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Post by petrolino on Jul 15, 2017 2:43:57 GMT
Joan Crawford : Screen Icon
"Joan Crawford was kind to her fans, personally signing the photographs they sent to her; she knew what they wanted from her famous remark, “if you want the girl next door, go next door.” Crawford was self-aware about the beauty politics of her role in the Hollywood ecosystem. Placing her roles through the years next to each other, we can see a startling breadth of presentation. There's the flapper with the witty smile and slick bob that led F. Scott Fitzgerald to say, “Joan Crawford is doubtless the best example of the flapper, the girl you see in smart night clubs, gowned to the apex of sophistication, toying iced glasses with a remote, faintly bitter expression, dancing deliciously, laughing a great deal, with wide, hurt eyes. Young things with a talent for living.” There’s the lustful, independent dame with looser curls and tighter clothes acting against Clark Gable. Then there’s the career woman of the 1940s moving up in the world on her own, all broad shoulders and long hair. This isn’t to say that Crawford’s only or even primary worth was in her professionalism and understanding of stardom. Her career wouldn’t have spanned that long unless she was able to speak to her audience and be believable as an actress. While I love the b*tchy, sly mistress she plays in “The Women” (1939) and the fluidity of her movement in her flapper roles, Crawford feels at her most transcendent in later roles. Crawford’s greatest work shares a few traits particularly in how it highlights how she used posture to indicate character. While Crawford seems like an incredible force of nature, she’s at her most captivating when actually sharing the screen with an actor that can challenge her. There’s of course Bette Davis in “Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?”, with each woman bringing a humanity and terror to their roles in dramatically different ways. But there’s also the uncomfortable mother/daughter dynamics that create the backbone of “Mildred Pierce," the garish “Johnny Guitar” that sets her against Sterling Hayden (1954) and one of my favorites, the brief moments she shares with noir staple Gloria Grahame in “Sudden Fear” (1950). Even though Grahame and Crawford barely interact, the film goes to great lengths to position their versions of femininity as dramatic opposites. There’s the lustful, underhanded fatale that Grahame plays on one side and Crawford’s rich, caring playwright on the other, who grows more and more hysterical as the film goes on. If the film was made ten or fifteen years prior, Crawford would likely have been playing Grahame’s role. Crawford shows an incredible understanding on-screen and off of the various compromises women make in trying to find success, romantic and otherwise."
- Anjelica Jade Bastien, 'The Feminine Grotesque : The Warped Legacy Of Joan Crawford'
"François Truffaut called it the Beauty and the Beast of Westerns, without saying who was the beauty and who was the beast. And Jean-Luc Godard, in his second feature, Le Petit Soldat, offered a spin on the movie’s most celebrated dialogue exchange, before offering explicit references to Johnny Guitar in several other films he made in the 60s: back in 1954, I was lucky enough to see Johnny Guitar on a big screen, during its first run, at age eleven, and it was already clear to me that this movie was something special.
- Jonathan Rosenbaum
1920s :
1930s :
1940s :
1950s :
1960s :
"If you've earned a position, be proud of it. Don't hide it. I want to be recognized. When I hear people say, 'There's Joan Crawford!' I turn around and say, 'Hi! How are you!'"
- Joan Crawford
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Post by politicidal on Jul 15, 2017 3:06:31 GMT
Somehow I've only seen one of her films with Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?. I never see her films getting much attention or airtime compared with the likes of Hepburn or Davis.
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Post by petrolino on Jul 15, 2017 3:20:34 GMT
Somehow I've only seen one of her films with Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?. I never see her films getting much attention or airtime compared with the likes of Hepburn or Davis. Check out 'The Women' (1939) if you've not already seen it, it's such a crossroads masterpiece from the great George Cukor, the like of which was never seen again. |
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Post by Matthew the Swordsman on Jul 15, 2017 15:47:42 GMT
Some idiots are giving everything with her 1 star on IMDb, including game show and talk show episodes that had their tapes destroyed in the 1960s (and thus could not have been seen by them).
Creeps.
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Post by teleadm on Jul 15, 2017 15:53:16 GMT
Since I read the book "Mommie Dearest" i became a bit repulsive about her, not denying that she was a star power.
There is one Crawford movie that hasn't been seen since the thirties, not because it's lost, but because MGM lost a legal battle, that meant 50% of profits should go to someone else, so MGM did not show it anymore, they put it in a vault, wish I remember the name of that movie.
June Allyson has later said: She slept with everyone except Lassie, to get her way..
Betty Hutton later said: told her kids to be nice to the Crawford kids, so they at least have some fun in their childhood. (They were neighbours so they heard what they heard)
MGM was her home, even after they fired her for being box-office poison, her leading men drew audiences, not her. When MGM called she came in later years, even if Warner bros actually was better for her, they cared enough to build a movie around her, something MGM had stopped caring about.
