Joan Crawford

Born:

March 23, 1904 or 1905 or 1908¹

Born as:

Lucille Fay LeSueur²

Died:

May 10, 1977

If you want to see the girl next door, go next door

Biography:

Born it was in San Antonio, Texas (USA), she began her career as a dancer, first on the stage and later in silent films. In Our Dancing Daughters (1928) in which she performed a spirited Charleston atop a table, she danced her way into the memories of moviegoers. The picture's surprise success made Crawford a star.

In the 1930s Joan's films, with a few exceptions, were unashamedly studio products with contrived plots designed to showcase her. She starred in eight pictures with Clark Gable.

In the early 1940s Crawford experienced a decline in popularity, and in 1943 MGM finally dropped her. She bounced back as a superstar at Warner Bros. playing the suffering heroine in Mildred Pierce (1945).

Her career extended into the 1950s, with twelve new movies, including Johnny Guitar (1954) and Whatever happened to Baby Jane? (1962), costarring her enemy³ Bette Davis. Besides her work as an actress, from 1955 to 1973 Joan Crawford was a publicity executive for Pepsi-Cola.⁴

Academy awards:

1953 Nominated Best Actress for: Sudden Fear (1952)
1948 Nominated Best Actress for: Possessed (1947)
1946 Won Best Actress for: Mildred Pierce (1945)

Selected Movies:

The unknown (1927)
What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962)
Mildred Pierce (1945)
The women (1939)
Grand Hotel (1932)
Johnny Guitar (1954)
The Hollywood Revue of 1929 (1929)

Bibliography » Books:

Bibliography » Web:

-
Hollywood reporter - Walter Hill wants to remake Baby Jane?
Home media magazine - What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?
New Scientist -
New York post - Dead divas' dramatic duel
PR Newswire - Cecile B. DeMille Award may be sold
Seeing-stars.com - Crawford’s handprints
Variety - I Saw What You Did

News

Photo of What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?

This week 50 years ago What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? premiered in Denmark (May 29, 1963)

This week 11 years ago Johnny Guitar premiered in Mexico (May 25, 2002, Cineteca Nacional)

This week 69 years ago Above Suspicion premiered in Sweden (May 29, 1944)

More news!

Trivia

1. Joan claimed she was born in 1908. Most historians think it was 1905. However, according to her daughter Christina it was 1904.

2. A movie-magazine (Movie weekly) contest was the source of Joan’s stage name. The contestant who entered the name Joan Crawford was awarded $1000.
--Source: Film Theory and Criticism: Introductory Readings, Page 610

3. The rivalry between Joan and Bette Davis is one of the great legends of Hollywood, yet there was little foundation for it. In the end they had a falling out, but they both had respect for one another`s professional abilities. During their years together at Warners, Joan would often ask Bette to dinner.
--Source: Bette Davis, Page 168

4. From 1955 Joan traveled extensively on behalf of her husband`s company, Pepsi Cola. She had no intention of retiring from the screen but she knew that the exposure it gave her in the media, would not only keep her in the public eye but also convince movie executives that she had a large fan base.
--Source: Joan Crawford: The Essential Biography, Page 490

Joan had an affair with the 17 years old underaged Jackie Cooper in 1939. Cooper: “She was a very erudite professor of love. She was a wild woman”
--Source: The Grove Book of Hollywood, Page 234

Joan has her handprints set in cement on Hollywood Boulevard (Hollywood, USA, in the forecourt of Grauman’s Chinese Theater).
Source / More (Web)

Joan’s adopted daughter Christina wrote a very negative best-selling biography, Mommie dearest (1978). Faye Dunaway impersonated Crawford in the 1981 screen adaptation.
--Source: Mommie Dearest, Page 0

In 1993, her Oscar trophy sold at auction for $68,500.

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Joan Crawford

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Joan Crawford

Born:

Born as:

Died:

Biography:

Academy awards:

Selected Movies:

Bibliography » Books:

Bibliography » Web:

News

Trivia