Initially frustrated by the size and quality of her parts, Crawford began a campaign of self-publicity and became nationally known as a flapper by the end of the 1920s. Starting as a dancer in traveling theatrical companies before debuting on Broadway, Crawford was signed to a motion picture contract by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer in 1925. The listings of her jewelry collections are especially thorough.Joan Crawford (born Lucille Fay LeSueur) was an American actress in film, television and theatre. Insurance appraisals, especially those by Wilson & Allen, contain interesting information about Crawford's possessions. "Treasure box" items are generally more personal notes to Crawford that contain particularly kind words or whose authors were particularly dear to her. Throughout the collection there are items designated by Crawford to be worthy of her "treasure box". The letters to Crawford, as well as the notes she made for her secretaries (Florence Walsh and Betty Barker), give insight into her everyday life. The bulk of the collection is made up of personal correspondence. It is divided into three series: personal correspondence, business papers, and personal papers. The collection focuses on Crawford's later years in the 1960s and 1970s, as her acting career waned, and therefore contains no scripts and very little about her time in Hollywood. The papers of Joan Crawford contain correspondence, business and personal papers, personal notes and a few photographs. The 1981 movie adaptation of the book familiarized a whole new generation with Joan Crawford, ensuring that Crawford's reputation would live on. A year after Joan Crawford's death, Christina Crawford published the tell-all book Mommie Dearest(1978). Crawford also adopted four children - Christina (adopted in 1940) and Christopher (adopted in 1944), twins Cathy and Cindy (adopted in 1947). She was married five times: James Welton (1923-1924 divorced) Douglas Fairbanks, Jr (1929-1933 divorced) Franchot Tone (1935-1939 divorced) Phillip Terry (1942-1946 divorced) Alfred Steele (1955-1959 widowed). She died in 1977 of pancreatic cancer.Ĭrawford's personal life always took a backseat to her professional life. The1970s saw her public appearances decrease. Crawford made her final film, Trog, in 1970. The popularity of the spooky Whatever Happened to Baby Jane? led to Crawford's appearance in a series of horror films throughout the 1960s, including a 1969 episode of Night Gallery with novice director Steven Spielberg. That year Crawford also penned a memoir Portrait of Joan. In 1962 Crawford's acting career was briefly revitalized with the release of Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?, which paired her with her infamous rival Bette Davis. She continued her involvement with Pepsi even after Steele's death in 1959. Her 1955 marriage to Pepsi chairman and CEO Alfred Steele coincided with her waning movie career, and led to her subsequent career as a Pepsi board member and publicity executive. In 1946 Warner Brothers signed Crawford to a seven-year contract at $200,000 per film, only to release her from her contract after just three years. Her performance in Mildred Pierce earned Crawford her one and only Oscar for Best Actress. Crawford soon left MGM for Warner Brothers, where she snagged the title role in Mildred Pierce (1945). Despite this, by 1943 magazines were proclaiming her to be "box-office poison" and MGM seemed to agree. Crawford's popularity skyrocketed in 1939 with the release of The Women, in which Crawford played the iconic role of "Crystal", the hard-boiled husband-stealing shopgirl. Throughout the 1930s Crawford worked steadily for MGM in films like Letty Lynton (1932), Dancing Lady (1933), and The Gorgeous Hussy (1936) co-starring with her future husband Franchot Tone. Unlike many silent movie era stars, Crawford's transition to "talkies" was smooth and by 1932 she was starring in classics like Grand Hotel(1932) with Greta Garbo. The freshly minted Joan Crawford's first big movie role was as Irene in Sally, Irene and Mary (1925), but the role that made her a star was as a flapper that literally danced on the tabletops in Our Dancing Daughters (1928). By age 19 she was in the chorus line of the Broadway show Innocent Eyes, where MGM executive Harry Rapf discovered her, and signed her to her first movie contract.Īfter a few minor roles under the name Lucille LeSueur, MGM sponsored a fan-magazine contest to pick out a new name for the young star. (As an adult, many of her friends privately continued to call her Billie.) After winning a Charleston contest at the age of 13, she became determined to be on stage. When her mother later married Henry Cassin, a theater manager from Oklahoma, her name was changed to Billie Cassin. Joan Crawford was born Lucille LeSueur on March 23, 1908.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |