a comic book. He can hypnotize a bull with the shake of a hand. He can kill a crocodile using only a knife. And he can tell the time simply by looking at the sun in the sky. Okay, maybe that last one isn’t so true, but he’s a rough-and-tumble character with the ability to save those who need saving.
Sue, on the other hand, is a city girl who is quite helpless in the Aussie bush. Her idea of roughing it has more to do with finding a place to wash her clothes than beating a crock senseless over the head with her weapon of choice. What makes her unique is her ability to capture the heart of Dundee with very little effort on her part.
In a moment of good-natured competition, she sets out on her own in the outback to prove she doesn’t need his saving arms. What could have been a disaster turns into an opportunity where they both become close friends. Their mutual respect for one another’s capabilities proves there’s a hero in everyone.
In the wild, Dundee reigns as the ultimate survivalist, yet in New York City, he doesn’t know what to do with himself. This is where Sue shines by walking him through the urban life. Even when he doesn’t know what a bidet is, she doesn’t look down on him. Her way of teaching is nudging him along so he can learn at his own pace. Eventually he figures out the ins and outs of a bidet—so to speak.
While Dundee loses himself in the journey of a foreign land, he also loses his heart to the beautiful and enchanting reporter he met in the Australian wilderness. If only life were as simple as sweeping her off her feet. It’s not, and in a rush to reconcile his feelings, he decides to leave America.
The story could very well end there. But it doesn’t. Like a well-used cliché, it’s just the beginning. As with all good things that grow from the smallest of seeds, so is Sue’s affection toward the man who once saved her life. She, too, realizes her life will never be the same again without Dundee. He’s showed her more than anything she could have learned on her own, and because of it, is grateful for his friendship.
Sue Charlton, Women Who Wow Wednesday’s best friend.
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Have you seen Crocodile Dundee? What do you think of Sue Charlton?
Looking to God 