Joan Crawford

Despite the many glitches during her career, Joan Crawford proved herself a capable actress as well as a fighter. She began her career in the Silent Era playing the quintessential flapper in films like Our Dancing Daughters (1928). She would continue to portray relatable, lower class, hard-working girls as she transitioned into sound. She met with success but then experience her first career low. Despite being deemed “box-office poision,” Crawford made a comeback when she moved to Warner Brothers and starred in the successful drama Mildred Pierce (1945), winning her only Oscar. She continued this success by making a string of other first-rate melodramas, among them Humoresque (1946) and Possessed (1947) for which she received her second Oscar nomination. However, no sooner had she revived her career than she found it again on the decline amid a sea of second-rate scripts. Despite this, she continued working, starring in a number 0f still great and memorable films. These include the western Johnny Guitar (1954) and What Ever Happened to Baby Jane (1962) as well as other horror-like thrillers.

There is a lot to be said for Joan Crawford, among them that she was able to last as a star for several decades. American film critic and biographer, Gary Giddins, sums her career up well in his book Warning Shadows: Home Alone with Classic Cinema (2010) .However, “once Hollywood successfully turned her into a Joan Crawford ‘type,’ she became someone who spent as much time playing Joan Crawford as she did a character. We saw the eyebrows arch higher, and the lipstick change her mouth, until her characters looked more like her than she did her characters.”

Core Films

*= my personal favorites

Dancing Lady (1931)

Grand Hotel (1932)

Sadie McKee (1934)

The Women (1939)*

Mildred Pierce (1945)*

Daisy Kenyon (1947)

Possessed (1947)*

Johnny Guitar (1954)*

What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962)

For More

Books

Biography; Possessed: The Life of Joan Crawford by Donald Spoto: https://www.amazon.com/Possessed-Life-Crawford-Donald-Spoto/dp/0061856002/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=
Biography; Joan Crawford: A Biography by Bob Thomas: https://www.amazon.com/Joan-Crawford-biography-Bob-Thomas/dp/B0006CYCBK

With Ann Blyth in Mildred Pierce (1945) — With Ann Blyth in *Mildred Pierce* (1945)

As Crystal Allen in The Women (1939) — As Crystal Allen in *The Women* (1939)

With Ann Blyth, who came to congratulate Crawford on her Oscar win for Mildred Pierce (1945) — With Ann Blyth, who came to congratulate Crawford on her Oscar win for *Mildred Pierce* (1945)

With Bette Davis in What Ever Happened to Baby Jane (1962) — With Bette Davis in *What Ever Happened to Baby Jane* (1962)

Dance, Fools, Dance (1931) — *Dance, Fools, Dance* (1931)

Dancing Lady (1933) with Clark Gable — *Dancing Lady* (1933) with Clark Gable

Behind the scenes of Chained (1934), co-starring Clark Gable — Behind the scenes of *Chained* (1934), co-starring Clark Gable

Behind the scenes of Mannequin (1937) with Spencer Tracy — Behind the scenes of *Mannequin* (1937) with Spencer Tracy

With Osa Massen in A Woman’s Face (1941) — With Osa Massen in *A Woman’s Face* (1941)

The Last of Mrs. Cheyney (1937), co-starring William Powell and Robert Montgomery — *The Last of Mrs. Cheyney* (1937), co-starring William Powell and Robert Montgomery

On the set of Humoresque (1946) — On the set of *Humoresque* (1946)

What Ever Happened to Baby Jane (1962) with Bette Davis — *What Ever Happened to Baby Jane* (1962) with Bette Davis

Johnny Guitar (1954) — *Johnny Guitar* (1954)

Grand Hotel (1932) — *Grand Hotel* (1932)

Crawford in Our Dancing Daughters (1928) — Crawford in *Our Dancing Daughters* (1928)

Fighting with Sydney Greenstreet in Flamingo Road (1949) — Fighting with Sydney Greenstreet in *Flamingo Road* (1949)

The Ice Follies of 1939 with Lew Ayres and James Stewart (1939) — *The Ice Follies of 1939* with Lew Ayres and James Stewart (1939)

Joan Crawford with her first husband Douglas Fairbanks Jr.

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A Woman’s Face (1941) — *A Woman’s Face* (1941)

In a publicity photo with Norma Shearer and Rosalind Russell for The Women (1939) — In a publicity photo with Norma Shearer and Rosalind Russell for *The Women* (1939)

With John Garfield in Humoresque (1946) — With John Garfield in *Humoresque* (1946)

On the set of Grand Hotel (1932) — On the set of *Grand Hotel* (1932)

Dancing with Fred Astaire in Dancing Lady (1933) — Dancing with Fred Astaire in *Dancing Lady* (1933)

Mildred Pierce (1945) — *Mildred Pierce* (1945)

Behind the scenes of The Gorgeous Hussy (1936) with Henry Fonda and Barbara Stanwyck visiting the set — Behind the scenes of *The Gorgeous Hussy* (1936) with Henry Fonda and Barbara Stanwyck visiting the set

Carrying her Best Actress Oscar for Mildred Pierce (1945) — Carrying her Best Actress Oscar for *Mildred Pierce* (1945)

With Melvyn Douglas in A Woman’s Face (1941) — With Melvyn Douglas in *A Woman’s Face* (1941)

Behind the scenes of What Ever Happened to Baby Jane (1962) with Bette Davis — Behind the scenes of *What Ever Happened to Baby Jane* (1962) with Bette Davis

With Henry Fonda and Dana Andrews in Daisy Kenyon (1947) — With Henry Fonda and Dana Andrews in *Daisy Kenyon* (1947)

With Fred MacMurray in Above Suspicion (1943) — With Fred MacMurray in *Above Suspicion* (1943)

Strange Cargo (1940) with Clark Gable — *Strange Cargo* (1940) with Clark Gable

The Bride Wore Red (1937) with Robert Young and Crawford’s second husband Franchot Tone — *The Bride Wore Red* (1937) with Robert Young and Crawford’s second husband Franchot Tone

Star Profile, Star of the MonthOliviaJanuary 7, 2019Star Profile, Star of the Month, Joan CrawfordComment