Summer Under The Stars continues on TCM...

26 hours of Joan Crawford on TCM, so yeah, I'm in Heaven. At this very moment I'm watching the opening credits of Mildred Pierce, a movie that always makes me emotional, just completely happy. The "Ultimate Star" documentary just finished, and I saw Philip's name in the credits! (He gave us all one of the funniest stories about that vile excuse for a human being and absolute waste of skin that is christina Crawford) and he runs very successful tours of Hollywood, as well. Although I'm not pleased that the fugly pig tina was interviewed at all for the documentary, still it gives a pretty comprehensive overview of Joanie's career. (Hopefully my buddy DVR'ed  the parts I had to work through!)

Next up after Mildred Pierce is 1934's Sadie McKee, one of my favorite films of hers (and one where I really feel she was playing an MGM-glamorized version of her own self and life).

Sadie McKee contains the single greatest closeup she ever committed to film. Within the space of about seven seconds hope and love, then realization and loss sweep across Sadie's face, while Crawford the actress barely moves a muscle. 

Following Sadie is The Shining Hour, a 1938 marital melodrama about life among the idle wealthy in Wisconsin. Although many don't care for this film (for some very good reasons) I completely love it, even if it's dramatically disastrous and fairly illogical. Most of the actors (all of whom perform like they're in the leading roles) seem to be inhabiting different films that were spliced together. It just doesn't work, despite the best intentions of everyone concerned. 

(As Joan Crawford recalled: "It failed, but sort of nobly")

But damn, Joan's Olivia Linden is so real. 

At one point, she tries to make peace with her loathsome sister-in-law Hannah (Fay Bainter), only to be coldly rebuffed, and Crawford throws out the line "Oh, what's the use?"

Her delivery is so damn modern, and Crawford is leagues beyond any of the hams she's stuck with in this movie (sometimes I think I prefer her lesser films, just because it gives me an opportunity to observe her doing her darndest just to "raise the ceiling" against all odds)!

Then at 2:45 AM, 1930's Montana Moon starts playing. It's kind of a crude early "talkie" relic and is worthwhile for only two reasons: a very girly, flirtacious young Joan Crawford in an early "sound" film, and also as an interesting contrast to the heights that silent film ascended before becoming passe as sound came in. Compare this film to her previous years' silent Our Modern Maidens, where the cinematography is more fluid (and gorgeous) and it reveals how much the new innovation of sound on film threw a wrench in the gears, artistically. Basically M M bears witness to the entire theme of the classic film Singing In The Rain (1952), which is about the changeover from silent movies to talkies. So yes, Montana Moon's kind of stupid (there's even some recording issues where apparently no one could control the microphone volume), but this must have been an exciting time to be in the film industry!

And almost last in the line-up (but certainly not least!) is 1943's Above Suspicion, a WWII suspense film with lots of comedy. Although Joanie never liked the film (she left her home studio, her Alma Mater MGM, the only thing resembling a family she'd ever known shortly after finishing this film), she's charming in it, and there's some great chemistry with Fred MacMurray in it (is it just me, or does MacMurray resemble -emotionally and physically- JC's husband Philip Terry?)

 After a few hours' gap, at 6 PM TCM shows what many believe is Crawford's finest performance:

A Woman's Face.

 (I don't quite agree; Joan's Helen in Humoresque is so painful to watch, so loveable and lost that I don't think that performance will ever be bettered by anyone), but A Woman's Face (despite the goofy MGM glamorizing of a very Warner Bros. type picture) is pretty shocking and dark. I do think MGM erred in not transplanting the story to the U.S.A in the early 40's (A Woman's Face is a remake of a Swedish film) just because all the "local color", the indigenous native garb of the Scandinavian farmers at the squaredances, all that folksy bullshit, pulls me out of the movie--it's just too cute. But who can complain when Mr. Conrad Veidt and Joan Crawford look one another in the eye as equals, as they consider pursuing a life of crime together?

And on a related note, here's Joan Crawford accepting the Academy Award for Anne Bancroft as Best Actress of 1962. I see no trace of the "odd smile of triumph" that other writers have written about: She basically steps up, speaks, and then gracefully leaves the stage.

So, what's the problem, Bette?

And, just to make you happy, I have a link a friend sent to me awhile ago. So---

apparently one of the late Joan Crawford's offspring is as uncharismatic and unlikeable a politician and public servant as she was when an actress:
Christina Crawford, the Benewah County commissioner who supported Democrat Keith Allred in the general election, was shown the door by voters Tuesday night, according to Dan Hammes, St. Maries Gazette-Record. Phil Lampert easily defeated incumbent Crawford in the race for county commissioner, 2080-892.

http://www.spokesman.com/blogs/hbo/2010/nov/04/benewah-voters-boot-crawford/

(Miss JoanFuckingCrawford is devastated to hear this)

Baby, you're a firework-

Come on, show us what you're worth!

Make 'em go 'Ai, Ai, Ai'

As  you shoot across the sky-y-y.