1924–1925: Early career Under the name Lucille LeSueur, Crawford began dancing in the choruses of traveling revues, and was spotted dancing in Detroit by producer
Jacob J. Shubert. Crawford wanted additional work, and approached
Loews Theaters publicist
Nils Granlund. Granlund secured a position for her with singer
Harry Richman's act and arranged for her to do a screen test, which he sent to producer
Harry Rapf in Hollywood. Rapf notified Granlund on December 24, 1924, that
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) had offered Crawford a contract at $75 a week. Granlund immediately wired Crawford, who had returned to her mother's home in Kansas City, with the news; she borrowed $400 for travel expenses. Credited as Lucille LeSueur, her first film was
Lady of the Night in 1925, as the body double for
Norma Shearer, MGM's most popular female star. She also appeared in
The Circle and
Pretty Ladies (both 1925), starring comedian
ZaSu Pitts. This was soon followed by equally small and
unbilled roles in two other 1925 silent films:
The Only Thing, and
The Merry Widow. MGM publicity head
Pete Smith recognized her ability to become a major star, but felt her name sounded fake; he told studio head
Louis B. Mayer that her last name, LeSueur, reminded him of a sewer. Smith organized a contest called "Name the Star" in
Movie Weekly to allow readers to select her new stage name. The initial choice was "Joan Arden", but after another actress was found to have prior claim to that name, the alternative surname "Crawford" became the choice. She later said that she wanted her first name to be pronounced Jo-Anne, and that she hated the name Crawford because it sounded like "crawfish", but also admitted she "liked the security" that went with the name.
1925–1928: Self-promotion and early successes Growing increasingly frustrated over the size and quality of the parts she was given, Crawford embarked on a campaign of self-promotion. As MGM screenwriter
Frederica Sagor Maas recalled, "No one decided to make Joan Crawford a star. Joan Crawford became a star because Joan Crawford decided to become a star." She began attending dances in the afternoons and evenings at hotels around Hollywood and at dance venues on the beach piers, where she often won dance competitions with her performances of the
Charleston and the
Black Bottom. Her strategy worked, and MGM cast her in the film where she first made an impression on audiences,
Edmund Goulding's
Sally, Irene and Mary (1925). From the beginning of her career, Crawford considered Norma Shearer – the studio's most-popular actress – her professional nemesis. Shearer was married to MGM Head of Production
Irving Thalberg; hence, she had the first choice of scripts, and had more control than other stars in what films she would and would not make. Crawford was quoted to have said: "How can I compete with Norma? She sleeps with the boss!" Crawford was named one of
1926's WAMPAS Baby Stars, along with
Mary Astor,
Dolores del Río,
Janet Gaynor, and
Fay Wray, among others. That same year, she co-starred in
Paris with
Charles Ray. Within a few years, she became the romantic lead to many of MGM's top male stars, including
Ramón Novarro,
John Gilbert,
William Haines, and
Tim McCoy. in the film
Four Walls (1928) Crawford appeared as a skimpily clad young carnival assistant in
The Unknown (1927), which stars
Lon Chaney, Sr. as a carnival knife thrower with no arms who hopes to marry Crawford's character. She stated that she learned more about acting from watching Chaney work than from anyone else in her career. "It was then", she said, "I became aware for the first time of the difference between standing in front of a camera, and acting." Also in 1927, she appeared alongside her close friend
William Haines in
Spring Fever, which was the first of three movies that the two made together. In 1928, Crawford starred opposite Ramón Novarro in
Across to Singapore, but it was her role as Diana Medford in
Our Dancing Daughters (1928) that catapulted her to stardom. The role established her as a symbol of modern 1920s-style femininity who rivaled
Clara Bow, the original
It girl, and Hollywood's foremost
flapper. A stream of hits followed
Our Dancing Daughters, including two more flapper-themed movies, in which Crawford embodied for her legion of fans (many of whom were women) an idealized vision of the free-spirited, all-American girl.
F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote of Crawford: Crawford described her glamorous onscreen persona more succinctly, saying, "If you want to see the girl next door, go next door."
1929–1936: Transition to sound and continued success After the release of
The Jazz Singer in 1927—the first feature-length film with some audible dialogue—
sound films became all the rage. The transition from silent to sound caused panic for many, if not all, involved with the film industry; many silent film stars found themselves unemployable because of their undesirable voices and hard-to-understand accents, or simply because of their refusal to make the transition to talkies. Many studios and stars avoided making the transition as long as possible, especially MGM, which was the last of the major studios to switch over to sound.
