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.
Hi:
I am the author of the novel, FILL MY EYES, BROKEN WINDOWS and the forthcoming THE BACKSIDE OF YESTERDAY.
Although FILL MY EYES is a social commentary on the evils of society set back in the 50's, it also pays symbolic homage to the wonderful Susan Hayward who is mistaken by a young boy, as his "ideal" mother.
Thanks
Terry D. Robertson
Unfortunately, I was not familiar with the books you've written, but I certainly will try to locate anything with Susan Hayward in it! Frankly, I can't blame any boy -- or girl, for that matter -- for fantasizing that Susan Hayward was his or her mother. If I hadn't had a terrific mother of my own, I might have done the same. As a writer myself, I had fantasized about writing a movie for Susan Hayward, but she was a star while I was still in school, so I've had to content myself with admiring her from afar along with her many fans.
Hi
My and mother and Susan were strikingly similar. She fashioned her red hair as Susan did hers. She also possessed the tenacity and guts. Mom was a huge fan and made me one when I was very, very young. She was the best mother in the world so FILL MY EYES is a tribute to two great redheads!
I'm not sure why I connected with Susan at the age of 13. I think it might have been that my dad had run a projector in a movie theater in the early to mid forties when people went to the movies every night! I grew up hearing him talk about Susan Hayward and how beautiful she was, and she was one of his favorites. There was this lady in our hometown that was beautiful and had long red hair and my dad used to talk about how she looked so much like Susan Hayward....guess my mom didn't mind! She loved Susan too and still does! The lady in our town with the beautiful red hair always fascinated me! Gosh, I wonder whatever happened to her!
The book I wrote is s small homage to Susan and my mother. For me it is very clear how I could mix the two up, but not so in the book. Although she is a focal point, it is not prominently a book about Susan Hayward. I was fortunate. I had Susan Hayward living with me in the form of my mother (who adored her and I in turn did too).
There are so many of us who adore Susan. She has been a major part of my life since I was almost 12 years old and feel as Ginger said - she is not sure why she connected with her. I often wondered (and my friends and family have asked me too) "why was it Susan?" but I have never been able to answer that question. At that young age I always wanted to be a friend of hers but had to be content in admiring her from afar. My mother was also a fan and we saw many of Susan's films together.
I am still collecting anything to do with her - photos, clippings, articles etc. and am now on my 67th Scrapbook plus I have many albums filled with glossy pictures of Susan. She is idolized and adored by so many people - there will NEVER be anyone like Susan Hayward in the film industry that could hold a candle to her. To me she seemed to have a magical quality that reached out from the screen and touched your heart.
Visiting her grave and seeing her home in Carrollton was a very emotional journey for me and I have also visited her first home on Longridge Avenue, where she lived with Jess and the boys; actually been inside her last home on Laurel Way and been inside the High School she attended in Brooklyn - originally called Girls Commercial but now named Prospect Heights High School (when I was accompanied by Susan's granddaughter Ally, her friend Josh and my friend Joanne who is another major fan of Susan's and whom I met through this wonderful site.
What a memorable day that was - to actually spend it with Susan's lovely granddaughter.)
Recently I visited Ireland and made my way to the little village of Crookhaven where I THANK A FOOL filmed many scenes during August 1961. It looked exactly as it had done in the film and there was still a picture of Susan hanging in one of the bars but nobody there who had seen the filming although everyone knew it had taken place.
Thank you Susan for giving us all so much pleasure over so many years. You certainly made your mark on the world and we will love you always.
Trish:
You are a FAN and I thought I was the biggest Susan fanatic.
She was and will always be the BEST. Sadly due to her death at such a young age, this has deprived an entire generation who may be unaware of what a talent she was. The consummate professional and the gutsy redhead from Brooklyn.
Terry
