Maybe Tuesday...

 

...will be my good news day.

Wayward Hayward

Ray Danton and Susan Hayward in I'll Cry Tomorrow (MGM, 1955)

"Inside reason for Susan Hayward nixing Hilda Crane as her next movie: too similar to I'll Cry Tomorrow. Jean Simmons will play the role instead..." -- Erksine Johnson's column, January 7, 1956

Guy Madison and Jean Simmons in Hilda Crane (20th Century Fox, 1956)

"The Hilda Crane currently in release is a movie nixed by Susan Hayward at Fox. The Cannes Award winner will be seen next in The Wayward Bus." -- Erksine Johnson's column, June 15, 1956

"Susan Hayward is tipping the bottle again on the silver screen...This time, it's for The Wayward Bus, to be produced by 20th Century Fox from the John Steinbeck novel." -- Bill Crawford's column, June 17, 1956

Rick Jason and Joan Collins in The Wayward Bus (20th Century Fox, 1957)

"Susan Hayward is on a sweetness-and-light-plus-fun kick as far as her next movie assignment is concerned. She's definitely said no to The Wayward Bus and The Three Faces of Eve -- both on the morbid side. A bubbly musical may draw a "yes, indeedy" from Susan..." -- Erksine Johnson's column, July 27, 1956

"It is no secret that Susan Hayward is the star who would like to 'wash that man right outta my hair'..." -- The New York Times, October 6, 1956

Mitzi Gaynor and Rossano Brazzi in South Pacific (20th Century Fox, 1958)

Susie may not have gotten to clinch with Guy, Rick, or Rossano, but Ray and John aren't such bad consolation prizes.

John Gavin and Susan Hayward in Back Street (Universal-International, 1961)

Happy Memorial Day!

That Boy John

Three of our favorite films when we were growing up were Imitation of Life (1959), Back Street (1961), and Thoroughly Modern Millie (1967) -- which, incidentally, explains a lot about us. There were several connecting threads to these movies: lavish Ross Hunter productions all, they also featured stunning Jean Louis costumes; more gay icons than you could shake a David Webb choker at; and all of them co-starred one of our first adolescent crushes, the impossibly handsome John Gavin.

With Lana Turner in Imitation of Life (Universal, 1959)

With Susan Hayward in Back Street (Universal, 1961)

With Mary Tyler Moore in Thoroughly Modern Millie (Universal, 1967)

 Although he never became a superstar, for a few short years, John Gavin was keeping some pretty impressive company: in 1960 alone, he appeared in two certified classics, Psycho and Spartacus. The common theme for these two, happily, was that our man Gavin spent a good deal of time shirtless in both.

With Janet Leigh in Psycho (Paramount, 1960)

With Laurence Olivier in Spartacus (Universal, 1960)

Often derided for being understated to the point of being wooden, Gavin could rise to the occasion when given proper direction and good material (surely, Hitchcock and Kubrick must have seen something in him, besides his flawless chest); and he proved that he had a healthy sense of humor about his square-jawed image, spoofing it with impressive comic timing in Millie. It's undeniable that he's not at his best in Imitation or Back Street; in all fairness, although he's ostensibly the male lead in both, they're really Enormous Star Vehicles for Lana Turner and Susan Hayward and their wardrobes -- you try to be 100% effective when sharing the screen with Susan Hayward's sable-trimmed cuffs, and see how well you make out. Personally, we think Gavin's best acting was in an episode of The Alfred Hitchcock Hour entitled "Run for Doom." Pitted against Britain's blowzy blonde bombshell, the splendiferously trashy Diana Dors, and playing against type as a naive cuckold, Gavin acquitted himself admirably with a tense, nervous performance.

So, here's to John Gavin: one of the handsomest men to ever grace the silver and small screens; former U.S. Ambassador to Mexico; a would-have-been James Bond; and an all around class act. We here at SSUWAT salute you!

JOHN GAVIN
April 8, 1931

Push it Forward

Marlon Brando in Julius Caesar (1953, MGM)

Sean Connery, c. 1970

John Gavin in Spartacus (1960, Universal)

Jacks of All Trades

John Derek

John Saxon

John Payne

John Cassavetes

John Gavin

Been There

Susan Hayward and John Gavin in Back Street (1961)

Fall Fashion Preview

Ride 'Em, Cowboy

And, of course, "'Em" spelled backwards is "Me."

Smooth Operator

One of our favorites: the heart-stoppingly handsome John Gavin. Often dismissed as cardboard or wooden, we think he's underrated; good-looking as he was, we're sure Kubrick and Hitchcock wouldn't have cast him in Spartacus or Psycho (both 1960) if they didn't think he could bring something to the table besides an utterly fabulous chest. Although, frankly, that would be enough for us.



Equally at home in the glossy environs of Imitation of Life (1959) and Back Street (1961) as he was on the dusty trails of his Western TV series, Destry (1964), Gavin also proved he could ably spoof his square-jawed matinee idol image in Thoroughly Modern Millie (1967) -- unlike Hitch or Kubrick, we think it's a fairly safe bet that Ross Hunter, who cast Gavin in five films (including the three mentioned above) was undoubtedly smitten.

JOHN GAVIN'S QUINTET OF ROSS HUNTER PRODUCTIONS, FROM TOP: IMITATION OF LIFE (1959) WITH LANA TURNER; MIDNIGHT LACE (1960) WITH DORIS DAY; TAMMY TELL ME TRUE (1961) WITH SANDRA DEE; BACK STREET (1961) WITH SUSAN HAYWARD; THOROUGHLY MODERN MILLIE (1967) WITH JULIE ANDREWS

Gavin's career faltered after Millie; he famously lost the role of James Bond when Sean Connery was lured back for Diamonds are Forever (1971). He turned his attention to the stage, appearing in, among other productions, Michael Bennett's See Saw (1973). Gavin replaced the original male lead, Ken Howard, in the original Broadway production with future Knots Landing star Michele Lee, and then toured the country with the show, opposite Lucie Arnaz.

After two terms as President of the Screen Actors' Guild, and a string of guest spots on such obligatory 1970's fare as The Love Boat and Fantasy Island, Gavin withdrew from entertainment and became the U.S. Ambassador to Mexico during the Reagan administration; he is currently retired, and, judging by the most recent photo below, looking just dandy.

We love the hat and the knit tie.