Joan Crawford

Feud Teaser Sees Jessica Lange And Susan Sarandon Play Out One Of Hollywood's Most Infamous Rivalries

... the most infamous rivalries in all of Hollywood history, reaching a peak when the pair finally starred opposite each other in Whatever Happened to Baby Jane. It's the backstage drama of this particular production that American Horror Story and American Crime Story 's Ryan Murphy hopes to explore in Feud, his newest drama series placing the inimitable Jessica Lange and Susan Sarandon in the roles of Joan and Bette. Feud explores one of Hollywood's most famous rivalries. Feud is, like all of Murphy's productions, a truly star-studded affair: with Catherine Zeta-Jones as Olivia de Havilland, Alfred Molina as director Robert Aldrich, Judy Davis as Hedda Hopper, Kathy Bates as Joan Blondell, and Murphy regular Sarah Paulson as Geraldine Page. The series will begin when Crawford and Davis first agree to star in Whatever Happened to Baby ...

Catherine Zeta-jones Faces Hollywood Rivalry As Olivia De Havilland In ‘feud

... Davis had a permanent booth, has since been torn down to make room for an apartment building. But it lives on in Feud. Some insights from Becker. On Joan Crawford’s House. Crawford remained mostly in one home for decades, changing and updating the exterior. “I think in some ways she was thrifty and she was like, ‘If I can change it as opposed to moving,’ and she probably liked the location. But the house still exists and now looks like a 1980 s Mc Mansion.”. Crawford liked plastic slipcovers. “She had plastic slipcovers on everything. For real. I mean, there’s a lot of documentation of it, and my favourite photo is the one of her lying in bed with a plastic slipcover over the bedspread as she lies there. And that photo really exists. We didn’t make it up. So it’s pretty funny.”. Crawford had a refrigerator in her bathroom. “She could keep her Witch Hazel and her lemons and her ice cubes and her vodka, all of which were used to help preserve her ...

Why The Real Fight Between Joan Crawford And Marilyn Monroe Was Even Nastier And Juicier

... And Monroe—or at least Monroe’s team—took full advantage of those optics. In a statement to Hedda Hopper’s bitter rival , Louella Parsons, Monroe said. Although I don’t know Miss Crawford very well, she was a symbol to me of kindness and understanding to those who need help. At first, all I could think of was why should she select me to blast? She is a great star. I’m just starting. And then, when the first hurt began to die down, I told myself she must have spoken to Mr. Thomas impulsively, without thinking. That bit about Crawford being a symbol wasn’t just lip service. Crawford had previously invited Monroe to her home and given the younger actress some early career advice. According to Charlotte Chandler’s 2009 Joan Crawford biography, Not the Girl Next Door, Monroe would later tell her Prince and the Showgirl (1957) co-star, Laurence Olivier, how much she admired Crawford for adopting children. According to Chandler, Monroe, a foster child herself, “couldn’t say enough about what Joan had done, and Marilyn was impressed that she didn’t just depend on a man to support her economically or emotionally. Marilyn admired that kind of courage, though ...

The Bittersweet Joan Celebrates A Vicious Hollywood Rivalry

... to create rival cocktails based on two women who may have been acting, but definitely weren’t playing. Crawford was the glamour gal whose career spanned from silent film to talkies and culminated in a late-stage Oscar win. The Bittersweet Joan starts with Crawford’s favorite spirit, vodka (she was reputed to carry a flask, designer of course). Beyond being, well, bitter, Peychaud’s red hue is a tribute to her naturally red hair, as is the bitter crimson tinge of Aperol. Crawford’s glamorous persona is mixed into the drink’s profile via the sweet and refreshing falernum, which, whether she indulged in it or not, was a big part of the tiki craze sweeping the nation when she took the gaslit role of “Blanche”. To make things even more sweet and sour, Hardie incorporated ugli fruit - Crawford’s favorite at a time when it was an even more exotic find than it is now. If you can't source one, use a combo of orange, tangerine, and grapefruit to achieve the same taste. Find Davis’s drink, The Bette Blue, ...

Mildred Pierce 1945 Starring Joan Crawford; Criterion Blu-ray Special Edition

... (“Mildred’s”). Her bratty oldest daughter, Veda (Ann Blyth), however, constantly complains about their social position in the class structure, and is determined to tear her mother down. Mildred soon marries somewhat-wealthy Monty (Zachary Scott), who is the man killed at the beginning of the picture. The story is told as a flashback, as many films noir are. It all works, I suppose, although the more recent HBO adaptation of the novel starring Kate Winslet is a much more faithful rendition of the story. Still, the motion picture has top notch entertainment value, and it also contains several powerhouse performances. Crawford deservedly won the Best Actress Oscar for playing Mildred, and newcomer Blyth earned a Supporting Actress nomination as the truly evil Veda. Eve Arden, as Mildred’s spunky friend Ida, also scored a supporting nomination. Butterfly Mc Queen deserves mention as the family’s maid—her presence always lights up the screen. The men in the movie are fine but nothing ...

