I was able to watch some more of WASIMH tonight.

"Blue Moon" --Could that dress be more gorgeous that Susan was wearing in that scene? Love the end of "Blue Moon" where the song just starts descending somewhat chromatically.

"On The Gay White Way" - I love the two pianos and the movie within a movie feel to it. Susan always looks tall on screen to me. I remember when I first realized how petite she was, after many years of watching her films, I was shocked at how small she actually was.

"The Right Kind" --This was my least favorite number of the film. None of it seems to work for me, but maybe that was the intention...Don hated the song as he hated himself and Jane/Susan looked out of place singing it...as Jane, herself would have...well, just my opinion.

Trish, Jane did have such a beautiful voice...very classically trained. Her mother had been her teacher in a college in Missouri. I have visited that college. From what I have read and heard from some people who had known Jane personally during her years in Columbia, Missouri,Jane's mother was somewhat disappointed that Jane pursued "pop" music, but I guess she came around later as Jane was successful. Jane was very close to her mother, and it's true, as in the film her father had left her at an early age. Jane was beloved by so many people in real life. She settled into the college town life as the wife of a prominent newspaper man in Columbia.
She is buried in Columbia, Missouri and, well I think this is odd --she is buried on one side of her husband, and his first wife is buried on the other side. This seemed strange to me, but that's how it is. Maybe that is more common that I know.

From my understanding of people who knew her personally, and stayed with her at her home in Columbia, and visited with her over the years, that Jane Froman was an outstanding human being who had a very sweet, caring, and unselfish spirit. I think Susan brought these qualities to life in a huge way to the film, With A Song In My Heart.

I enjoyed seeing the wonderful salute 20th Century Fox put together on the story of Jane Froman, with many candid shots of the singer during the war and her marriage to John Burns. This was such a special feature of the new DVD. The DVD also shows photographs from the film. There is one special photo that caught my eye where Susan is embracing Rory
Calhoun (John Burns)with Thelma Ritter in the background. It was not used in the original film, for some reason; as it was Susan arriving back in New York landing on the ship dock.
SOme years ago on AMC...Debbie Reynolds was a host and
they were showing With a Song In My Heart. After the film finished, Debbie gave a very nice review on the film, she also had on hand two dresses that Susan wore in the film, one of them was the "Blue Moon" gown and it did not look in the best of condition. She claims that the two gowns are displayed in her museum/club in Las Vegas. When Eduardo Moreno was with US, he mentioned to me that the ex-president of the Susan Fan Club, Dianne Thomas bought the "Get Happy" dress at an auction and paid $1000.00 for it.My favorite part of the film is the American Medley and Susan is singing her heart out to all the service men present...the lame, the blind, sick, lonesome, injured...always brings a tear to my eye. Susan was magnificent. Even thou Charles LeMier did get a nomination for his costume design. I wish he would have WON!! That's Hollywood.

Ray, I'm going to watch that special feature again as soon as I've finished the film. I remember watching some of it, and one of the people interviewed was Ilene Stone, who I have met several times in Columbia, Missouri, and have corresponded with a little. She has written a bio on Jane Froman which was geared specifically for education type purposes within the Missouri Schools , from my understanding, but I'm sure one could probably purchase it anywhere.. there is a link to it from my Jane Froman site.

I did not know that Debbie Reynolds had that gown in her museum in Vegas. Is that museum even still there? I think I heard that it is closed, but might be mistaken.

I remember Dianne Thomas. I wonder whatever happened to her. She used to send us a newsletter about Susan information. I always appreciated it. That was in the days before the computer and cable tv, and I really looked forward to that newsletter. There was a time, I can recall, when I was just starved for info about Susan Hayward, and that newsletter helped..then I found the Linet book and that was a treasure...and thank goodness for the internet!

The "With A Song In My Heart" production number in the film is glorious. Susan's mime in this film is perfection.

