Say Goodbye, Maggie Cole

Susan Hayward has always been my favorite dramatic actress and though she made some bad films, I always credited her with toward the end of her career when some of her contemporaries were taking work in garbage horror films, she never sunk to that level. As was said about another screen legend, what there is is 'cherce'.

Though she never planned it her last role was in a fine made for TV film, Say Goodbye Maggie Cole. Hayward plays the title role of a recently widowed doctor who decides to make a complete change in her surroundings and career.

She and her late husband Richard Anderson were both doctors involved in a research facility with a good reputation headed by Dane Clark. Even after Clark pleads with her to stay, she decides to move to Chicago and takeover a practice that general practitioner Darren McGavin has.

This is all new to Hayward, dealing with people instead of test tubes. And McGavin's not an easy guy to work with. But she does take it all in stride, although not without a lot of heartache on the way.

Say Goodbye Maggie Cole was filmed at 20th Century Fox where during the Fifties Hayward had some of her best roles so it was fitting that her last work be done there. She got a really good supporting cast besides those I've mentioned, Beverly Garland is also in this as the wife of Richard Carlyle who Hayward suspects of having something seriously wrong with him. Maidie Norman delivers a fine performance as McGavin's nurse and all around girl Friday.

Jeanette Nolan plays the grandmother of a young girl who Hayward boards with when arriving in Chicago. The young girl is Michelle Nichols who is a clerk at a drugstore that Hayward and McGavin patronize. She is also diagnosed with leukemia which at that time was a death sentence in 1972. Almost 40 years later there are drugs that leukemia patients take that have prolonged life way beyond what could be expected back then. Part of the plot involved Hayward using her research connections to get some untested drugs to use on Nichols.

In any event Susan's best scenes are with Nichols and they are guaranteed to get an emotional reaction out of a turnip. As for Nichols she does a good job playing a most innocent young woman who is facing life's end before she's really lived.

Say Goodbye Maggie Cole might have been a good pilot for a television series and maybe we might have seen Susan Hayward once a week in this part had her own health problems not killed her. Though the film does tend a little bit to be soap opera, it's still a wonderful part for one of the best actresses ever to take her curtain call.

Susan Hayward was a star. She was a huge star. Why she is not better remembered today is a mystery. If nothing else, this 1972 TV movie, which would prove to be Hayward's swan song, reminds us of how great a screen presence she was. In "Say Goodbye, Maggie Cole" Hayward commands the screen no matter if the material is somewhat routine. The viewer is unable to take their eyes off her. She truly is magnificent. She gets strong support from Darrin McGavin and, especially, Jeanette Nolan. This film is becoming hard to find and is rarely televised but it is definitely worth viewing. "Say Goodbye, Maggie Cole" demands a DVD release if for no other reason than as a historical testament of the final film appearance of Susan Hayward and to remind audiences of today that she was one of the great American movie stars.

Unlike other star's of her era, (Bette Davis, Joan Crawford) Susan Hayward's last role is quite memorable and touching even for a TV Movie of the Week. Movie starts off with Susan's character having to watch her husband die in a small plane accident. He is at the controls while having a heart attack and crashes killing him. Movie then follows Susan around as she decides what to do with her life, she is a doctor. She then decides to give something back to the community and works in an inner city clinic. Movie is quite good, Susan is great as usual. Also listen for the haunting and beautiful opening theme by non other than Dusty Springfield. A very fitting and dignified exit for a talented actress like Hayward.

Susan Hayward stars in her last appearance on film or TV in this story of a lady who is widowed and goes back to practicing medicine, after being away from it for 15 years, because she was in research with her husband. Forcing a change on herself to move forward, she goes to Chicago to fill a temporary vacancy at a 24-hour urgent care. But will she make the grade in new surroundings and after being away from it for so long? I really have no criticisms of this rather basic made-for-television movie. Any clichés of the story are practically glossed over by credible acting by its stars. Susan Hayward gives a gutsy performance, (but she was gutsy and great in all she was in) as the doctor determined to make good. And, actors Darren McGavin and Michael Constantine give solid support to Ms. Hayward as fellow doctors. Darren and Susan had good rapport together. And, veteran actor Jeanette Nolan is very moving as a somewhat bitter old lady, who says her meanness may be all she has to hold on to. The characters put in front of us become so real to the viewer, we feel we are there in Chicago. TV actress Beverly Garland is on hand as a devoted wife to a patient, who has an undiagnosed condition. I wish this were a TV series, where I could go back and see these characters and Ms. Susan Hayward, as they try to help the people who come in their doors, and in turn, are helping themselves. "Say Goodbye, Maggie Cole" was a worthy effort and a grand exit for one of Hollywood's better actresses.

As the other reviewers have noted this was the end of the line for Susan as she was felled soon after the completion of this by brain cancer. What's left for us is a glimpse of what the future may have held for her had illness not ended her life.

This was meant to be a pilot for a weekly series and scored high ratings on its debut so would have gone on to be a fixture of that fall's schedule. Unlike other stars of her era who had moved on to television this is no glamour undertaking set against mansions and drowning in jewels and furs, she is a doctor, recently widowed working in a slum clinic where her natural toughness could be put to effective use. There are concessions to her star status, look for the scene where the colors of the room match her hair and wardrobe, but overall the film tries to be at least somewhat realistic and Susan gives an assured committed performance. She also is well matched with Darren McGavin with his gruff demeanor their sparring matches are a pleasure to watch.

Also of note is Jeanette Nolan in a smallish part as the grandmother of a girl Susan has befriended. She takes her big moment and makes it absolutely heartbreaking with the simplicity with which she plays it.

An excellent example of when network TV movies were worth watching this is unfortunately only available on VHS and will probably never see the light of day on DVD unless it either becomes part of a collection of Susan Hayward films or a print on demand title so catch it if you ever have the chance.