Tag Archives: Joan Crawford

New Book Traces How ‘Mommie Dearest’ Got Made

March 27, 2024 We all love Mommie Dearest, right? (Image via Chicago Review Press) Well, maybe not all of us. The film was a critical disaster in 1981, and seems to have singlehandedly mortally wounded Faye Dunaway's previously flawless career. Nonetheless, it was a box-office hit — it earned five times its budget worldwide —…
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Christina Dearest, The Marcia Chronicles, ‘Addams’ Casting News & More

Links to the past, with relevance today: Christina gets schooled. (Image via eBay) EBAY: Here's a humdinger of a letter from 1952 — Joan Crawford writing a not-too-subtly bitchy note to her daughter Christina, chastising her for not writing more. Christina would have been 12 when she received it. VULTURE: Queen's Brian May speaks out…
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Elvis’s Jeweled Jock, Val Kilmer Now + More — Past & Curious

Links to the past, with relevance today: Where the King's jewels were kept (Image via PFC) PAUL FRASER COLLECTIBLES: So if you were interested in an original, bedazzled Elvis Presley jockstrap, you're in luck — one is for sale, and for an opening bid of just £29,950. "My name is ... Tanya." (Image via NBC)…
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How Joan Crawford Became Mildred Pierce

March 23 is approximately the 116th anniversary of the birth of screen legend Joan Crawford. (Her real birthday is lost to history — on purpose, by Miss Crawford, who was probably concerned about vanity.) In honor of the anniversary, check out this lavish piece on how Crawford became Mildred Pierce in 1945. A birthday toast…
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Western Actor Ben Cooper Dies @ 86

Ben Cooper, a sweet-faced western actor whose cap was feathered with a memorable appearance as a doomed outlaw named Turkey in the classic Johnny Guitar (1954), died Monday at 86. Ben Cooper: September 30, 1933-February 24, 2020 (Image via video still) THR reports his death followed "a long illness" that was reportedly dementia. Born on…
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A Look Back at Joan Crawford’s Last Good Role

In honor of Joan Crawford's birthday — she was born on March 23, but the year could have been 1904, 1906, 1908 or 1909 — please enjoy this loving tribute to her performance on the Night Gallery episode "Eyes" (November 8, 1969), directed by 22-year-old Steven Spielberg (b. 1946). She wants to SEE! (Image via…
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‘Popeye and His Friends’ Host Tom Hatten Dies @ 92

Tom Hatten, a fixture on L.A. TV for decades renowned for his encyclopedic knowledge of entertainment, died Saturday, March 16, at 92, KTLA producer Joe Quasarano reported. He definitely ate his spinach! (Image via KTLA) Hatten was born November 14, 1926, in Jamestown, North Dakota, growing up in Caldwell, Idaho. He was in the U.S.…
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GALECA’s 10 Best Movies About the Oscars

GALECA: The Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics has revealed its picks for the 10 best pics about the Oscars. Keep reading for the full list by John Griffiths for GALECA: Boyd does he wanna win! (Image via Embassy Pictures) (1) The Oscar (1966) Poor sociopath Frank Fane (Stephen Boyd, 1931-1977) wants that Best Actor trophy so bad, he’ll almost kill…
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