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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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When did you first meet Susan Hayward?

What was the film that caused you to be attached and linked to Susan Hayward and her films? Mine was "Back Street".. I hardly recall her before seeing that film at age 13. Ever since then I've been on a quest for all of her films, written material, and photos. Maybe a book was in my head, and I didn't know it. Somehow I missed out on the book, but the internet came along and gave me a lot of opportunity to write and document Susan's career and life AND share it with the rest of the world. It is rewarding and I love discussing her with all of you here.

Re: When did you first meet Susan Hayward?

My first "meeting" was in "Untamed" .It was in 1973 on French TV!
I was 13 years old ,it was a summer evening and i got permission to watch TV alone!

I chose for "Untamed" ...and I became fascinated by the redhead in it... whom I found so beutiful in her green dress and with her spectacular long tresses.

Curiously one of the first things I was attracted to ,was her up-turned nose which I found lso spiritual and lovely.

Of course it was our Susan and since then She has become my favourite actress and still is....

I also like Eleanor Parker,Maureen O'Hara ,Dorothy Malone and many others but Susan has always been my number one.

From 1980 I started to collect press material about her, photographs especially in color, magazines from all over the world,video and later on DVS of her movies and I was lucky enough to count Eduardo Moreno (the writer of the splendid book "the films of Susan Hayward and fervent admiror of Susan) as one of my friends until his death in 2002.

Las year an artist made a statuette of Susan for me ,portrettig her at the time of the release of "Song' in 1952 and this artwork is now one of my most precious and emotionnal pieces in my Susan collection, since the artist did an incredible job and it is really fascinating to have a vision of Susan in a 3 dimensionnal way!

So Susan "has been with me for 34 years" by now...

I have already pre-ordered the DVDs of With a song in my heart and I'll cry tomorrow on Amazon.com and these 2 DVDs are going to have a special place in my collection especially "Song" cause it means SUsan in technicolor at the top of her beuaty and fame in 1952!


It is great to keep the memory of such a great artist alive through your forum Ginger.

Re: Re: When did you first meet Susan Hayward?

I caught "I'll Cry Tomorrow" on TCM about 7 years ago and I was blown away by her performance. Since then, I have seen every movie I could get my hands on and read every book there is on the greatest actress ever.
I remember my mother watching "Backstreet" on TV whenever it was on when I was a kid.

Re: Re: Re: When did you first meet Susan Hayward?

Phil - I do envy you possessing a statuette of Susan. What a lovely idea.

Christina - Well, you started off with the BEST film (in my opinion of Susan's) I absolutely adore this one and WHY SHE DIDN'T GET THE OSCAR that year is criminal neglect!!!

Regarding the "first link" in the Susan Hayward Admiration Society - it all started for me in 1950, just before my 12th birthday when my mother took me to see her in MY FOOLISH HEART. That was it - I never stopped talking about her; started collecting pictures, clippings etc. and since I have been introduced to the Internet, am still collecting pictures and finding new trivia about the most beautiful, charismatic Superstar EVER.

I would travel miles to see Susan's films and caught up with so many of the older ones while I was still in school. I am fortunate enough to have a copy of all her 57 feature length films which I watch frequently, plus her Radio Shows, cd's etc. An especially prized possesion is a plate with Susan and John Wayne from The Fighting Seabees.

Regulars to this site will know I visited Susan's grave in Carrollton last year and also went inside the house where she lived at the time of her passing in Beverly Hills. I have also visited the home on Longridge Avenue where Susan lived with Jess Barker and their sons, although I only stood in the driveway.

Susan Hayward entered all our hearts in some magical way and I will always treasure my involvement with her memory.

GOD BLESS YOU ALWAYS DEAR SUSAN.

Re: When did you first meet Susan Hayward?

It was ' Rawhide" with Ty Power. Somewhere in the early 50's. Despite my extremely callow youth and utter lack of knowledge of the finer points of acting or cinema production, for some unknown reason, I was mesmerised by Susan Hayward's character Vinnie Holt.

From then on, I developed a love for movies and a fascination with La Hayward in particular.

Kerry

Re: Re: When did you first meet Susan Hayward?

Kerry, Rawhide is in the works to be released on DVD. I really liked the film, and I just about went nuts before they got that opening cut out in the wall for escaping.

The little girl was adorable too. hmm... wonder where she is now? LOL

Re: Re: Re: When did you first meet Susan Hayward?

Kerry and Ginger,

Yes ... RAWHIDE ... Susan's hair was so fantastic in that one and she looked absolutely stunning I always loved it.

Little Callie was so cute but as she was probably only around 16 months old, it made me worry how she was just put on that camp bed in the corner - yet she didn't fall off, at least, we didn't see it!!!! It was such a dangerous thing to do.

The lovely Tyrone made an impact too - he and Susan were great together and especially in UNTAMED. one of my all-time favourites. As Phil mentioned the green satin dress and the long hair Susan wore in that one -no-one could ever have looked more beautiful than she did. This has always been an under-rated film and I never knew why! The film score is fantastic too and I have it on a cd.

Trish

Re: Re: Re: Re: When did you first meet Susan Hayward?

Ginger and Trish

I will be on the lookout for the DVD as I have not seen this - literally - since the first viewing in the 50's. Truly.
It has never run on our TV here and I have never seen it on VCR anywhere in my travels.
No doubt had I gone online I could probably have located a copy, but a DVD release would be marvellous.

However, as a testament to the effect, I can indeed recall them digging the hole in the wall ( Susan slipped the knife into a water jug to smuggle it into the room I think ?), how she took Callie outside and kicked the knife back when it flew out into plain sight, and it eventually broke off in the wall maybe ?

The final gunfight with one of the villains ( probably wonderfully nasty looking Jack Elam) shooting at Callie to force them out of cover ( were they behind the water trough perhaps ?).

Anyway - the amount of detail recalled from a minor western that I have not seen for over 50 years indicates the stunning effect Susan Hayward when I first spotted her on screen.

Great stuff indeed.

Kerry

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: When did you first meet Susan Hayward?

Kerry, now I've got to get my old vhs copy out and watch it!!... I believe it is on Fox Movie Channel from time to time since they show a lot of old 20th Century Fox films from their vault. Do you have access to the Fox Movie Channel? I need to watch Rawhide again because I can't remember the answers to your questions.. ha.. I do remember the scene when Callie got loose and there was gunfire all around her. I'll be glad when it's out on dvd and I bet it will have some extra features! It's amazing that it made such an impression on you. You'll certainly enjoy seeing it again.

BTW.. Susan was always exceptional in her scenes with children. She was very natural and good with kids.

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: When did you first meet Susan Hayward?

I know this post is terribly old, but I was venturing through this message board (I really need to come here more often), and I thought this was a really good topic to think about! Some of you are very lucky to have seen so many of her movies, but I imagine I will someday haha.

A couple of years ago, I was in a "TCM mood" and was watching it throughout the day. One of the movies that played was "I Want to Live!" I have to admit I was absolutely mesmerized by this movie. I was completely immersed in it, I thought it was so very good. Susan Hayward's performance in it was wonderful, and the last half hour was so suspenseful and so good. I believe after that, I started looking for Susan Hayward movies whenever I could and I'll watch anything with her in it now! My favorite is "I'll Cry Tomorrow" but "I Want to Live!" is right up there as #2.

Anyway, those are my two cents. Take care, everybody!