Download or read book Joan Crawford From Rags to Riches written by ChatStick Team and published by ChatStick Team. This book was released on 2024-06-14 with total page 154 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 🌟 Explore the Legendary Journey of Joan Crawford in "Joan Crawford: From Rags to Riches" 🎥 Brought to you by the ChatStick Team, this compelling biography unfolds the dramatic rise of Joan Crawford from her challenging early days to her reign as a Hollywood legend. Discover the true grit and glamour behind one of the most iconic actresses of the Golden Age of Cinema. 🌟 📚 Inside This Book, You'll Discover: Early Struggles: How Joan's challenging upbringing shaped her indomitable character. Rise to Stardom: The breakthrough roles and defining moments that made her a household name. Iconic Roles: Dive into her most memorable performances and their impact on film and culture. Personal Battles: Joan's resilience in her personal life and battles away from the limelight. Enduring Legacy: Reflect on how she influenced the entertainment industry and beyond. 🌈 A Must-Read For: Fans of classic Hollywood films and true stories of cinematic legends. Readers interested in powerful narratives of resilience and triumph. Anyone who loves a deep dive into the lives of influential women in history. 🎬 Grab Your Copy Today! Be inspired by the story of a woman who turned every setback into a stepping stone towards her colossal success. #JoanCrawford #HollywoodLegend #Biography

Download or read book Joan Crawford a Biography written by Bob Thomas and published by . This book was released on 1978 with total page 354 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Few Hollywood careers have been more fabulous, more scandalous, more dizzyingly from-rags-to-riches and from-triumph-to-tragedy, more glaringly limelit than that of Joan Crawford, born Lucille Fay LeSueur in 1906 (or 1908, according to her press releases) in Texas. Miss Crawford rose from being a telephone operator in Kansas City (under the name Billie Cassin, since her mother had remarried) to a chorus line in Springfield, Missouri. and from there--as if propelled by one high, miraculous kick--came to MGM, fame, glamour, glitter, romance, and ultimate stardom. For many people Joan Crawford was more than a star; she was *the* star, the very symbol of those dazzling movie queens whose faces were more famous throughout the world than those of emperors, dictators or presidents, and whose very appearance could create a riot--as Miss Crawford once did in New York`s Grand Central Terminal. She was a tough, ambitious, gutsy and fiercely competitive person, a complete professional when it came to making movies, a star on or off the stage. Her energy was inexhaustible and legendary, as was her temper, and her marriages were stormy and violent, whether with fellow-star Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. or with Pepsi-Cola executive Alfred Steele, who made her Pepsi's ambassador to the world and died leaving her almost penniless. Joan Crawford's love affairs were the stuff of countless gossip columns, as widely publicized as her movies--and seldom indeed has a life been lived more in the limelight of publicity. Yet in this definitive, powerful and dramatic biography, Bob Thomas, dean of Hollywood biographers, has recreated the *real* life of Joan Crawford: her lonely, terrible death; her search for her father (who abandoned her at an early age and reappeared in her life when she was a star); her struggles to reach the top; the scandals that haunted her life (including the rumor that she had appeared in a blue movie and that Louis B. Mayer had paid a king's ransom to buy the negative and destroy it); her tortured relationships with her adopted children; her drinking; and her courageous decision to resume work after Steele's death. Here, at last, is the complete and extraordinary story of Joan Crawford's life, her films, her marriages, her secrets and her loves, in an intimate biography that delineates the character and the personality of the Ultimate Star."--Dust jacket.

Download or read book Joan Crawford written by David Bret and published by Da Capo Press. This book was released on 2009-04-15 with total page 371 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In the first biography of Joan Crawford to give the full, uncensored story, bestselling author David Bret tells Crawford's rags to riches climb, from working in a Kansas City laundry to collecting an Oscar for her defining role in Mildred Pierce, and on to her devotion to Christian Science and reliance on vodka. He discusses the star's legendary relationship with Clark Gable, her countless love affairs, her marriages -- three of them to gay men -- and her obsession with rough sex. Bret divulges what really happened that led her to disinherit two of her four children, earning her the nickname "Mommie Dearest," as well as how her loathed mother forced Crawford to work as a prostitute, appear in pornographic films, and sleep her way to the top. Bret analyzes Crawford's films, many of which were constructed purely as vehicles where actress and character were often indistinguishable. Overtly generous towards her coterie of gay friends, she was heartless towards her enemies, particularly Bette Davis, her co-star in Whatever Happened to Baby Jane, with whom she shared a lifelong feud. Drawing on a wealth of unpublished material and interviews, David Bret presents a unique, fascinating portrait of a single-minded, uncompromising woman.

