Joan Crawford

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For other people named Joan Crawford, see Joan Crawford (disambiguation).

Joan Crawford

in 1936 photo by George Hurrell

Born

Lucille Fay LeSueur

March 23, 1905[1]
San Antonio, Texas, U.S.

Died

May 10, 1977 (aged 72)

New York City, New York, U.S.

Cause of death

Heart attack; cancer

Resting place

Ferncliff Cemetery, Hartsdale, New York, U.S.

Occupation

Actress

Years active

19251972

Spouse(s)

Douglas Fairbanks,
Jr. (m. 1929; div. 1933)
Franchot Tone (m. 1935; div.1939)
Phillip Terry (m. 1942; div.1946)
Alfred Steele (m. 1955; died 1959)

Children

Christina (born 1939)

Christopher (19432006)
Cynthia (19472007)
Cathy (born 1947)

Parents

Thomas E. LeSueur
Anna Bell Johnson

Relatives

Hal LeSueur (brother)

Signature

Joan Crawford (March 23, 1905[1] May 10, 1977), born Lucille Fay LeSueur, was a noted, Oscarwinning American film and television actress who started as a dancer and stage chorine.
Beginning her career as a dancer in traveling theatrical companies before debuting as a chorine (a
chorus girl) on Broadway, Crawford signed a motion picture contract with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer in
1925. Initially frustrated by the size and quality of her parts, Crawford began a campaign of selfpublicity and became nationally known as a flapper by the end of the 1920s. In the 1930s,
Crawford's fame rivaled, and later outlasted, MGM colleagues Norma Shearer and Greta Garbo.
Crawford often played hardworking young women who find romance and success. These "rags-toriches" stories were well received by Depression-era audiences and were popular with women.
Crawford became one of Hollywood's most prominent movie stars and one of the highest paid
women in the United States, but her films began losing money and by the end of the 1930s she was
labeled "Box Office Poison". But her career gradually improved in the early 1940s, and she made a
major comeback in 1945 by starring in Mildred Pierce, for which she won theAcademy Award for
Best Actress.
In 1955, she became involved with the Pepsi-Cola Company through her marriage to company
Chairman Alfred Steele. After his death in 1959, Crawford was elected to fill his vacancy on the
board of directors but was forcibly retired in 1973. She continued acting in film and television
regularly through the 1960s, when her performances became fewer; after the release of the British
horror film Trog in 1970, Crawford retired from the screen. Following a public appearance in 1974,
after which unflattering photographs were published, Crawford withdrew from public life and became
increasingly reclusive until her death in 1977.
Crawford married four times. Her first three marriages ended in divorce; the last ended with the
death of husband Alfred Steele. She adopted five children, one of whom was reclaimed by his birth

mother. Crawford's relationships with her two older children, Christinaand Christopher, were
acrimonious. Crawford disinherited the two and, after Crawford's death, Christina wrote a "tell-all"
memoir,Mommie Dearest, in which she alleged a lifelong pattern of physical and emotional abuse
perpetrated by Crawford and stated that Joan only cared for her career and manipulated her four
children for publicity reasons.
Crawford was voted the tenth greatest female star in the history of American cinema by
the American Film Institute.
Contents
[hide]

1 Early life

2 Career
o

2.1 Early career

2.2 Self-promotion and early successes

2.3 Transition to sound and continued success

2.4 Box Office Poison

2.5 Move to Warner Brothers

2.6 Radio and television

2.7 Al Steele and Pepsi Cola Company

2.8 Later career

3 Final years

4 Death and legacy

5 Mommie Dearest

6 Filmography

7 Autobiographies

8 Notes

9 Sources

10 Further reading

11 External links

Early life[edit]
Crawford was born Lucille Fay LeSueur in San Antonio, Texas, the third child of Thomas E. LeSueur
(January 21, 1868 January 1, 1938), a laundry laborer, and Anna Bell Johnson (November 29,
1884 August 15, 1958). She had English, French Huguenot, Swedish, and Irish ancestry.[citation
needed]
Her elder siblings were Daisy ( 1902), who died before Lucille's birth, and Hal. Thomas
LeSueur abandoned the family a few months before Crawford's birth but reappeared in Abilene,
Texas in 1930 as a 62-year-old construction laborer on the George R. Davis House, built in Prairie
School architecture.[2] Crawford's mother subsequently married Henry J. Cassin (born c. 1867 died
October 25, 1922). This marriage is listed in census records as Crawford's mother's first marriage,
calling into question whether Thomas LeSueur and Anna Bell Johnson were ever legally wed. [3] The
family lived in Lawton, Oklahoma, where Cassin, a minor impresario, ran the Ramsey Opera House.
Despite his own relatively minor status as an impresario, Cassin managed to get such diverse and
noted performers as Anna Pavlova and Eva Tanguay during his career. Young Lucille was reportedly
unaware that Cassin, whom she called "Daddy", was not her biological father until her brother Hal
told her.[4] Lucille preferred the nickname "Billie" as a child and she loved watching vaudeville acts
perform on the stage of her stepfather's theatre. The instability of her family life affected her
education and her schooling never formally progressed beyond elementary school. [5]
Her ambition was to be a dancer. However, one day, in an attempt to escape piano lessons to play
with friends, she leaped from the front porch of her home and cut her foot deeply on a broken milk
bottle. She had three operations and was unable to attend elementary school for 18 months. She
eventually fully recovered and returned to dancing. Cassin was accused of embezzlement and
although acquitted in court, was blacklisted in Lawton, and the family moved to Kansas City,
Missouri around 1916.[3] Cassin was first listed in the City Directory in 1917, living at 403 East Ninth
Street. A Catholic, Cassin placed Crawford at St. Agnes Academy in Kansas City. Later, after her
mother and stepfather broke up, she stayed on at St. Agnes as a work student. She then went to
Rockingham Academy, also as a work student. She later claimed the headmaster's wife there beat
her and forged her grades to hide the fact that young Lucille spent far more time working, primarily
cooking and cleaning, rather than being able to study academically. While attending Rockingham
she began dating and had her first serious relationship, with a trumpet player named Ray Sterling,
who reportedly inspired her to begin challenging herself academically.[6] In 1922, she registered
at Stephens College in Columbia, Missouri, giving her year of birth as 1906. She attended Stephens
for only four months before withdrawing after she realized she was not prepared for college. [citation needed]

