- published: 24 Jan 2014
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Joan Crawford (March 23, 1905 – May 10, 1977), born Lucille Fay LeSueur, was an American actress in film, television and theatre.
Starting as a dancer in traveling theatrical companies before debuting on Broadway, Crawford was signed to a motion picture contract by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer in 1925. Initially frustrated by the size and quality of her parts, Crawford began a campaign of self-publicity and became nationally known as a flapper by the end of the 1920s. In the 1930s, Crawford's fame rivaled MGM colleagues Norma Shearer and Greta Garbo. Crawford often played hardworking young women who find romance and financial success. These "rags-to-riches" stories were well received by Depression-era audiences and were popular with women. Crawford became one of Hollywood's most prominent movie stars and one of the highest paid women in the United States, but her films began losing money and by the end of the 1930s she was labeled "box office poison".
After an absence of nearly two years from the screen, Crawford staged a comeback by starring in Mildred Pierce (1945), for which she won the Academy Award for Best Actress. In 1955, she became involved with the Pepsi-Cola Company through her marriage to company Chairman Alfred Steele. After his death in 1959, Crawford was elected to fill his vacancy on the board of directors but was forcibly retired in 1973. She continued acting in film and television regularly through the 1960s, when her performances became fewer; after the release of the British horror film Trog in 1970, Crawford retired from the screen. Following a public appearance in 1974, after which unflattering photographs were published, Crawford withdrew from public life and became more and more reclusive until her death in 1977.
Actors: Mark Gatiss (actor), Steve Pemberton (actor), Catherine Tate (actress), Jeremy Dyson (writer), Jeremy Dyson (director),
Genres: Comedy,Actors: Michael Q. Schmidt (actor), Trisha Paytas (actress), Nikki Kelly (miscellaneous crew), Keith Glen Schubert (actor), Thomas Bingham (producer), Thomas Bingham (writer), Thomas Bingham (director), Siobhan Price (producer), David Wolf (actor), Les Savy Fav (composer), Jacob Vanorden (actor),
Genres: Comedy, Music, Short,Actors: Todd Verow (director), Barbara Hammer (producer), Todd Verow (writer), Barbara Hammer (director), Kristian Petersen (editor), Kristian Petersen (producer), Jörn Hartmann (miscellaneous crew), Kristian Petersen (director), Philly (actress), Abigail Child (editor), Abigail Child (writer), Abigail Child (director), Abigail Child (producer), Keith Levy (director), Sherry Vine (actress),
Genres: Drama,Actors: Dario Malchiodi (writer), Dario Malchiodi (actor), Alessandro Martini (actor), Alessandro Martini (writer), Margot Dasilva (writer), Mauro Giori (writer), Stentarelli Christian (actor),
Genres: Short,Actors: Horst Königstein (director), Horst Königstein (writer), Cas Enklaar (actor), Cas Enklaar (writer), Cas Enklaar (director), Hans-Peter Ströer (composer), Trude Possehl (actress), Roy Newquist (writer),
Genres: Documentary, Drama,Actors: Marshall Schlom (miscellaneous crew), Matthew Faison (actor), Henry Mancini (composer), Diana Scarwid (actress), Priscilla Pointer (actress), Steve Forrest (actor), Rutanya Alda (actress), Faye Dunaway (actress), Howard Da Silva (actor), Xander Berkeley (actor), Peter Jason (actor), Peter E. Berger (editor), Belita Moreno (actress), Michael Talbott (actor), Warren Munson (actor),
Plot: Based on the book about Joan Crawford, one of the great Hollywood actresses of our time, written by her adopted daughter Christina Crawford. Joan decides to adopt children of her own to fill a void in her life. Yet, her problems with alcohol, men, and the pressures of show business get in the way of her personal life, turning her into a mentally abusive wreck seen through the eyes of Christina and her brother Christopher, who unwillingly bore the burden of life that was unseen behind the closed doors of "The Most Beautiful House in Brentwood."
Keywords: 1930s, 1940s, 1950s, 1960s, abuse, abusive-mother, abusive-parent, actress, adopted-daughter, adopted-sonActors: Franklyn Farnum (actor), Dudley Dickerson (actor), Mel Blanc (actor), Tom Dugan (actor), David Butler (actor), Frank Cady (actor), Irving Bacon (actor), Jack Carson (actor), Paul Bradley (actor), Edward Clark (actor), Gary Cooper (actor), Michael Curtiz (actor), Marcel De la Brosse (actor), Sayre Dearing (actor), Pat Flaherty (actor),
Plot: A waitress at the Warner Brothers commissary is anxious to break into pictures. She thinks her big break may have arrived when actors Jack Carson and Dennis Morgan agree to help her.
Keywords: faked-pregnancy, filmmaking, hollywood, studioActors: Jonathan Hale (actor), Paul Henreid (actor), Jack Carson (actor), Richard Erdman (actor), Alan Hale (actor), Victor Francen (actor), John Garfield (actor), James Flavin (actor), Dane Clark (actor), Joe E. Brown (actor), Jack Benny (actor), John Dehner (actor), Eddie Cantor (actor), Ralph Dunn (actor), Robert Hutton (actor),
Plot: Two soldiers on sick leave spend three nights at the Hollywood Canteen before going back to active duty. With a little friendly help from John Garfield, Slim gets to kiss Joan Leslie, who he has been dreaming about while in the Pacific. He meets her later at the Farmer's Market. On the third night, Slim is the millionth man into the Canteen, earning him a date with Joan. Slim thinks he's been duped when she doesn't show up at his train. Slim's buddy Sergant dances with Joan Crawford. Canteen President Bette Davis praises the canteen and the war effort. Virtually everyone Warners could spare entertains.
Keywords: dancing-horse, hollywood, hollywood-sign, hollywoodland, horse, kiss, obsessed-fan, purple-heart, shore-leave, soldierActors: Jack King (director), Clarence Nash (actor), Sara Berner (actress), Sara Berner (actress), Sara Berner (actress), Sara Berner (actress), Sara Berner (actress), Sara Berner (actress), Walt Disney (producer), Billy Bletcher (actor), Oliver Wallace (composer), Harry Reeves (writer),
Plot: Autograph hound Donald, despite the security guard, manages to get signatures from 'Greta Garbo' (qv), 'Mickey Rooney', 'Sonja Henie' (qv), The Ritz Brothers, and 'Shirley Temple' (qv) before he's recognized and everyone wants his autograph.
Keywords: 1930s, anthropomorphic-animal, anthropomorphism, celebrity-caricature, obsessed-fan, reference-to-the-marx-brothers, revolving-doorActors: Richard 'Skeets' Gallagher (actor), Warner Baxter (actor), Richard Barthelmess (actor), Wallace Beery (actor), El Brendel (actor), Joe E. Brown (actor), Charles Butterworth (actor), Matthew 'Stymie' Beard (actor), Maurice Chevalier (actor), Gary Cooper (actor), Richard Dix (actor), Pete the Dog (actor), Stuart Erwin (actor), Douglas Fairbanks Jr. (actor), William Haines (actor),
Plot: Star-packed promotional short subject intended to raise funds for the National Variety Artists tuberculosis sanatorium, produced in association with a cigarette company! Plot involves the investigation of the reported theft of Norma Shearer's jewelry.
Keywords: detective, dog, jewels, laurel-and-hardy, police-chief, police-sergeant, sergeant