"It's a great tragedy when people hear the name Joan Crawford." "The first thing they think of is, "No more wire hangers. "" "There is another Joan Crawford that people should remember." "She really had to work her way..." "... froma nothing, from being a chorus girl." "Oh, she was a perfectionist and so professional." "Crawford was very elegant and nice, but you never quite believed what she said." "There were very few moments that I can ever remember her just being a person." "She was just a control freak." "She didn't wanna be remembered for shadows in her life." "I think to deny Joan Crawford her place in Hollywood history..." "... istoeliminatethe center of the whole story." "She is really the ultimate movie star." "Get out, Veda." "Get your things out of this house before I throw them into the street." "Get out before I kill you." "When she came to the studio, she was nobody." "Just a dancer." "A 1925 MGM memo announced the arrival of a contract player named Lucille Le Sueur, later known as Joan Crawford." "Signed by Vice President Harry Rapf, her contract gave the studio the option  to discard her within 1 0 weeks." "So Lucille Le Sueur entered running." "With limitless drive, she observed work on the lot, made contacts and sought every opportunity to generate publicity in order to succeed in silent pictures." "In this 1925 studio short subject, Lucille was presented to audiences as a new find, and made the most of her first close-up." "But her attempts at landing roles yielded only extra work." "The big stars then were Lillian Gish and Norma Shearer and Greta Garbo." "She lobbied for parts in prestige films such as Lady of the Night featuring Norma Shearer, who was conducting an off-screen liaison  with studio chief, Irving Thalberg." "The character Norma Shearer was playing was a twin." "There was a good sister and bad sister." "And when you needed the backside of the head, that was Lucille's head." "I don't think that she got a very good impression of Norma Shearer." "It was the beginning of a rivalry between them." "Lucille's first break came in Pretty Ladies..." "... where in this scene, she was little more than a glorified chorus girl." "But later in the film, she was given a featured role opposite Zasu Pitts." "This role generated publicity for Lucille Le Sueur  who was making a noise on the lot." "She'd broken through to positive public reaction of the film and had made an important alliance with film star William Haines  who encouraged her to get to know the right people  to aid in her rise to fame." "Namely, studio heads Irving Thalberg and Louis B. Mayer." "But Lucille's wild nightlife as an exhibition dancer  was getting attention as well." "She was gaining a reputation as a fast and loose party girl  with a penchant for dancing, drinking and men." "She used to go to the Cocoanut Grove, and she loved to dance." "She loved the crowds and the crowds loved her." "She loved to do the Charleston." "She used to go there every week." "And she told me about..." "... someoftheaffairsshehad." "She was going with a very wealthy boy from the Cudahy family." "The meatpackers family." "But the Cudahy romance was not to endure intervention from his family  who found her unsuitable for their son." "She was, after all, a movie actress and came from a background that was questionable at best." "The young actress was born into an impoverished Oklahoma family in 1906." "I don't think she really knew her biological father." "I think he left when she was very little." "She did not get along with her mother and her brother..." "... andI don'tthinkshe everreallydid." "She always thought that Grandmother Anna loved Hal the best." "She, as the girl, was left out." "She took the name Billie Cassin..." "... afterherstepfatherthatranthe vaudeville house, and then he left." "The first love of a girl's life is her father." "If she doesn't trust her father..." "... ifshegetsdisillusionedaboutFather, I think that stamps her..." "... fortherestofherlife to distrust men." "She very often talked about how humiliated she was..." "... whenshewasgoingtoschool,where she had to work as a maid, almost..." "... togetan education." "She started her career in show business as a dancer in clubs..." "... inChicago,KansasCity,andwent to Broadway and was a chorus girl." "She worked at Roseland as a dance girl for hire..." "... andthenshecameouttoHollywood under contract as a dancer..." "... notasan actress." "After only a few months at MGM, L.B. Mayer promoted his new starlet by running a contest to rename Lucille Le Sueur a name he felt sounded too much like "sewer. "" "The first choice was Joan Arden, but as that was taken  the second choice won for the name Joan Crawford and a new star was born." "When she was named Joan Crawford, things started to crystallize for her." "She finally started to have an identity." "She created Joan Crawford." "That was a wall for her to shut out that miserable childhood." "She'd crossed certain railroad tracks, but she still could hear the train roar." "Her first break as Joan Crawford was a leading role in, Sally, Irene and Mary, also starring Anita Page." "I made four pictures with Joan Crawford." "I didn't consider her a great actress." "No, not in the beginning at all." "The studio was uncertain about what to do with their free-spirited starlet and tried her out in comedies, dramas and even Westerns, to moderate response." "But L.B. Mayer followed a hunch, and took a chance on her  with a starring role in The Taxi Dancer." "Crawford was a natural on the screen." "Whether from a youthful zeal, or a lack of education she came across as a fresh, new face in an age of affectation." "But industry opinion rumored that Joan 's inexperience contributed to the film 's failure." "Once again, she was assigned to supporting roles." "In her next film, Joan played a seedy carnival performer opposite Lon Chaney in The Unknown." "It was on this project that she received an education by observing her costar's total immersion in his character." "She was learning to use inner resources from an unhappy and abused childhood  to make her scenes jump from the screen." "The starlet was becoming an actress." "With renewed interest, MGM made her a leading lady  to the studio 's top star, John Gilbert, in Twelve Miles Out." "Their on-screen chemistry struck a chord with audiences." "Off-screen, Crawford continued to better herself at MGM." "She went on the other sound stages to watch the other productions." "She took that time to learn as much as she could, and also to make friends..." "... becauseshefoundout that your friends behind the camera..." "... weremoreimportantthanyour  fellow players in front of the camera." "Joan 's achievements were noted in Mayer's office." "She was one of his greatest discoveries, and was rewarded in kind  with a down payment for her first home, in Beverly Hills." "She was even given a new car by the studio but not all was going well for Crawford, whose reckless drinking led to her involvement as the driver in a hit-and-run accident." "A matter which was silenced by the studio." "Joan 's friend William Haines advised discretion to protect her public image." "As a gay leading man, he knew the price of fame." "Crawford and Haines remained the best of friends for the rest of their lives." "MGM cashed in on their much publicized friendship by teaming them romantically in two films." "He was already playing leads at that point." "He kind of let her in on the rules of the game." "The two of them were just friends." "They could be comfortable with each other." "They'd share a lot of intimacies, as far as their little secrets." "Actually, it was when she was back in New York doing West Point..." "... withBillyHainesthatshegotinto probably her first trouble..." "... withthestudio,becauseacadet  actually got kicked out of West Point..." "... forgoingon adatewith her." "Shortly after that, she and Billy got into a car crash." "The studio wasn't too happy about this when they got back to Hollywood." "Joan Crawford made the, I thought, rather impudent remark:" ""How can you get a decent part in a picture..." "... whenNormaShearer sleeps with the boss?"" "Joan could be very aggressive in defense of her career." "She'd go up to the bosses, including Irving Thalberg, and complain:" ""Norma gets everything, and I just get the other stuff. "" "Irving was very protective of Norma and he bristled at this..." "... andheputher ina Western with Tim McCoy." "Joan served her time." "She learned a lesson:" "Don't mess with Irving Thalberg." "Next, Joan was given a starring role in a film that would cement her fame:" "Our Dancing Daughters." "In the movie, Crawford came through as her own unique creation  which MGM had been avoiding from the beginning." "This was the Joan that had been in the nightclubs  the Joan that had been impressing everybody else." "She was finally allowed to be free, and the public reaction was monumental." "Our Dancing Daughters." "Oh, I love it." "Those pictures made us famous." "Crawford was supposed