Career[edit]
Early career[edit]

Joan Crawford in 1928

Under the name Lucille LeSueur, Crawford began dancing in the choruses of traveling revues and
was spotted dancing in Detroit by producerJacob J. Shubert.[5][7] Shubert put her in the chorus line for
his 1924 show, Innocent Eyes, at the Winter Garden Theatre on Broadway in New York City. While
appearing in Innocent Eyes Crawford met a saxophone player named James Welton. The two were
allegedly married in 1924 and lived together for several months, although this supposed marriage
was never mentioned in later life by Crawford.[8] She wanted additional work and approached Loews
Theaters publicist Nils Granlund. Granlund secured a position for her with producer Harry
Richmond's act and arranged for her to do a screen test which he sent to producer Harry Rapf in
Hollywood.[9] Stories have persisted that Crawford further supplemented her income by appearing in
one or more stag, or soft-core pornographic, films,[8] although this has been disputed.[10] Rapf notified
Granlund on December 24, 1924 that Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (or MGM for short) had offered
Crawford a contract at $75 a week. Granlund immediately wired LeSueur who had returned to her
mother's home in Kansas City with the news; she borrowed $400 for travel expenses. [11] She
departed Kansas City on December 26 and arrived in Culver City, California on January 1, 1925.
Credited as Lucille LeSueur, her first film was Lady of the Night in 1925, as the body double for
MGM's most-popular female star, Norma Shearer. She also appeared in The Circle and Pretty
Ladies (both 1925), starring comedienne ZaSu Pitts. This was soon followed by equally small
andunbilled roles in two other 1925 successes, The Only Thing and The Merry Widow. MGM
publicity head Pete Smith recognized her ability to become a major star, but felt her name sounded
fake; he told studio head Louis B. Mayer that her last nameLeSueurreminded him of a sewer.
Smith organized a contest called "Name the Star" in Movie Weekly to allow readers to select her
new stage name. The initial choice was "Joan Arden" but, after another actress was found to have
prior claim to that name, the alternate surname "Crawford" became the choice. Crawford later said
that she wanted her first name to be pronounced "Jo-Anne", and that she hated the name Crawford
because it sounded like "craw fish", but also admitted she "liked the security" that went with the
name.[12]

Self-promotion and early successes[edit]

Growing increasingly frustrated over the size and quality of the parts she was given, Crawford
embarked on a campaign of self-promotion. As MGM screenwriter Frederica Sagor Maas recalled,
"No one decided to make Joan Crawford a star. Joan Crawford became a star because Joan
Crawford decided to become a star."[13] She began attending dances in the afternoons and evenings
at hotels around Hollywood, where she often won dance competitions with her performances of
the Charleston and the Black Bottom.[14]

With John Gilbert in a 1928 film,Four Walls

Her strategy worked, and MGM cast her in the film where she first made an impression on
audiences, Edmund Goulding's Sally, Irene and Mary (1925). From the beginning of her career,
Crawford considered Norma Shearerthe studio's most-popular actressher professional nemesis.
Since Shearer was married to MGM Head of Production Irving Thalberg, she had the first choice of
scripts and had more control than other stars in what films she would and would not make. Crawford
was quoted to have said, "How can I compete with Norma? She sleeps with the boss!" In 1926,
Crawford was named one of the WAMPAS Baby Stars along with Mary Astor, Dolores del Ro,Janet
Gaynor, and Fay Wray among others. That same year, she starred in Paris, co-starring Charles Ray.
Within a few years, she became the romantic female lead to many of MGM's top male stars,
including Ramn Novarro, John Gilbert, William Haines, and Tim McCoy. Crawford appeared in The
Unknown (1927), starring Lon Chaney, Sr. who played a carnival knife thrower with no arms.
Crawford played his skimpily-clad young carnival assistant whom he hopes to marry. She stated that
she learned more about acting from watching Chaney work than from anyone else in her career. "It
was then," she said, "I became aware for the first time of the difference between standing in front of
a camera, and acting." Also in 1927, she appeared alongside her close friend, William Haines,
in Spring Fever, which was the first of three movies the duo made together.[15][16]
In 1928, Crawford starred opposite Ramn Novarro in Across to Singapore, but it was her role as
Diana Medford in Our Dancing Daughters (1928) that catapulted her to stardom. The role
established her as a symbol of modern 1920s-style femininity which rivaledClara Bow, the original It
girl, then Hollywood's foremost flapper. A stream of hits followed Our Dancing Daughters, including
two more flapper-themed movies, in which Crawford embodied for her legion of fans (many of whom
were women) an idealized vision of the free-spirited, all-American girl. F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote of
Crawford:[17]
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.
On June 3, 1929, Crawford married Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. at Saint Malachy's Roman Catholic
Church (known as "The Actors' Chapel" due to its proximity to Broadway theatres) in Manhattan,
although neither was Catholic.[18] Fairbanks was the son of Douglas Fairbanks and the stepson
of Mary Pickford, who were considered Hollywood royalty. Fairbanks Sr. and Pickford were opposed
to the marriage and did not invite the couple to their home, Pickfair, for eight months after the
marriage. The relationship between Crawford and Fairbanks, Sr. eventually warmed; she called him

"Uncle Doug" and he called her "Billie", her old childhood nickname. [19] Following that first invitation,
Crawford and Fairbanks, Jr. became more frequent guests, which was hard on Crawford. While the
Fairbanks men played golf together, Crawford was left either with Pickford or alone. [20]
To rid herself of her Southwestern accent, Crawford tirelessly practiced diction and elocution. She
said:[21]
If I were to speak lines, it would be a good idea, I thought, to read aloud to myself, listen carefully to
my voice quality and enunciation, and try to learn in that manner. I would lock myself in my room and
read newspapers, magazines and books aloud. At my elbow I kept a dictionary. When I came to a
word I did not know how to pronounce, I looked it up and repeated it correctly fifteen times.

