Young and Hungry Susan Hayward
Saturday, July 1, 2017 at 1:00AM HAYWARD CENTENNIAL FINALE
by Nathaniel R
Oscar buffs might be the only people who still regularly talk about Susan Hayward but her Oscar record was impressive enough to warrant that conversation. Five nominations with one win, all in the Best Actress category, is not nothing. In fact, her record is a match with Audrey Hepburn and Anne Bancroft and another Susan (Sarandon). But when I first got interested in Susan Hayward before I'd seen any of her films, what drew me in was the abundant hysteria within the posters, titles, and taglines for her movies. Or to quote Rupert Everett in My Best Friend's Wedding:
The misery. The exquisite tragedy. The Susan Hayward of it all!"
She lived (onscreen at least) for exclamation points so it's fitting then that her Oscar win came from I Want to Live! (1958). But to close out our celebration counterintuitively in reverse, let's end with a film from when Hayward was a young and hungry actress without much pull...
One famous anecdote has it that before she had any screen credits to speak of she was told to pack it up and leave Hollywood. Her famous retort:
I like oranges. I think I'll stay."
So she fought her way up the Hollywood ladder with apparent sass and a combo of talent and sizeable moxie. Here is one of two or three early roles that clearly paved the way for her future superstardom by making the moguls and movie audiences sit up and take note.
Hayward rocks Bergman's world. Bergman doesn't want it rocked.
ADAM HAD FOUR SONS (1941)
The first half hour of this family melodrama is amiable enough. Headliner Ingrid Bergman, playing a governness to a four young sons of a sudden widower named Adam (Warner Baxter with King Kong's Fay Wray appearing briefly as his doomed wife), is giving typically sensational closeups but the film itself is lacking in much pizazz or conflict. That all changes after the time jump when the boys are suddenly grown young men and the eldest has a surprise for the family. He's brought home a new wife named Hester that none of them knew about from his last station in the war. Hayward has barely entered the frame as the young wife when we get a closeup of Bergman all threatened and suspicious about her presence. The movie star is way ahead of both the plot and the audience here. Her turf has been invaded and she immediately dislikes the young girl.
Hayward's first few scenes are a fun reminder that movies can often be read on multiple levels at once. You can read Hester's entrance on a pure plot level (the young unfamiliar beauty suddenly changing the family dynamic) but it's more fun to read it on a studio system star level (the young hungry starlet eager to get a piece of a bigger star's pie). Hayward was famously unhappy with the roles she was getting early in her career so Adam Had Four Sons must have felt like a gourmet meal at the time. She's the driving engine of most of what there is of a plot and the men barely register but from how she toys with them.
Hester getting her brother-in-law (Richard Denning) drunk
Hayward dives in with no pleasantries or manners or silverware and just devours her scenes. She's all caps BAD GIRL from the first moment, kissing her new brother-in-laws way too emphatically and calling her father-in-law "Dad" before the whole family has even learned her name. Before long she's liquored up her sexiest brother-in-law (Creature from the Black Lagoon's Richard Denning) and plotting to bed him.
There are few things more exciting in middling movies than a charismatic star's arrival and Hayward shakes the picture to life. There's a lot of 'rough draft' work of her bad girls to come albeit with less nuance. She even has two drunk scenes before the end of the picture. Was it Adam Had Four Sons that typecast her as an unhinged alcoholic? I'm not enough of a Hayward expert to know but she does play drunks superbly. If you've ever spent time with an alcoholic you'll know that the actress nails some of the trickier nuances that less accomplished "drunk scenes" don't ever think to reach. Slurring your speech is easy enough but you can practically see Hayward's eyes refocusing in key moments, as if her body is always a beat behind her chemically induced emotional swings. It's a marvelous acting trick.
Hayward has given her new cousin a heart attack while Bergman looks on helplessly
Hester is the kind of bad girl you love to hate in the middle of the picture seducing her sexiest brother-in-law and giving both the star governess and new cousin Phillipa (a wonderfully blunt Helen Westley in one of her last roles) heart attacks, whether figurative or literal.
Unfortunately towards the end of this otherwise forgettable programmer, the screenplay (and Hayward herself) opt for Pure Evil and Hester suddenly becomes The Destroyer of Families that is all too familiar for moviegoers with any sense at all of mainstream cinema's default sexism. Still there's a special kind of thrill to be had in watching Hayward as Hester delight in her own capacity for immorality. Her laughter at her own callousness is spooky.
But if you have a guilty pleasure yen for catfights between movie stars, the Bergman vs Hayward scenes are not to be missed in this otherwise forgotten picture.
the husband (Johnny Downs) finally realizes what his new wife is made of.
OUR SUSAN HAYWARD CENTENNIAL IS A WRAP
My Foolish Heart (1949)
David and Bathsheba (1951)
I'll Cry Tomorrow (1955)
Her Last Oscar Appearance (1973/1974)
I Want to Live! (1958)
Reader Comments (13)
This looks like delightful trash. Must. Find!
I've seen all of Susan's Oscar nominated performances - pure delight!
Definitely thought that first photo was Violet Chachki. Oof.
This sounds great. From your description and clips I've found it does seem super icky because it's a governess (asexual children-first icon of motherly devotion!) vs. sexy bitch who is evil. Tellingly period fitting. The 40s really did love to punish their sexually independent women of the 30s (hi,Rebecca!) Great write-up.
Ranking of her 5 nominated performances:
1. I'll Cry Tomorrow (1955) should have won
2. Smash-Up, the Story of a Woman (1947) worthiest nominee
2. I Want to Live! (1958) I am ok with this
4. My Foolish Heart (1949) not wothy the nomination
5. With a Song in My Heart (1952) not worthy the nomination
And she is very good in:
The hairy Ape (1944)
House of Strangers (1949)
Rawhide (1951)
The Lusty Men (1952)
and especially in her early roles: full of life and energy
Among the Living (1941)
I Married a Witch (1942)
And she also shares that record with Shirley Maclaine & Norma Shearer.
