| The Best of Everything: A Joan Crawford Encyclopedia |
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Welcome
to
The
Best of Everything
which
debuted online
March
23, 2004
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To find information:
• Browse one of the main categories to the right of the picture above. • Click on a letter or the index link below to find a particular entry in the Encyclopedia. • Use the handy Google box below to search the entire site by key word. • See the Latest Site Updates and Joan Crawford Events sections below. |
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
All original Encyclopedia text, from A to Z, is copyright © 2004 - 2008 by Stephanie Jones
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6/30/08
FILMS: Rain just came on TCM at 4:30 this morning and I stayed up to make notes and write my review. I also added the vintage New York Times review for the film by Mordaunt Hall.
If you want to share your review of any Joan Crawford film here on this site, please e-mail me!
6/28/08
FILMS: Added an in-depth review of Strait-Jacket by Jon D. Did he like it? "...The dialogue is clumsy, the direction plays out with the artistic flair of a paint-by-numbers work, and the movie never misses an opportunity to be cheesy or stupid...." If you'd like to add your own review of SJ, or any other Joan film, to this site, please e-mail me!
Also added a vintage 1964 review of Strait-Jacket from the New York Times, by the eternal Joan Hater Bosley Crowther!
ARTICLES: Thanks again to Norman for this September 1925 LA Times announcement of "Lucile LeSueur"'s new name.
PRESS: Thanks to Joe for sending along this link to MetroWeekly's audience photos taken at the Washington DC showing of Strait-Jacket on June 13. It so happens that Joe asked his partner to marry him that very evening! (I've been begging him for photos of himself and hubby-to-be at the event. Stay tuned!)
Tina asks for recommendations of Joan biographies, plus box office info for four of Joan's films. (RE the latter---Readers, I need your help here!)
As reported here on June 4, there's a new Joan bio by Peter Cowie set for release next February. See the New Releases page for a just-in large cover photo, plus book details and ordering info.
6/23/08
Greg asks, Who performs the instrumental song heard in What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?; also, Any truth to the rumors that Joan campaigned against Bette's getting the Oscar for that movie? (Be sure and check out Bette's version of the song via the YouTube link!)
ARTICLES: Thanks again to Norman for sending in these articles from the LA Times: From 12/18/45 and 4/26/46 RE Joan and Phil Terry's separation and divorce. From 5/7/59 RE Joan's appointment to the Pepsi board of directors. (Reported by Hedda Hopper.)
6/21/08
Added the May 9, 1963, LA Times obituary for Joan's brother Hal LeSueur. (Thanks, Norman, for sending this in.)
6/19/08
1940 --- Added shots one, two, three, four, and five from Strange Cargo.
6/16/08
PHOTOS: 1948: Added shots one and two of Joan with Greg Bautzer at Ciro's.
Added 2 shots from Hush, Hush Sweet Charlotte: on set with Joseph Cotten and Bette Davis, and a makeup test shot.
Added 3 miscellaneous photos: a New York City candid at a Broadway premiere; an LA candid at an unknown awards show; a publicity photo.
Added 3 Strait-Jacket photos: one and two coming on heavily to John Anthony Hayes, and one with Pepsi VP Mitchell Cox.
6/14/08
1966 -- Added photos one and two of Joan arriving in Mexico. 1970 -- Added a film still from Trog. 1971 -- Added a color candid from the February Golden Globe Awards. 1972 -- Added photos one and two from Joan's last appearance onscreen, on TV's "The Sixth Sense" (which aired 9/30).
6/12/08
LETTERS: Added a 1972 letter to a fan, with thanks and holiday wishes.
MAGAZINES: Added a July 1933 cover for Spain's "El Cine."
QUESTIONS: A reader asks, "Where is Joan's Oscar?" Thanks to message-board members plus Cynthia Crawford Jordan's daughter-in-law Pamela for the answer!
EVENTS: through June 22: Montgomery, Alabama's Museum of Fine Arts presents photographs by Yousuf Karsh, including some of Joan.
June 29: Charlotte, North Carolina's main library branch will present a FREE screening of Johnny Guitar as part of their summer Western series.
June 20 - Sept. 28: Bradford, England's National Media Museum will present "Live By the Lens, Die By the Lens," an exhibit of celebrity photographs, featuring photos of Joan by Hurrell and Eve Arnold.