The Hollywood Revue of 1929 was one of the studio's first all-talking films, and their first attempt to showcase their stars' ability to make the transition from silent to sound. Crawford was among the dozen or more MGM stars included in the movie; she sang the song "Got a Feeling for You" during the film's first act. She studied singing with
Estelle Liebling, the voice teacher of
Beverly Sills, in the 1920s and 1930s. To rid herself of her Southwestern accent, Crawford tirelessly practiced diction and elocution. She said: Crawford made a successful transition to talkies with her first starring role in the all-talking feature-length film
Untamed (1929), co-starring
Robert Montgomery. Despite the success of the film at the box office, it received mixed reviews from critics, who noted that while Crawford seemed nervous at making the transition to sound, she had become one of the most popular actresses in the world.
Montana Moon (1930), an uneasy mix of Western clichés and music, teamed her with
John Mack Brown and
Ricardo Cortez. Although the film had problems with censors, it was a major success at the time of its release.
Our Blushing Brides (1930), the final installment in the
Our Dancing Daughters franchise co-starring
Robert Montgomery and
Anita Page, where Crawford "carries the burden of dramatics in this photoplay and comes off splendidly and intelligently". Her next movie,
Paid (1930), paired her with
Robert Armstrong, and was another success. During the early sound era, MGM began to place Crawford in more sophisticated roles, rather than continuing to promote her flapper-inspired persona of the silent era. In 1931, MGM cast Crawford in five films. Three of them teamed her opposite
Clark Gable, the studio's soon-to-be biggest male star and "King of Hollywood".
Dance, Fools, Dance, released in February 1931, was the first pairing of Crawford and Gable. Their second movie together,
Laughing Sinners, released in May 1931, was directed by
Harry Beaumont and also co-starred
Neil Hamilton.
Possessed, their third film together, released in October, was directed by
Clarence Brown. These films were immensely popular with audiences and were generally well received by critics, establishing Crawford's position as one of MGM's top female stars of the decade along with
Norma Shearer,
Greta Garbo and
Jean Harlow. Her only other notable film of 1931,
This Modern Age, was released in August and despite unfavorable reviews was a moderate success. with Beery for
Grand Hotel (1932) MGM next cast her in the film
Grand Hotel, directed by
Edmund Goulding. As the studio's first all-star production, Crawford co-starred opposite
Greta Garbo,
John and
Lionel Barrymore, and
Wallace Beery, among others. Receiving third billing, she played the middle-class stenographer to Beery's controlling general director. Crawford later admitted to being nervous during the filming of the movie because she was working with accomplished actors, and that she was disappointed that she had no scenes with one she had admired, the "divine Garbo".
Grand Hotel was released in April 1932 to critical and commercial success. It was one of the highest-grossing movies of the year, and won the
Academy Award for Best Picture. Crawford achieved continued success in
Letty Lynton (1932). Soon after this movie's release, a plagiarism suit forced MGM to withdraw it; it is therefore considered the "
lost" Crawford film. Designed by
Adrian, the gown with large ruffled sleeves which Crawford wore in the movie became a popular style that same year, and was even copied by
Macy's. On loan to
United Artists, she played prostitute Sadie Thompson in
Rain (1932), a film version of
John Colton's 1923 play. Actress
Jeanne Eagels played the role on stage, and
Gloria Swanson had originated the part on screen in the
1928 film version. Crawford's performance was panned, and the film was not a success. Despite the failure of
Rain, in 1932, the publishing of the first "Top Ten Money-Making Stars Poll" placed Crawford third in popularity at the box office, behind only
Marie Dressler and
Janet Gaynor. She remained on the list for the next several years, last appearing on it in 1936. and Crawford in
Dancing Lady She was again teamed with Clark Gable, along with
Franchot Tone and
Fred Astaire, in the hit
Dancing Lady (1933), in which she received top billing. She next played the title role in
Sadie McKee (1934), opposite Tone and
Gene Raymond. She was paired with Gable for the fifth time in
Chained, and for the sixth time in
Forsaking All Others (both 1934). Crawford's films of this era were some of the most-popular and highest-grossing films of the mid-1930s. Crawford continued her reign as a popular movie actress well into the mid-1930s.
