273 replies to this topic

[miliosr]

dirac, on 09 September 2011 - 09:57 PM, said:

I think Crawford always remembered who she was. The quotes from her on Clark Gable that you linked to earlier, for example, aren't the words of a woman intent on erasing her origins. Transcending them, yes, but pretending they never were, no.

I don't know.  I think the Hurrell photos tell the tale.  When she was with Doug Jr., you can still see a softness to her.  But starting in 1932 (as I've said before), you really start to see Crawford putting the screws to herself.  Any hint of softness or yielding drops by the wayside and she (and we) are left with this impenetrable . . . thing.  A fascinating thing but impenetrable nonetheless.  No surprise that the Fairbanks-Crawford marriage started to head south around this time.  Yes, Doug and Joan cheating on each other contributed to its demise.  But I think another contributing factor was that Doug fell in love with Billie . . . not Joan.

Oh well.  I suppose it's all water under the bridge at this point.

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Fairbanks was a spiffy dresser.

I'll say.  That one lot with the striped nautical shirt, yellow slacks and blue blazer looks like it could have come out of the most recent Brooks Brothers or J. Crew catalogues.

[miliosr]

Quiggin, on 10 September 2011 - 01:17 AM, said:

A fine opera cape at 412: for the upcoming season.

That cape is a killer.  I really think it should be mandatory for men to wear capes to the opera!

[dirac]

We'll just have to agree to disagree on that - I just don't see any dramatic Road Not Taken point in Crawford's career, and from what I've read of the breakup the simple answer is that both parties were young for marriage and went in different directions as they matured. As you say, it was a long time ago.....

I see Fairbanks had autographed editions of Douglas Southall Freeman's biographies of Washington and Lee. It also looks as if the family is holding on to most material relating to his distinguished military career, which is nice.

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That one lot with the striped nautical shirt, yellow slacks and blue blazer looks like it could have come out of the most recent Brooks Brothers or J. Crew catalogues.

Very classic look. Never goes out of style. And he was also unafraid of color when it was called for.

[miliosr]

dirac, on 10 September 2011 - 05:55 PM, said:

We'll just have to agree to disagree on that - I just don't see any dramatic Road Not Taken point in Crawford's career, and from what I've read of the breakup the simple answer is that both parties were young for marriage and went in different directions as they matured. As you say, it was a long time ago.....

Oh, it's fine.  It's all unknowable at this point.  All our discussion proves is that Crawford remains endlessly fascinating in a way that say, Norma Shearer, hasn't.

[puppytreats]

miliosr, on 10 September 2011 - 03:54 PM, said:

Quiggin, on 10 September 2011 - 01:17 AM, said:

A fine opera cape at 412: for the upcoming season.

That cape is a killer.  I really think it should be mandatory for men to wear capes to the opera!

Albrecht

[bart]

puppytreats, on 11 September 2011 - 06:52 AM, said:

miliosr, on 10 September 2011 - 03:54 PM, said:

Quiggin, on 10 September 2011 - 01:17 AM, said:

A fine opera cape at 412: for the upcoming season.

That cape is a killer.  I really think it should be mandatory for men to wear capes to the opera!

Albrecht

And Romeo.

[miliosr]

That glorious Douglas Fairbanks Jr. cape sold for $1,280:

http://www.doylenewy...&refno= 825817

And the photo of Billie sold for $813.  Sniff.

[miliosr]

And if you're in the market for a few baubles:

http://www.christie..../the_sales.aspx

[Quiggin]

That glorious Douglas Fairbanks Jr. cape sold for $1,280

The Versace beaded evening jacket might be something to replace it as an object of curiosity.

Highlights

[miliosr]

This appeared on the front page (!) of the New York Times today:

http://www.nytimes.c..._r=1&ref=movies

[dirac]

Wow - I haven't seen the print edition yet today. On the front page? Good for Old Hollywood. Chalk one up for the King, as it were.

Ah, a reminder of the good old days with old fashioned family values, when unmarried women had their babies in shameful secret and then brought them back and pretended they were adopted, nieces, little sisters, etc.

Judy's resemblance to her father was indeed striking and it wasn't only the ears.  Gable never acknowledged her.  Poor Judy.

Loretta was also famous, or notorious, for keeping a Swear Jar on the set. Anyone who said a naughty word had to drop a nickel or quarter in it. There are a number of stories involving Personality X telling Young variations on, "Here's X amount, Loretta. F--- you."

[Helene]

That reminds me if a story I heard attributed to boxing champion James Johnson.  Johnson was caught speeding, and the judge fined him $100. He wrote a check for $200, and when asked why, replied "That's for the way back."

[dirac]

Bringing a post from Quiggin over to this thread:

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Posted 28 February 2012 - 07:56 PM
I thought this interview with Connie Wald was interesting in that it ties in with many of the Hollywood discussions we've had here, and with the Oscars. It gives a low-keyed portrait of Hollywood & it jives with Joan Didion's essays on Hollywood - and perhaps part of the souce of her background materials, since she was one of the Walds' group of friends.

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Joan Crawford came an awful lot. She and my husband had worked together a lot and he really admired her. She worked hard at being a movie star. She was this attractive woman with tremendous drives. It was sad when she adopted those children. It just never worked out.......

.......When my husband produced the Oscars in 1957, he got Rock Hudson to sing ‘Baby, It’s Cold Outside’ to Mae West. We had Mae to dinner and we knew she liked young men around her. Our kids were at college then, so we told our sons to invite all their friends. The house was full of these handsome young men, and that pleased Mae.

... It’s really a very thankless show to do, congratulating people and opening envelopes.
A Hollywood Insider and a Map of the Stars:

http://www.nytimes.c...-her-table.html

I don't know about the "thankless" part, but that's a good article, Quiggin, thank you. Wald's comments about Hollywood's factory town habits are worth noting, and it's very true that stars traditionally tend to be on the shorter side.

[miliosr]

On the commentary track to the Best of Everything DVD, author Rona Jaffe notes that Joan Crawford, contrary to expectation, was quite petite -- she was barely over 5 feet tall.  What makes this even more interesting is that, on the rare occasions when Crawford and Norma Shearer consented to be photographed together, Shearer was actually smaller than Crawford!

[dirac]

And Irving Thalberg was hardly taller than his wife.....

Both ladies also had another frequently-observed characteristic of the movie star, a largish head.