Happy Birthday, Joan Crawford — Page 2

I think you've missed the point or at least my point. I'm not defending Crawford as a person or mother. I'm saying that her reputation as a person and by extension as an actress is damaged beyond repair. You can not watch a Crawford movie without thinking about something in Christina's book or some camp scene from the movie version. I'm not saying Christina had no right to publish her book or the producers of the film had no right to make such a horrible movie, but the fact is Joan Crawford's career will never be looked at the same way again. You can't separate the two.
Edit: Try watching Mildred slap Veda and not think about Joan slapping Christina.

Updated On: 3/25/08 at 08:59 AM

South Fl Marc, thank you for returning this thread to my original intention.

Borstal, Berserk is a gem and not to be missed! It's right up there with Strait-Jacket.
The link goes to an interview with Herman Cohen, the producer of Berserk!

Berserk Producer on Joan

Updated On: 3/25/08 at 12:53 PM

Munk, that's a great picture from Strait-Jacket.

After Joan saw a screening of Trog she said, "If I weren't a Christian Scientist and I saw Trog on a marquee across the street, I think I'd comtemplate suicide."

"Crawford's career will never be looked at the same way again. You can't separate the two.
Edit: Try watching Mildred slap Veda and not think about Joan slapping Christina."

I totally disagree. Of course you can separate the two, just as I can separate the career and personal life of Juday Garland, Marlon Brando, and any number of others.

And until now I never ever thought of Joans personal life when she slapped Veda.

Perhaps YOU cannot separate the two but please, don't speak for everyone else.

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Updated On: 3/25/08 at 09:52 PM

This thread is a fine example of what most people (not ones like me who know her career inside and out) think of first when someone mentions Joan Crawford...just take a look at the post following the original one.

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I just finished watching a great Joan flick..Sadie McKee. Gene Raymond was crooning "All I do the whole day through is dream of you" to her; then, of course, he leaves her flat the next day!

Of course you know Joan has her revenge.

A Woman's Face! I love that film. She was wonderful with the scar makeup, then to watch her act without the scar, but her character still emotionally has the scar...ahhhh more great Joan.

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Spring Fever was just ok. You want a GREAT Joan silent flick? Get "The Unknown" a Lon Chaney movie with Joan as a circus performer that the armless Chaney is in love with.

Now that was a great movie! I actually watched Spring Fever Sunday and the print is very choppy and the story just the same. Joan, of course, looked radiant.

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Retroboy, no one is saying that Joan Crawford "can do no wrong." We all know that she was human- that is not even why I started this post. Also, no one is "propelling her to mythic proportions." The fact remains that Christina ruined her good name.

Cathy and Cynthia Crawford never spoke to Christina and Christopher after the book and movie. They have nothing but fond memories of Joan and always speak well of her. If you ask me, Christina and Christopher were pissed off because they didn't get a dime. Joan was dead, so she couldn't defend herself. What an opportunity!!! Who do I believe? Cynthia and Cathy...they lived there too and were close with Joan until her death. Christina Crawford was and is an opportunist.

Now, back to the original post, I watched Humoresque, The Women, Mildred Pierce, and A Woman's Face. I taped the other movies and watching them over the weekend. I've heard a lot of good reviews about "Sadie McKee." Is it true that this was the role that really brought attention to Joan's acting ability?

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Sadie McKee was the movie that started Joan on the "working girl makes good" movie path that made her so popular with the moving going public. It's a great movie, with wonderful tunes in it. It was made in 34, and she was also starting on her pairing with Clark Gable in a series of great films as well during this era.

The woman WORKED for her career and the results show it. It kills me when people mention their love of all things Joan and then go on to talk only about Baby Jane, Beserk, or Trog.

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I watched Torch Song on either Sunday or Monday and it was painful for me to watch Joan overact so terribly under all those pounds of makeup and drapes of clothing. And whatever the hell makeup she was wearing in that Two Faced woman number!!!

I can see the camp appeal, and the comedy of it, but...I will always prefer to appreciate her stellar performances in films like Possessed (the first one!), Mannequin, or Dancing Lady.

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In regards to the singing and dubbing, I have never heard of or seen anything regarding her recording anything she sang. She was NO singer!!

That makeup was hideous!! I cringed the entire number, but, of course, could not turn away! Within 10 minutes of watching Torch Song, we started counting the number of orange outfits she had on! I was relieved to go back to some Black and White images after that.

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On the Joan link that I posted earlier in this thread, there is an interesting section with Cathy's son, who is trying to restore Joan's image.