No More Ladies (1935) co-starred Robert Montgomery and then-husband Franchot Tone, and was a success. Crawford had long pleaded with MGM's head
Louis B. Mayer to cast her in more dramatic roles, and although he was reluctant, he cast her in the sophisticated comedy-drama
I Live My Life (1935), directed by
W. S. Van Dyke, and it was well received by critics. She next starred in
The Gorgeous Hussy (1936), opposite
Robert Taylor and Lionel Barrymore, as well as Tone. It was a critical and box-office success, and became one of Crawford's biggest hits of the decade.
Love on the Run (1936), a romantic comedy directed by
W. S. Van Dyke, was her seventh film co-starring Clark Gable.
1937–1943: Career decline at MGM '' (1937)|alt= Even though Crawford remained a respected MGM actress, and her films still earned profits, her popularity declined in the late 1930s. In 1937, Crawford was proclaimed the first "Queen of the Movies" by
Life magazine. She unexpectedly slipped from seventh to sixteenth place at the box office that year, and her public popularity also began to wane.
Richard Boleslawski's comedy-drama
The Last of Mrs. Cheyney (1937) teamed her opposite
William Powell in their sole screen pairing. The film was also Crawford's last box-office success before the onset of her "box office poison" period. She co-starred opposite Franchot Tone for the seventh—and final—time in
The Bride Wore Red (1937).
Mannequin, co-starring Spencer Tracy, also released in 1937 did, as the
New York Times stated, "restore Crawford to her throne as queen of the working girls". On May 3, 1938, Crawford—along with
Greta Garbo,
Mae West,
Edward Arnold,
Marlene Dietrich,
Katharine Hepburn, and
Kay Francis—was dubbed "
Box Office Poison" in an advertisement in the
Hollywood Reporter. The list was submitted by Harry Brandt, president of the Independent Theatre Owners Association of America. Brandt stated that while these stars had "unquestioned" dramatic abilities, their high salaries did not reflect in their ticket sales, thus hurting the movie exhibitors involved. (Later, an article in the
Independent Film Journal, stated that some of the other stars considered Box Office Poison included
Norma Shearer,
Dolores del Rio,
Fred Astaire,
John Barrymore and
Luise Rainer). Crawford's follow-up movie,
Frank Borzage's
The Shining Hour (1938), also starring
Margaret Sullavan and
Melvyn Douglas, was well received by critics, but it was a box-office flop. She made a comeback in 1939 with her role as home-wrecker Crystal Allen in
The Women, opposite her professional nemesis,
Norma Shearer. A year later, she played against type in the unglamorous role of Julie in
Strange Cargo (1940), her eighth—and final—film with
Clark Gable. She later starred as a facially disfigured blackmailer in ''
A Woman's Face (1941), a remake of the Swedish film En kvinnas ansikte'' which had starred
Ingrid Bergman in the lead role three years earlier. While the film was only a moderate box office success, Crawford's performance was hailed by many critics. After 18 years, Crawford requested to be released from her contract with MGM, which was terminated by mutual consent on June 29, 1943. In lieu of the last film remaining under her contract, MGM bought her out for $100,000.
1943–1952: Move to Warner Bros. For $500,000, Crawford signed with
Warner Bros. for a three-movie deal, and was placed on the payroll on July 1, 1943. Her first film for the studio was
Hollywood Canteen (1944), an all-star morale-booster film that teamed her with several other top movie stars at the time. '' trailer (1945)|alt= She wanted to play the title role in
Mildred Pierce (1945), but director
Michael Curtiz instead lobbied for the casting of
Barbara Stanwyck. Curtiz demanded Crawford prove her suitability by taking a screen test; she agreed and ultimately received the role.
Mildred Pierce was a resounding critical and commercial success. It epitomized the lush visual style and the hard-boiled
film noir sensibility that defined Warner Bros. movies of the late forties. Crawford earned the
Academy Award for
Best Actress in a Leading Role. The success of
Mildred Pierce revived Crawford's film career. Her next film was
Humoresque (1946), co-starring
John Garfield. She starred alongside
Van Heflin in
Possessed (1947), for which she received a second Academy Award nomination for "Best Actress". In
Daisy Kenyon (1947) she appeared opposite
Dana Andrews and
Henry Fonda, and in
Flamingo Road (1949) her character has an ultimately deadly feud with a corrupt southern sheriff played by
Sydney Greenstreet. She made a cameo in ''
It's a Great Feeling (1949), poking fun at her own screen image. In 1950, she starred in the film noir The Damned Don't Cry and in the melodrama Harriet Craig''. '', 1946 After the completion of
This Woman Is Dangerous (1952), she asked to be released from her Warner Bros. contract. Later in that year, she received her third Academy Award nomination for "Best Actress" in
Sudden Fear for
RKO Radio Pictures.
