Hollywood is one of the most scandalous places in the universe, no doubt. But, it is also a place of legends. One particular legend is that of a forty two year rivalry between two Hollywood dames. Both ladies worked in the times where Hollywood was sexist and ageist. Both ended up as two of the many great female stars of all time.
In this corner, we have Joan Crawford. Joan Crawford was born on March 23, 1904 in Texas. Her real name was Lucille Fay LeSueur. She was born with a single but neglectful mother. She desired to become a dancer. In the 1920s, women’s jobs in entertainment were only about being flappers, dancers and actors. Joan Crawford worked as a chorus girl in musicals. MGM, a movie studio, noticed Crawford in one of the musicals. Crawford ended up acting in silent era films. After The Jazz Singer came out in 1927, Crawford could have lost her job as an actress because ‘talkies,’ or sound film, became more popular. But luckily, Crawford worked for more than ten years at MGM and in “talkies.” Her breakthrough role came in 1928’s Dancing Daughters. Crawford’s fame increased to stardom in the 1930s. She was working with other top stars, like Norma Shearer, Greta Garbo and Clark Gable. Joan Crawford was like Julia Roberts of her time because like Julia Roberts, Crawford’s films are always about shopgirls and women ended up making money and finding romance. Crawford’s star life was never perfect, however. She was notorious for having rivalries with Mercedes McCambridge and Norma Shearer while seducing and sleeping with many male stars. Her diva behavior made Crawford one of the most difficult actresses to work with of all time. In the other corner, we have Bette Davis. Ruth Elizabeth Davis, otherwise known as Bette, was born on April 5, 1908. She was born in Lowell, Massachusetts. She started out on Broadway in theater. She moved to Hollywood at the age of 22. She worked for Universal for a while then moved to Warner Bros. 1934’s Of Human Bondage gave her an Academy Award nomination. She won two more Academy Awards for 1935’s Dangerous and 1938’s Jezebel. Her career in movies and television lasted for over fifty years. Joan Crawford and Bette Davis came face to face when Crawford moved to Warner Bros. in 1942. While they worked together at Warner Bros. a feud began between them. Bette Davis turned down the role of Mildred Pierce in 1945, which lead to Joan Crawford accepting the role and winning an Oscar. Both women were in love with the same star, Franchot Tone, but Tone married Crawford from 1935 to 1939. In 1962, Crawford and Davis starred together in the film: Whatever Happened to Baby Jane? This would be the only time they worked together. Davis was nominated for an Academy Award for her performance in Baby Jane (her final nomination) but Crawford stole the show when she accepted the award on behalf of Anne Bancroft for her role in the Miracle Worker. Davis and Crawford continued to be rivals even after Crawford’s death in 1977. Meg McCabe -- Staff Writer |
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June 2019
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