Joan Crawford, born Lucille Fay LeSueur somewhere between 1904 and 1908, nicknamed Billie, and the embodiment of a movie rags to riches story has has many books written about her. The latest is Starring Joan Crawford.
We feel we know her. Her image is recognisable in just a few brushstrokes, eyebrows, eyes, and mouth. She was signed to the movies in 1925 and made her last screen appearance in 1970.
She wrote autobiographies in 1962 and 1971 and was assigned ‘cruel mother’ status by her daughter Christina in Mommie, Dearest.
On the screen she started as a flapper, went on to portray working girls and suffering mothers, before ending in horror films. She was a star from head to toe, memorably stating “If you want the girl next door, go next door.”
Getting through four husbands (actors Douglas Fairbanks Jr, Franchot Tone and Philip Terry, businessman Alfred Steele), she was never second fiddle to a man on-screen or off.
Samuel Garza Bernstein subtitles his book ‘The Films, the Fantasy, and the Modern Relevance of a Silver Screen Icon’. Crawford died in 1977 so it is half a century since she was contemporarily relevant. This book balances the personal side of Joan Crawford with the powerful women she created on screen.
The films that made her a feminist and gay icon, a survivor and a champion, are documented in this essential and comprehensive book.
It covers five discreet phases of her career: Influencer and It Girl; Queen of the Movies; Mother and Martyr; Dragon Lady; and Survivor, all very recognisable to anyone who has seen a cross-section of her performances.
It isn’t just one voice utilised in this book. Articles about her life are included alongside stills (captured by the author to offer some unfamiliar shots from the films), both in black and white and color.
Each film is mentioned with critical comment where available from a variety of sources, or even Crawford herself.
Film fans will love the illustrations, which are beautifully presented at the end of each section, They chart the evolution of ‘Joan Crawford’ as a screen commodity through posed publicity shots and film frames.
Now many of her films are easy to access and view, one can use the book as an accompaniment to enjoying the work – I did this for several of the titles, appreciating the commentary and making up my own mind on each title.
Setting her up as an influencer, Starring Joan Crawford imagines how she may operate as a 20-something upcoming actress today, and where she and her life might fit into the gossip mills of social media and TikTok.
The flapper could easily be something more modern, as ‘Joan’ grows in stature and moves ever so slightly away from the girl folk first saw on the screen in Lady of the Night (1925).
You notice from the stills that Joan Crawford was not conventionally pretty at the start. Striking, perhaps, as she looks out from the screen with a veneer of steel, even then. Only by the end of the decade, in Untamed has she softened slightly into her first recognisable phase.
I liked the way Starring Joan Crawford presented a more homebody, domestic Joan than her image might suggest, and also a more open and friendly worker at the studio than you might expect.
It forms an affectionate and understanding portrait of a young woman who still darns her clothes and who can form deep attachments with friends (like Clark Gable, a regular collaborator on the screen, and briefly a lover).
Through the 1930s pre-Code gems Crawford is a hit, giving her fans something to admire and aspire to, She may be gowned by Adrian far out of their pocket, but somewhere inside she’s an ordinary girl, just like them.
It’s a popular myth, created and curated with skill. At home with a new husband, Joan finds as her star ascends and his comes to a standstill that marriage is not a happy place to be. So she gets out, and finds two children to care for, instead.
Many newcomers to Joan Crawford’s career may well begin with Mildred Pierce, her first film at Warners without ever seeing one of her MGM films. It is certainly one of the most shown of her oeuvre on television. The softness has gone and she, Joan, is edging towards survival. Now wonder drag queens are inspired by her!
The indefatigable Crawford is the movie star, the career woman seeking for perfection.
Starring Joan Crawford makes a stark assessment of the 1960s – Joan the Star overshadows both Joan the Woman and Joan the Actress. But that is what makes her an icon, immortal, and interesting.
It is published by Applause and available from retailers now.