Streisand: Her Life by James Spada
Sometime in November of 1970, while Barbra was preparing her Stoney End album, a potential hit ballad came her way and was vetoed. It was then recorded in tandem by Andy Williams, Tony Bennett, and Ray Conniff, all affiliated with CBS Records, and all anxious for a number-one hit. The song was the theme from Love Story, and though Streisand declined the melody, she did not let the leading man, Ryan O'Neal, pass her by.
Ryan and Barbra were represented by the same agent, Sue Mengers. Once described as "a cross between Mama Cass and Mack the Knife," Mengers pursued new clients relentlessly. she reportedly landed Ryan when she cornered him at a party and asked, "When are you going to get rid of that asshole of an agent who represents you?"
Along the way he acquired a formidable reputation with the ladies. "He is an incredible lover, totally devoted to giving a woman pleasure," said his first wife, actress Joanna Moore. While his second wife Leigh Taylor-Young said ‘He has the ability to make a woman feel like a woman’.
Other luscious women he dated were Barbara Parkins, Lana Wood, and Joan Collins, which led some to question Streisand's unlikely presence on his arm. "A publicity arrangement" was how the pairing was snidely referred to.
There were those who viewed the rumored relationship with skepticism. Many were convinced that Ryan, who had just scored an enormous success as the preppy hero of Love Story, could only be in it for the publicity. While the affair was still just a rumor, gossip columnist Liz Smith challenged the idea that it was just a publicity stunt.
"Barbra has always been appealing to men," she wrote in her syndicated column. "And why not? She has the most beautiful arms and breasts and shoulders. She's really quite a girl. I'm sure she has a warm, realistic sex life, as she very well should have. She obviously likes guys, and they find her to be a very juicy person"
Ryan was good for Barbra, many believed. "He certainly helped her image in this town," said a female Hollywood executive. "She once asked me what I thought of them going together. I told her, 'It's terrific! Think of all those girls back in Brooklyn who envy you.' And she was pleased with that. I told her, Ryan was not one for serious discussions, or for looking into the deep dark side of things. He was gorgeous, and physical, and playful. He got her to loosen up, to have some fun, to start acting her age in public
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