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Ginger's Susan Hayward Message Board: To reach If You Knew Susie by Trish Sharp, click the profile photo at www.facebook.com/susanhaywardclassicfilmstar and you will see the link.

Ginger's Susan Hayward Message Board
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Re: RITA MORENO...HAS NEW BOOK OUT...

Errol and Elaine!

Isn't life just like this---it leaps with great hopes...........and then comes crashing down!!! (Not that I should really be putting a disappointing Rita Moreno book on a par with 'life'!!)

But--how disappointing that Ms. Moreno didn't see fit to write more about Susan. (I wonder if Tim and Greg were approached--and asked her please not to, since every book fails to 'capture' their mother in any meaningful way?) Though I'd be surprised if any writers DID ask for permission to write about ANYYBODY!!! (a la Rupert Murdoch!!!)

Anyway---have either of you read any of her other books? Perhaps Susan was mentioned there??

I still believe that the only two who could possibly write about their mother's life would be her sons. But, at least for Tim, it would no doubt be a harrowing experience, reliving the difficult times--and how his own life was affected.

Also, it must be so difficult to capture a person you love so much but who you come to realize, as you mature, was so enigmatic--and the question is 'Where do you start?' Yes, she made her choices in life--but we can be haunted by the past in a way our children can never fully understand. (You could offer me a fortune to write about my changeable, multi-facited mother--and I just could not do it and feel that I had reached an honest center to her core.) Plus, of course, we do not 'owe it to the public' to unveil a private life for the reasons most readers will pick up a 'star's' bio.

On a rather related subject......my sister borrowed from the library Robert Mitchem's last bio, "Baby, I don't Care". for me. I knew next-to-nothing about him, but having recently seen a couple of his films.....and learned that, in addition to his rowdy antics and bawdy, clever wit, he had a kind, secretly shy, intelligent reputation, a love of nature's beauty, he fished (!!)....and could display the 'sensitive soul of a poet' (tho' perhaps not up there with the "The One Hundred Best....") -- his quirky, true to himself personality made me want to read further!

Of course, the book may be as inaccurate as Susan H's bios. But like Susan's special acting realism, he, too, was at his best when his roles portrayed a complex personality. (At about age 10, his "Night of the Hunter". chilled me to the bone....and his relentless, evil goal in "Cape Fear" did nothing to change my mind! But I loved every realistic thrill that drew a very thin line bewtween reality--and 'acting'.)

This long tome of my Post DOES has a reason for my bringing Robert Mitchem up. "Baby, I Don't Care", unlike Rita Morano's book, DOES mention just a couple of comments on his working relationship with Susan--which contrary to the usual and only comment that other publications have printed about "The Old Gray Mare" story), he does indicate that she did her scenes, keeping her distantance from the cast (not very news-shattering), but does have two very short, funny mentions of her frustration at the lack of any storyline and script when they worked on "The Lusty Men" --and another amusing dispute, when Susan called the words she was supposed to say, in one scene, that "they insulted her"--and seemed about to walk off the set. But, at any rate, Mitchem, in his usual affable manner had no problem working with her, respecting both her personal problems......and her right to walk off to her trailer as soon as a scene ended....and not socialize. (The pages where Susan is mentioned in the above para. are between pages 229 and 232 and are quite short. But everyone will enjoy Susan's "Brooklyn comment on Page 229!)

(It is also mentioned on Page 241, that during "White Witch Doctor"--although there was no 'charisma or any attraction' between them, Otto Lang said "she was going through a difficult divorce then and was not really approachable as a person", Susan and Mitchem did get along well.")

Oh--and don't forget that my library edition of "Baby, I Don't Care" was hard cover, by Lee Server , 1st ed. published in 2001--so my page numbers may not be the same as the editions you might look through.)

Again, Errol and Elaine--thanks for your information!!

Much appreciated, Lynn

Re: RITA MORENO...HAS NEW BOOK OUT...

Thanks Elaine...I will not bother getting the book! I do like Rita Moreno a lot and admire her...but Marlon Brando and his antics has never turned me on as being someone I want to read about. The younger Brando was 'great'..but the older Brando was a 'total disaster'. (only in my opinion). I look at how his children turned out and know there must have not been much of a 'home life' there.

Re: RITA MORENO...HAS NEW BOOK OUT...

LYNN...I have 'one' Robert Mitchum book that I can't even get through. NOT Mitchum's fault! It's the author (or Authors..since it is a book on interviews done by David Frost, Richard Schickel, David Lochte, Charles Champlin and Jerry Roberts)...BUT..I suppose the 'problem' is through the latter, Jerry Roberts since he did the EDITING on this dumb book!

He tells the story of Mitchum/Susan and the "Old Grey Mare" thing, which he took out of BEVERLY LINET'S book...and then he puts, in the book, that it is from a book by...'BARBARA LINET'...(Susan Hayward: Portrait of a Survivor). This guy couldn't even get the 'authors' name right!

Mitchum is also asked about 'problems' that actresses have had with his 'practical jokes' that he did on them..including SUSAN HAYWARD, GREER GARSON, MYRNA LOY and THERESA RUSSELL...

The question was..."You're known as a practical joker.

MITCHUM: no

Then....he mentions the actresses (above) who have all complained about this.

MITCHUM...no...

(You can see what kind of a 'stupid' book this is.....?? Mitchum's responses are are about three or four words throughout the book.

THE ONLY NEW THING...I came across...was that when he and Susan were shooting THE LUSTY MEN..he would eat a lot of garlic just before their close=up scenes together.

The book is titled...MITEHUM: IN HIS OWN WORDS..(what..words)??

And I DON'T recommend spending money on it!!....