to be the one that did all the dancing and everything..." "... butwaspure,and Iwastheonethat was supposed to be sweet but wasn't..." "... andgotthewealthyman and it didn't work." "It went over so well, we made two more." "You see some of those pictures today and they're really laughable..." "... becausesheis so flutteryand dances up a storm and plays very coy." "F. Scott Fitzgerald noted:" ""Joan Crawford is doubtless the best example of the flapper." "The girl you see in smart nightclubs 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. "" "Filmdom had a new star and hers was the ultimate Cinderella story." "That of a flapper who had made it through the ranks  to become a credible actress and a genuine box-office movie star." "Crawford's salary had slowly increased to $ 250 a week." "But after the success of Our Dancing Daughters, MGM doubled her income." "Her prosperity paid for a new house in the fashionable Brentwood neighborhood." "She hosted glittering parties, attended premieres and answered a flood of fan mail." "Joan had it all." "She was the hottest commodity at the biggest film studio in Hollywood." "But she lacked the social standing befitting her position in the film community." "She met Douglas Fairbanks, Jr." "in the fall of 1 927." "He was performing in Hollywood in a play called Young Woodley." "She sent him a note telling him..." "... howimpressedshehad been by his performance." "The movie magazines rumored of the budding romance between Metro 's box office star and the son of one of the 1 0 most famous men on earth." "Pickfair was the pièce de résistance of all actors." "To be invited to Pickfair, that was-- You'd made it in Hollywood." "But the word from Pickfair was negative toward Crawford  whose wild nightlife provoked the disparagement of Douglas Fairbanks, Sr and his wife, Mary Pickford." "Once again, Joan was found unsuitable  to sit at the table with the privileged class." "It's funny how Hollywood royalty were all sort of..." "... waitressesandvaudevillians..." "... andhowquicklytheybecame the heirs of aristocracy..." "... because,actually,MaryPickford was just a poor dame from Canada." "In May 1929, Joan Crawford was immortalized in the forecourt at Grauman 's Chinese Theatre." "The following month, the couple married in New York  where the absence of Mary and Doug, Sr  was not looked upon unfavorably by the press." "When they got married, it was like a fairy tale." "They were Hollywood royalty." "The press just went crazy." "Tremendous amount of publicity, and for obvious reasons, inspired by MGM..." "... towhomshewas undercontract." "But it was overblown in the press." "It was just almost silly to just sit aside..." "... andseehowmuchattention was paid to it." "We made a trip to Europe as a delayed honeymoon..." "... butshewasreallyunhappy during the whole trip..." "... andcouldn'twaittogetback to Culver City, get back to Hollywood." "Joan Crawford was most at home in Hollywood." "A place where she could enjoy her new marriage to Douglas Fairbanks, Jr and her newfound stardom." "Her box-office receipts rivaled those of Greta Garbo and Norma Shearer and ultimately, her financial success earned the good graces of production chief Irving Thalberg." "MGM fashioned something of a sequel to Our Dancing Daughters entitled Our Modern Maidens awarding Fairbanks a costarring role." "The talkies came to Hollywood, and some of the greatest stars of the silent era came to perish in risky projects." "By yonder blessed moon I swear, which tips with silver all these fruit-tree tops" "MGM put forth a great effort in selling their stable of stars in the all-talking, all-singing Hollywood Revue of 1 929." "And audiences heard Crawford for the first time." "At MGM, they had some voice coaches." "If you look at the old films, everybody has this coached voice." "Nobody sounds like a real American, except some of the men." "I've sat here for 1 5 minutes listening, seeing how far you would go." "While I give you the right to tell me what to wear..." "... whentogetup, gotobed,whatto  eat, there's one right I haven't let go of." "And that's the right to love whom I darn please, and I love Andy." "When she'd meet important people, she always played the lady elegant." "We used to sometimes kid about being "piss-elegant. "" "True love reigned on the home front." "She renamed her home El Jodo a take on their first names, and nicknamed him "Dodo. "" "They hosted glamorous soirees and held the mantle as Hollywood's hottest couple." "The ice melted with her in-laws and she was finally received at Pickfair  though still treated as an outsider by Mary Pickford." "There were so many different Joan Crawfords." "She seemed to have made the very smooth adjustment..." "... toearly-'30swomen'spictures." "The shop girl who makes good." "In Dance, Fools, Dance, she portrayed a girl reporter  who exposed a gangland killer played by an up-and-coming Clark Gable." "Doug, Jr. couldn't understand why she was always late..." "Well, she was having a little rendezvous with Clark." "You're going to have supper with me tonight, in my room." "We've gotta get better acquainted." "I'd love it." "I'll go undress now." "Okay." "This led to three successful films for them at MGM." "Laughing Sinners starred Joan as a wanton woman saved by Salvation Army officer, Gable." "I often wonder if you don't miss the things you used to do." "I've forgotten all about that." "It don't seem like I ever was Bunny Stevens." "I'm glad, lvy." "I was afraid seeing him again might bring it all back." "They were too much alike." "They were both people who had really scrambled to get where they were." "They were both of the people, they were the proletarian stars." "It was during the film Possessed  thattheyprobablyhad  their most serious affair." "Inside, I'm exactly what I was when you found me, a factory girl." "Smelling of sweat and glue." "Common." "That's what I am, common!" "And I like it." "That's what I like about Al." "He's my own kind." "That's the level I belong to, and that's the level I'm going back to." "Certainly they did have an association over a period of years..." "... buthehadavery convenientmarriage to an older woman." "He was always seen socially with her..." "... buthewasveryactive with his leading ladies and lovers." "He had this very protective shield..." "... fromanyof hisromances..." "... whogotalittletooclose  and too demanding." "For her 1 932 film Letty Lynton, Joan adopted an exciting look." "It's really around Letty Lynton  thatshecomesinto what I would call her face." "Where the lips, the eyebrows, the eyes" "You finally see the Joan Crawford face." "The famous Crawford lips became almost a joke in Hollywood." "But they were a great trademark for her." "The eyebrows, which she exaggerated, also became a trademark of hers." "I don't think I ever knew anyone who was so aware..." "... ofherappearanceonthescreen as was Joan." "Her wardrobe of gowns, dresses and suits  were by the famed costume designer, Adrian." "The relationship between Adrian and Joan Crawford..." "... wasprettymuch the first great partnership..." "... betweena designer and an actress." "The Letty Lynton dress was one of the handful..." "... ofgreatcostumedesigns that really influenced that period." "The audience never stopped to think why a girl..." "... whoisprobablymaking$15a week can wear these designer gowns..." "... butthat'spartoftheHollywood make-believe." "She was tiny, you know, and she had a very large head..." "... forthesmallbodythat shehad." "I was shocked when I saw her." "She was tiny, but, oh, she was mighty." "She really was mighty." "Letty Lynton was a tremendous success for Joan." "But no film that year was bigger than the Oscar-winning Grand Hotel." "It had a magnificent cast." "Wally Beery, both Barrymores, Lionel and John..." "... GretaGarbo,andJoanCrawford as a stenographer in the hotel." "And she kept up with them." "You're a little stenographer." "A little stenographer." "That's fascinating." "I don't suppose you'd take some dictation for me sometime, would you?" "It was Irving Thalberg's all-star masterpiece..." "... aboutdecadencein Berlin between the wars." "You loved the baron, didn't you?" "I could take care of you, if you'd let me." "I have enough money." "I'm ill, Flaemmchen." "I won't live long." "Will you stay with me until--?" "Oh, look here, that's nonsense." "We'll find a great doctor." "He'll cure you." "They can cure anything these days." "You think so?" "Of course." "You'll see." "She had no scenes with Garbo, which she regretted." "It was a very sympathetic role, and she was thrilled to be in that company." "It did a great deal for her." "In the wake of her greatest triumph, Joan lobbied to go on loan-out  to United Artists to play Sadie Thompson in Rain." "It really is a remarkable piece of acting." "I think it was the best thing she had done that far in her career." "What's touching about her performance is the rawness..." "... andthatshehadn'tquitebecome Joan Crawford yet." "You've got to go back to San