| Joan
Crawford
Foto: Fred Hartsook (1876-1930)
1904
- 1977 |
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The actress Joan Crawford was born as Lucille Fay LeSuer in San Antonio,
Texas. She attracted attention for the first time when she won an amateur
dancing contest which led to a work for a chorus. In 1925 she went to Hollywood
where she soon got first small parts.
To her first movies belong "Pretty Ladies" (25), "Sally, Irene and Mary"
(25), "Paris" (26), "The Boob" (26) and "The Unknown" (27).
She managed her big breakthrough with the movie "With Our Dancing Daughters"
(28), it followed successful productions like "Our Modern Maidens" (29)
and "Untamed" (29).
She took part in a whole string of successful movies in the 30's, among
them are "Possessed" (31), "Grand Hotel" (32), "Letty Lynton" (32), "Sadie
McKee" (34), "Chained" (34), "Love on the Run" (36), "The Last of Mrs.
Cheyney" (37), "Ice Follies of 1939" (39) and "The Women" (39).
At the beginning of the 40's she acted in the movies "Susan and God"
(40), "A Woman's Face" (41) and "Reunion in France" (42), after that she
changed to Warner Brothers after an eighteen years lasting activity with
M-G-M (M-G-M wasn't willing to occupy her any longer and offered her only
second-class scripts).
At Warner Brothers she became once more a top star and took part in
very remarkable productions including "Mildred Pierce" (45) - for which
she got an Oscar for the leading role, "Daisy Kenyon" (47) as well as "Possessed"
(47) and "Sudden Fear" (52) - for which she each was nominated for the
Oscar.
Her cinema parts became more rarely in the 50's and she also appeared
in different TV shows. But still she surprised the audience anew with interesting
performances as in "Johnny Guitar" (54), "Autumn Leaves" (56), "What Ever
Happened to Baby Jane" (62) - at Bette Davis' side who were connected throug
a long-standing enmity - and "I Saw What You Did" (65).
It is less known that Joan Crawford even acted under the direction of
Steven Spielberg when he was still completely unknown - this was for the
episode "Night Gallery: Eyes" (69).
Among others Joan Crawford was married with the actors Douglas
Fairbanks jr. and Franchot Tone.
Moreover she was regarded as very friendly with her fans. She answered
all request in-person by typing on blue paper and autographing it.
Her daughter Christina wrote the famous book "Mommy Dearest", which
presented her in a completely other light, of a uncaring mother who had
only her career but not her children in her mind. Unfortunately the person
of Joan Crawford is normally connected with the content of this book, her
great filmcareer will often be disregarded.
Other movies with Joan Crawford:
Old Clothes (25) Tramp, Tramp, Tramp (26) Winners of
the Wilderness (27) The Taxi Dancer (27) The Understanding Heart (27) Twelve
Miles Out (27) Spring Fever (27) West Point (28) The Law of the Range (28)
Rose-Marie (28) Across to Singapore (28) Four Walls (28) Dream of Love
(28) Tide of Empire (28) The Duke Steps Out (29) Montana Moon (30) Our
Blushing Brides (30) Paid (30) Great Day (30) Dance, Fools, Dance (31)
Laughing Sinners (31) This Modern Age (31) Rain (32) Today We Live (33)
Dancing Lady (33) Forsaking All Others (34) No More Ladies (35) I Live
My Life (35) The Gorgeous Hussy (36) The Bride Wore Red (37) Mannequin
(37) The Shining Hour (38) Strange Cargo (40) When Ladies Meet (41) They
All Kissed the Bride (42) Above Suspicion (43) Humoresque (46) Flamingo
Road (49) The Damned Don't Cry (50) Harriet Craig (50) Goodbye, My Fancy
(51) This Woman Is Dangerous (52) Torch Song (53) Serie "Revlon Mirror
Theater: Because I Love Him" (53) Serie "General Electric Theater: The
Road to Edinburgh" (54) Serie "The Secret Storm" (54) Female on the Beach
(55) QueenBee (55) The Story of Eshter Costello (57) Serie "General Electric
Theater: Strange Witness" (58) Serie "General Electric Theater: And One
Was Loyal" (59) Serie "Zane Grey Theater: Rebel Range" (59) The Best of
Everything (59) Serie "Startime: The Talent Scouts Program" (60) Serie
"Zane Grey Theater: One Must Die" (61) Serie "The DuPont Show of the Week:
The Ziegfeld Touch" (61) The Caretakers (63) Serie "Route 66: Same Picture,
Different Frame" (63) Strait-Jacket (64) Della (64) The Karate Killers
(67) Serie "The Man from U.N.C.L.E.: The Five Daugthers Affair" (67) Berserk!
(68) Serie "The Virginian: Nightmare" (70) Trog (70) Serie "The Sixth Sense:
Dear Joan, We're Going th Scare You to Death" (72) Journey to Murder (72)
We're Going to Scare You to Death (75) |