Bette Davis And Joan Crawford Fight Timeline And Facts

... on a short story by Henry Farrell, who wrote the novel that Baby Jane was based on, and would see Davis and Crawford reunite on screen as a different pair of women locked in psychological warfare, again directed by Aldrich. Crawford dropped out after a week and a half of filming, claiming that she was unwell—but she was in fact still reeling from the indignities of Baby Jane, and felt at risk of being upstaged by Davis again. Though Aldrich hired a private detective to track Crawford's movements, he wasn't able to get her back to set, and finally the choice came down to recasting her role or canceling the film altogether. After several actresses turned down the part, Olivia de Havilland was finally hired in Crawford's place. 1977: The End. Bette gets snarky after Joan's death. Following Crawford's death in May, Davis is often quoted as having said the following: "You should never say bad things about the dead, you should only say good… Joan Crawford is dead. Good." But it's almost impossible to find an actual source for this infamous sick burn, so take it with a pinch of salt. 1978: The Legacy. Joan ...

Why Bette Davis And Joan Crawford’s Feud Lasted A Lifetime

... even before they reported to the set. At a press conference for their contract signings, Davis snagged the best spot at the table — ensuring that her name would appear first in photo captions. Crawford quickly stood to Davis’ left. Now, her name would be first. “Feud” re-creates this scene — and how Crawford was devastated to see that Davis’ contract was worth more than hers. “In addition to Bette’s $60,000 salary, [Davis] was to receive $600 per week living expenses,” Considine writes. Davis in particular had a knack for using a subtle, sly touch when twising the knife. She went so far as to have a Coca-Cola machine installed in her dressing room — because Crawford had been married to Pepsi CEO Alfred Steele. While filming, Davis spontaneously kicked her co-star in the head during a fight scene. Crawford got her revenge: Knowing Davis had a ...

Classic Hollywood’s Greatest Feuds

... the film). Hearst banned all mention—and advertising—of the film in any of his newspapers or newsreels, helping to ensure its box office failure. Having once owned a studio himself, Hearst now leaned on other studio moguls for their support. And, more than eager to teach an upstart like Welles a lesson, they rallied to the cause, offering to buy (and destroy) the film’s negative from RKO. Luckily for filmgoers, RKO refused. “Citizen Kane” was a financial flop, but was nominated for nine Oscars—it won just one, thanks in part to more lobbying by Hearst and Co. Bette & Joan: Whatever Happened to the Sisterhood. Bette Davis and Joan Crawford on the set of “What Ever Happened To Baby Jane?” (Credit: Warner Brothers/Getty Images). These forever-linked Hollywood icons took different roads to stardom. Joan (born Lucille Le Sueur) escaped an impoverished, hardscrabble childhood by becoming a dancer, eventually making her way to MGM studio, where she specialized in roles that played up her new persona as the scrappy, yet glamorous star. Ruth ...

Bette Davis And Joan Crawford

... Watch for a delicate moment past the midpoint, after Anna’s looks have been restored by surgery, when she goes to a park and encounters a simple smile from a child. ( See where to stream it. ). [ Sign up to the Watching newsletter to get recommendations straight to your inbox.]. ‘Sudden Fear’ (1952). Her box office draw on the downswing, Crawford found another hit with this intricate noir about a wealthy playwright who falls for and marries a younger man (Jack Palance), only to discover that he wants to bump her off. In fine, blazing Crawford manner, she turns the tables on her no-good spouse. A fine script and outstanding direction give the actress two lengthy, wordless scenes, in which Crawford reaches back to the silent-film technique she mastered early in her career. ( See where to ...

A Timeline Of Bette Davis And Joan Crawford's Infamous Rivalry

... divorced the same year that she won her second Academy Award, this time for her role as Southern Belle Julie Marsden in Jezebel. Interestingly, she claimed to have also given the statue his famous Oscar moniker, claiming that its rear end resembled that of her husband’s (Harmon Oscar Nelson). 1945: Crawford wins her first Oscar. By this time, Crawford and Davis were both under contract with Warner Bros. (Crawford had separated from MGM), and both were at some point in consideration for the title role in Mildred Pierce. Crawford eventually landed the role when Davis turned it down, leading to her first Academy Award win. Davis, who was hungry for an Oscar trifecta, likely regretted the decision down the line. 1960: Henry Farrell releases What Ever Happened to Baby Jane. Fresh off the 1959 release of The Hostage, the scribe followed up his inaugural novel with this gothic horror novel revolving around two aging sisters who grew up in the limelight. Around the same time, roles seemed to be drying up for Crawford and Davis; Crawford had starred in a number of failed TV pilots and Davis ...

Feud's' Susan Sarandon, Jessica Lange Reveal How They Channeled Bette Davis, Joan Crawford

... right under the surface was this wretched child, Lucille Le Sueur," Lange explained. "So it suddenly presented itself as this kind of wonderful, really informative way of approaching her. Then it became emotional. Everything she did. Everything she said. … She had this great quote about being Joan Crawford: 'When I go out people want to see Joan Crawford. If you want to see the girl next door, go next door.' So she was always on, which is a tremendous burden in and of itself, but always there was this thing lurking underneath of being this poverty-stricken, abused, unloved, abandoned young child and woman. So that's what informed the performance.". Despite its early '60 s setting, Feud explores issues of sexism, ageism and misogyny in Hollywood that Murphy became all too aware of as he launched his Half foundation, which aims to increase the number of women working behind the camera. "I met with a lot of women and I got to sit with hundreds of women in Hollywood and I got to say, 'What can I do better? What can we do ...