Transition to sound and continued success[edit]

Crawford in 1932

After the release of The Jazz Singer in 1927the first major Hollywood movie with synchronized
soundsound films, or talkies as they became nicknamed, were all the rage. The transition from
silent to sound panicked manyif not allinvolved with the film industry; many silent film stars
found themselves unemployable because of their undesirable voices and hard-to-understand
accents or simply because of their refusal to make the transition to talkies. Many studios and stars
avoided making the transition as long as possible, especially MGM, which was the last studio to
switch over to sound. The Hollywood Revue of 1929 (1929) was one of the studio's first all-sound
films, and their first attempt to showcase their stars' ability to make the transition from silent to
sound. Crawford was among the dozen or more MGM stars included in the movie; she sang the
song "Got a Feeling for You" during the film's first act. Her first starring role in an all-sound featurelength film was in Untamed in 1929, co-starring Robert Montgomery. Despite the success of the film
at the box office, it received mixed reviews from critics, who noted that while Crawford seemed
nervous at making the transition to sound, also noted that she had become one of the most-popular
actresses in the world.[22]
Crawford made a successful transition to talkies in the late 1920s. Montana Moon (1930), an uneasy
mix of Western clichs and music, teamed her with John Mack Brown and Ricardo Cortez. Although
the film ahd problems with censors, it was a major success at the time of its release. Our Blushing
Brides (1930), co-starring Robert Montgomery and Anita Page, was the final installment in the socalled Our Dancing Daughters franchise. It was a greater successboth critically and financiallythan
her previous talkies, and became one of her personal favorites. Her next movie, Paid (1930), paired
her with Robert Armstrong and was another success. During the early sound era, MGM began to

place Crawford in more sophisticated-type roles, rather than continuing to promote her flapperinspired persona of the silent era.[23]
In 1931, MGM cast Crawford in five films. Three of them teamed her opposite the studio's biggest
male star and King of Hollywood, Clark Gable. Dance, Fools, Dance, released in February 1931,
was the film pairing of Crawford and Gable. Their second movie together, Laughing Sinners,
released in May 1931, was directed by Harry Beaumont and also co-starred Neil
Hamilton. Possessed, their third film together, released in October, was directed by Clarence Brown.
These films were immensely popular with audiences, and were generally well-received by critics,
stapling Crawford's position as one of MGM's top female stars of the decade, along with Norma
Shearer, Greta Garbo, and Jean Harlow. Her only other notable film of 1931, This Modern Age, was
released in August, and despite unfavorable reviews, was a moderate success.
MGM next cast her in the film Grand Hotel, directed by Edmund Goulding. As the studio's first allstar production, Crawford co-starred opposite Greta Garbo, John and Lionel Barrymore, and Wallace
Beery among others. Receiving third billing, she played the middle-class stenographer to Beery's
controlling general director. Crawford later admitted to being nervous during the filming of the movie
because she was working with "very big stars", and that she was disappointed that she had no
scenes with the "divine Garbo".Grand Hotel was released in April 1932 to critical and commercial
success. It was the highest-grossing movie of the year, and won the Academy Award for Best
Picture. Crawford achieved continued success in Letty Lynton (1932). Soon after the movie's
release, a plagiarism suit forced MGM to withdraw it. It has never been shown on television or made
available on home video, and is therefore considered the "lost" Crawford film. The white cotton
organdy gown with large ruffled sleeves, designed by Adrian, Crawford wore in the movie became a
popular style of the year. Macy's copied the dress in 1932, and it sold more than 50,000 replicas in
the United States alone. On a loan out to United Artists, she played prostitute Sadie Thompson
in Rain (1932), a film version of John Colton's 1923 play. Actress Jeanne Eagels played the role on
stage and Gloria Swanson had originated the part on screen in the 1928 film version. Crawford's
performance was panned and the film was not a success.
Despite the film's failure, in 1932, the publishing of the first "Top Ten Money Making Stars Poll"
played Crawford third in popularity at the box office, behind only Marie Dresslerand Janet Gaynor.
She remained on the list for the next several years, last appearing on it in 1936. In May 1933,
Crawford divorced Fairbanks. Crawford cited "grievous mental cruelty", claiming Fairbanks had "a
jealous and suspicious attitude" toward her friends and that they had "loud arguments about the
most trivial subjects" lasting "far into the night". [24] Following her divorce, she was again teamed
with Clark Gable and Franchot Tone and a pre-fame Fred Astaire in the hit Dancing Lady (1933), in
which she received top billing. She next played the title role in Sadie McKee (1934) opposite Gene
Raymond and Franchot Tone. Crawford was paired with Gable for the fifth time in Chained (1934)
and for the sixth time in Forsaking All Others (1934). Crawford's films of this era were some of the
most-popular and highest-grossing films of the mid-1930s.
In 1935, Crawford married Franchot Tone, a stage actor from New York who planned to use his film
salary to finance his theatre group. Tone and Crawford appeared together inToday We Live (1933)
and were immediately drawn to each other, although Crawford was hesitant about entering into
another romance so soon after her split from Fairbanks. [25]The couple built a small theatre at
Crawford's Brentwood home and put on productions of classic plays for select groups of friends.
[26]
Before and during their marriage, Crawford worked to promote Tone's Hollywood career, but Tone
was ultimately not interested in being a movie star and Crawford eventually wearied of the effort.
[27]
Tone began drinking and physically abusing Crawford; she filed for divorce, which was granted in
1939.[28] Crawford and Tone eventually reconciled their friendship and Tone even proposed in 1964
that they remarry. When Tone died in 1968, Crawford arranged for him to be cremated and his ashes
scattered at Muskoka Lakes, Canada.[29]
Crawford continued her reign as a popular movie actress well into the mid-1930s. No More
Ladies (1935) co-starred Robert Montgomery and then-husband Franchot Tone, and was a success.