Warner Bros picked her up, signing a profitable contract of one movie a year, they actually cared for her, giving her good material to work with, Giving her the Oscar she always wanted.
Warners actually wanted her to make movies at other studios, when she was had done her duty under Warner contract, 2-3 months of shooting a year, healthy profits.
The term was growing: Suffering in Mink.
A late fifties appearance as a mystery guest on What's my Line?, think this was after The Story of Esther Costello, she said that she was from now on a former movie star, and that she nowdays only works for charities, especially for concerns of orphaned kids.
Well her Pepsi husband died, and she returned to movies occasionally. Forcing or dealing that somewhere Pepsi bottles was showed in some scenes.
At a meeting with horror maker with gadgets, William Castle, "i have a script here about a lady in her late 50's", Stop, Crawford answered I nowdays only play ladies in their late forties, after Baby Jane Crawford had name value again, and Castle changed the script.
Go to Britain and make horror pics, they pay more than appearing on american TV, and they did, following Bette Davis, Tallulah Bankhead and Joan Fontain. Resulting in Berserk and Trog.
She did an appearance on a double epidode Lucy Show, Lucy later told that she was drunk all the time and very difficult to work with, but after saying we should have asked Bette instead, Joan heard that and became slightly easier to work with.
After a show photograph I think was 1972 with her and Rosalind Russell, Joan was horrified how old she looked. After that she became a recluse more or less.
That's my version
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Post by Matthew the Swordsman on Jul 15, 2017 15:59:20 GMT
I would like to note that I've only seen a limited number of things with her: Some Goodson-Todman game show appearances, the great film Johnny Guitar (1954), and the uneven film The Hollywood Revue of 1929 (1929).
I'm probably in the minority here, but I enjoyed her appearance in the Hollywood Revue film. So young, happy and carefree.
I'll probably watch additional films with her at some point.
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Post by wmcclain on Jul 15, 2017 16:30:15 GMT
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Post by politicidal on Jul 15, 2017 16:39:21 GMT
Some idiots are giving everything with her 1 star on IMDb, including game show and talk show episodes that had their tapes destroyed in the 1960s (and thus could not have been seen by them). Creeps. What the hell for? Seems pointless. |
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Post by teleadm on Jul 15, 2017 17:19:39 GMT
Some idiots are giving everything with her 1 star on IMDb, including game show and talk show episodes that had their tapes destroyed in the 1960s (and thus could not have been seen by them). Creeps. What the hell for? Seems pointless. Because there were such persons lurking around old imdb, I was a victim, as I remember I said something like Crawford made more interesting movies in the late 40s and early 50s than Bette Davis alltogether, not saying Bette Davis did bad movies at that time. I got so many hate mails that I stopped caring, yjrew them directly in the can |
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Post by snsurone on Jul 15, 2017 20:38:49 GMT
Since I read the book "Mommie Dearest" i became a bit repulsive about her, not denying that she was a star power. There is one Crawford movie that hasn't been seen since the thirties, not because it's lost, but because MGM lost a legal battle, that meant 50% of profits should go to someone else, so MGM did not show it anymore, they put it in a vault, wish I remember the name of that movie. June Allyson has later said: She slept with everyone except Lassie, to get her way.. Betty Hutton later said: told her kids to be nice to the Crawford kids, so they at least have some fun in their childhood. (They were neighbours so they heard what they heard) MGM was her home, even after they fired her for being box-office poison, her leading men drew audiences, not her. When MGM called she came in later years, even if Warner bros actually was better for her, they cared enough to build a movie around her, something MGM had stopped caring about. Warner Bros picked her up, signing a profitable contract of one movie a year, they actually cared for her, giving her good material to work with, Giving her the Oscar she always wanted. Warners actually wanted her to make movies at other studios, when she was had done her duty under Warner contract, 2-3 months of shooting a year, healthy profits. The term was growing: Suffering in Mink. A late fifties appearance as a mystery guest on What's my Line?, think this was after The Story of Esther Costello, she said that she was from now on a former movie star, and that she nowdays only works for charities, especially for concerns of orphaned kids. Well her Pepsi husband died, and she returned to movies occasionally. Forcing or dealing that somewhere Pepsi bottles was showed in some scenes. At a meeting with horror maker with gadgets, William Castle, "i have a script here about a lady in her late 50's", Stop, Crawford answered I nowdays only play ladies in their late forties, after Baby Jane Crawford had name value again, and Castle changed the script. Go to Britain and make horror pics, they pay more than appearing on american TV, and they did, following Bette Davis, Tallulah Bankhead and Joan Fontain. Resulting in Berserk and Trog. She did an appearance on a double epidode Lucy Show, Lucy later told that she was drunk all the time and very difficult to work with, but after saying we should have asked Bette instead, Joan heard that and became slightly easier to work with. After a show photograph I think was 1972 with her and Rosalind Russell, Joan was horrified how old she looked. After that she became a recluse more or less. That's my version The movie is LETTY LYNTON, and I wish those legal problems would be ironed out so that the picture could be shown on TCM. From reading the synopsis, I'd really love to see that film. |