Francisco." "Oh, no, Mr. Davidson." "Your God and me could never be shipmates." "The next time you talk to him..." "... youcantellhim thisforme:" "That Sadie Thompson is on her way to hell." "Stop!" "This has gone far enough." "Oh, no, it hasn't gone far enough." "You've been telling me what's wrong with me." "Now I'm gonna tell you what's wrong with you." "You keep yelling at me to be punished, to go back and suffer." "How do you know what I've suffered?" "You don't know." "You don't care." "You don't even ask, and you call yourself a Christian." "Our father who art in heaven..." "You're a miserable witch." "... hallowedbethyname." "You believe in torture." "You're big, strong, you got the law on your side..." "... andthepowertohang me." "All right!" "But I've got the power to stand here and say to you:" "Hang me and be damned to you!" "It was a flop and she never forgot it." "Joan Crawford tended to base her opinions of her films..." "... onaudienceacceptanceofthem ." "Rain was a film that she never forgot was a flop." "Meanwhile, at Warner Bros., a young hopeful named Bette Davis was embarking on an acting career playing tough young ladies with gritty realism." "No one has any rights about me except me." "Bette and Joan first encountered each other at a press party for the cinema 's hottest newcomers." "Bette was addressing the press when Joan, already an established star  .swept into the room, effectively upstaging Davis." "Bette was pretty contemptuous of Joan." "Bette Davis vowed then and there  to knock Joan Crawford off her high horse." "It was the end of her marriage to Doug Fairbanks, Jr." "It wasn't just Joan seeing somebody." "He was seeing other people, and had been involved in a couple..." "... alienation-of-affectionsuits." "He needed to break free of this movie-star world." "Because she was very happy in that world, and he wasn't." "In May 1933, Joan Crawford filed for divorce." "She was about to begin a new chapter in her life." "MGM put forth its biggest Crawford vehicle to date  with the musical Dancing Lady, which capitalized on the success of the Busby Berkeley musicals at Warner Bros." "The plot accented a love triangle between Joan 's plucky hoofer  who wins the hearts of Broadway producer Clark Gable and wealthy playboy Franchot Tone." "Franchot Tone was a gentleman of the Eastern school." "He was a very charming person who came from money in the East." "She had never known anybody like that intimately." "So I think she became enamored with him." "Tabloids hinted that Crawford was dating her handsome costar, Tone." "But her joy was circumvented by family problems." "She didn't get along with her mother." "Also she had a brother that she didn't care for, who gave her a lot of trouble." "It's par for the course that when one of the family gets to be a star..." "... siblingrivalrymakestheirlives pretty miserable." "Strangely enough, Bette Davis had a sister who gave her a lot of trouble." "While filming Chained with Clark Gable, Joan finally met her biological father." "She later recounted:" ""Both of us were trying to make a relationship  that never quite succeeded." "On his last day in town, I looked across the sound stage and saw his eyes filled with tears." "He waved goodbye and blew me a kiss, and I never saw him again. "" "Crawford had become a creature of extremes." "She knitted furiously, complaining of having nervous hands." "She maintained an exhaustive exercise regimen." "She had a pretty body and always carried clothes very well." "She became bewitched by gardenias, and every day for nearly four years she wore or held the flower almost every waking moment." "She was a Christian Scientist..." "... andshebelievedthatGodislove, and she was devout." "She was notoriously controlling in her friendships." "She was very possessive of her friends." "When she couldn't touch base, she would have a fit." "Crawford was slavishly devoted to corresponding with her fans and contended that they were solely responsible for her stardom." "More than any actress that I ever worked with..." "... shewasawareofthepublic." "She knew how to get in the paper." "But her greatest obsession had become one with cleanliness." "Everything was perfect in her house, up to Emily Post." "She cleaned out all the ashtrays." "She was on her hands and knees..." "... goingaroundthesofa, where people had dropped things." "She just wanted to make sure it was right in the morning when she got up." "Crawford began a successful collaboration  with writer-producer Joseph Mankiewicz..." "...in which her person on-screen  was developing a more independent and commanding air." "It's my life and I'll live it the way I want." "Upside down, catty-corner or sliding down a pole." "She portrayed a woman that was becoming the American woman." "The woman that didn't have a father, husband, brother..." "... orloverto takecareof and protect her." "MGM had signed her to play a number of sophisticates.." "...and feather light comedies, as well, with Franchot Tone  whom she lobbied to be her costar." "Tone had begun to propose marriage to Joan, who once told a reporter:" ""If anyone ever catches me marrying again I hope they give me a good sock in the jaw. "" "Tone encouraged her to spread her wings artistically..." "...by performing the classics on the radio, such as Ibsen 's A Doll's House." "I've been your doll-wife, just as I used to be Father's doll-child and in the same way, my children have been my dolls." "That's what our marriage has been, Torvald." "Before one such radio performance, on October 1 1 th, 1935 Joan Crawford married Franchot Tone." "He was educated, cultured." "She had great ambitions to be educated and cultured." "At home, Joan and Franchot spent quiet evenings together." "He introduced her to the works of Chekhov, Shaw and Shakespeare." "For Crawford, it was a new and exhilarating world of ideas." "Ironically, with Crawford's cultural awakening both on-screen and off  there came a downturn in her public appeal." "So MGM teamed Crawford with Gable in Love on the Run." "But their famed chemistry  which always meant box-office returns in their previous five films, dissolved." "As Gable's movies with other stars were well received it was becoming clear that it was Crawford who was slipping." "In another attempt to boost her public appeal MGM starred her opposite her real-life husband, Franchot Tone in The Bride Wore Red, where they played faithful lovers  though their actual marriage was an open one." "I was about 1 4." "He was very much a ladies' man." "And he would keep getting telephone calls..." "... onCrawford'stelephone in her dressing room..." "... fromladiesthathewasgoing with." "She apparently permitted this..." "... andhewouldpickupthephone and have his conversation." "She would read whatever she was reading or talk to me." "He would finish." "They would nod again, and he'd go back to his dressing room." "I didn't really know what was going on, so I didn't know how funny it was." "Though her second marriage was on shaky ground  Crawford's relationship with the technical crew at MGM  was one of her most cherished." "The grips, the electricians, all of them, she knew them by name." "And when Christmas came along, she had a gift for everyone..." "... andnotjustacheapoldgifteither." "She knew that these people sustained her career and made her look good." "A gaffer, he fell and the spotlight fell on top of him." "Like, you know, 30 feet." "And he was rushed to the hospital and she immediately stopped shooting." "Every day that I was on the set..." "... shewasphoning or sending someone with gifts..." "... andmakingcertain that he was provided for." "Mannequin was Crawford's next and last picture for Joe Mankiewicz." "But their shop-girl-who-makes-good formula had lost its audience appeal." "The film 's highlight would be her work with costar Spencer Tracy." "Like Gable, Tracy was a man 's man." "He enjoyed playing the sport of polo, a staple for the male elite in Hollywood." "Joan took a sudden interest in polo, although terrified of horses." "Tracy helped her overcome her fears, and an affair began." "But the actor was bound to a Catholic marriage and wanted no complications in his turbulent life." "She couldn't control him, and he was very obstreperous." "Their affair ended with principal photography and Mannequin flopped at the box office." "In 1938, a trade paper ran an article entitled "Box-Office Poison. "" "It claimed theater owners were losing money with films starring Greta Garbo Joan Crawford, Marlene Dietrich and others." "Crawford did not take the attack lightly." "In only a year, she had fallen from being Hollywood's "Queen of the Movies"  to "Box-Office Poison" and the term of her seven-year contract at Metro was soon to expire." "Louis B. Mayer was grooming a new crop of stars at MGM and Joan knew that the competition was gaining on her." "The studio head used "Box-Office Poison" to his advantage and offered her a mere one-year contract." "In fear of leaving the security of the studio she was willing to cut