Crawford had long pleaded with MGM's head Louis B. Mayer to cast her in more dramatic roles, and
although he was reluctant, he cast her in the sophisticated comedy-drama I Live My Life (1935),
directed by W.S. Van Dyke. It was well-received by critics and made a larger profit than the studio
had expected. She next starred in the period film The Gorgeous Hussy (1936), opposite Robert
Taylor and Lionel Barrymore as well as Tone, a critical and box office success, become one of
Crawford's biggest hits of the decade. Love on the Run (1936), a romantic comedy directed by W.S.
Van Dyke, was her seventh film co-starring Clark Gable. It was, at the time of its release, called "a lot
of happy nonsense" by critics, but a financial success nonetheless.

Box Office Poison[edit]

Crawford was proclaimed the first "Queen of the Movies" in 1937 by Life magazine. Despite this, and
even though she remained a respected MGM actress and her film still earned profits, her popularity
declined in the late 1930s. In 1937, she unexpectedly slipped from seventh to fortieth place at the
box office, and her public popularity also began to wane. [30] Richard Boleslawski's comedydrama The Last of Mrs. Cheyney (1937) teamed her opposite William Powell for the first time; it was
also her first film in years to lose money at the box office. She co-starred opposite Franchot Tone for
the seventh and final time in The Bride Wore Red (1937). The film was generally unfavorably
reviewed by the majority of critics, with one critic calling it the "same ole rags-to-riches story"
Crawford had been making for years. It also ran a financial loss, becoming one of MGM's biggest
failures of the year. Mannequin did, as the New York Times stated, "restore Crawford to her throne
as queen of the working girls". Most other reviews were positive, and the film managed to generate a
minor profit, but it did not resurrect Crawford's popularity.[30]
On May 3, 1938, Crawfordalong with MGM colleagues Greta Garbo, Norma Shearer, Luise
Rainer, and John Barrymore, as well as Katharine Hepburn, Fred Astaire, Dolores del Ro and
otherswas dubbed "Box Office Poison" in an open letter in the Independent Film Journal. The list
was submitted by Harry Brandt, president of the Independent Theatre Owners Association of
America. Brandt stated that while these stars had "unquestioned" dramatic abilities, their high
salaries did not reflect in their ticket sales, thus hurting the movie exhibitors involved. Her follow-up
movie, The Shining Hour (1938), co-starring Margaret Sullavan and Melvyn Douglas, was wellreceived by critics, but a box office flop.[31]
She made a comeback with her role as home-wrecker Crystal Allen in The Women in 1939. A year
later, she broke from formula, playing the unglamorous role of Julie in Strange Cargo (1940), her
eighth and final film with Clark Gable. She later starred as a facially disfigured blackmailer in A
Woman's Face (1941), a remake of the Swedish film En kvinnas ansikte which had starred Ingrid
Bergman in the lead role three years earlier. While the film was only a moderate box office success,
her performance was hailed by many critics.[citation needed]
Crawford adopted her first child, a daughter, in 1940. Because she was single, California law
prevented her from adopting within the state so she arranged the adoption through an agency in Las
Vegas. The child was temporarily called Joan until Crawford changed her name to Christina. She
married actor Phillip Terry on July 21, 1942 after a six-month courtship.[32] Together the couple
adopted a son whom they named Christopher, but his birth mother reclaimed the child. They
adopted another boy, whom they named Phillip Terry, Jr.
After the marriage ended in 1946, Crawford changed the child's name to Christopher Crawford. After
18 years, Crawford's contract with MGM was terminated by mutual consent on June 29, 1943. In lieu
of the last film remaining under her contract, MGM bought her out for $100,000. During World War
II she was a member of American Women's Voluntary Services.[33]

Move to Warner Brothers[edit]

For $500,000, Crawford signed with Warner Brothers for a three movie deal and was placed on the
payroll on July 1, 1943. Her first film for the studio was Hollywood Canteen(1944), an all-star moralebooster film that teamed her with several other top movie stars at the time. Crawford said one of the

main reasons she signed with Warner Brothers was because she wanted to play the character
"Mattie" in a proposed 1944 film version of Edith Wharton's novel Ethan Frome (1911).

Crawford in the trailer for Mildred Pierce(1945).

