Errol...could you share your experience of seeing Susan in Mame? There are some people who frequent the message board who would like to hear about it. You're the only person I know who saw the performance. (Except, Tim, if you read this...I think you might have gone to a performance..??...anytime you would like to leave your thoughts on the board, please feel free to do so. We enjoy hearing from you and appreciate your input...)Ginger

P.S. I sure wish there was a video of MAME with Susan Hayward!...I feel cheated..!

First...let me apologize for not being over here in awhile. Last minute things on contracts and casting in the new shows have had me a little busy. I do hear from Kerry, on a regular basis and try to get to both sites...but not like I have wanted to.

Now, Ginger...If I put the right icon...at the top of this message, it should be a bright light bulb (ha) so don't hold me to being as bright as that bulb..NOT HAPPENING MY DEAR!!

When I gave Ginger my Susan collection, to be shared by all of us on this site, I also sent her (at a later date) the program from MAME at Ceasar's Palace in Las Vegas. I also had one other copy and was going to hang onto it, until Ray Garcia wanted a 'trade' for a vhs copy of "Among the Living" which I had only seen 'once'...and really wanted to add that film to my Susan treasures....so I did! The reason I mention this...is because I do not remember (that's where the light bulb comes in gang) all of the cast for the show, only that LORETTA SWIT was a 'newcommer' at the time and she played Agnes Gooch!

I flew to Vegas with two friends to see the show. I was in the middle of rehearsals, so it was..fly there just for the show...then back to Hollywood with no stay-over.

I do remember how HUGE the Ceasar's room seemed to be and how 'awful' the food was that night. Everytime I see peas on a dinner plate, I think of that night and the half frozen peas that kept staring at me from that plate!

Our seats were not 'up close and personal' if ya know what I mean...and as the overture came close to ending I felt a cold sweat..Here I was...about to see
'the best in the business'...my favorite film star..on stage for the first time.

I do remember her standing at the top of that twisting staircase set-piece with horn in hand..wearing a gold pants suit..hair pinned up and all I could think was..."Go Susan! Show 'em all that there's no stopping YOU..Now do your 'thing!" (That was 'my thoughts of telling HER how to handle that huge crowd! I would not like to think of what SHE might have told me...about my instructions for her..so best we leave it at that!

You know, when you go to see someone you have admired for a lifetime, it seems that everything goes too fast and you wish you could just say...STOP...I'm missing this whole thing, because I'm not prepared and want to savior every last detail. It just don't happen that way.

I loved the show...but as I have said on this site before...It was not, to me, Susan at her best. Ann Miller will always be my favorite MAME on stage. What this was, however, was seeing Susan as never before seen. The main reason was because you were not watching "I'll Cry Tomorrow" in the darkened theatre and listening to her own singing voice, for the first time...With MAME you were seeing her and hearing her 'LIVE' and like all stage actor's will tell you..that's when you are at your 'BEST'.

This could not have been an easy show for Susan to have done, because it 'was' live and a different audience for every performance. She had to be on her toes at all times, since it was 'her name' that was selling this show! More carried on those beautiful shoulders than one can imagine unless you've been there...done that!

Back to the show...(and boy! am I going on and on..sorry!) Susan carried the show and the songs like the PRO we all knew her to be! The "Bosom Buddies" number with Vera Charles charatcher, was tops! The opening number..."It's Today!" put the stamp of approval from the audience..."We Need a Little Christmas" had Susan, the young Patrick et-all giving us another 'lift'...and it was Susan at the reins..all the way!

I loved the scene Susan did with young Patrick, when he comes into her bedroom...she in bed with sleeping mask over her eyes..and being hung over from last night's party, Susan screams..."BATS! WE'VE GOT..BATS!"

yEP! She was delivering the comic Mame, the musical Mame...and the dramatic Mame (which most of us remember her for the most)..when she is about to loose her dear Patrick to 'life'..Realizing he has grown up and that their adventures will soon end, Susan had me with tears in my eyes as she sang "If He Walked into My Life".

Sorry, Gang...to have gone on and on. Maybe Ginger will think 'twice' before asking me to 'try to remember' an episode like this...again! If not..you can always catch "My Foolish Mouth"..also on this Susan site. It is all there guys and gals...and not a memory I am too proud of...but the only time I would ever meet the lady who had put so much into my life from that silver screen. To this day, it still bothers me, on what happened and I don't know how many times I have re-dreamed and re-directed 'the real version' to the version I 'wished' had happened.

If I have your attention and you haven't read that on Ginger's Susan site, take a minute and refresh my embarassing meeting with Susan! Just hope she knows

Errol.. this is terrific reporting.. right down to the frozen peas!...I wrote a note reply to your other post also.. Thanks again!