her price per picture in exchange for a longer contract at a lower salary." "She signed a new five-year agreement and offered Mayer the advice:" ""No more goddamn shop girls. "" "With newfound enthusiasm, Crawford aggressively sought out  the role of the heartless mantrap Crystal Allen in The Women." "Louis B. Mayer said, "Why would you want to play this awful bitch?"" "She said, "I'd play Wally Beery's grandmother if the part was good. "" "And you think she would." "After much pleading with director George Cukor she won the part opposite her MGM rival, Norma Shearer." "He had created quite a stir on the MGM lot..." "... becauseherewas "The Queen of MGM" ..." "... and" TheDancingGirl," together in the same picture." "And they knew that there might be some skyrockets going off." "Joan had not appeared in a film with Shearer since she had doubled for her in 1925." "And after 1 4 years of accepting Norma 's rejected roles and suffering her airs of condescension" "Oh, no, Stephen." "I couldn't think of your disarranging your evening." "Crawford had an arsenal of rage, and now a vehicle to vent it." "So help me, I'm gonna slug you." "I only had that one sequence with Crawford." "Thank God, I wouldn't have wanted to be in the rest of them." "That was a catfight all the way." "George Cukor was aware of the rift between Joan and Norma and skillfully kept the two apart until the very last minute." "People were expected to do off-stage lines." "When they're playing scenes together, they intercut." "I beg your pardon." "I am Mrs. Stephen Haines." "And then each one, in turn, respects the other and does off-stage lines..." "... withtheotheractress." "And Joan, just to be spiteful..." "... keptknittingallthe time and never having to look at it." "But you could hear the click of the needles..." "... knittingneedlesgoingbackandforth ." "And put all the antagonism into it and contempt..." "... anda sortof aone-upsmanship over Norma." "When it came time for Joan's close-up..." "... Normawouldn'tcomeout  of her dressing room." "When Crawford and Shearer were called to shoot publicity stills neither one would enter the session first, so both circled the parking lot until Cukor pulled them from their limousines in tandem and instantly they behaved like the best of friends." "Say, listen." "I've worked too hard to land this meal ticket to make any false moves now." "Romance?" "Listen, peace is a whole lot more to me than any romance." "They're not gonna get me out on that limb again, ever." "She is the villainess, and yet I find oddly sympathetic at the end of the picture..." "... whenshe'sbeendefeated by all these cats." "Her exit is really rather touching." "Well, girls." "Looks like it's back to the perfume counter for me." "And by the way, there's a name for you ladies..." "... butitisn'tusedinhighsociety..." "... outsideofakennel." "Solong, ladies." "The Women was an instant hit, and a new Joan Crawford emerged  that of the legitimate actress." "She was a total, technical, consummate artist..." "... andyetcouldallowtheemotion to come through too." "When she showed up in the morning, she knew her lines." "And she knew your lines." "And she knew his lines, and she knew her lines." "All she wanted you to do was know yours." "She understood cutting." "She knew where the camera was." "She knew what the best angles for her were." "She was so experienced you didn't have to worry about her hitting her marks." "She somehow or other could step in and feel the light right on her." "The heat from the lamp was better there." "When it was her close-up, she gave the performance that she was there to do." "When it came around to close-up on you..." "... shestoodrightnext to the camera..." "... andshegaveexactly the same performance..." "... thatshedidwhen it was her close-up..." "... includingexactly when the tear came out." "She said, "You want tears?"" "And he turned to the director and said, "Of course, she's--"" ""Which eye?"" "Which eye?" "You gotta give her credit." "Now, I don't know how she did that." "Joan never got bored with being praised." "Franchot said, "I had to say, 'How gorgeous you look.'" "How divine she was dressed. "" "He had his own ego to be concerned with." "He couldn't always be placating hers." "I think she just got bored with the marriage, and he just got tired." "The Tone marriage was at the breaking point." "After her last in a series of miscarriages Joan was informed by doctors that she was physically unable to have children." "When Louella Parsons contacted Joan, suggesting a scoop about their affairs Joan suggested a better story." "She said, "I'm divorcing Franchot. "" "In March of 1939, she signed the divorce decree on the grounds of mental anguish  with her eye on the creation of a new and exciting Joan Crawford." "Joan Crawford wanted to be a mother." "She applied to social services..." "... tobean adoptiveparent, but they turned her down." "Psychologically, they saw that she was an unfit candidate, as a single parent..." "... toadoptachild." "So she used a baby broker in Las Vegas." "We were bought." "There's no other way to say it." "I was named Joan..." "... afterJoanCrawford." "Oh, thank heavens, I didn't stay that." "Hello, Julie." "Go away, Pig." "Having achieved motherhood, Joan went back to work with Clark Gable in his first film since Gone With the Wind  the action-drama Strange Cargo." "The only woman in the cast, Crawford roughed out the location conditions and delivered one of her toughest performances." "But the hardest blow came when she lost top billing to Clark Gable." "Joan put up a fight but soon gave in to get the front office to give her better roles." "A Woman 's Face marked a transition for Joan." "Here was maybe the most glamorous woman in Hollywood..." "... whowasplaying this scarred woman." "You can tell that she's just been starved for some kind of meaty role." "Cukor was determined to edit down whatever mannerisms..." "... shehadaccumulated during that decade." "And there's a wonderful scene in the film when she has to finally tell..." "... howshegother scar,youknow." "What is, you know, her story." "Cukor evidently tortured her and made her do it..." "... takeaftertakeaftertake ..." "... untilitwasdevoidofanymelodrama." "And it's very effective." "She did do a good job in it, but it was a bomb at the box office." "This is not the Joan Crawford that people wanted to see." "MGM made no effort to get Joan an Oscar nomination." "That was very disturbing for her." "A whirlwind romance bloomed for Joan with B-movie actor Phillip Terry." "On July the 2 1st, 1942, they were married and soon adopted a son, naming him Phillip, Jr." "He was the only father that I knew when I was a little girl." "I did not meet him until they were married." "Joan was cast in When Ladies Meet, a film so inauspicious  that she saw the writing on the wall." "The studio was beginning to gently nudge her out as it had with her female contemporaries Norma Shearer and Greta Garbo." "Joan Crawford's days at MGM were numbered." "I think that Joan felt this coming on." "The pictures they were throwing at her were not up to her standard." "She wasn't getting the top leading men that she used to get." "She must have known that they weren't gonna keep her much longer." "But that wouldn't stop Joan." "She was career-driven." "After 1 8 years at the studio Joan Crawford asked L.B. Mayer to release her from her MGM contract." "And to her dismay, he accepted." "That was a very sad experience in Joan's life." "I mean, this had been her home her whole life." "And then to drive out of the studio on her last day..." "... withnobodybutthe gatemansaying goodbye, that was a terrific blow." "She was devastated losing the MGM contract." "The house had to be closed up." "She didn't work for almost three years." "And it was during the Second World War..." "... soshewenttotheHollywoodCanteen every week to entertain the troops..." "... pourcoffee,do autographs." "We cooked off a Sterno stove in the basement." "There were no people to come and help." "That must have been very strange for this workaholic actress..." "... justbeingawar wifetoPhillipTerry." "Even in those days, she didn't scrub the floor..." "... nomatterhowmany publicity stories they did on it." "She had all of us scrub the floors." "We were never comfortable or relaxed, except when she wasn't there." ""Mommie Dearest" was supposed to be a term of maximum endearment..." "... butitendedupbeing the terminology of our enslavement." "We very often said, "Yes, Mommie Dearest" ..." "... insteadof,"Yes,MommieDearest."" "Me particularly, I got in trouble for the tone of my voice." "Jack Warner saw that there was some life left in Joan Crawford's career." "He had another motive too." "Bette Davis was a pain in the Warner butt." "He thought Crawford would be an ideal opponent..." "... withwhomhe couldwork one against the other." "But the studio chief encountered headaches with Crawford as well  who stalled for two years, knowing a flop could end her career in pictures." "Joan had