She wanted to play the title role in Mildred Pierce (1945), but Bette Davis was the studio's first
choice. However, Davis turned the role down. Director Michael Curtiz did not want Crawford to play
the part, claiming Davis could be replaced with Barbara Stanwyck, Olivia de Havilland, or Joan
Fontaine. However, Warner Brothers went against Curtiz's wishes and cast Crawford in the film.
Throughout the entire production of the movie, Curtiz criticized Crawford. He has been quoted as
having told Jack Warner, "She comes over here with her high-hat airs and her goddamn shoulder
pads... why should I waste my time directing a has-been?" [34] Curtiz demanded Crawford prove her
suitability by taking a screen test. After the test, Curtiz agreed to Crawford's casting. Mildred
Pierce was a resounding critical and commercial success. It epitomized the lush visual style and the
hard-boiled film noir sensibility that defined Warner Bros. movies of the later 1940s, earning
Crawford the Academy Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role.[35]
The success of Mildred Pierce revived Crawford's movie career. For several years, she reigned as
one of the most respected and most successful actresses in Hollywood. In 1946, she starred
opposite John Garfield in Humoresque, a romantic drama of a love affair between an older woman
and a younger man. She starred alongside Van Heflin in Possessed (1947), for which she received a
second Academy Award nomination, although she did not win. In Daisy Kenyon (1947), she
appeared opposite Dana Andrews andHenry Fonda, and in Flamingo Road (1949) she played a
carnival dancer opposite Zachary Scott and David Brian. She made acameo appearance in It's a
Great Feeling (1949), poking fun at her own screen image. In 1950, she starred in the film noir, The
Damned Don't Cry!, and starred in Harriet Craig.
After the completion of This Woman Is Dangerous (1952), a film Crawford called her "worst", she
asked to be released from her Warner Brothers contract. By this time she felt Warners was losing
interest in her and she decided it was time to move on. [citation needed] Later that same year, she received
her third and final Academy Award nomination forSudden Fear for RKO Radio Pictures. In 1953, she
appeared in her final film for MGM, Torch Song. The movie received favorable reviews and moderate
success at the box office.[citation needed]
Crawford adopted two more children in 1947, identical twins whom she named Cindy and Cathy.[36]

Radio and television[edit]

Crawford worked in the radio series The Screen Guild Theater on January 8, 1939; Good
News; Baby, broadcast March 2, 1940 on Arch Oboler's Lights Out; The Word onEveryman's
Theater (1941); Chained on the Lux Radio Theater and Norman Corwin's Document A/777 (1948).
She appeared in episodes of anthology television series in the 1950s and, in 1959, made a pilot for
her series, The Joan Crawford Show.

Al Steele and Pepsi Cola Company[edit]

Crawford married her final husband, Alfred Steele, at the Flamingo Hotel in Las Vegas on May 10,
1955.[37] Crawford and Steele met at a party in 1950 when Steele was an executive at PepsiCo. They
renewed their acquaintance at a New Year's Eve party in 1954. Steele by that time had become
President of Pepsi Cola.[38] Alfred Steele would later be named Chairman of the Board and Chief
Executive Officer of Pepsi Cola. She traveled extensively on behalf of Pepsi following the marriage.
She estimated that she traveled over 100,000 miles for the company.[39]
Steele died of a heart attack in April 1959. Crawford was initially advised that her services were no
longer required. After she told the story to Louella Parsons, Pepsi reversed its position and Crawford
was elected to fill the vacant seat on the board of directors.[40]
Crawford received the sixth annual "Pally Award", which was in the shape of a bronze Pepsi bottle. It
was awarded to the employee making the most significant contribution to company sales. In 1973,
Crawford was forced to retire from the company at the behest of company executive Don Kendall,
whom Crawford had referred to for years as "Fang".[41]

Later career[edit]
After her Academy Award nominated performance in 1952's Sudden Fear, Crawford continued to
work steadily throughout the rest of the decade. In 1954, she starred in Johnny Guitar,
a camp western film, co-starring Sterling Hayden and Mercedes McCambridge. She also starred
in Female on the Beach (1955) with Jeff Chandler, and in Queen Bee(1955) alongside John Ireland.
The following year, she starred opposite a young Cliff Robertson in Autumn Leaves (1956) and
filmed a leading role in The Story of Esther Costello (1957), co-starring Rossano Brazzi. Crawford,
who had been left near-penniless following Alfred Steele's death [citation needed][42] accepted a small role
in The Best of Everything (1959). Although she was not the star of the film, she received positive
reviews. Crawford would later name the role as being one of her personal favorites. However, by the
early 1960s, Crawford's status in motion pictures had declined considerably.

As Blanche Hudson in What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962)

Crawford starred as Blanche Hudson, an old, wheelchair-bound former A-list movie star in conflict
with her psychotic sister, in the highly successful psychological thriller What Ever Happened to Baby
Jane? (1962). Despite the actresses' earlier tensions, Crawford reportedly suggested Bette Davis for
the role of Jane. The two stars maintained publicly that there was no feud between them. The
director, Robert Aldrich, explained that Davis and Crawford were each aware of how important the
film was to their respective careers and commented, "It's proper to say that they really detested each
other, but they behaved absolutely perfectly."[43] After filming was completed, their public comments
against each other propelled their animosity into a lifelong feud. The film was a huge success,
recouping its costs within 11 days of its nationwide release, and temporarily revived Crawford's
career. Davis was nominated for an Academy Award for her performance as Jane Hudson. Crawford
secretly contacted each of the other Oscar nominees in the category (Katharine Hepburn,Geraldine
Page and Anne Bancroft, all East Coast-based actresses), to let them know that if they could not