Download or read book American Legends written by Charles River Charles River Editors and published by Createspace Independent Publishing Platform. This book was released on 2018-03-11 with total page 76 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: *Includes pictures of Crawford and important people, places, and scenes. *Includes Crawford's' own quotes about her upbringing, films and relationships. *Includes a Bibliography for further reading. "I never go outside unless I look like Joan Crawford the movie star. If you want to see the girl next door, go next door." - Joan Crawford A lot of ink has been spilled covering the lives of history's most influential figures, but how much of the forest is lost for the trees? In Charles River Editors' American Legends series, readers can get caught up to speed on the lives of America's most important men and women in the time it takes to finish a commute, while learning interesting facts long forgotten or never known. The life of Joan Crawford is one of the most famous Hollywood rags-to-riches tales. While it is common to think of Hollywood as a land offering great opportunity to hard-working actresses, the Horatio Alger myth rarely applies in reality, but it applied almost perfectly to Joan Crawford. Crawford grew up in relative poverty, with both of her childhood father figures abandoning the family before she became a teenager, and she relied on undying ambition in order to progress through the ranks of the show business circuit and then the Hollywood studio system. This drive to succeed continued throughout her entire career, and Crawford's public battles with both studios (MGM in particular) and other stars (first Norma Shearer and later Bette Davis) were borne out of an unmatched competitive streak. Joan Crawford's life and career also shed light on the treatment of women in pop culture and in cinema during the early 20th century. Her career was not only limited to film acting, as she acted in musical revues and was previously an unabashed flapper during the Roaring Twenties. As her career progressed, she acted in silent films, flourished with the rise of sound cinema in the late 1920s, became a leading lady in the 1930s and 1940s, and finally became a sort of caricature of herself during the late stages of her career in the 1950s and 1960s. Taken together, her filmography comprises roughly 90 films, a career of almost unprecedented scope. Given the length of her career and her range, her career offers one of the most useful examples for tracking the changing way in which women were portrayed on screen from the 1920s-1960s, and it is for this reason that her life story reveals the pressures, pleasures, and expectations of being a Hollywood actress during the first half of the 20th century. After reaching film stardom, Crawford lived a life of glamour, but she was also constantly involved in public jockeying for position within the film industry and never relinquished the desperate need to succeed that helped her get her start decades earlier. Naturally, there was a wide gulf between Joan's unprivileged upbringing and the comfort she enjoyed as an adult; in fact, her rise from poverty to fame seems almost fabricated, as she went from living in a dilapidated apartment adjacent to a laundry room to become one of the wealthiest actresses in Hollywood. At the same time, comparing Joan's childhood with her adult life reveals many similarities. As child and adult, Crawford had contentious interactions with family members, and a large proportion of her familial relationships are characterized by abuse. Moreover, the bold assertion that often got her in trouble as a youth in her strict all-girls school was instrumental in supplying her with the verve to overcome the significant obstacles that face anyone with Hollywood aspirations. Joan's life is proof that no matter how much Hollywood may transform the lifestyle of a famous actress, she likely won't cast aside the influence of her cultural background.

Download or read book Joan Crawford written by David Bret and published by Da Capo Press. This book was released on 2009-04-15 with total page 338 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In the first biography of Joan Crawford to give the full, uncensored story, bestselling author David Bret tells Crawford's rags to riches climb, from working in a Kansas City laundry to collecting an Oscar for her defining role in Mildred Pierce, and on to her devotion to Christian Science and reliance on vodka. He discusses the star's legendary relationship with Clark Gable, her countless love affairs, her marriages -- three of them to gay men -- and her obsession with rough sex. Bret divulges what really happened that led her to disinherit two of her four children, earning her the nickname "Mommie Dearest," as well as how her loathed mother forced Crawford to work as a prostitute, appear in pornographic films, and sleep her way to the top. Bret analyzes Crawford's films, many of which were constructed purely as vehicles where actress and character were often indistinguishable. Overtly generous towards her coterie of gay friends, she was heartless towards her enemies, particularly Bette Davis, her co-star in Whatever Happened to Baby Jane, with whom she shared a lifelong feud. Drawing on a wealth of unpublished material and interviews, David Bret presents a unique, fascinating portrait of a single-minded, uncompromising woman.

Download or read book Mommie Dearest written by and published by Paramount Pictures. This book was released on 1991-01-01 with total page 129 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The story of the tormented and glamorous star, Joan Crawford, struggling to survive in a cutthroat world, succumbing to a rage leading to alcoholism and child abuse.

