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Bette Davis vs. Joan Crawford
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<blockquote data-quote="ClassyCo" data-source="post: 233855" data-attributes="member: 7"><p><span style="font-family: 'arial'">This is a good little documentary (roughly ten or eleven minutes) centering solely on Joan Crawford's seven-year-stint at Warner Brothers. Crawford had came to the end of her tenure at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer in 1943, and she asked to be released from her contract. (I've heard varying stories that she asked for her release, or the studio wanted her gone because she wasn't pulling her weight anymore.) </span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'arial'"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'arial'">She wasn't knocked down too long, however, because she was quickly snatched up by Warner Brothers. For close to two years, she turned down all the scripts sent to her, including one called <em>Never Goodbye</em>. She was apparently placed on suspension for refusing the part. Crawford was weary of accepting roles she felt wouldn't strengthen her career. She wanted better parts than what MGM had been giving her, and she was going to hold out until Warner Brothers gave her something worth having. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'arial'"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'arial'">Warner Brothers had purchased the novel <em>Mildred Pierce</em> in 1945, and they planned on making it into a picture. The studio wanted Bette Davis for the role, while director Michael Curtiz was pushing for Barbara Stanwyck. Both ladies turned the part down, and ─ apparently ─ so did Rosalind Russell, Olivia de Havilland, and Joan Fontaine. Crawford naturally knew the story was circling the lot, and she had decided the part was hers for the taking. Curtiz wouldn't agree to her casting, however, until she submitted to a screen test. Most agree this tossed Crawford a whim because she hadn't "auditioned" for work in two decades.</span></p><p></p><p><em><span style="font-family: 'arial'">Mildred Pierce </span></em><span style="font-family: 'arial'">was a big hit in theaters, receiving the best reviews of Crawford's career until that point. Her performance was lauded in all areas of the press, which resulted in her winning the Academy Award for her work. Afterward her contract was rewritten wherein her salary was upped and she was given a little more creative freedom over her projects. She then starred in <em>Humoresque </em>(1946) with John Garfield, in a role that had been slated for Ida Lupino. It was another hit, with the critics in this video saying it offered what is perhaps Crawford's on-screen performance. <em>Possessed </em>(1947) had been tailor-made for Bette Davis, but she was forced to decline because she was pregnant. Crawford was brought in as a replacement, receiving another Oscar nod for her work. After the release of <em>Daisy Kenyon </em>(1947), she wouldn't do a film for two years. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'arial'"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'arial'">Crawford had wanted to do a movie called <em>Miss O'Brien</em>, in which she would have played a self-sacrificing school teacher. Warner Brothers did not like the idea, and instead referred her to <em>Flamingo Road</em>, which they had just purchased. Crawford kept pushing the <em>Miss O'Brien </em>project, even stating in a press release that it would be her next picture. Jack Warner put his foot down, however, and said she was doing <em>Flamingo Road </em>or go on suspension. She eventually accepted Warner's request. What's funny about all this, though, is I've read that when Warner Brothers first bought <em>Flamingo Road </em>they saw it as an Ann Sheridan vehicle, but here it seems like it was always intended for Crawford. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'arial'"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'arial'">Joan's last major film for Warner Brothers was <em>The Damned Don't Cry </em>(1950), a tawdry film noir that many historians feel roll all her personas into one. Her role as <em>Harriet Craig </em>(1950) is a favorite among fans because it closely resembles what she was supposedly like in real life. When her film <em>Goodbye, My Fancy </em>(1951) suffered at the box office, Warner Brothers began thinking she was slipping. They then assigned her <em>This Woman Is Dangerous </em>(1952), a rehash melodrama that she accepted while urging her agents to get her out of her contract. It was her last film under her Warner Brothers contract. </span></p><p></p><p style="text-align: center">[MEDIA=youtube]au4leRsi0r8[/MEDIA]</p> <p style="text-align: center">[MEDIA=youtube]au4leRsi0r8[/MEDIA]</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="ClassyCo, post: 233855, member: 7"] [FONT=arial]This is a good little documentary (roughly ten or eleven minutes) centering solely on Joan Crawford's seven-year-stint at Warner Brothers. Crawford had came to the end of her tenure at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer in 1943, and she asked to be released from her contract. (I've heard varying stories that she asked for her release, or the studio wanted her gone because she wasn't pulling her weight anymore.) She wasn't knocked down too long, however, because she was quickly snatched up by Warner Brothers. For close to two years, she turned down all the scripts sent to her, including one called [I]Never Goodbye[/I]. She was apparently placed on suspension for refusing the part. Crawford was weary of accepting roles she felt wouldn't strengthen her career. She wanted better parts than what MGM had been giving her, and she was going to hold out until Warner Brothers gave her something worth having. Warner Brothers had purchased the novel [I]Mildred Pierce[/I] in 1945, and they planned on making it into a picture. The studio wanted Bette Davis for the role, while director Michael Curtiz was pushing for Barbara Stanwyck. Both ladies turned the part down, and ─ apparently ─ so did Rosalind Russell, Olivia de Havilland, and Joan Fontaine. Crawford naturally knew the story was circling the lot, and she had decided the part was hers for the taking. Curtiz wouldn't agree to her casting, however, until she submitted to a screen test. Most agree this tossed Crawford a whim because she hadn't "auditioned" for work in two decades.[/FONT] [I][FONT=arial]Mildred Pierce [/FONT][/I][FONT=arial]was a big hit in theaters, receiving the best reviews of Crawford's career until that point. Her performance was lauded in all areas of the press, which resulted in her winning the Academy Award for her work. Afterward her contract was rewritten wherein her salary was upped and she was given a little more creative freedom over her projects. She then starred in [I]Humoresque [/I](1946) with John Garfield, in a role that had been slated for Ida Lupino. It was another hit, with the critics in this video saying it offered what is perhaps Crawford's on-screen performance. [I]Possessed [/I](1947) had been tailor-made for Bette Davis, but she was forced to decline because she was pregnant. Crawford was brought in as a replacement, receiving another Oscar nod for her work. After the release of [I]Daisy Kenyon [/I](1947), she wouldn't do a film for two years. Crawford had wanted to do a movie called [I]Miss O'Brien[/I], in which she would have played a self-sacrificing school teacher. Warner Brothers did not like the idea, and instead referred her to [I]Flamingo Road[/I], which they had just purchased. Crawford kept pushing the [I]Miss O'Brien [/I]project, even stating in a press release that it would be her next picture. Jack Warner put his foot down, however, and said she was doing [I]Flamingo Road [/I]or go on suspension. She eventually accepted Warner's request. What's funny about all this, though, is I've read that when Warner Brothers first bought [I]Flamingo Road [/I]they saw it as an Ann Sheridan vehicle, but here it seems like it was always intended for Crawford. Joan's last major film for Warner Brothers was [I]The Damned Don't Cry [/I](1950), a tawdry film noir that many historians feel roll all her personas into one. Her role as [I]Harriet Craig [/I](1950) is a favorite among fans because it closely resembles what she was supposedly like in real life. When her film [I]Goodbye, My Fancy [/I](1951) suffered at the box office, Warner Brothers began thinking she was slipping. They then assigned her [I]This Woman Is Dangerous [/I](1952), a rehash melodrama that she accepted while urging her agents to get her out of her contract. It was her last film under her Warner Brothers contract. [/FONT] [CENTER][MEDIA=youtube]au4leRsi0r8[/MEDIA] [MEDIA=youtube]au4leRsi0r8[/MEDIA][/CENTER] [/QUOTE]
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