attend the ceremony, she would be happy to accept the Oscar on their behalf; all agreed. Both Davis
and Crawford were backstage when the absent Anne Bancroftwas announced as the winner, and
Crawford accepted the award on her behalf. Davis claimed for the rest of her life that Crawford had
campaigned against her, a charge Crawford denied. [citation needed]
That same year, Crawford starred as Lucy Harbin in William Castle's horror mystery StraitJacket (1964). Robert Aldrich cast Crawford and Davis in Hush... Hush, Sweet Charlotte (1964).
After a purported campaign of harassment by Davis on location in Louisiana, Crawford returned to
Hollywood and entered a hospital. After a prolonged absence, during which Crawford was accused
of feigning illness, Aldrich was forced to replace her with Olivia de Havilland. Crawford claimed to be
devastated, saying "I heard the news of my replacement over the radio, lying in my hospital bed" ... I
cried for 9 hours." [44] Crawford nursed grudges against Davis and Aldrich for the rest of her life,
saying of Aldrich, "He is a man who loves evil, horrendous, vile things", to which Aldrich replied, "If
the shoe fits, wear it, and I am very fond of Miss Crawford." [45]
In 1965 she played Amy Nelson in I Saw What You Did (1965), another William Castle vehicle. She
starred as Monica Rivers in Herman Cohen's horror thriller film Berserk!(1967). After the film's
release, Crawford guest-starred as herself on The Lucy Show. The episode, "Lucy and the Lost
Star", first aired on February 26, 1968. Crawford struggled during rehearsals and drank heavily onset, leading series star Lucille Ball to suggest replacing her with Gloria Swanson. However, Crawford
was letter-perfect the day of the show, which included dancing the Charleston, and received two
standing ovations from the studio audience.[46]
In October 1968, Crawford's 29-year-old daughter, Christina (who was then acting in New York on
the CBS soap opera The Secret Storm), needed immediate medical attention for a ruptured ovarian
tumor. Until Christina was well enough to return, Crawford offered to play her role, to which
producer Gloria Monty readily agreed. Although Crawford did well in rehearsal, she lost her
composure while taping and the director and producer were left to struggle to piece together the
necessary footage.[47]
Crawford's appearance in the 1969 television film Night Gallery (which served as pilot to the series
that followed), marked one of Steven Spielberg's earliest directing jobs. She made a cameo
appearance as herself in the first episode of the situation comedy The Tim Conway Show, which
aired on January 30, 1970.[48] She starred on the big screen one final time, playing Dr. Brockton in
Herman Cohen's science fiction horror film Trog (1970), rounding out a career spanning 45 years
and more than eighty motion pictures. Crawford made three more television appearances, as
Stephanie White in a 1970 episode ("The Nightmare") of The Virginian[49] and as Joan Fairchild (her
final performance) in a 1972 episode ("Dear Joan: We're Going to Scare You to Death") of The Sixth
Sense.[50]

Final years[edit]
In 1970, Crawford was presented with the Cecil B. DeMille Award by John Wayne at the Golden
Globes, which was telecast from the Coconut Grove at The Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles. She
spoke at her Stephens College, which she had only attended for four months.
Crawford published her autobiography, A Portrait of Joan, co-written with Jane Kesner Ardmore, in
1962 through Doubleday. Crawford's next book, My Way of Life, was published in 1971 by Simon
and Schuster. Those expecting a racy tell-all were disappointed, although Crawford's meticulous
ways were revealed in her advice on grooming, wardrobe, exercise, and even food storage. Upon
her death there was found in her apartment photographs of John F. Kennedy, for whom she had
reportedly voted in the 1960 presidential election.[51]
In September 1973, Crawford moved from apartment 22-G next door to a smaller apartment, 22-H,
at the Imperial House. Her last public appearance was September 23, 1974, at a party honoring her
old friend Rosalind Russell at New York's Rainbow Room. Russell was suffering from breast cancer

and arthritis at the time. When Crawford saw the unflattering photos that appeared in the papers the
next day, she said, "If that's how I look, then they won't see me anymore." [52] Crawford cancelled all
public appearances, began declining interviews and left her apartment less and less.
Dental-related[citation needed] issues, including surgery which left her needing round-the-clock nursing care,
plagued her from 1972 until mid-1975. While on antibiotics for this problem in October 1974, her
drinking caused her to black out, slip and strike her face. The incident scared her enough to give up
drinking and smoking, although she insisted it was because of her return to Christian Science. The
incident is recorded in a series of letters sent to her insurance company held in the stack files on the
3rd floor of the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, as well as documented by Carl
Johnnes in his biography of the actress, Joan Crawford: The Last Years.[53]

Death and legacy[edit]

On May 8, 1977, Crawford gave away her beloved Shih Tzu "Princess Lotus Blossom", for which
she was too weak to care.[54] She died two days later at her New York apartment from a heart attack,
while also reportedly ill with pancreatic cancer.[39] A funeral was held at Campbell Funeral Home,
New York, on May 13, 1977. In her will, which was signed October 28, 1976, Crawford bequeathed
to her two youngest children, Cindy and Cathy, $77,500 each from her $2,000,000 estate. She
explicitly disinherited the two eldest, Christina and Christopher, writing "It is my intention to make no
provision herein for my son Christopher or my daughter Christina for reasons which are well known
to them." She left money to her favorite charities: the U.S.O. of New York; the Motion Picture Home,
of which she had been a founder; the American Cancer Society; the Muscular Dystrophy
Association; the American Heart Association; and the Wiltwyck School for Boys.[55]
A memorial service was held for Crawford at All Souls' Unitarian Church on Lexington Avenue in
New York on May 16, 1977, and was attended by, among others, her old Hollywood friend Myrna
Loy. Another memorial service, organized by George Cukor, was held on June 24 in the Samuel
Goldwyn Theater at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in Beverly Hills. Crawford
was cremated and her ashes were placed in a crypt with her fourth and final husband, Alfred Steele,
in Ferncliff Cemetery, Hartsdale, New York.[56]
Joan Crawford's hand and footprints are immortalized in the forecourt of Grauman's Chinese
Theater on Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood. She has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at
1750 Vine Street. Playboy listed Crawford as #84 of the "100 Sexiest Women of the 20th century" in
1999.
Sonic Youth used a clip of her star in the music video for "Mildred Pierce", also the name for
her most famous film.