6/8/08
Publicity shots one and two by Clarence Sinclair Bull. One publicity shot by Ruth Harriet Louise. One publicity shot by...unknown.
6/7/08
I Live My Life Film stills with Brian Aherne, one and two. Film still, with spaghetti. Publicity shots by Hurrell: one, two, three, four, five. No More Ladies Casual shot on set, and film still with Robert Montgomery. Miscellaneous At a New York City train station.
FILMS: Added a US flyer to the I Live My Life page.
6/4/08
New Joan bio! Joan
Crawford
by film historian Peter Cowie is set for release by Rizzoli on February
17, 2009.
(240pp.) It can be pre-ordered from Amazon for $37.80.
While the term "film historian" has been bandied about way too loosely lately, Cowie actually is the real deal! He's the founding editor of the International Film Guide series, as well as the author of bios on Louise Brooks, Ingmar Bergman, and Francis Ford Coppola. And as for the publisher...see the link below for some of the beautifully done books in their catalogue. After recent years of haphazard bios --- finally a serious, professional consideration of Joan!
Added two Joan ads from Argentina: 1944 for Max Factor, and 1948 for Lux soap.
TRAILER: Check out the trailer for the remake of The Women, which will be released September 12. (To get over being aghast at the overt obnoxiousness, please visit this genuinely witty 7-minute highlight clip from the original movie on YouTube!)
6/02/08
LETTERS: Added two new letters from Joan. From 1952 to a fan, with condolences for a family loss and apologies: "I only wish I could help you buy a television set..." And from 1972 to a fan, re "The Sixth Sense" and the health of her poodles.
FILMS: What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? -- Added a fan review by Dennis Jones. And a vintage 1962 review by the always-anti-Joan Bosley Crowther.
5/29/08
 PHOTOS
(pre-Hollywood): Added a 1921
photo of Joan with her mom and brother Hal. And a 1924
photo of Joan in "Innocent Eyes" on Broadway, from
the September 1924 issue of Red Pepper magazine.
QUESTIONS: Sorry 'bout the delay in getting questions answered! Here are three questions sent in by readers recently: What's the source of this Joan quote? Thanks to Marie, Judy, and Cliff for their questions. And thanks for everyone else's patience while I get busy with the backlog.
DVD NEWS: The Digital Bits website has announced that Joan's 1944 WWII patriot-star-fest Hollywood Canteen will be released this summer, as part of Warners' "Home Front Collection." The set will also include "This is the Army" and "Thank Your Lucky Stars." (Various DVD sites differ on the release time. Some say "July," some say "summer," others say it might even be beyond summer as Warners tinkers with it...) Thanks to BB for the info!
REVIEW: Check out this New York Press review of Sex and the City, in which writer Armond White compares the characters unfavorably with Joan in Sadie McKee. (I especially love his line about "the criminally underappreciated, gothically intense Crawford...")
OBIT: Joseph Pevney, director of Female on the Beach, died May 18 at age 96. LA Times May 29 obit.
5/26/08
Four Walls (1928) Added a vintage 1928 New York Times review. Added 10 new photos: Joan with Charlie Chaplin on set; Shots one, two, three, four, five, six, seven with co-star John Gilbert.
EVENTS: Washington, DC (thanks to Lucas for this DC info): Gay film festival organizer One in Ten will host a screening of Strait Jacket on June 13 at sundown. The film will be shown on the lawn at Hillwood Estate; cost $15.
Also, the National Theatre on Pennsylvania Avenue's All About Bette film festival will conclude on August 11 with a 6:30pm screening of What Ever Happened to Baby Jane. Tickets are free and available a half-hour from show time on a first come, first served basis.
5/25/08
FAN PHOTOS: Thanks to Ronnie of Oakland for sharing this picture of himself and friend Sarah at an April showing of Harriet Craig at San Francisco's Castro Theatre.
5/21/08
1946: Added one photo of Joan in a very glam hat.
1947: Added 9 new photos:
Possessed-- Riding a bike on the set, and publicity shots one and two with Van Heflin.
Daisy Kenyon-- Glam publicity shots one and two; and film stills one, two, and three. Plus an on-set shot of director Preminger with Joan and Christina.
