JOAN CRAWFORD

March 23, 1908

Joan Crawford was born Lucille Fay LeSueur in San Antonio, Texas. She made her film debut in 1923 with a short film called The Casting Couch.  A controversial and provocative film of a sexual nature, MGM bought the rights to this film in 1935 (to protect their star) and the only existing copy was destroyed. 

At Warner Brothers, Mildred Pierce (1945) gave her an opportunity to show her range as an actress, and her performance garnered Crawford her first, and only, Oscar for Best Actress. She earned two additional Oscar nominations; in 1947 for Possessed; and in 1952 for Sudden Fear. In 1962, she and Bette Davis co-starred in What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962). Their longstanding rivalry may have helped fuel their phenomenally well-received performances.

Although Joan Crawford never appeared on “I Love Lucy,” her name was dropped in two episodes:

• On Lucy and Ethel’s bus tour of the Hollywood homes in “The Tour” (ILL S4;E30, above)
• and in the forecourt of the Chinese Theatre when “Lucy Visits Grauman’s” (ILL S5;E1)

In “No More Double Dates” (TLS S1;E21) during the first season of “The Lucy Show,” Viv wants to see What Ever Happened to Baby Jane (1962), but Lucy thinks it will be too scary.

On a 1971 episode of “Here’s Lucy,” Lucy Carter is having a garage sale and models a fur-lined jacket she says was worn by Joan Crawford in Mildred Pierce. Her son Craig says that judging by the shoulder pads she could have worn it in The Spirit of Notre Dame, a 1931 football-themed movie NOT featuring Crawford.    

On February 26, 1968, the two Lucilles finally worked together in “Lucy and the Lost Star” (TLS S6;E22), an episode originally written for Gloria Swanson. Considering Swanson’s performance in Sunset Boulevard (1950), the title of the episode was fitting, since Norman Desmond was truly a ‘lost star’. 

Sources say that Lucille Ball was not happy during the making of this episode, as guest star Joan Crawford was often drunk during rehearsals and filming, which led to frequent arguments between the stars. Crawford was reportedly late for rehearsals and couldn’t remember her lines. 

Joan feared that Lucy wanted her to replace her. Lucy had Joan continually repeat a dance number and then, in front of an audience, abruptly cut the number because of Crawford’s poor performance. Ironically, Joan Crawford first gained attention as a young dancer. Crawford was so upset that at one point, she wouldn’t leave her dressing room.

According to Ball’s friend Kaye Ballard, it was Vanda Barra, a featured actress frequently seen on “The Lucy Show,” who finally persuaded Crawford to continue with the show.

However, Crawford was letter-perfect the day of the show, which included dancing the Charleston, and received two standing ovations from the studio audience.

In March 1974, both Lucille Ball and Joan Crawford took part in the CBS Radio broadcast “The American Movie”.  

Crawford made her final screen appearance in 1970. She died in 1977 at age 72.  She had been married four times to Douglas Fairbanks, Jr.​​ (1929-33), Franchot Tone ​​(1935-39), ​Phillip Terry​​ (1942-46)​, and Alfred Steele​​ (1955-59). 

She had four children, including Christina, who wrote a tell-all 1978 biography and biopic titled Mommie Dearest (1982) where Faye Dunaway played Crawford as a competitive and abusive mother.