The character simply does what she feels is necessary to achieve that better life. In this second new identity as socialite Lorna Hansen Forbes, Crawford’s interpretation of that aspect never displays an overtly evil or malicious streak. First as a working, single woman doing what it takes to get by to a society darling, all with some backing from her underworld boss and other associates. Over the course of the film, she reinvents herself several times.
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The son is tragically killed in an accident, and while her husband shows a rather callous reaction to her pain, Ethel sees it as a sign that she must free herself from a marriage and life that would never and could never fulfill her. Ethel is in a marriage with Roy (Richard Egan), a man who is a bit of a brute, who demands that his wife return a bicycle she purchased for their son. In the case of her portrayal of Ethel Whitehead in The Damned Don’t Cry (1950), there’s a bit of a conundrum. Subject matter aside, this formula was successful, as it would be remade in 1956 as The Opposite Sex with yet another Joan taking the part named and modeled after the original: Joan Collins. Rounding out the ensemble cast is Rosalind Russell, Joan Fontaine, Mary Boland and Paulette Goddard. Directed by George Cukor and based on the play by Clare Boothe Luce, Crawford plays the brazen Crystal Allen, a perfume counter associate embroiled in an affair with the husband of Mary Haines (Norma Shearer), and she makes no qualms to her romantic rival about her designs. Often, the juiciest characters an actor can portray are the ones with some ulterior motive or deplorable behavior and Joan certainly took up that cause in 1939’s The Women. She played ambitious women who had to scrape and claw their way into a profession or marriage of choice, and if lines were crossed into something unscrupulous or illegal to achieve those goals, so be it. Throughout her career, while she was certainly glamorous, as fitting to the fashion of the times, many of the roles she undertook were that of the underdog. From feisty and ferocious, to fancy-free and light-hearted, whatever emotion her character was supposed to be expressing, whatever motivation that role was trying to demonstrate, she poured every single ounce of energy into it.
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In many of her roles, Crawford seemed to take from a bleak and unhappy early life full of poverty and strife, along with a strong will and determination to succeed. From that point on, Lucille LeSueur was Joan Crawford. While the original winning entry of “Joan Arden” was disqualified due to the name already being used by another, the runner-up became the default winner. A “name the star” contest sponsored by a film magazine invited readers to bestow a brand-new moniker on the newest face in Hollywood. However, as many who have dabbled in performing know, sometimes one’s given name doesn’t exactly exude star power, and the studio thought it fit to change it.
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer saw Lucille’s potential, and she would be signed to a contract in 1924 for $75 per week. Not only did he get her a gig with another musician’s act, but also a screen test, which was given to producer Harry Rapf (who produced 1939’s The Ice Follies of 1939 and was a founding member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences). Going by the nickname “Billie,” Lucille would attend various boarding schools and some college, but would not complete her post-secondary education.Īmbition, a bit of good luck and a good chunk of hard work would eventually get Lucille LeSueur into films and transform her life forever.Īfter dancing in various troupes throughout the country (including a stint on Broadway), she sought out Loews Theatre publicist Nils Granlund. Her young daughter grew up thinking Cassin was her biological father. Upon Anna LeSueur’s remarriage to Henry Cassin, the family relocated to Lawton, Oklahoma, before settling in Kansas City, Missouri. After her father abandoned the family, mother Anna was left to support young Lucille and her brother. The childhood of Lucille Fay LeSueur was marked with instability and tragedy.
Her exact birth year has long been debated, with most references listing anywhere from 1904 to 1908. Like so many entertainers who achieve such a high level of stardom, Joan Crawford’s storied life and career had so many twists and turns, her biography was as dramatic as the very films she appeared in such as Mildred Pierce (1945), Whatever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962), and more.Īccording to some sources, Crawford was born on March 23rd in San Antonio, Texas in the early 1900s. For the month-long Summer Under the Stars celebration, TCM is devoting August 20th to an actress who electrified screens for almost 50 years.
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