Mommie Dearest[edit]
In November 1978, Christina Crawford published Mommie Dearest, which contained allegations that
her late adoptive mother was emotionally and physically abusive to Christina and her brother
Christopher and how Joan Crawford adopted her children as a scheme to become famous instead of
parenting. Many of Crawford's friends and co-workers, including Van Johnson, Ann Blyth, Marlene
Dietrich, Myrna Loy, Katharine Hepburn, Cesar Romero, Gary Gray, Betty Barker (Joan's secretary
for nearly fifty years), Douglas Fairbanks Jr. (Crawford's first husband), and Crawford's other
daughters Cathy and Cindy denounced the book, categorically denying any abuse. [57] But
others, includingBetty Hutton, Helen Hayes,[58] James MacArthur (Hayes' son),[59][60] June Allyson,[61] Liz
Smith,[59] Rex Reed,[59] and Vincent Sherman[62] stated that they had witnessed the abuse. Joan
Crawford's secretary, Jeri Binder Smith, confirmed Christina's account. [63]
Mommie Dearest became a bestseller and was made into the 1981 biography film Mommie Dearest,
starring Faye Dunaway as Crawford.

Filmography[edit]
Main article: Joan Crawford filmography

Autobiographies[edit]

(1962). A Portrait of Joan: The Autobiography of Joan Crawford.

Doubleday. ISBN 978-1-258-17238-1.

(1971). My Way of Life. Simon & Schuster. ISBN 978-0-67178568-0.

Notes[edit]
1.

^ Jump up to:a b Given that her elder brother Hal was born in
September 1903 (see [1], [2]), it is nearly biologically impossible that
Lucille could have been born in March 1904 and never any indication
she was born three months prematurely.
* A minority of sources, including the 1910 and 1920 census records,
indicate 1905 as the year of birth.
* Her school records indicate she gave her year of birth as 1906.
* She began using the year 1908 around 1929 when she entered into
her first marriage, and her gravestone states 1908, but since she gave
1906 as her year of birth to her school, and also since she would have
been only 16 years old on January 1, 1925 when she began her
Hollywood career, 1908 is almost definitely inaccurate.
Lawrence J. Quirk; William Schoell (September 30, 2002). Joan
Crawford: The Essential Biography. University Press of Kentucky.
pp. 1. ISBN 978-0-8131-2254-0.
Liz Sonneborn (January 1, 2002). A to Z of American Women in the
Performing Arts. Infobase Publishing. p. 43. ISBN 978-1-4381-0790-5.
Mark Knowles (April 30, 2009). The Wicked Waltz and Other
Scandalous Dances: Outrage at Couple Dancing in the 19th and Early
20th Centuries. McFarland. p. 233.ISBN 978-0-7864-3708-5.
Thomas S. Hischak (June 2, 2008). The Oxford Companion to the
American Musical:Theatre, Film, and Television: Theatre, Film, and
Television. Oxford University Press. p. 174. ISBN 978-0-19-533533-0.
JOAN CRAWFORD (1908-1977), Social Security Death Index

2.

Jump up^ Donald S. Fracier, Robert F. Pace, and photographer Steve

Butman, Abilene Landmarks: An Illustrated Tour, Abilene, Texas: State
House Press, 2008, pg. 41

3.

^ Jump up to:a b Spoto, Donald (2010). Possessed - the Life of Joan

Crawford. Harper Collins. pp. 614. ISBN 978-0-06-185600-6.

4.

Jump up^ Newquist, pg. 25

5.

^ Jump up to:a b Denby, David, "Escape Artist, The Case for Joan
Crawford", The New Yorker, January 3, 2011.

6.

Jump up^ Thomas, pgs. 2324

7.

Jump up^ Thomas, pg. 30

8.

^ Jump up to:a b Considine, pg. 12

9.

Jump up^ Granlund, pg. 147

10. Jump up^ Thomas, pg. 106

11. Jump up^ Granlund, pg. 135
12. Jump up^ Crawford, quoted in Newquist, pg. 31
13. Jump up^ Maas, quoted in LaSalle, pg. 123
14. Jump up^ Thompson, pg. 47
15. Jump up^ Crawford, quoted in LaSalle, pg. 120
16. Jump up^ Crawford, quoted in Skal, pg. 73
17. Jump up^ Fitzgerald, quoted in Thomas, pg. vii
18. Jump up^ "Joan Crawford Weds in the East". Jefferson City MO Daily
Capital News. June 4, 1929.
19. Jump up^ Thomas, pg. 80
20. Jump up^ Thomas, pg. 63
21. Jump up^ Crawford, quoted in Thomas, pg. 65
22. Jump up^ Hy, Peter (1991), MGM: When the Lion Roars, Atlanta:
Turner Publishing, Inc., p. 72,ISBN 1-878685-04-X
23. Jump up^ Leese, pg. 18
24. Jump up^ "Time Magazine". March 8, 1933. Retrieved February
10, 2009.
25. Jump up^ Thomas, pg. 94
26. Jump up^ Considine, pgs. 9192
27. Jump up^ Thomas, pg. 114
28. Jump up^ Considine, pgs. 9798
29. Jump up^ Thomas, pg. 241
30. ^ Jump up to:a b Thomas, pg. 113
31. Jump up^ Thomas, pg. 115