Download or read book Joan Crawford in Film Noir written by David Meuel and published by McFarland. This book was released on 2024-02-27 with total page 226 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Joan Crawford's contribution to film noir during the 1940s and 1950s, though rarely discussed in its totality, is one of her most impressive and far-reaching career achievements. Several of her noir and noir-tinged efforts contain arguably her best acting work, and all bear her personal stamp. These aren't conventional film noirs, they are Joan Crawford noirs: highly distinctive films that extended the boundaries of noir content and brought added depth and dimension to the noir style. Unlike most actors who routinely adapted to the needs of particular film projects and directors, she approached each film, first and foremost, as a Joan Crawford vehicle, often exerting great control over multiple production functions and at times operating as a de facto producer. Examining these films as a collective and relatively cohesive body of work, this book highlights what Crawford aspired to achieve in her art, how--when the circumstances were right--she could deliver superb results, how she helped expand the possibilities for noir, and why the best of her efforts speak across the decades with such intensity and authority.

Download or read book A Portrait of Joan written by Joan Crawford and published by Pickle Partners Publishing. This book was released on 2017-01-12 with total page 465 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: One of Hollywood’s greatest stars recalls her fabulous life: at nine, scrubbing floors in a Kansas City school; at twenty, motion picture stardom and marriage to Douglas Fairbanks, Jr.; in 1945, the Academy Award for her sensational comeback-triumph in Mildred Pierce; and today, a glamorous “double life” as Hollywood star and corporation executive. Richly illustrated with photographs throughout.

Download or read book Starring Joan Crawford written by Samuel Garza Bernstein and published by Rowman & Littlefield. This book was released on 2024-06-04 with total page 359 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Joan Crawford: the name has an enduring fascination. Forty-five years after her death, Crawford remains a familiar icon in pop culture and the entertainment world. Certainly the camp bathos of Mommie Dearest has played a part in her continued relevance. But it is ultimately her work and career themselves that account for her remarkable longevity in the culture. From her first film in 1925, to her rise to stardom in 1928, and on to the hit films she appeared in through the 1960s, she continually molded and remolded herself, crafting an indelible image and ensuring her place in the American pantheon. STARRING JOAN CRAWFORD is a rollicking exploration of the powerful women Joan Crawford vividly brought to life in her films—and the lasting, ever-evolving impact she has had on popular culture.Having carved out a revolutionary path through the entertainment industry while relying on men as little as possible—whether her studio bosses or her many husbands—she created a gallery of strong, assertive women who outsmarted men and refused to conform to gender expectations. In movies like Mildred Pierce, The Damned Don't Cry, Johnny Guitar, and What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?, among many others, she played to win, becoming a lodestar to LGBT audiences, a model of feminist self-determination for women, and an unforgettable icon for everyone.

Download or read book Clark Gable written by David Bret and published by Da Capo Press. This book was released on 2008-10-22 with total page 322 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: From the acclaimed author of Joan Crawford comes a riveting and uncensored biography of Clark Gable. The archetypal male of his era, Gable was named “King of Hollywood” in 1938. But as David Bret reveals, the star was not quite who he seemed. One of Gable's best-kept secrets was his bisexuality. Bret recounts Gable's failed marriages to women who turned a blind eye toward his affairs with actors Earl Larimore and Rod La Rocque, among other men. Bret also reveals how a pseudo-scandalous paternity suit and the actor's wartime accomplishments were no more than elaborate publicity stunts created by studio chief Louis B. Mayer in order to exaggerate Gable's masculinity and heroism in the public eye. With passion and accuracy, Bret uncovers the truth behind one of Hollywood's biggest stars.

Download or read book Joan Crawford written by Lawrence J. Quirk and published by University Press of Kentucky. This book was released on 2013-04-06 with total page 344 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: " Joan Crawford: The Essential Biography explores the life and career of one of Hollywood's great dames. She was a leading film personality for more than fifty years, from her beginnings as a dancer in silent films of the 1920s, to her portrayals of working-class shop girls in the Depression thirties, to her Oscar-winning performances in classic films such as Mildred Pierce. Crawford's legacy has become somewhat tarnished in the wake of her daughter Christina's memoir, Mommie Dearest, which turned her into a national joke. Today, many picture Crawford only as a wire hanger-wielding shrew rather than the personification of Hollywood glamour. This new biography of Crawford sets the record straight, going beyond the gossip to find the truth about the legendary actress. The authors knew Crawford well and conducted scores of interviews with her and many of her friends and co-stars, including Frank Capra, George Cukor, Nicholas Ray, and Sidney Greenstreet. Far from a whitewash -- Crawford was indeed a colorful and difficult character -- Joan Crawford corrects many lies and tells the story of one of Hollywood's most influential stars, complete with on-set anecdotes and other movie lore. Through extensive interviews, in-depth analysis, and evaluation of her films and performances -- both successes and failures -- Lawrence J. Quirk and William Schoell present Crawford's story as both an appreciation and a reevaluation of her extraordinary life and career. Filled with new interviews, Joan Crawford tells the behind-the-scenes story of the Hollywood icon. Lawrence J. Quirk is the author of many books on film, including Bob Hope: The Road Well-Traveled. William Schoell is the author of several entertainment-related books, including Martini Man: The Life of Dean Martin.

