Love her or hate her, one thing that has to be said about Joan Crawford. She's a survivor. During her lengthy career, she fought to get to the top and stay at the top and when she was at the bottom, she fought her way up again.
Signed by Metro Goldwyn Mayer in 1925, Crawford carved her niche at the end of the Silent era as the eternal flapper in films like Our Dancing Daughters (1928). In the early and mid-1930's she became the working girl who makes good in Sadie McKee (1934) and other similar roles. By 1937, Life magazine named her "Queen of the Movies" but her films began losing money and the quality of the parts she was offered began to decline. By the end of the decade, Crawford, along with other veteran performers garnered the moniker "box office poison" in lieu of younger, newer stars like Lana Turner and Greer Garson. That's not to say that she didn't appear in some high profile films during this period. Her Crystal Allen spat verbal venom with her big name co-stars in The Women (1939) and her performance as a disfigured criminal in A Woman's Face (1941) reaped much praise from critics. But after A Woman's Face, the prestigious scripts dried up. When Carole Lombard was killed in a plane crash in 1942, Crawford replaced her in They All Kissed the Bride. After a couple more less than stellar pictures, she and Metro mutually decided to part ways. In June 1943 Joan Crawford's contract with MGM was terminated after 18 years.
Two days later she signed with rival studio Warner Brothers. Her Warners contract would pay her $500,000 to make three pictures. The beginning of her career at her new studio wasn't any better than the one she had left at MGM. She turned down several scripts she deemed inferior, appearing only in a cameo role in Hollywood Canteen (1944) her first 18 months there.
In late 1944, Warners bought the film rights to James M. Cain's noir novel Mildred Pierce. Studio heads wanted the reigning queen of the lot Bette Davis for the lead but Davis refused, not wanting to play the mother of a teen-aged daughter. Crawford wanted the part badly. But according to Crawford biographer Bob Thomas, Pierce director Michael Curtiz wanted no part of the former MGM flapper saying, "...why should I waste my time directing a has-been". Curtiz wanted Barbara Stanwyck in the role of Mildred. Crawford humbly offered to take a screen test for the part, a measure unheard of for an actress of her stature. After viewing the test Curtiz agreed to cast Joan. In Crawfords case, it was a fight worth taking on. For her role in Mildred Pierce, she was nominated for an Academy Award, a distinction she had never been honored with during her many years at MGM. Although facing stiff competition with the likes of younger actresses Jennifer Jones, Greer Garson, Ingrid Bergman and Gene Tierney, at the end of the night it was Joan Crawford who was named Best Actress of 1945. The role and her newly acquired Oscar bounced Crawford back to her former glory, gave her renewed confidence and let her retain her title as star.
I preferred Joan pre-1940 and pre-code too... her films with Clark Gable and Franchot Tone were much better than when her face became set in concrete. She was the female version of Fred MacMurray (The Constipated Bloodhound as one critic once wrote) A Woman's Face remains once of the standout films and was not as turgid as some later efforts although Flamingo Road is okay. These later films seem proof positive that some mother;s can devour their young. Even if they're not in her films!!! The Women was a great film, but Joan is only one part of a brilliant ensemble and does not dominate like a diva as she does in maniacal films like Mildred Pierce. It would have been nice if Richard Widmark had tossed her down the stairs in Kiss of Death instead of some poor old lady!!! One of the greats and her early photos by people like Hurrell stand the test of time. I would have loved to see her and Bette at 10 paces... the perfect end to any film....
ReplyDeleteJoan Crawford WAS the phoenix more than once, in fact about ever ten years she recreated her image from flapper to shopgirl to sophistocated woman to strong actress ... and then the older woman in love with a younger man in the fifties. Her sixties movies, while I appreciate them, are below her standards. But you correct she was the original survivor. Great piece! But your writing is always terrific!
ReplyDeleteEd Guinea
I adore Joan in her silent movies, her pre codes all the way up to even the horror movies in the seventies. She was wonderful in this movie and I guess some people really can't stand her and some really love her but I think you are right on when you said she was a survivor rupert!
ReplyDeleteI love Joan Crawford! I think one of my favorite Joan Crawford movies has to be Flamingo Road. Her character,Lane Bellamy, gets put through the wringer but emerges victorious at the end. Much like the lady herself. Her life was a Joan Crawford movie and she starred in it till the very end!
ReplyDeleteGreat article - Joan was a survivor then and is still a survivor today! In my eyes, she is the biggest star we have every seen. I could go on and on... chekc out more about Crawford on my website legendaryjoancrawford.com
ReplyDeleteI like Joan a lot, my favorite being Grand Hotel with Greta Garbo and others.
ReplyDeleteJoan was the consummate actress. She worked extremely hard at her iconic image, she put the captiol M on "MOVIE STAR". I think some people forget how beautiful Joan was when she was young, what a serious polished actress she was. Joan had an easy relationship with the cameras, where so many other actresses of her time had to cross their fingers and hope fo the best,or a small miracle to make them look half as glamours as Joan appeared on screen. Having said all that, whats left to say is Joan left us an incredible cache of films. She starred with every handsome leading man there was around, married a couple of them. Later in her life Joan admitted that she loved playing real bitches. All of her strong bitchy woman films today are savored by all of her most devoted fans. The very same fans that know and admire the incredible depth Joan had as an actress. There isn't a film she made that can't be watched without feeling, now there was a real movie star.
ReplyDeletejules gregory
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ReplyDeleteForgive me, I'm just delving into your past posts (new follower). I LOVE that you have featured 2 of my faves which many have never seen, Random Harvest and The Univited. As a sickly child, I saw a lot of old movies in the middle of the day when I should have been learning about Social Studies. I have found my movie trivia knowledge pays off much more than schooling in party games. And now.....to know that you share my love and adoration of Joan!! Huzzah my friend, Huzzah! She is an ENTITY! What a lovely, classy bitch.
ReplyDeleteJoan was the ultimate "Hollywood Star" and lived her life as though the cameras were always on her. Hollywood long ago changed from its days of pedestaled actors to it's current lack luster, comparatively speaking~ groan. No offense to the many multi talented actors of today which most all seem to me as next door neighbors, not that that is such a bad thing ha~ Joan Crawford= Ultimate Movie Star~
ReplyDeleteNice, balanced piece. I'm always ambivalent about Crawford. As a child watching the movies she made from the post war period on, her sharp angles and heavy makeup scared me. She looked plain mean, even if her character wasn't. I have to admire her determination and she was a talented actress, but that icy meanness still peeks out. I'm not scared of her anymore, just sad for her.
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