Radio and television Crawford worked in the radio series
The Screen Guild Theater on January 8, 1939;
Good News;
Baby, broadcast on March 2, 1940, on
Arch Oboler's
Lights Out;
The Word on ''
Everyman's Theater (1941); Chained
on the Lux Radio Theater'', and
Norman Corwin's
Document A/777 (1948). She appeared in episodes of anthology television series in the 1950s, and, in 1959, made a pilot for
The Joan Crawford Show.
1952–1972: Later career at the premiere of
Torch Song."To me, L.B. Mayer was my father, my father confessor, the best friend I ever had", Crawford was quoted as saying.|alt= After her Academy Award-nominated performance in 1952's
Sudden Fear, Crawford continued to work steadily throughout the rest of the decade. After a 10-year absence from MGM, she returned to that studio to star in
Torch Song (1953), a musical drama centering on the life of a demanding stage star who falls in love with a blind pianist, played by
Michael Wilding. In 1954, she starred in
Johnny Guitar, a
cult classic directed by
Nicholas Ray, co-starring
Sterling Hayden and
Mercedes McCambridge. She also starred in
Female on the Beach with
Jeff Chandler, and in
Queen Bee (both 1955), alongside
John Ireland. The following year, she starred opposite a young
Cliff Robertson in
Autumn Leaves (1956), and filmed a leading role in
The Story of Esther Costello (1957), co-starring
Rossano Brazzi. Crawford, who had been left near-penniless following Alfred Steele's death, accepted a small role in
The Best of Everything (1959). Although she was not the star of the film, she received positive reviews. By 1961, Joan Crawford was once again her own publicity machine, with a new script,
Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?, sent by
Robert Aldrich. Crawford starred as Blanche Hudson, an elderly, disabled former
A-list movie star who lives in fear of her psychotic sister
Jane, in the highly successful psychological thriller
What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962). Despite the actresses' earlier tensions, Crawford reportedly suggested
Bette Davis for the role of Jane. The two stars maintained publicly that there was no feud between them. The film was a huge success, recouping its costs within eleven days of its nationwide release and reviving Crawford's career. Davis was nominated for an Academy Award for her performance as Jane Hudson. In 1964, Crawford starred as Lucy Harbin in
William Castle's horror mystery
Strait-Jacket (1964). During the same year, Aldrich reteamed Crawford and Davis in
Hush...Hush, Sweet Charlotte (1964). After a purported campaign of harassment by Davis on location in Louisiana, Crawford returned to Hollywood and entered a hospital. After a prolonged absence, Aldrich was forced to replace her with
Olivia de Havilland. Crawford, who was devastated, said "I heard the news of my replacement over the radio, lying in my hospital bed ... I cried for nine hours." Despite being replaced, brief footage of Crawford made it into the film when she is seen sitting in a taxi in a wide shot. In 1965, she played Amy Nelson in
I Saw What You Did, another William Castle vehicle. She starred as circus owner Monica Rivers in
Herman Cohen's thriller
Berserk! (1967). After that film's release, Crawford guest-starred as herself in
The Lucy Show. The episode, "Lucy and the Lost Star", first aired on February 26, 1968. Crawford allegedly struggled during rehearsals; however, she was letter-perfect on the day of the show, which included dancing the Charleston, and received two standing ovations from the studio audience. In October 1968, Crawford's 29-year-old daughter, Christina (who was then acting in New York in the soap opera
The Secret Storm), needed immediate medical attention for a ruptured ovarian tumor. Despite the fact that Christina's character was a 28-year-old, Crawford played the role for one week. Crawford's appearance in the 1969 television film
Night Gallery (which served as pilot to the series that followed) was the first occasion when
Steven Spielberg directed a professional actor. Crawford made a cameo appearance as herself in the first episode of
The Tim Conway Show, which aired on January 30, 1970. She starred on the big screen one final time, playing Dr. Brockton in Herman Cohen's science-fiction horror film
Trog (1970), rounding out a career spanning 45 years and more than 80 motion pictures. Crawford made three more television appearances, including one as Stephanie White in a 1970 episode ("The Nightmare") of
The Virginian, and as Joan Fairchild (her final dramatic performance) in a 1972 episode ("Dear Joan: We're Going to Scare You to Death") of
The Sixth Sense. ==Personal life==