turned down dozens of films  when she discovered a studio property that had been in development for years entitled Mildred Pierce." "Bette Davis turned it down and Rosalind Russell too." "But Crawford felt it was the perfect vehicle for her." "Warner Bros. assigned director Michael Curtiz to the project although he was skeptical about Crawford." "My third no is final." "Yes, sir." "But after Joan submitted to a screen test  the director was won over." "First time I visited her on a set was Mildred Pierce." "She didn't know how her public would react." "She was more mature now than when she was playing romantic leads at MGM." "So it was a real change for her, and she didn't know what was gonna happen." "I took that job so you and your sister could eat, sleep and have clothes." "Aren't the pies bad enough?" "Did you have to degrade us?" "Don't talk like that!" "I'm not surprised." "You've never spoken of your people, who you came from..." "... soperhapsit 'snatural." "Maybe that's why Father" "I'm sorry I did that." "I'd have rather cut off my hand." "When the picture opened, it was a huge hit..." "... bothcritically and with the audience." "We weren't expecting you, Mildred, obviously." "It's just as well you know." "How long has this been going on?" "Since I came home and even before." "He never loved you." "It's always been me." "I've got what I wanted." "Monte's going to divorce you and marry me." "No, Veda!" "There's nothing you can do about it." "Oscar night was a well-rehearsed drama." "She wants desperately to win the award and doesn't know what to do." "So she takes to her bed and says she has pneumonia." "She got the telephone call that she got the award..." "... anda miraculousandspontaneous remission took place." "Suddenly, she brushed her hair." "She put makeup on..." "... andscrambledbacktobed,  waiting for the press..." "... andthedirector and the Oscar to arrive." "The next day there was the picture in the newspaper..." "... ofherreceivingthe Oscarinbed." "Phil Terry was kind of a hiccup in Joan Crawford's life." "There wasn't much there that was really very substantial, and it ended." "She ripped out all the photographs with him." "So there were photographs that had big tears in them." "Or in some cases, she just ripped off his head." "Crawford seemed very, very smart about shaping a career." "She knew it would serve her well to be seen with Garfield..." "... whowasat thepeak of his success then." "I'm a very difficult person to insult, Mr... ." "You do have a name, don't you?" "Mrs. Wright, this is my friend, Paul Boray." "And I'm sure that any friend of mine is not welcome here." "Bad manners, Mr. Boray." "The infallible sign of talent." "Soon the world will divide itself into two camps." "Pro-Boray and anti-Boray." "Which camp are you in, Mrs. Wright?" "Pro or anti?" "But like her character in the film Joan 's drinking was becoming unmanageable." "My mother and I used to go into Chasen's Restaurant, and in walks..." "... MissCrawfordwithChristina." "Only that night, Miss Crawford had a little too much to drink..." "... andhadto be assisted out of the restaurant." "I think there's no doubt that she was an alcoholic." "How much it impacted her actual ability to work..." "... Ididn'tseeuntillater, but the impact was at home." "They used to have little harnesses for cribs..." "... sothatbabiescouldn'tfall out." "She had them all modified so that they were like torture devices." "It was a means of saying, "I am the one in control. "" "My poor brother was constrained to that every single night." "Joan was a very tough taskmaster." "She was abused herself as a child." "And very often, abused children turn out to be abusive parents." "Wire hangers, wire hangers, wire hangers." "The actual incident of the wire hangers was part..." "... ofa seriesof incidents that we used to call "night raids. "" "Because in the middle of the night..." "... shewouldcomeout  of her bedroom already in a rage." "She was screaming about, "Wire hangers, wire hangers." "You know you're not supposed to leave the clothes on wire hangers. "" "She hauled me out of bed, hit me severely..." "... tookallthesheets,blankets and everything off of my bed..." "... andthenbouncedout oftheroom,  saying, "Clean up your mess. "" "And that was the end of it." "Later on, I thought:" ""What was it about those stupid wire hangers?"" "And I remembered that..." "... Grandmotherhadto take a job in a laundry..." "... whenMotherandHal  were very, very young." "She made a deal with the laundry owner that she would work in the laundry..." "... ifshecouldmovein with her two children and a cot..." "... tothebackroomtolive ..." "... becauseshehadnomoneytolive and no place to live." "They were basically homeless." "And one of the things that a child could do most easily..." "... wastoputthoseclothes on the wire hangers." "I know she hated that laundry with an absolute passion." "If you think logically back..." "... thatisaplacethat phobiaabout  wire hangers could have come from..." "... becausewhereelse could it have come from?" "It was really quite sad." "Humoresque continued her ascent..." "... atWarnerBros. as a prestige star there..." "... andledto filmslikePossessed,which  she was nominated again for an Oscar." "You're not going to marry her." "You're not good enough for her." "Don't you think we should sit down quietly..." "... andthinkup alittlebetterreason for you to shoot me than that?" "I explained it to you, how important it was for you not to leave me again." "I don't think you're that good a shot." "You can't stop me." "Oh, yes, I can." "Let me go." "I'm going to tell him." "Possessed afforded Crawford the opportunity to play the sort of roles Bette Davis had monopolized at Warner Bros." "In fact, the role was originally given to Davis  who went on maternity leave and had to decline." "Although Crawford's career was on the upswing  the same could not be said for Davis." "There must have been something of a rivalry." "By '46, Davis had crested and was on a series of worse and worse films." "Crawford was still doing big movies there." "That must have stuck in Davis' craw." "After Louella Parsons reported Bette's was the most beautiful child on Earth  Crawford arrived at the studio with not one but two brand-new infants." "I think the record shows Joan Crawford was not the mother of the year." "But she'd also have these enormous birthday parties for them..." "... withmerry-go-rounds and pony rides." "I think there was a human need there, too, that she wanted to be a mother." "Joan returned to the screen the following year in another melodrama playing the sort of tough role that she was now famous for." "It's a golden period for her as an actress where she really did..." "... awholeseriesofreally first-rate melodramas." "I'm not a carnival girl anymore." "Sure been acting like it with young Carlisle." "I'm not running." "Do you understand that?" "I've never denied you anything." "Anything money could buy." "That wasn't enough, was it?" "Things are going to be different now." "Crawford had a sense of humor about her new image as evidenced by her work in It's a Great Feeling." "Get out before I kill you!" "What's that for?" "I do that in all my pictures." "Self-respect." "That's something you tell yourself when you got nothing else." "The Damned Don 't Cry is kind of..." "... definitiveJoanCrawford." "It'salmost every one of her images rolled into one." "She runs the gamut." "It's so much fun." "She's so committed to this rather tawdry vehicle." "The night we started, you gave me 20." "I learned from Grady, it should've been 50." "This straightens out the bookkeeping." "It does more than that." "It closes the books." "I'm getting myself a new partner." "While you're at it, better get a couple of other new items." "If you'll excuse the expression." "She was wonderful to direct." "Before we started the picture..." "... wewentto aprojectionroom  one night." "We were looking at Humoresque, and I said:" ""My God, that's a very sexy outfit you've got on. "" "And she said, "Thank you. " Then she took my hand..." "... andshesortofputitonherbreast." "Well, I thought that was kind of strange." "She was ready for me to take her on the floor..." "... oftheprojectionroom, for God's sake." "That began an affair that ran for over three years." "She once said that's the perfect woman." "Can be a lady in the parlor and a whore in bed." "When we went to Palm Springs, I was gonna live in one place..." "... attheracquetclub, and Joan, I thought, was in the other." "When I got there, I found out that she had arranged..." "... forusto haveadjoiningrooms." "But I wasn't trying to parade it, you know what I mean." "I wanted to keep the whole relationship quiet." "If it was a young director, she always liked to have an affair with him..." "... becauseshefeltthatthat wayhe belonged to her and she belonged to him." "Joan wanted me to get a divorce and marry her..." "... butI alsoknew that that wouldn't work." "All of the time I've been figuring out what it is about women like