5/20/08
FAMILY PHOTOS! Pamela Jordan--daughter-in-law of Joan's daughter Cynthia, who passed away last October--has just been browsing through a couple of her mom's photo albums! There are hundreds of photos in the albums, and Pam's very kindly started scanning some of the pictures into the "Photos" section of this site's message board.
To see the photos, go to the message board's home page. Once there, go to the box on the left side of the screen. Click Photos, then look for the 2 folders called Grandma Crawford Photos and Pamela J's Pics. So far, Pam's uploaded 37 pictures, including many stars' photos autographed to her mom, as well as some studio photos of Joan and some family candids.
Many, many thanks to Pam for taking the time to share these!
5/14/08
FILMS: Tramp, Tramp, Tramp (1926) -- Added a vintage New York Times review. Winners of the Wilderness (1927) -- Added a vintage Motion Picture News review and some Trivia Notes. The Taxi Dancer (1927) -- Added a vintage New York Times review.
TV SCHEDULE: Updated Joan's movies through August (thanks, Mike!): August 4 The Hollywood Revue. 6am. TCM. August 7 Grand Hotel. 12am. TCM. August 14 August 15
5/10/08 In Memory. Joan Crawford died May 10, 1977.
5/07/08
I'm not a huge Madonna fan, but Simon Robinson just persuaded me to give her some props! I just created a Madonna entry in the Encyclopedia thanks to the links Simon provided comparing Madge's 1998 "Power of Good-Bye" video to Joan's 1946 film Humoresque. See the entry for (1) comparative screen shots; (2) the Wikipedia link for the song, which mentions Humoresque's influence; (3) the YouTube video of the song. (We Joan fans are still, however, peeved that Madonna's 1990 single "Vogue" didn't mention her!) :)
EVENTS: The 13th Annual San Francisco Silent Film Festival will feature The Unknown (1927) on July 12 at 10:45pm. From their press release: To kick-start our new Director’s Pick series we welcome Guy Maddin, director of Brand Upon the Brain! to introduce Tod Browning’s horror-ode to unrequited love. Lon Chaney stars as Alonzo the Armless and Joan Crawford is Nanon, who has a pathological fear of being touched by a man. It’s one of most brazenly bizarre films ever made – hands down! (Thanks, Scott!)
TV: Updated the TV Schedule page to include Joan's films for July: The Women (July 1, 10pm) and Susan and God (July 17, 8pm). (Thanks, Mike!)
5/01/08
BOOKS: Added a long excerpt about Joan from columnist Liz Smith's book "Natural Blonde," in which she talks about Joan's lesbian secretary, airbrushing Big Al out of pictures, and Joan's favorite dessert.
PHOTOS: Added 8 new photos to the 1959 page:
ENCYCLOPEDIA: T Added an entry for TWA airlines, primarily so I could include a link to this TWA flight attendants' site with anecdotes about flying with Joan. (She wore gingham, asked attendants to play cards with her, AND cleaned the lavatory!)
4/28/08
October '26 MGM publicity shot.
Dancing the Charleston on a block of ice at the MGM pool. From Spring Fever, with William Haines: one, two, three, and four. From The Taxi Dancer: one, two, three, and four.
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If
your city, group, or self is presenting a Joan Crawford-related
event in the
Washington, DC
The National Theatre on Pennsylvania Avenue's All About Bette film festival will show What Ever Happened to Baby Jane on August 11 at 6:30pm. Tickets are free and available a half-hour from show time on a first come, first served basis.
San Francisco
The 13th Annual SF Silent Film Festival presents
The Unknown July 12 at 10:45pm 10:45pm THE UNKNOWN (1927, Tod Browning)
February 5. Charlotte Chandler's Joan bio "Not the Girl Next Door." February 12. DVD set: The Joan Crawford Collection, Volume 2. (Featuring "A Woman's Face," "Flamingo Road," "Sadie McKee," "Strange Cargo," and "Torch Song.") March 11. DVD: Daisy Kenyon. February 17, 2009. Peter Cowie's "Joan Crawford."
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March 2006: Ferncliff Mausoleum and Flower Photos July 2006: Ann Blyth at the Castro May 2007: Ferncliff Mausoleum and Flower Photos March 2008: Ferncliff Mausoleum and Flower Photos
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