You know you're an immortal gay temptress when you have a legendary gay bar in Atlanta named after your campiest film. Oh the memories of BACKSTREET. We've all been RAE at one point in our lives.
This was a great tribute to an actress who deserves to be better remembered. I put that down to her early death, she wasn't afforded the opportunity to extend her legend via TV as Davis, Crawford, Stanwyck and Jane Wyman were. A pity, her last project was a TV movie called Say Goodbye, Maggie Cole where she was a tough (surprise, surprise) doctor working in a slum clinic that had been a big ratings winner and was expected to go to series but then she fell ill.
In regards to Adam Had Four Sons it was an early Hollywood Bergman picture before she found her footing, which she would do within the year with Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde and Casablanca, and she's given a rather dishwater role but when she perks up in her scenes with Susan and that's where the film lives. They were admirers of each other's talent and remained on friendly terms throughout their lives.
Hayward, apparently as capable of being as spiky and flinty off-screen as she was on-not surprising when you take into account that she was a poverty stricken tenement kid who clawed her way to the top-had challenged her bosses at an exhibitor show, which was a chance for theatre owners to mix and mingle with the studio stars and starlets, in front of the crowd. When asked to say a few words she said from the dais "Many of you have asked why I'm not in more or better pictures? Turning to her bosses she then said "Well gentlemen why AREN'T I?" Next thing you know she was cast as Hester and walked away with the picture and the notices.
Like all great stars she made her share of stinkers, rare is the contract player who didn't, but she always gave it her best shot and many of her films are quite wonderful and while her exclamation point roles are her best remembered she was capable of much more variety than that.
I'd say these were her best:
Deadline at Dawn-A fantastic noir
The President's Lady-Susie and Charlton Heston play Andrew & Rachel Jackson
The Lusty Men-A great rodeo drama with Susan, Robert Mitchum and Arthur Kennedy all giving near career best performances.
I'll Cry Tomorrow
Among the Living-An unsung little psychological drama with a great dual Albert Dekker performance and one of the last of Frances Farmer's films before her descent into tragedy.
I Married a Witch-She's not the main star but manages to score in her scenes as Fredric March's shrew of a fiancee though the picture belongs to Veronica Lake.
They Won't Believe Me-Another terrific noir
I'd Climb the Highest Mountain-Lovely piece of Americana with one of her quieter portrayals (though she gets a moment of moxie in) as a circuit preacher's wife.
I Can Get It for You Wholesale-A classic Hayward portrayal of an ambitious girl making her way to the top of the clothing industry by hook or crook.
With a Song in My Heart-Susan and Thelma Ritter! Who needs more? But the music is wonderful and Jane Froman was an estimable woman.
Ada-Purest soap opera and a STAR vehicle but for a Hayward fan it has everything you need as she manages to go from being a prostitute to governor of a Southern state!
Valley of the Dolls-I'm not saying in any way that this is a good film, it's not, but Hayward is top notch.
Also both her TV movies Heat of Anger and Say Goodbye, Maggie Cole are decent films if you can find them.
I adore Susan Hayward. Every film of hers is a must see whether you are watching for her acting or the campiness of her films.
I love Susan Hayward and many thanks for this series. I once saw "I Want to Live!" on a big screen and it blew everyone watching it away. What may come across as overacting when watching her on a small screen perfectly fits the big screen. She gave every role her all and I admire her for that.
By the way all the pictures and GIF's for this are fantastic and perfect illustrations of the different points made in the post....that first color photo is just a WOW!! That's a Movie Star.
Her Best Actress Oscar should have come for "I'll Cry Tomorrow". I recall a filmed interview from years later where she herself rated it the performance she was proudest of. I also remember her crediting Jo Van Fleet as an inspiring, generous scene partner. And what a team they made in the film ! But I just love some of her early supporting work - "Among the Living" (rooming house mantrap), "Sis Hopkins"(Judy Canova's stuck-up debutante nemesis) and "I Married a Witch" (bridezilla). All from '41/'42; she looks amazing in each of them and practically shoots off sparks from the screen.
What the hello dolly is wrong with all of you???? Helen Lawson, baby! Valley of the Dolls.
Susan Hayward was one classy lady, very decent actress who never had any major scandal; always carried herself with style and decor. I would compare her personality and character with another great actress and beauty, Maureen O'Hara. Both women of strong character, who stuck by their convictions and defended their ground. My favorite movies of Ms. Hayward, were "With a Song in My Heart", "Backstreet" in which she works opposite an excellent cast with the likes of John Gavin and fine actress Vera Miles, who plays the role of the jealous wife worthy of an Oscar. One of my favorite films not mentioned here was also "Where Love Has Gone", which is based loosely on the real life event drama of another fine actress, the lovely Lana Turner. In this film the mother - daughter roles are played by Ms. Hayward and Joey Heatherton, with the great Betty Davis playing a grandmother role. Mike Connors also stars in the film.
I will never forget the last Oscars Ms. Hayward bravely attended before her death and as ill as she was, how she very elegant and dignified walked on and off stage, supported by the arm of legend great John Wayne. They were very good friends who had worked together during their film career. It was the same between John Wayne and Maureen O'Hara. May the all R.I.P., those were actors the likes of which you don't see anymore and without all of the special effects provided these days. That was truly the golden age of Hollywood, where politics did not center stage like today and everything was concentrated on entertainment and folks in the industry kept their values.