Shame On You, Susan Hayward--and on me, too!

"Everybody gets a book; the ex-wife, the cook, the nanny..."

~John Lennon, on the perils of celebrity


That bad old Susan Hayward. Here she is, circa 1961, rich, famous, and an Academy-Award winning actress, and yet her poor poor sister can barely make ends meet. So claimeth this hatchet job from the evil that was Confidential magazine. Susan's older sister Florence was involved in a custody battle for her 17-year-old son in late 1960 and was trying to publicly guilt Susan into helping her. "I can sew...and I can do general housework and I can work as a saleswoman. If someone would only give me a job I could earn enough money to support my two children." Florence claimed that she hadn't seen Susan since their mother's funeral in April, 1958. Another article claimed that Florence wandered the fringes of skid row with her teenage son.

Being a celebrity sure is a lousy way to live one's life. If you happen to have a falling out with a sibling or parent, they can access the press and for a chunk of change can lob a Molotov Cocktail at you and all your shortcomings. Celebrities get partial treatment in the courts, but they also get that celebrity used against them, with hangers on, disgruntled relatives, and psychopathic "fans" (remembering John Lennon again) all taking their toll. Susan wisely didn't comment on her sister's accusations, and whatever feud that the two sisters had going was deep. However, I believe that just because you happen to share an accident of birth with someone and through the randomnity of some great cosmic lottery you happen to share the same parents, doesn't mean you'll get along with, or even like those in your family. Those of us schlubs who aren't rich and famous never have to worry about a disgruntled somebody publicly taking us to task, though with the internet, I guess it's possible to some degree, but not on this blog--too small an audience!

Sorry for the rant today, but I needed to bring Susan's name back on this blog, seeing as I've essentially left her in the dust what with my Susan Hayward Craze not taking off like I'd hoped, but seeing as Hayward was at her peak in the 1950s, and Hollywood Dreamland tends to concentrate on the 1930s-40s, Susan is omitted by default. But when I get into a 1950s mood, you can bet that the tough and lovely Susan will be back at center stage. After all, I think she's the Bee's Knees.

I also hope that they caught that Nazi fugitive...

Young and Lovely: Ingenue Susan, back when she was still considered a Vivien Leigh lookalike, though not so much here.

Poll Results: It's a Tie!

The June poll question: “Who should have won the 1940 Best Actress Oscar?” has ended in a tie! Both Joan Fontaine (Rebecca) and Katharine Hepburn (The Philadelphia Story) received 15 votes. However, I don’t believe in ties, so there will be a one-week runoff to determine the winner. If by week’s end there is still no victor, I will break the tie and declare the champ. The poll has been reset with just Fontaine and Hepburn. Here are the results of the voting, with 47 votes cast.

Joan Fontaine: 15 (31%)
Katharine Hepburn: 15 (31%)
Ginger Rogers: 10 (21%)
Bette Davis: 7 (14%)
Martha Scott: 0 (‘nuff said!)

In Memoriam: Karl Malden

Another piece of my childhood died this week.

Karl Malden, age 97. That’s a hell of a ride and one great career. Those from my generation know Malden first and foremost as Detective Mike Stone in the 1970s cop show, The Streets of San Francisco, which my grandfather and I watched together when I was a kid (come to think of it, why aren't those TV programs ever rerun anymore? I haven't seen an episode of Streets in twenty-five years). Malden is also remembered from those omnipresent American Express commercials where he would end each ad with “American Express Traveler’s Checks; don’t leave home without them!” I always thought he was so authoritative and that it was Malden-as-Mike Stone telling us to buy those traveler's checks! Maybe it was because he was always wearing that fedora. Ever see his early role in 1950’s Where the Sidewalk Ends? In it, Malden plays a by-the-book police lieutenant, kind of an early dry run for Mike Stone, who isn’t often mentioned as one of the 1970s great police characters, but if you’ve ever watched the show, you’re probably a fan of it and of Karl Malden—at least that’s how I became aware and appreciative of this man’s ability.

My favorite Karl Malden performances were On the Waterfront (1954), where he’s the decent man of the cloth and in Patton (1970), in which he was just about perfect as General Omar Bradley. I felt he should’ve been Oscar-nominated for that role. Malden was already an Academy-Award winner, for 1951’s A Streetcar Named Desire. However, being the excellent character actor that he was, Malden could also play a villain with equal expertise. He was fantastic as a mean S.O.B. Sheriff in One-Eyed Jacks (1961)--a great movie nobody ever heard of--and as an outlaw gang leader in Nevada Smith (1966). When these actors die I think of what a forceful presence they were on screen. You take them for granted because they’re always around- sturdy, reliable, and when a man lives to be nearly 100, they really have been around as long as anyone can remember! These aren’t the kinds of deaths that sadden me, as Malden lived to fulfill his career potential and was a successful working actor for fifty years. I wish all beloved movie stars lived this long, so we wouldn’t mourn their unfulfilled potential, but rather celebrate their lives and careers, as we can with Karl Malden.

What a Cast: Karl Malden with fellow Oscar winners Marlon Brando and Eva Marie Saint in "On the Waterfront."

Go West, Young Film Buff

I love Westerns: movies, TV shows, books, and music scores. And in my effort to become more "Cowboy Friendly", I want to discuss more Western films here at HD. And while I'm quite familiar with 1950s-70s Western movies, there are several from Hollywood's Golden Age that I'd love to see. This also includes the Western serials where John Wayne toiled until he finall achieved super stardom in 1939's Stagecoach. I think that catching up with 1930s and 1940s Oaters will keep me busy for awhile. Part of my inspiration comes from British Blogger/working actor/author and Western lover extraordinaire, Gary Dobbs, whose Tainted Archive site is a great read and frequently updated. Check out his work there.