1956 (t) Susanne L. “Sue” Barton (78)
Mary Susan Taylor
1956 (t) Susanne L. “Sue” Barton (78)
Susanne L. “Sue” (Barton) Gregson
Monterey Herald, CA Jan 18, 2018 (scanned)
Sue Barton Nov. 23, 1938-Jan. 5, 2018 Pacific Grove / In the 60s Sue was a top couture model in the United States and Europe. In the 70s and 80s she became involved in the film business, beginning with her own public relations firm in London and culminating as Senior Vice President, Marketing for Columbia pictures in New York and Los Angeles. In the 90's she returned, with great pleasure, to her home town of Pacific Grove, Ca. She is most remembered for her robust, infectious, endearing laugh. She passed, at the age of 78, on January 5, 2018.
Pacific Grove Hometown Bulletin, CA Dec 16, 2009
Our Town – Our People
Spirit of Pacific Grove
Sue Barton, Dancing with the Stars
By Al Saxe
It would be easier to catch a moonbeam in a jar than to describe the escapades and working life of PG native Sue Barton. This charming, vivacious and stunning woman, who knocked the socks off many of Hollywood’s most famous actors and directors, is once again home in the Grove. She returned in 1992 after a 25-year career in Hollywood, exhausted, and vowing to swear off the Hollywood lifestyle forever! She now lives in a modest home in the heart of PG with her two cats named Tuttti. Since both cats are deaf, Sue felt she only needed one name. She chose the name Tuttti, which is an Italian word that means everything. That appropriately describes the importance of the cats in her life. Pictures and memorabilia from Sue’s modeling and Hollywood career are stored out of the way in boxes where their contents and stories go unnoticed by visitors to her home. Sue is very candid about her life and pulls no punches. She did it her way and enjoyed every moment. What are most enduring and special to her, however, are not the Hollywood years, but the Pacific Grove ones. During our many interviews she was very congenial, possessing a wonderful sense of humor and a graciousness honed over her working career. Sue Barton and her parents Rollie and Bep moved to PG in 1945. Sue attended Lighthouse and Robert Down Elementary Schools. She lovingly recalls her childhood in PG, which was interrupted when the family moved to Merced during her sophomore year at PG High School. Her dad, who had worked on the Las Padres Dam was hired for a similar project in the Central Valley. Sue’s high school years were interrupted an additional time when Rollie’s work required a move to Los Gatos, where he would work on the Lexington Reservoir construction. Sue graduated from Los Gatos High in1956. Sue’s connection to PG remained intact during the family’s relocations, as they were still close enough to return here every weekend. The family would stay at a vacant home Sue’s godmother, Dorothy Kirk, owned on 16th Street. According to Sue, there were quite a few vacant homes or second homes during the fifties. Many of these vacancies Sue attributes to a lack of visitors, who were kept away by the smell of the operating canneries. Sue attended San Jose State and during her freshman year was selected to be on the I Magnin College Board. This was a group of college students from San Jose State, University of Santa Clara, Stanford and Cal who advised the I Magnin department store on what girls that age liked in clothing styles. During her sophomore year at college, Sue decided that she wanted to be a model and moved to San Francisco where she became a model for I Magnin, Saks Fifth Avenue, Gumps, and other high-end clothing stores. These assignments launched Sue’s modeling career, and she was soon working in New York, Paris and Rome for Chanel and Givenchy. Sue laughs when recalling her first modeling assignment. She was modeling an evening gown for Harper’s Bazaar. The gown was bulky and prevented her from seeing her feet or the end of the runway. As a result, Sue fell off the end of the runway onto a table of patrons. Sue was embarrassed but not injured, and quickly returned to the dressing room to put on her next outfit! Sue made friends wherever she went. One of these acquaintances, Carolyn Pfeiffer, opened a press agency in London and hired Sue to work for her. The agency’s clients included Robert Redford, Dustin Hoffman and Omar Sharif. Sue worked at the agency for two years before getting an assignment to work on “Fiddler On the Roof”. While on location in Yugoslavia, Sue was bitten by a mosquito and came down with encephalitis. She returned to California for a recovery that would last three years. Once well, Sue moved to San Francisco to teach modeling. This assignment was short-lived when the Director of “MASH” and “Nashville,” Robert Altman, asked her to come to Los Angeles to work for him. He had been one of Sue’s clients in London. This would be a successful relationship that would last for more than twenty-five years. Sue’s Hollywood career included assignments at Columbia Pictures, Universal Studios and MGM, where she held the position of Vice President of Marketing. Sue worked for Columbia twice, once while it was owned by Coca Cola, and then when it was owned by Sony. When Coke took over Columbia, Sue recalls a memo distributed to all employees informing them that Pepsi could not be kept in any of the studio’s refrigerators. The Pepsi blue color was also not to be used in any decorations at Columbia. An additional requirement forbade men to wear beards. These requirements resulted in an exodus to Universal Studios by Sue’s two bosses, and she soon followed. Though Sue moved from modeling to marketing positions at the major studios, her good looks and charming personality followed her. While she accepted a date to accompany Omar Sharif to the 1963 Academy Awards and party, she turned down Marlon Brando, who wanted to take her to Death Valley. Sue shared that, “Quite frankly, I was scared of him. He was weird.” She dated the director of “In The Heat of the Night” and “Moonstruck” (Norman Jewison). She went to Israel to join Norman upon completion of his movie “Jesus Christ Superstar.” Although Sue is not Jewish, she found Israel to be the most interesting country she has visited. During her Hollywood years, Sue married twice. The first marriage was to Richard Gregson, Natalie Wood’s second husband. Unfortunately, this marriage and a later marriage to a rock musician didn’t endure. Sue made many friends during her working years. One of her closest is Tippi Hedrin, who starred in Alfred Hitchcock’s movie “The Birds.” She also starred in the movie “Marnie.” Tippi’s daughter, Melanie Griffith, is married to Antonio Banderas. Tippi owns a large ranch in Southern California, which is home to 70 big cats. Her animal sanctuary at one time housed more than 150 tigers and lions. Sue has frequently visited Tippi at the ranch, and would play with one of the pet lions until Tippi decided that the tigers and lions should no longer be viewed as pets, but as the wild animals they were. While Sue Barton is far removed from Hollywood, she still is a member of the Motion Picture Academy of Arts and Sciences (the Academy Awards organization). UPS faithfully delivers to Sue’s doorstep in PG the latest movies under consideration for Academy Awards. She reviews the movies and then casts her vote on them. Sue Barton is very contented being back in the town she loves. Besides her beloved cats, Sue spends time visiting with her lifelong PG friend Marsha Norris, whom Sue has known since they were both seven. In the heart of Sue Barton the glow of the Hollywood floodlights is no match for the pull of the sea and Pacific Grove. Sue Barton: a remarkable woman and a remarkable life.