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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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Susan Scenes In Valley of the Dolls/You Tube/3

This is the original Valley of the Dolls Trailor....click above

Re: Susan Scenes In Valley of the Dolls/You Tube/3

Thanks for that clip.

Seeing it again reminds me, Susan's performance in Valley of the Dolls was the only one I still remember favorably, and I haven't seen this one straight through for at least twenty years. Yet I still remember her nuances and gestures. The lady really knew how to make a lasting impression.

Re: Re: Susan Scenes In Valley of the Dolls/You Tube/3

Hello Howard, I'm glad you enjoyed the clip. I loved Susan's scene with Barbara Parkins..the scene in the dressing room when Susan was wearing the red suit and glasses. Susan put all those girls to shame as far as acting ability.

Welcome to the message board, Howard!

Re: Re: Re: Susan Scenes In Valley of the Dolls/You Tube/3

Hi, Ginger. Thanks for your welcome!

Yes, Susan did blow the other girls away in VOTD. What I've never understood is:

a. How did Twentieth Century-Fox ever think Judy Garland could have pulled off such a roll? Nothing against Judy, but the part of Helen Lawson required a certain toughness she had never displayed, and Susan had.

b. Why didn't they let Susan do her own singing? She did it in I'll Cry Tomorrow, and would soon do it in a stage version of Mame.

Re: Re: Re: Re: Susan Scenes In Valley of the Dolls/You Tube/3/and a little about I'll Cry Tomorrow

Howard, I'm not sure why Judy was offered the part, but I agree that Susan definitely was more appropriate for the role.

There may be an answer to your question in some of the bios regarding Susan's singing. Offhand, I can't remember anything being written about why she didn't use her own voice, but it has been quite a while since I've read any of the books about her. She may not have been in full form as far as voice since it seems she had to come in pretty quickly to replace Judy, and as she did in Mame, she would have probably had to do a lot of vocal training beforehand. (I didn't like that "I'll Plant My Own Tree" scene at all in the film. I didn't like the song and I didn't like Susan's hair...I liked all the other scenes she was in the film..I think there were only three others besides "Tree".)

Many probably won't agree with me on this, but I personally think that Susan would have won the Oscar for I'll Cry Tomorrow if she had mimed Lillian's voice instead of using her own. I think Susan had a pleasant voice, but Roth's voice was a distinct one and should have been used in the film. Lillian Roth was heartbroken that her own voice wasn't used in the film, and I got my information about Lillian's feelings re: ICT, straight from someone who knew Roth very well.

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Susan Scenes In Valley of the Dolls/You Tube/3/and a little about I'll Cry Tomor

I think you're right, Ginger, about Susan going into VOTD very, very quickly.

Last night I was at You Tube, looking at the clip you had just downloaded. While there, I also saw the wardrobe test Judy had done for Valley of the Dolls. I couldn't help but notice it was all a replica of what Susan had worn in the film. In fact, the hair for "I'll Plant My Own Tree" was as overdone for Judy as it was for Susan.

It must have been a case of, once Judy was off the project, Mark Robson giving Susan a phone call, saying something like "Susan, I need a favor. We had to let Judy go from Valley of the Dolls, could you fill in for her?" which probably meant Susan had to throw everything together very quickly, leaving no time for "extras" (i.e. singing). And from what I've read, she only had two weeks on the set.

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Susan Scenes In Valley of the Dolls/You Tube/3/and a little about I'll Cry T

Hi Howard, Yes, I haven't seen that clip on you tube, but I remember seeing it somewhere before on a television special I guess and I remember seeing Judy in that dress and I think I remember seeing Judy wearing the same gold/type pants suit that Susan wore in the film. I might be off on the color..I'm just remembering but it was a sort of shiny type pants suit.

Yes, she must have been helping a friend in a jam by replacing Judy and also from what I've read she got big bucks for a brief amount of work time.

BTW.. did that bio clip come in okay for you? I'm going to have to re-do it eventually. The actual clip is about 1:28 seconds but I downloaded over 6 minutes. The rest is pretty much just black space. I thought I had cut it off at about 2 minutes.. well, I have a lot of wasted space, but I was happy about what I did get. I'm just learning.. they will get better!.. ha

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Susan Scenes In Valley of the Dolls/You Tube/3/and a little about I'll C

The clip worked fine for me, but initially I thought the blank space was there because it simply didn't record. Meaning I thought there was supposed to be six minutes there. Oh, well. I'm glad I saw what I was supposed to see.

Here's the clip of the Judy Garland wardrobe test:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dz1hATrh0rQ

What I've liked hearing about the Judy/Susan situation, was when Susan took over the roll, she saw to it that Judy was compensated for the total salary she was promised.

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Susan Scenes In Valley of the Dolls/You Tube/3/and a little about I'

Howard, thank you so much for letting us see this clip. It is fascinating to see Judy Garland in such a non-performing type situation and modeling the clothes that eventually graced Susan Hayward. It's downright eerie to watch her modeling these clothes.
The clip is fascinating.

Yes, I had read that Susan Hayward was very adamant about seeing that Judy Garland was compensated.

Many thanks!

Just one more comment /: Re: Susan Scenes In Valley of the Dolls/You Tube/3/and a little about I'

Howard, I went back and changed the subject over the Hayward bio video to reflect that it is 1:28 seconds..maybe this will suffice until I can replace it with another clip. I'm glad you checked it out and that it worked for you. I was so excited to get that on youtube!!