Download or read book My Way of Life written by Joan Crawford and published by Graymalkin Media. This book was released on 2017-02-28 with total page 138 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: From “Grand Hotel” to “Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?,” Joan Crawford played some of the finest parts Hollywood had to offer, establishing a reputation as the most spectacular diva on the silver screen. Even when the cameras quit rolling, her life never stopped being over-the-top. In My Way of Life, a cult classic since it was first published in the early 1970’s, Crawford shares her secrets. Part memoir, part self-help book, part guide to being fabulous, My Way of Life advises the reader on everything from throwing a small dinner party for eighteen to getting the most out of a marriage. Featuring tips on fashion, makeup, etiquette and everything in between, it is an irresistible look at a bygone era, when movie stars were pure class, and Crawford was at the top of the heap.

Download or read book Guilty Pleasures written by Pamela Robertson and published by Duke University Press. This book was released on 1996 with total page 212 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Using detailed studies of stars such as Mae West, Joan Crawford and Madonna, Guilty Pleasures examines the tradition of feminist camp - a female form of aestheticism related to masquerade and rooted in burlesque, parallel but different to gay male camp.

Download or read book Tales of a Hollywood Housewife written by Betty Marvin and published by iUniverse. This book was released on 2011-09-06 with total page 309 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: At sixteen, Betty runs away from the small river town she's always known, to live in Los Angeles with her father, an outrageous used car salesman and avid gambler. It is the first journey in what will be a remarkable life among remarkable people: Betty's first job out of college is as Joan Crawford's nanny, caring for the Crawford children at the height of the star's career. Hollywood is about to play an even larger role in Betty's life when she meets a young ambitious actor named Lee Marvin. After a whirlwind courtship and a trip to Las Vegas, Betty and Lee are married. In this unique memoir, both hilarious and touching, we follow Betty as she creates a family with Lee, and is by his side as he works with Marlon Brando, John Wayne and a host of other stars. She is the penultimate hostess and Hollywood Housewife. Nobody knew what was really going on at home - until, unable to take Lee's womanizing, drinking and abuse, Betty leaves him and strikes out on her own. What follows are adventures that could only be Betty Marvin's; from the building of her career as an artist. To a love affair with an Italian King, to dire straits as investment con artists leave Betty suddenly homeless. After years of the Hollywood life, Betty is left with only her car, her dog and her typewriter. Forced to employ all of her skills to survive, she comes out on top. This is the story of a woman who finds the real riches that come with learning the value of a joyful life.

Download or read book Politics and Film written by Daniel P. Franklin and published by Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. This book was released on 2006-02-02 with total page 229 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Politics and Film explores the meaning of film within a societal context. In examining the political role of films we become real time cultural anthropologists, sifting through the artifacts of modern society to determine what our culture really is all about. Common sense tells us that if filmmakers want to make a profit, they have to be responsive to the market. This doesn't mean that they have to produce a product that simply delights the eyes. Films must also please the mind, and not just in terms of satisfying our desire to be entertained (although that alone is sometimes enough) but also deepen our understanding of people, ideas, and problems that we may confront in everyday life. In this respect, even commercial films are political. And, if 'we are what we eat,' we may also say, 'we are what we pay to see.' This book contends that to a large extent American film reflects political culture in American society.

Download or read book Hollywood Gothic written by David J. Skal and published by Macmillan. This book was released on 2004-10-18 with total page 388 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The primal image of the black-caped vampire Dracula has become an indelible fixture of the modern imagination. It's recognition factor rivals, in its own perverse way, the familiarity of Santa Claus. Most of us can recite without prompting the salient characteristics of the vampire: sleeping by day in its coffin, rising at dusk to feed on the blood of the living; the ability to shapeshift into a bat, wolf, or mist; a mortal vulnerability to a wooden stake through the heart or a shaft of sunlight. In this critically acclaimed excursion through the life of a cultural icon, David Skal maps out the archetypal vampire's relentless trajectory from Victorian literary oddity to movie idol to cultural commidity, digging through the populist veneer to reveal what the prince of darkness says about us all.

Download or read book Digressions on Some Poems by Frank O Hara written by Joe LeSueur and published by Macmillan. This book was released on 2003 with total page 358 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In this intimate portrait, an unprecedented eyewitness account of New York City life and talent is revealed between the lines of Frank O'Hara's poetry. of photos.