No Wire Hangers!!

The other evening I watched an interesting Joan Crawford movie, Sudden Fear, with Jack Palance. The only other thing I'd seen him in was City Slickers where he was quite old, and let me tell you, as a young man he's very, very strange looking! That worked for this movie, however, as he played Joan's husband whom she suspects is trying to kill her. It wasn't a bad movie. There were definitely some very corny moments, but overall I enjoyed it.

This movie came as part of my sort of Joan Crawford phase that started last month when TCM showed this amazing documentary, and a marathon of Joan films. The documentary was great and I learned that she was basically nuts. She embodied pretty much every crazy Hollywood stereotype, and that is why I love her!

Her daughter was interviewed in the documentary and let me tell you, that girl doesn't sugar coat anything! It was fascinating and made me wanted to watch Mommie Dearest since I hadn't seen it in many years. All I have to say is, that movie is weird!

First of all, Faye Dunnaway just looks creepy through the whole movie. Joan didn't always look that creepy!

If you don't know, Mommie Dearest is based on the book by Joan's daughter, Christina, who is ridiculously bitter towards her mother. I have no doubt that Joan was a terrible mother, but Christina tries so hard to make sure everyone knows what an awful person she was that it just gets kind of embarrassing. It's pretty obvious that she's most bitter about being left out of Joan's will, along with the rest of Joan's kids. So Christina basically uses the movie (and book) as payback, especially at the end when she so slyly points out that Joan didn't manage to get the last word. Ok, we get it, your mother was terrible, bla bla. It was also a great way to make money off her mother, since Joan didn't actually leave her anything. Brilliant!

Anyway, all this to say that this did not change my view of Joan Crawford. In fact, I may like her more. I intend to watch many more Joan Crawford movies.