I have only seen this film on television or computer. I hope I get to see it on the big screen someday. I can just imagine how beautiful this film looks like on the big sceen.

Ginger,

Regarding Dianne Thomas who started The Susan Hayward Collectors Club - I was told when I visited Susan's grave and the church in Carrollton that Dianne had married and gone to live in Florida. Such a shame the Club finished like that although I only heard it existed in recent years.

I am very fortunate in that I now have copies of all the newsletters sent out back in 1985/91 thanks to a kind gentleman who was a member and they are so interesting to read.

Trish

Trish, wow..that's neat having all those newsletters. Check out the ones in 1985 or 1986. I remember writing a little article or some sort of thoughts about Susan. It's been so long ago.

Maybe you could share some of the info in them from time to time , just for fun.

That would be neat to see some of those newsletters. Trish did mentioned she had some of them, that is such a prize that she was able to obtain them. As far as the club is concerned, it just folded up with no reason. I tried to write to Dianne some years ago, but the letters came back to me. I heard she is living in Flordia. Also the Debbie Reynolds museum did exist in Las Vegas, but that was some years ago. I believe Jill has the answer about Debbie's museum. I remember I wrote a letter to Debbie Reynolds inquiring about the gowns of Susan in WASIMH, but I never received a reply from her, it figures!!! That such a long time ago.

Ray, I didn't remember that you were a part of that Dianne Thomas group. Small world, isn't it? I don't even remember how I found out about it. I must have seen it advertised in a magazine.

When I first moved to the Kansas City area, in 1985, I met a young woman in my church and she was from Carrollton,Ga. Well, you know I started pumping her for info first thing.. ha...what I remember her telling me, that stood out most, is that Susan was very down to earth while there and she drove around in a pick-up truck ( which I think has been mentioned in a book or two), and that she didn't wear make it, and was really friendly.. nothing but positive thoughts from this young woman about Susan.

Sorry..that should have been "HOE that Corn."...LOL..duh

The weather all weekend here (and today) and continuing for most of this week, has been -- and will continue being -- terrible. Rain, rain and more rain. A perfect time for a Susie film festival.

Of course, I started with WASIMH, as that was the one that made me a fan for life of this lady. To this day, whenever I hear so-called experts say that the best musical ever made was "Singing in the Rain," I want to shout out, "Haven't you seen 'With a Song In My Heart?'"

"Singing" was a film of songs and dancing, yes, but there was no heart to it, no human warmth as in WASIMH. I cannot even put them on the same level, and not only because of my admiration of Susan Hayward.

It was such a relief to finally hear some experts in the Special Features section of the WASIMH DVD say that, to them, this was the greatest musical ever. And they were all so mindful of Susan's wonderful performance and her "graciousness" (actually said by one),
especially towards Bob Wagner -- not only because he was a young actor who felt insecure about his performance, but also because she knew instinctively that concentrating on his reactions to her was more important in their two scenes together than concentrating on her only.

I always believed that Susan was a great actress because she WAS so instinctive. I believe that had she so desired, she could have become a great director, due, in large part, to this ability of hers. Robert Wise knew that she had these instincts, and he was right.

Am I saying that there were no less-than-perfect parts to this film? No. First, some of the dialog was dated, as would be expected from a film made over a half century ago. But what hadn't changed was the warmth, the human emotion, and the wonderful music that has stood the test of time.

WASIMH will always be my favorite Hayward picture. I am so very glad Jeanne Crain didn't get it!

Gloria, I watched some of the film (WASIMH) last night.. I'm up to the scene with Robert Wagner and "tea for two"...oh, he was good looking, and Susan of course was breathtakingly beautiful and warm of heart. I first saw this film on a television show on Saturday nights called "Saturday Night At The Movies"...remember that?...They ran a lot 20th century fox films. I remember seeing "Garden of Evil" and "White Witch Doctor on it also....also "Untamed."

I think WASIMH is one of the finest musicals ever.