Mommie Dearest

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Some time later, Joan has met and married Alfred Steele, president of Pepsi Cola, and moves to New York City. And of course there was the campy, almost satirical 1981 film of the same title starring Faye Dunaway. Lingering interest in the story hinges on enduring fascination with the glamour of that Hollywood era and on the particular contradictions of Crawford. She is extremely polite and hospitable, given to the occasional unexpected fit of guttural laughter. Four years after Joan Crawford's death, Blue Öyster Cult released the song "Joan Crawford" as part of their album Fire of Unknown Origin (1981).

Published in 1978, it attracted much controversy for its portrayal of Joan Crawford as a cruel, unbalanced, and alcoholic mother, with Crawford's other twin daughters, household staff, and family friends denouncing it as sensationalized fiction. Pauline Kael declared that Faye Dunaway gave "a startling, ferocious performance," adding, "Dunaway brings off these camp horror scenes—howling 'No wire hangers!Eventually, Cathy went on to win a defamation suit in mediation against Christina when the latter told people on her tour that Crawford only told people Cathy and Cindy (who died in 2007) were twins, but it was all just an untrue bid for attention. But it is hard to escape the conclusion that if Christina really wanted to sever the ties that bind her she would not be reissuing the book that links her permanently with the mother she now disowns. Kevin Thomas of the Los Angeles Times wrote that Faye Dunaway "is a terrific Joan Crawford," but the film "plays like a limp parody of a bad Crawford movie.

During the interview, Cathy Crawford LaLonde, stated "Christina says Joan was rotten, and I say she was a good person," further going on to say, "I just can't feel for anybody who would do that to their own mother.View image in fullscreen Joan Crawford with Christina, Christopher and her adopted twin daughters, Cindy and Cathy, in 1949. Mommie Dearest is a 1981 American biographical psychological drama [4] film directed by Frank Perry and starring Faye Dunaway, Steve Forrest, Mara Hobel, and Diana Scarwid, with supporting performances from Xander Berkeley in his feature film debut along with Rutanya Alda and Jocelyn Brando. The film opened in New York City on September 16, 1981, before the release expanded on September 18, 1981, [2] opening in 85 theaters. Gene Siskel of the Chicago Tribune gave the film two and a half stars out of four and wrote, " Mommie Dearest isn't a bad film, it's more of an incomplete story," because the script "doesn't care enough to attempt a thoughtful answer to the most obvious question of all—why? She complains about being impoverished after she dropped out of college and JC stopped supporting her.

The worst part was that Joan wasn’t around to defend herself, which was the most horrible thing ever to have done. When Mommie Dearest was first published in 1978, there was no such thing as ebooks, no internet sales, and no social media. On May 28, 1981, Christina's sister, Cathy Crawford LaLonde, appeared on Good Morning America to deny the allegations made by Christina.Although she acknowledges that she could be a stubborn, occasionally obstreperous child, she points out that her version of events was supported by her adopted younger brother, Christopher, with whom she shared a room until she was 10. Christina claimed that Joan's controlling behavior continued throughout Christina's adulthood, asserting that Joan was jealous of Christina's acting career in the 1960s, to the point of taking over Christina's role in the soap opera The Secret Storm while Christina was in the hospital recovering from an operation to remove an ovarian cyst. In her early 20s, she worked as an actor before enrolling on a degree course at UCLA and going on to gain a master’s at the University of Southern California. In 2015, actress Rutanya Alda (Carol Ann) published a behind-the-scenes memoir, detailing the making of the film, The Mommie Dearest Diary: Carol Ann Tells All. Photograph: Bettmann/Bettmann Archive View image in fullscreen Christina Crawford, aged 7, with her mother, Joan … ‘We don’t recognise the long-term psychological damage that is inflicted on people who are abused.

When Christina Crawford’s harrowing chronicle of child abuse was first published in 1978, it brought global attention to the previously closeted subject. Released in September 1981, Mommie Dearest swiftly garnered a reputation among audiences for its highly-charged performances and melodramatic style, leading Paramount to retool their marketing campaign, presenting the film as an unintentional comedy despite its dark subject matter. At 37 she was declared ‘box-office poison’ by studio executives and her self-esteem never truly recovered.This book features an exclusive new introduction by the author, plus rare photographs from her personal collection and one hundred pages of revealing material not found in the original manuscript.