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Post by teleadm on Jul 15, 2017 21:28:33 GMT
There is one Crawford movie that hasn't been seen since the thirties, not because it's lost, but because MGM lost a legal battle, that meant 50% of profits should go to someone else, so MGM did not show it anymore, they put it in a vault, wish I remember the name of that movie. The movie is LETTY LYNTON, and I wish those legal problems would be ironed out so that the picture could be shown on TCM. From reading the synopsis, I'd really love to see that film. I wasn't sure what pic it was, so I hesitated to name it, Thanks!! |
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Post by petrolino on Jul 15, 2017 22:21:59 GMT
At a meeting with horror maker with gadgets, William Castle, "i have a script here about a lady in her late 50's", Stop, Crawford answered I nowdays only play ladies in their late forties, after Baby Jane Crawford had name value again, and Castle changed the script. Go to Britain and make horror pics, they pay more than appearing on american TV, and they did, following Bette Davis, Tallulah Bankhead and Joan Fontain. Resulting in Berserk and Trog. I think the movies she made with William Castle are terrific - 'Strait-Jacket' (1964) & 'I Saw What You Did' (1965) - shortly after her role in Robert Aldrich's classic 'What Ever Happened To Baby Jane?' (1962). I'd very much like to see 'Berserk' (1967) but didn't care for Freddie Francis' 'Trog' (1970) at all. |
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Post by petrolino on Jul 15, 2017 22:24:14 GMT
Nice piece on 'Rain' mcclain, thanks (nice bonus piece on 'Sadie Thompson' too!) |
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Post by louise on Dec 24, 2019 8:37:59 GMT
I like her in Forsaking All Others and Love on the Run, both with Clark Gable. My preference runs more to comedies, which she didn’t do much, but those two are good fun.
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Post by Lebowskidoo 🎄😷🎄 on Dec 24, 2019 18:47:48 GMT
I'm fascinated by her. She was complicated, for sure, but there are several sides to all stories. I wonder what drove her to act the way she did sometimes.
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Post by petrolino on Dec 24, 2019 19:04:49 GMT
I'm fascinated by her. She was complicated, for sure, but there are several sides to all stories. I wonder what drove her to act the way she did sometimes.
Yes, a very driven and complex figure.
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Post by spiderwort on Dec 24, 2019 23:11:40 GMT
Although I was never a huge fan of this iconic star, in part because she loved being a star so much, I confess that she made some films that I really love, and her in them. Chiefly: Strange Cargo (1940), in which she performed 90% without any glamor make-up at all, her humanity fully exposed under the guidance of the sensitive director, Frank Borzage. I think it's one of her best performances.  And I feel similarly about Rain (1932). Despite her make-up she seemed fully emotionally exposed under the direction of Lewis Milestone.  And, of course, I did love her in her more comedic role in The Women (1939) (she did comedy well and should have done more), and in her Oscar winning Mildred Pierce (1945), even though I felt a little too much of "the star" in that one. But it's impossible not to admire the film and her in it. Hard to believe that the movie star of movie stars was raised in the small town of Lawton, Oklahoma under difficult family circumstances. Still, through sheer tenacity and who knows what else, she rose to the top. Reading her quotes on imdb, however, she seems like someone I'd never care to be friends with. That said, Diane Baker, a wonderful and special woman whom I greatly admire, adored her. So who knows? I think she wanted more than anything to be a star, so I guess in that respect - until later in her career and cheap horror films - she got what she wanted. |
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Post by biker1 on Dec 25, 2019 1:19:24 GMT
Revived by a new contract at Warner Bros, and the subsequent release of mildred pierce (1945), Joan Crawford appears in a number of medium budget woman's pics over the next decade; this is the Joan Crawford I watch, rather than the glamorous MGM star of the Golden Age, or the ageing horror queen of the 1960s.
top 5 woman's pick (post war decade)
mildred pierce (1945)
possessed (1947)
daisy kenyon (1947)
flamingo road (1949)
autumn leaves (1956)
During this decade there was also her best 1950s film, the off-the-wall Nicholas Ray western johnny guitar (1954).
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Post by Lebowskidoo 🎄😷🎄 on Dec 30, 2019 13:06:54 GMT
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Post by Lebowskidoo 🎄😷🎄 on Mar 4, 2020 12:50:45 GMT
Joan was excitingly good.  |
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