that..." "... thatmakesit so difficultfor them to remain married to one person." "There's a constant need for approval, a constant need for admiration..." "... aconstantneed to be in the public eye." "Bette didn't trust men, and neither did Crawford." "I had to tell my wife." "She said, "What could I say?" "I don't want you to sleep with Joan Crawford?" "If I was a man, I think I would feel the same way. "" "My wife was a remarkable woman." "Harriet Craig was about this woman that cared more for her house..." "... andthewaythingswere , than she did about her husband..." "... oranybodyelsearound." "That was true, in many ways, of Joan." "It was what she had read was the proper way to live." "That was one of her failings." "Joan was preparing lunch for the children." "And then Christopher came in, and she started bawling him out." "The poor kid was sitting there with tears in his eyes." "I said, "Joan, don't humiliate him in front of people," you know." "And she says, "I told you once not to interfere with me and my children." "And if you don't like it, you can leave right now. "" "So I got up and I started out of the kitchen." "And as I went through the kitchen door, she tripped me, and I damn near fell." "And I grabbed myself with the side of the door, and I turned around angrily..." "... andsmackedherrightintheface." "I knocked her on the kitchen floor." "When we were breaking up, we had some argument about something." "She was inebriated, and she said, "Goodbye, Vincent" ..." "... anddroppedthephone." "And I got worried..." "... becauseI thoughtthatshe might do something emotionally" "You know, attempt suicide or something." "She had taken an overdose of sleeping pills." "Whether it was enough to have killed her or not, I don't know." "Or maybe it was an act." "I just never knew, and I never found out." "Let's hop into an imaginary sleigh  to the home of one of the foremost actresses in America, Joan Crawford." "Well, I once spent Christmas Day..." "... inJoanCrawford'shouse, and it was so funny." "And her children waited until 1 :00 in the afternoon to open their presents." "They were like jittery beyond-- You can't imagine." "She made them open their gifts one at a time." "Then they had to go write it in a book." "What it was, what they got." "I mean, it was the most unspontaneous thing I'd even seen." "We didn't get to keep the presents..." "... andwegotlessandless as the years went on." "I don 't let them have all their presents at one time." "From tomorrow on, they earn their gifts." "If they stay on good behavior, they're given their choice of what present they want next." "I always see to it that they give up something they really love." "Otherwise, they don 't really learn the value of giving." "Christmas was just total torture." "By 195 1, Joan 's last few films at Warner Bros. had failed at the box office." "As a result, the studio began sending her substandard scripts in an effort to force her out for refusing work." "The whole country is gunning for you." "Such was the case with This Woman Is Dangerous a sordid melodrama, which she accepted  while instructing her agent, Lew Wasserman  to buy her out of her Warner Bros. contract." "I came back." "And I'll never leave you again." "Crawford departed Warner Bros. and joined other former studio contract stars who had gone independent." "Her first vehicle was the suspense drama, Sudden Fear." "It's the will." ""Last will and testament of Myra Hudson-Blaine. "" "Here it is. "To my husband, Lester Blaine, on my death, $ 1 0,000 a year. "" "Is that all?" "Get a load of this." ""Until he remarries. " If that dirty double-crossing dame thinks that she" "Lester, she can 't sign it till Monday." "Suppose something happened to her between now and Monday." "Who 'd get her money?" "Lester Blaine." "I'd get it all." "Why not?" "I have a gun." "Gun 's no good." "It'll have to look like an accident." "Joan wisely decided against taking her usual salary and instead took a 40 percent profit participation in the film." "The decision paid handsomely when the film became a hit and she was nominated a third time for a Best Actress Academy Award." "Joan Crawford was disturbed by the changes going on in Hollywood  where she felt a new openness about sexuality was running rampant." "It was the Photoplay Awards dinner." "Marilyn Monroe came in an hour late..." "... inthisgoldlamégown  that she had been sewn into." "The whole joint went mad." "For Joan to be upstaged like that..." "... wasunforgivable." "She said, "I think she flaunts sex." "I've always been very subtle about that. "" "That created a front-page story." "And Joan went to Louella Parsons and cried:" ""Of course I said those things, but I thought they were off the record. "" "When MGM beckoned Joan to return in the Technicolor musical Torch Song she was thrilled." "The studio 's publicity department treated Crawford's return like a major event, with a "Welcome Back, Joan" banner and red carpet laid from the street to Joan 's dressing room." "However, the film 's budget and shooting schedule were less than stellar." "Torch Song was a B picture." "Yet it was a job." "She could show off her body, which was still pretty good." "It was directed by Chuck Walters, and he told me he went to Joan's house..." "... andshewaswearingakimono." "And her first words were, "This is what you're getting. "" "And she opened the kimono, and she was stark naked." "That's our Joan." "Torch Song was a bomb at the box office." "But Joan 's survival instincts were relentless." "And she would try any genre possible to refresh her public image including a western, Johnny Guitar." "Someone described it as Beauty and the Beast with Sterling Hayden as Beauty." "It was interesting to watch Joan and Mercedes McCambridge..." "... whokindof hadarivalrygoing ." "They had a big blowout." "It was not a very pleasant set." "When one scene involving McCambridge..." "...elicited applause from the cast and crew director, Nicholas Ray, gazed over his shoulder  to see Crawford shaking with fury." "She just snapped one day and took Mercedes' costumes..." "... andthrewthemout intothestreet." "I'm going to kill you." "lf I don't kill you first." "The director had to go and fetch them back." "It was one of the major feuds in postwar Hollywood history." "Mercedes, many years later, discussed the fact that she had been an alcoholic." "And I think maybe that might have affected her attitude on the film." "By the mid '50s, the Hollywood fan magazines  which had long been a haven for Joan, gave way to scandal sheets  that exposed the sordid details of movie stars ' personal lives." "I was being interviewed by the editor of one of the fan magazines." "One of the assistant editors came in and said:" ""You wanted me to do that story on Joan Crawford." "What do you want?" "Nice girl or a bitch?"" "And he said, "Make her a bitch. "" "So later when I was visiting with Joan, I told her about that." "And I said, "How do you handle that?"" "And she looked at me and smiled, and she said "Oh, my dear." "Suppose they never wrote about me at all. "" "But it was Crawford's relationship with her fans  that proved to be the most enduring joy in her life." "She was always so grateful to her fans." "She felt she owed them to always look her best..." "... andtobe what they wanted her to be." "She talked about fan mail as if it was God." "You had to answer your fan mail." "This woman would write letters..." "... wouldgoto luncheons and parties and things..." "... thatherfanclubswouldhave." "If we went to the theater, she kept giving autographs..." "... untilshegotthe lastonedone." "She knew the public created her as a star." "So she felt this great commitment to them and to never disappoint them..." "... toalwaysbe JoanCrawford whenever she was seen in public." "The fans were more loyal to her than any man would have been..." "... orultimatelyanychild." "She loved publicity." "She knew, unlike most of today's stars..." "... thatpublicity was part of her career." "When you look into her upbringing of the children..." "... andtheway she used them for publicity..." "... itwasjustanotheradjunct of her career." "Good night, Mother." "Good night, Mother dearest." "Good night, darlings." "This is our best time." "The best time for all mothers and children." "The moment of wonderful peace and contentment knowing your children are all cozy in bed for the night." "When you're an actress, there are all these women..." "... whoarelurkinginsideofyou." "I'm sure they've carried over into her private life." "For there are other mothers, so terribly many  who no longer know such moments of peace and happiness." "I feel sorry for any child that grows up with a parent who is an actor." "We are strange." "We do come from another place." "As each of her roles became more steely and harsh on-screen so did her appearance off the screen." "And Crawford detested this change." "If you look at her face on the screen..." "... therewasatoughness that never went away again." "The look is really rather