Ginger...I just read your comment to me..on my first post on reading this book "RED"...and maybe, should have just added this to that post. But maybe doing a second post, will bring some other comments from people who read on here, but never join in the chat.

These are some things that I found were brought out, more in this book than maybe in other written about Susan.

It really struck me how..through time...people crossed paths with her, for a second or more time in her career and the impact it had (in one way or another) on how her career moved forward.

I think..from reading many things on Susan..that two already 'stars' came back and forth into her life. Those two being INGRID BERGMAN and BARBARA STANWYCK and she, apparently, got along well with both of these well known stars..before her.

BERGMAN...was known to have said that SUSAN was her favorite actress...and it was also ADAM HAD FOUR SONS that brought the two working together..and giving Susan a big break-through from 'starlet'.to becoming a Star..a few years later.
BUT...then as Susan was breaking into the STAR status and working solely under contract to her 'best-booster'..WALTER WANGER...it was NERGMAN's film, for him, (JOAN OF ARC)..that destroyed Wanger's production company, because of the 'shock' Bergman had jolted the world with her divorcing her husband and the 'big hup-la' that her 'romances with other men' were causing in the headlines. "JOAN OF ARC" lost it's shirt at the box office over this...and WANGER was forced to 'sell' Susan's contract to 'anyone else'..and the studios were now trying to grab her up.

But...who and where could she turn to? Which studio would keep her on the STAR list she had now achieved? She wss now, already an Oscar nominee for 'SMASH-UP' so the wrong decision could ruin her big chances of continuing upward!''

RKO wanted her...HOWARD HUGHES and SELZNICK (who dropped her after her audition for 'GONE WITH THE WIND' NOW..wanted her back along with 20th CENTURY FOX...or should she go 'free lance'...which could me disaster of the worse kind, because 'the studios' were still the 'stronghold' and without them behind you, in those days...you were taking a big gamble on loosing everything you had worked so many years to achieve.

NOW..what got me is (and this is really NOT a typical Susan thing that most people knew about)...is that she really believed in astrology (or so it says in this book)...and so her decision was made by taking the astrology advice from a well known astrology-for-the-stars...and so she went with 20th FOX for a seven year contract and a big boost in salary...PLUS...a lot of 'demands' that SUSAN..also had under contract. One being...they could never cut her beautiful long red hair. (the trade-mark of being 'the best' original redheads of Hollywood.

Up to what I have read in this book, so far....BARBARA STANWYCK had crossed paths with Susan in more ways than one..But the main 'cross' was that they were both Brooklyn gals who suffered the poverty of the times..and later on STANWYCK would play important roles in Susan's film career..(even up to almost the very end).

I think it is strange..how people do come in/go out of our lives, all the way through..and we never know really the 'why' of it all.

I guess that's why God made 'living' and the 'challenges'( that I think we took on...before give life..(and how we deal with it all, because WE don't remember those 'challenges'..we agreed to, before living this life.)..the BIGGEST part of us even being here.

Meeting..and..knowing..people throughout our lives..are more than just 'by chance' (in my opinion). Because...so many times..these people will still come in and out of our lives..as part of a plan.

BERGMAN and STANWYCK...seem to have been more than just 'chance meetings' for awhile in their lives. From good..may have come bad..but only for a 'change' that had to ocrour at that time. STANWYCK so many, many years later, got sick and could not do a great tv-movie that was set to be the pilot for an upcoming tv series. Who does she suggest as her replacement?...non other than SUSAN, so their paths cross again..and in a very good direction for Susan.

ON and ON I go...but..just...sayin'....(sorry for being so lengthy, but someone needs to 'chat' on here...don't they...??? Sure hope so....