32. Jump up^ "Joan Crawford Weds Actor Phillip Terry". Lubbock (TX)
Morning Avalanche (UP). July 22, 1942. p. 11.
33. Jump up^ Quirk, Lawrence J. (2002). Joan Crawford: the essential
biography. Lexington, KY: University of Kentucky Press.
p. 124. ISBN 0-8131-2254-6.
34. Jump up^ Curtiz, quoted in Thomas, pg. 136
35. Jump up^ Miller, Julie (26 September 2012). "The Academy Award
That Joan Crawford Accepted in Bed Sells; Can You Guess for How
Much?". Vanity Fair. Retrieved 23 December 2014.
36. Jump up^ Day, Elizabeth (May 25, 2008). "I'll never forgive
Mommie". Guardian UK (London). Retrieved May 6, 2010.
37. Jump up^ "Joan Crawford Is Wed in Las Vegas to
Businessman". Moberly (MO) Monitor-Index and Democrat.
Associated Press. May 10, 1955. p. 8.
38. Jump up^ Thomas, pg. 190
39. ^ Jump up to:a b "Joan Crawford Dies at Home; Joan Crawford, Screen
Star, Dies in Manhattan Home". New York Times. May 11, 1977.
Retrieved August 21, 2007.
40. Jump up^ Considine, pg. 286
41. Jump up^ Quirk, Lawrence; Schoell (2002). Joan Crawford: the
essential biography. Twenty-First Century Books. p. 312. ISBN 08131-2254-6.
42. Jump up^ "'I'm Broke, Says Joan Crawford". Jefferson City (MO)
Post-Tribune. Associated Press. June 1, 1959. p. 1.
43. Jump up^ Considine, ibid.
44. Jump up^ Thomas, pg. 225
45. Jump up^ Considine, pg. 363
46. Jump up^ Thomas, pg. 231
47. Jump up^ Thomas, pgs. 23839
48. Jump up^ joancrawfordbest.com Joan Crawford TV: 1970s
49. Jump up^ "Joan Crawford In "The Virginian" Part 1 of 8". YouTube.
Retrieved October 6, 2012.
50. Jump up^ "Joan Crawford on The Sixth Sense". YouTube.
Retrieved October 6, 2012.

51. Jump up^ Cowie, Peter. Joan Crawford: The Enduring Star (Rizzoli
Universe Promotional Books, March 8, 2011), pp. 204205
52. Jump up^ Considine, pg. 396
53. Jump up^ Carl Johnnes. Joan Crawford: The Last Years. Dell
Publishing. ISBN 0-440-11536-1.
54. Jump up^ Thomas, pg. 266
55. Jump
up^ http://www.vanityfair.com/culture/features/2008/03/crawford20080
3#, stated in Vanity Fair article "Daughter Dearest", pg. 2
56. Jump up^ Crawford, Joan. "Joan Crawford's Final resting Place". Find
A Grave. RetrievedMarch 11, 2012.
57. Jump up^ Considine, pg. 412
58. Jump up^ Hayes, Helen; Hatch, Katherine (1990). My Life in Three
Acts. Harcourt, Brace Jovanovich. ISBN 0-15-163695-8.
59. ^ Jump up to:a b c Redbook v. 165, Redbook Publishing, Inc. p. 25.
OCLC 1763595.
60. Jump up^ Strouse, Jean (1978). "Mommie Monster" Newsweek:
Volume 92, Issues 1018. p. 134.
61. Jump up^ Allyson, June; Leighton, Frances Spatz (1983). June
Allyson. New York: Berkley. pp. 7784. ISBN 0-425-06251-1.
62. Jump up^ Sherman, Vincent (1996). Studio Affairs: My Life As a Film
Director. University Press of Kentucky. pp. 209
213. ISBN 0813119758.
63. Jump up^ "Mysteries and Scandals". Season 1. Episode 34. E!
Entertainment. November 09, 1998. 20 minutes in.

Sources[edit]

Considine, Shaun (1989). Bette and Joan: The Divine Feud. New York, E.
P. Dutton, a division of Penguin Books. ISBN 0-525-24770-X.

Bret, David (2006). Joan Crawford: Hollywood Martyr. Robson. ISBN 186105-931-0.

Granlund, Nils T. (1957). Blondes, Brunettes, and Bullets. New York, David
McKay Company.

Hoefling, Larry J. (2008). Nils Thor Granlund: The Swedish Showman Who
Invented American Entertainment. Inlandia Press. ISBN 0-9822313-0-X.

LaSalle, Mick (2000). Complicated Women: Sex and Power in Pre-Code

Hollywood. New York, Thomas Dunne Books, an imprint of St. Martin's
Press. ISBN 0-312-25207-2.

Dunaway, Faye (1998). Looking For Gatsby. Pocket. ISBN 0-671-67526-5.

Leese, Elizabeth (1991). Costume Design in the Movies. Dover

Books. ISBN 0-486-26548-X.

Newquist, Roy, with introduction by John Springer (1980). Conversations

with Joan Crawford. New Jersey, Citadel Press, a division of Lyle Stuart,
Inc. ISBN 0-8065-0720-9.

Skal, David J. (1993). The Monster Show: A Cultural History of Horror.

Penguin Books. ISBN 0-14-024002-0.

Thomas, Bob (1978). Joan Crawford: A Biography. New York, Bantam

Books. ISBN 0-553-12942-2.

Further reading[edit]

Carr, Larry (1970). Four Fabulous Faces:The Evolution and

Metamorphosis of Swanson, Garbo, Crawford and Dietrich. Doubleday and
Company. ISBN 0-87000-108-6.

Just Joan: A Joan Crawford Appreciation by Donna Marie Nowak. Albany,

BearManor Media 2010. ISBN 978-1-59393-542-9.

External links[edit]
Dance portal

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Joan Crawford.

Wikiquote has quotations

related to: Joan Crawford

Joan Crawford at the Internet Movie Database

Joan Crawford at the Internet Broadway Database

Joan Crawford at the TCM Movie Database

Joan Crawford at AllMovie

Excerpt of 2008 biography from Vanity Fair

Joan Crawford at DMOZ

Joan Crawford at Virtual History

Joan Crawford awards at Brandeis University

Joan Crawford papers, 19321976, held by the Billy Rose Theatre

Division, New York Public Library for the Performing Arts
[show]

Academy Award for Best Actress

[show]

National Board of Review Award for Best Actress

[show]

Cecil B. DeMille Award (19521975)

WorldCat
VIAF: 59052380
LCCN: n80008750
GND: 118638556
BNF: cb11936318t (data)
ULAN: 500330926
MusicBrainz:32d3f10f-d30c-4133-9af4-9c3d62e343f5
NDL: 00620538

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