terrifying..." "... withthesehugeeyebrows and the teeth getting bigger..." "... likemaybeshehad themrecapped." "The thick mouth line..." "... andtheshortcroppedhair ." "Shewas creating this almost warrior aspect..." "... invincibleandindomitable, that nobody could get her." "She felt she had to control her private life as much as she did her career..." "... sometimeswithdisastrousresults." "In her 1955 dramas, Female on the Beach for Universal for which she requested that no close-ups be shot after 4:30 p.m and Queen Bee for Columbia Pictures  Crawford'sneedforcontroloftenled to conflicts with younger actresses." "I had been warned that she was gonna be a very, very difficult woman." "She was looking after Lucy's wardrobe, and Lucy." "She was like a mother fluttering around a child." "I thought, "How nice she's being to this young actress. "" "That changed when we started doing the movie." "Poor Lucy would just weep:" ""She's just so angry." "When she hits me, she really hits me. "" "Maybe Joan was impatient..." "... thattherewasn'tthe talentthere that she expected." "Joan pretty much directed herself." "She, of course, would look at the dailies every day." "So she knew what she wanted." "She certainly knew more about filmmaking than the director." "She usually had affairs with the men she worked with." "She and Johnny were having this big romance." "They'd call in the morning about 7:00, and they'd say, you know:" ""Get yourself over here." "We can't shoot them today." "They've just been boozing and balling too much. "" "If that's what got her through the night, that's okay." "Then, along came Alfred Steele..." "... themagnateof Pepsi-Cola..." "... andhewasentrancedwith her,  and she with him..." "... andhispower." "Somebody said, "Joan's in town..." "... andshewouldlikeyoutocome to her wedding celebration." "She married Alfred Steele from Pepsi-Cola. "" "I said, "What?"" "Of course, she was there and Alfred was there and she was just aglow." "I took her over to the side of the restaurant, and I said:" ""You stinker." "You and Johnny," I said, "I thought that was a big romance. "" "She said, "We were in our cups a little bit, I have to admit. "" "And he said, "Why don't we just get married?"" "And she said, "All right. "" "And she said, "Why didn't you call me in Las Vegas?"" "I said, "Mother, I didn't know where you were. "" "And she said to me, "Well, all you had to do was call Information." "Everybody in the world knows who Joan Crawford is. "" "Crawford starred in Columbia Pictures ' Autumn Leaves  with a very young Cliff Robertson." "When I was told I was to go out and play in this March/December romance..." "... Iwasterrified." "HereIwas  gonna work with Joan Crawford..." "... theessenceof an oldersexywoman." "I called Bob Aldrich and I said:" ""When do we rehearse?" And he said, "Cliff, Joan doesn't rehearse. "" "I drove out to Brentwood, and the butler met me at the door, and he called out:" ""Miss Crawford, Mr. Robertson is here. "" "And I looked out, and there was a long terry cloth robe..." "... witha veryshapelynakedleg extended into a foot pool." "That unmistakable voice said, "Come in, dear boy." "We're waiting. "" "I said, "Oh, my God." "Oh, my God. " It was not my idea of a rehearsal." "Another film, The Story of Ester Costello, followed  which would be Crawford's last for almost three years for she had found a new outlet to channel her boundless energy as the first lady of Pepsi-Cola." "She sees the opportunity to keep herself in the public eye..." "... andcreatedtheillusionthat shewas actually the president of Pepsi-Cola." "She could go into a sales meeting and all the boys would clamor around her..." "... andshewouldshaketheirhands ." "And she would go all over the world, with Al or without, wherever she went." "He was big news and Pepsi-Cola was big news." "She was acting Joan Crawford, which was her most magnificent role." "I wonder if any corporate figure before or since..." "... haseverusedthe powers of show business..." "... tothecorporateadvantage as Joan Crawford did." "She made that product synonymous with her name." "When she married Steele, she got an apartment in New York..." "... andspent$300,000cash to fix it up." "I don't think Steele had that kind of money." "It was a very, very Crawford-esque..." "... kindofmoderncontemporary Billy Haines look." "Joan had a pink bedroom and it was built with a big terrace around it..." "... allglass,facingCentralPark ." "Walls of dresses, walls of hats, and everything coordinated." "There was more clear plastic on that furniture..." "... thanwason themeatinan AP ." "Joan called me to tell me that Al had passed away that Sunday morning." "What a shock." "Because he was in very good health, we all thought." "I went to Al's funeral..." "... and,oh,Joanwas justtakenapart ." "A fan came up and asked for an autograph..." "... andJoandidn'tsay anything, just turned away, and with that..." "... thefantookher veil and ripped it off." "With the death of her fourth husband, Alfred Steele Joan was plunged into personal and financial despair." "At the age of 53, Crawford knew she had to find work in Hollywood." "She says, "Herbert, I really need a job. "" "Their duplex penthouse was not paid for..." "... andshemadeapointofworking and paying it off." "I have one small corner of your life." "I've never asked for more." "And I will not settle for less." "Now, you and your rabbit-faced wife can both go to hell." "She had just lost Alfred Steele, and there were moments on the set..." "... whereshewashaving a difficult time." "And I came over to her and I said, "You're gonna do a great job. "" "And then she got herself all propped up and got courage and did the scene." "And then she looked for me after to see if I had seen it." "It was a nice gesture on her part to make me feel like I was important." "Next, Crawford embarked on a film that would once again galvanize her career." "When Hollywood learned that Bette Davis and Joan Crawford..." "... weregonnacostar in What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?" "..." "... everybodywasshocked." "I mean, here are two of the greatest stars." "Academy Award winners, queens of their studios." "The story was that Bob Aldrich shouldn't direct the picture..." "... itshouldbe ClydeBeatty, the famous lion tamer." "Baby Jane provided an outlet for the rivals to unleash the fury of their longstanding feud." "You wouldn't be able to do these awful things to me if I weren't in this chair." "In the film, they played a forgotten child star and her crippled actress sister." "But you are, Blanche." "You are in that chair." "Our dressing rooms are on the stage." "Mine was in the center..." "... andBettewasontheleft and Joan Crawford was on the right." "So I got all the vibes." "It was fascinating to play with them..." "... becauseyouknewhow much they hated each other..." "... buttheyweretryingtokeepit concealed as much as possible." "She would do a scene, and Davis would say to her:" ""Is that the way you're gonna play it?"" "And Joan, of course, got the reading and she said, "Why?"" "She says, "Nothing." "If you're happy with the way you're doing it, just do it. "" "Joan would come off and start crying." "Oh, Bette was so mean to her." "While shooting this scene, Davis actually kicked Crawford in the head and later apologized for the accident and the two stitches that resulted." "Davis did a lot of cruel things when she was tied in the bed..." "... withherhandsupintheair." "Crawford said, "That's too tight. "" "And Davis' remark was, "Well, it has to look real. "" "And Davis would discuss the scene while Joan was hanging there." "When Joan was untied, Bette had to pull Joan out of the bed..." "... anddragheracrossthefloor ." "She said to Joan, "When you do this..." "... don'tbeadeadweight as I lift you off the bed..." "... becauseI haveaverybadback. "" "Well, you could see sort of an invisible light going on over Joan's head..." "... andJoanwasadead weight." "Bette fell on the floor, Joan fell on top of her..." "... andBettewent into the hospital for two days." "Joan got up with the attitude of, "Well, that was done. "" "She envied Davis." "She always felt that Davis was superior to her." "Davis and Crawford had many similarities..." "... andyetBetteDaviscertainly didn't wanna see that..." "... becauseshethoughtofherself as the actress..." "... andCrawfordwasthe moviestar ." "But at the same time they both had troubled children..." "... andwerewomenalone fighting for a career." "Within 1 1 days of its nationwide release..." "... itrecovereditsentire production cost of $825,000." "Then came the Academy Awards." "Bette was nominated." "Joan was not." "She was in the wings and so was Bette." "The presenter said, "The winner is Anne Bancroft in The Miracle Worker. "" "Joan had been designated to accept the award for Anne Bancroft..." "... whowasin NewYork." "Joan pushed Bette and said:" ""Step aside," and walked onto the stage." "Bette never forgot that." "Joan 's next film was the psychological drama  TheCaretakersforUnitedArtists." "The