[93], In 1970, Crawford was presented with the Cecil B. DeMille Award by John Wayne at the Golden Globes, which was telecast from the Coconut Grove at The Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles. Clark Gable (Joan): Despite their combined level of fame and their occasional marriages to other people, the long-standing affair between Gable and Crawford somehow miraculously avoided scandalizing Hollywood. It is reported that Joan Crawford died at the age of 35 due to an accidental medication overdose. “Everything about him reflected his elegance, from his name to his manners.”, But Bette didn’t land Tone—Joan did. And it’s possible that Davis’s romance with Aldrich is rarely mentioned because she and Crawford had so many other fascinating affairs, marriages, and scandals: between the two of them, Davis and Crawford racked up eight husbands. “They met each day for lunch. But many people also remember the film star for … At my elbow, I kept a dictionary. The children were adopted from Tennessee Children's Home Society, an orphanage/child-trafficking unit operated by Georgia Tann, a source used by many childless Hollywood stars to adopt[76] until Tann's discovery and death erupted in infamy in 1952.[77]. Crawford's films of this era were some of the most-popular and highest-grossing films of the mid-1930s. In Daisy Kenyon (1947), she appeared opposite Dana Andrews and Henry Fonda, and in Flamingo Road (1949), her character has an ultimately deadly feud with a corrupt southern sheriff played by Sydney Greenstreet. Smith organized a contest called "Name the Star" in Movie Weekly to allow readers to select her new stage name. [81] He later was named chairman of the board and CEO of Pepsi-Cola. That death is, to this day, still categorized as “mysterious” by Davis biographers. Send Flowers ... Joan was also a proud Golden Soror of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. Joan was preceded in death by her husband - Arthur Jones, mother - … The Hollywood Revue of 1929 was one of the studio's first all-talking films, and their first attempt to showcase their stars' ability to make the transition from silent to sound. Shearer was married to MGM Head of Production Irving Thalberg; hence, she had the first choice of scripts, and had more control than other stars in what films she would and would not make. Those expecting a racy tell-all were disappointed, although Crawford's meticulous ways were revealed in her advice on grooming, wardrobe, exercise, and even food storage. Costume fittings started filming off roughly when Curtiz suspected Crawford of wearing shoulder pads and he proceeded to tear the top of her dress. "[73] Curtiz demanded Crawford prove her suitability by taking a screen test; she agreed. In 1999, the American Film Institute ranked Crawford tenth on its list of the greatest female stars of Classic Hollywood Cinema. [102] She also bequeathed nothing to her niece, Joan Lowe (1933–1999; born Joan Crawford LeSueur, the only child of her estranged brother, Hal). Joan Crawford’s New York Times obituary stated that, “Miss Crawford was a quintessential superstar—an epitome of timeless glamour who personified for decades the dreams and disappointments of American women.”. I’ve been asked many times about him and what was The transition from silent to sound caused panic for many, if not all, involved with the film industry; many silent film stars found themselves unemployable because of their undesirable voices and hard-to-understand accents, or simply because of their refusal to make the transition to talkies. Crawford adopted her first child, a daughter, in 1940. The actress eventually won over Douglas Fairbanks Sr., but never managed to break the ice with her husband’s step-mother Mary. Soon after this movie's release, a plagiarism suit forced MGM to withdraw it; it is therefore considered the "lost" Crawford film. “The way I felt was only considered appropriate for a man. Crawford, too, often took the lead in her various romances with an eye on how they could help her improve her lot in life. husbands and many lovers of Crawford and Davis. Too much for me.” Wyler and Davis’s accounts vary as to what went wrong between them. Left, from Everett Collection; Right, by Nina Prommer/PatrickMcmullan.com. I would lock myself in my room and read newspapers, magazines and books aloud. If I were to speak lines, it would be a good idea, I thought, to read aloud to myself, listen carefully to my voice quality and enunciation, and try to learn in that manner. In 1947, Crawford adopted two more children, whom she named Cindy and Cathy. The 3rd husband of Joan Crawford. Vincent Sherman (Joan): Like many of her male contemporaries in Hollywood, Crawford knew how to exploit sexual desire in order to get what she wanted. Arthur Farnsworth (Bette): Davis, like Crawford, married a man with an A-name who had nothing to do with Hollywood. That, more than anything, has become Tone’s enduring legacy. From the beginning of her career, Crawford considered Norma Shearer – the studio's most-popular actress – her professional nemesis. She later said that she wanted her first name to be pronounced Jo-Anne, and that she hated the name Crawford because it sounded like "crawfish", but also admitted she "liked the security" that went with the name. After 18 years, Crawford's contract with MGM was terminated by mutual consent on June 29, 1943. “He was madly in love with her,” Davis would recall. [21] They lived in Lawton, Oklahoma where Cassin ran the Ramsey Opera House; he managed to book diverse and noted performers such as Anna Pavlova and Eva Tanguay. She died on August 15, 1958. In 1945, she won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her portrayal of the hard-working, divorced, protective mother in the title role of Mildred Pierce. marriage was verboten. [115], Pictures of Crawford were used in the album artwork of The Rolling Stones album Exile on Main St. Crawford, who had been left near-penniless following Alfred Steele's death,[85] accepted a small role in The Best of Everything (1959). Crawford made a cameo appearance as herself in the first episode of The Tim Conway Show, which aired on January 30, 1970. Sexiest women of the 20th century '' 's fame rivaled and later surpassed of! Was published in 1971 by Simon & Schuster of husband Alfred Steele physically abusive,. First invitation, Crawford starred as Lucy Harbin in William Castle 's horror thriller Berserk... She arrived in Hollywood its release Davis on location in Louisiana, Crawford wanted additional work, controversies! 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