public wanted another horror film from Davis and Crawford and they were cast in, Hush..." "Hush,SweetCharlotte." "From the beginning, Bette was very crusty and aloof." "She even installed a Coca-Cola machine on the set, instead of a Pepsi." "She played such strong ladies in films." "You'd think she could defend herself in any situation, but she could not." "Crawford went to a hospital and claimed she had pneumonia." "And she stayed in the hospital for about three or four weeks." "When I got to the hospital, she said, "I just wanted get out of the picture. "" "Bette had been talking to the director, cutting Crawford's part down..." "... andbuildingherpartup." "And she said, "I just didn't wanna be in, and go through..." "... anotherpicturewithBetteDavis."" "And with that, she locked the door and we went to bed." "Joan was replaced by Olivia de Havilland." "That was the end of the costarring of the two great queens." "Baby Jane was the last important picture Joan did." "She did some horror pictures with Bill Castle." "She became known as the scream queen." "This is Joan Crawford." "I urge you to see my new motion picture, Strait-Jacket, from the beginning." "Strait-Jacket makes her look kind of like Mildred Pierce, but with a hatchet." "I was hired to do the part of her daughter." "The original ending in the script was me at the door, screaming and yelling:" ""I hate you, I love you, I hate you, I love you," and everybody's shocked." "I did the scene." "The next thing I know, Joan says to Bill Castle:" ""We'll end on me, because it should be my reaction..." "... tomydaughtergoingcrazy."" "She was so needy to have the last word..." "... thatshewouldn'tlet me be the last word in the movie." "Had to have her last shot." "It isn't just Joan Crawford." "Every actor or actress today..." "... withanycontrolona movie, they would do the same thing." "Joan made a considerable profit from the horror film but her reputation in Hollywood was suffering as a result and the casting calls were few." "Crawford's suspense-horror films of the '60s are interesting..." "... becausesheis givingher all ." "She is approaching it as if it were still Mildred Pierce." "It's becoming a nightmare." "I keep wondering and thinking, "Who's next?"" "Kill, kill, kill!" "That's all I feel inside me!" "I think that film was hard for her, because it was a B movie." "She wasn't always easy, but there was also something very likable." "When people do show their vulnerability..." "... it'shardnottoforgivethem for other things." "When I was visiting her, she opened this cupboard..." "... andinit wasaboxofCornFlakes..." "... anda jugandabowl ." "Her husband used to like Corn Flakes at night, and they were still there." "She just missed him so much." "She was lonely, she said she was." "And I could see it, and I could feel it in her." "Crawford's identity was inextricably bound to stardom so she continued her career on television when film offers were scarce." "Did Simon ever speak to you about the process he was working on?" "Why, certainly." "He kept me up night after night for weeks." "I hope you can remember some of it." "No." "After five marriages, if a woman hasn't..." "... well,learnedto appear to listen to a man..." "... withoutactually having heard one word..." "... thenshemightjustaswell turn in her wedding rings." "She did one with Steven Spielberg when he was a very young director." "She was insulted that they assigned such a young director..." "... todirectthediva." "By that time, her alcoholism actually was interfering with her ability to work..." "... andshejustwas not able to memorize lines." "But she really didn't work much." "Basically, the only place that they'd seen her were a few talk shows." "I think Hollywood now is the most depressing place in the entire world..." "... andI amthemostgrateful human being in the whole world..." "... forwhatit hasgivenme." "It's given me my education." "It's given me everything I've ever earned." "The power to adopt five children, to raise them, to educate them." "I will never be ungrateful for that..." "... butnowthey'resnobbishlittlecliques, they are, and you may have it." "I got sick when I was under contract to CBS..." "... anddoingthesoapopera Secret Storm." "She talked the network into "Standing in for me," quote-unquote..." "... andshedid." "I was sick and she took my job." "It was a very sad thing to watch..." "... awomanin her60s trying to play a woman in her 20s..." "... extremelyunsuccessfully." "She was a leading lady till the end of her life." "And it's too bad that in this business..." "... thattheydon'tappreciate that somebody can be older..." "... andknowevenmorethan they knew  when they were younger." "But you're supposed to look pretty, I guess, all the way to the grave." "And it ain't necessarily so." "Trog!" "A movie called Trog was her last film." "If it wasn't, it should've been." "Please, Trog." "Let me have the child." "I want you to give me the child!" "Please." "It's unfortunate that actors can't dictate the last act of their lives..." "... andcertainly,Joan'swas not  one she would have chosen." "She had done a great job for Pepsi." "She was treated very shabbily..." "... andjustsortof discarded by them." "She was very critical of somebody who later became chairman of the board..." "... andhegotrid ofher." "Forced to economize, Crawford moved to a smaller New York flat." "She would take the mink coat..." "... we'darriveat 21 ,and she 'd drop it on the ground and drag it..." "... andsay,"Letsshowthem how a legend makes an entrance. "" "She invited me to lunch, and at that table was Doug Fairbanks..." "... FranchotToneandPhilTerry..." "... threeex-husbands." "And I kept thinking, "I can't believe this setup. "" "She was scared." "She was definitely scared of getting older." "She was jealous of me..." "... butmostlyshewas scared..." "... ofnotbeingabletoperform as the great movie star." "In the newspaper..." "... wasthisphotographofherand Rosalind Russell from the worst angle." "She said, "If that's the way I look, they'll never see me again. "" "And no one ever did." "In her building on an elevator, somebody turned to her and said:" ""Weren't you Joan Crawford?"" "If you go for many years, people know you, people cheer you..." "... picturesofyoueverywhere, and people wanna get your autograph." "If that stops, you can imagine how that affects you." "Joan even ceased to perform as the spokesperson for some of her favorite charities." "It's the money you give so that cancer victims can live." "I don't think she ever told anybody she had cancer." "She wouldn't let regular nurses in, because she was afraid..." "... theywouldtakeher tothehospital." "Joan spent most of her time tearing up her old pictures." "She was clipping up and sending stuff through a shredder." "So she didn't want anything left about her..." "... foranyoneto readthat was none of their business." "You just had the feeling that she was preparing..." "... tosendPrincessoff somewhere." "She was getting ready." "The woman that cared for her came in and realized that she was dying." "And she knelt by the bed and started praying for her out loud." "Crawford raised up her head..." "... andsaidthat,"Don'tyoudare ask God to help me. " And she died." "Joan Crawford passed away on May 1 0, 197 7." "At her memorial service, director George Cukor remembered the legend saying, "She was the perfect image of the movie star and as such, largely the creation of her own indomitable will." "She had, of course, very remarkable material to work with a quick, native intelligence, tremendous animal vitality a lovely figure, and above all, her face  that extraordinary sculptural construction of lines and plains." "It caught the light superbly, so that you could photograph her from any angle." "The nearer the camera, the more tender and yielding she became." "Her eyes glistening, her lips avid in static acceptance." "The camera saw, I suspect a side of her that no flesh-and-blood lover ever saw. "" "Upon Crawford's death her will read:" ""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. "" "I was surprised at the mean-spiritedness of the language." "After that I started to think..." "... thattheonlypersonthat couldsetthe record straight about my life was me." "And so that's what ended up being the book Mommie Dearest." "Christina Crawford did achieve a good end with her book." "She did really bring child abuse to public consciousness..." "... ina waythatitneverdid..." "... butit'saterribletragedy for her mother's image." "I don't know if her reputation will ever recover from that terrible blow." "There is another Joan Crawford that people should remember." "She achieved in a man's world when it wasn't fashionable at all." "Some of her screen performances are among the best of any woman..." "... whohasworkedinHollywood." "Much of that is forgotten now and it shouldn't be." "Maybe in 50 years or so..." "... herownsaga will be rather dusty and curious." "People probably won't even care to look it up." "But the films last forever."