MOMMIE DEAREST - spoilers
FrMerrin
horror-thrillers; "Whatever Happened to Baby Jane" is the best, but also worthy of note
are "Hush Hush Sweet Charlotte", "What's the Matter With Helen" and "Frantic AKA Die Die
My Darling". Some call this the worst sort of exploitation, while others note that Bette
Davis revived her career by playing a shrieking hag, when no other offers of work were
forthcoming. Shelley Winters featured in a couple of the films, while even Debbie Reynolds
popped up as a murderess.
But the saddest story has to be that of Joan Crawford, whose appearance in "Whatever
Happened to Baby Jane", should have resurrected her career, especially since she gives a
much better performance than Ms. Davis. For reasons that I can't explain, she ended up in
yet more, and much worse, horror films, going increasingly down market until she ended up
in the travesty of "Trog", giving, in the circumstances, a wastefully committed
performance.
It's therefore oddly appropriate that the film of her life, "Mommie Dearest", should be a
camp horror story about an old witch, hiding behind the guise of a respectable biopic.
Based on the first, and best, revenge book, by her daughter, Christina, it is one of the
trashiest films ever made, and also a lot of not-so-innocent fun.
Faye Dunaway, whose career seems to have gone into even more of a tailspin than
Crawford's, gives a stunning performance in the title role, but it's clearly not a
realistic interpretation of the woman. No, this is a truly nasty villainess, making
Cruella DeVille seem a model of calm responsibility in contrast. The story concerns a
beautiful little girl called Christina, all blonde hair and perfect teeth, who is adopted
by a nasty old witch called Joan Crawford, who proceeds to make her life a misery. On her
birthdays, Christina is only allowed to keep one present, while the rest go to the
orphanages. This is the first sign that all is not well in the Crawford household, and the
hysteria that ensues when Christina puts on her mother's make-up and pretends to be
accepting an award, only confirms the fact that Joan might not be making the running for
the mother of the year award.
Two scenes are etched in the memory of anyone who has ever seen this film. The first takes
place after Joan loses her contract at MGM. That night, she starts pulling up her famous
rose-bushes, and she calls the children out of their beds to come and help clear up.
Surely, we think, Joan isn't mad enough to go any further. But her sights are set on her
daughter's beloved little rose tree. In one of the great moments of gothic-camp, she
intones to her daughter, "Christina, fetch me.. the axe !!!". She then attempts to hack
the tree to pieces, while her crying children can only watch, helpless to stop this
maniac.
The second occurs when Joan, clearly off her rocker, finds a ... gasp ... wire hanger in
her daughter's closet. To say she throws a fit would be understating. She screams at her
sleeping eight year old daughter, "NO WIRE HANGERS", and proceeds to beat the poor child
with the hanger. All of Christina's clothes are then strewn across the floor, after which
Joan orders her to clear up the mess. But, she isn't finished. Going into the bathroom,
Joan decides that the floor isn't clean enough. She announces to her daughter that "We
will clean this together", throws soap on the floor, and then beats her daughter with the
soap box. If this scene isn't a classic of camp, I don't know what is. The thing is, you
see, it's played dead-straight. Joan, made up in white cream, looks like a monster from a
child's fairy tale, while Christina is every inch the innocent victim of this creature's
wrath.
The irony is that the audience aren't on the side of Christina, who is irritatingly
idealised. No, we're on the side of Wicked Queen Joan, and we can't wait for the next
explosion to come and liven up the film. Later, as Christina turns into the very lovely
Diana Scarwid, Joan tries to strangle her, after Christina has accused her of trying to
ruin her life. Luckily, a showbiz journalist is on hand to stop anything too serious
happening - the said journo is played by Marlon Brando's sister, who looks very much like
him, but only in latter day porker mode, sadly.
This really is a very, very silly film, and Faye Dunaway's superb performance is much
better than the movie deserves. However, it is consistently watchable, not least for a
number of excellent one-liners. Upon assuming control of Pepsi-Cola in the sixties, Joan
runs rings around the board, yelling "Don't fuck with me fellas, this ain't my first time
at the rodeo".
However, for horror fans, it assumes interest as, perhaps, the last of the "Great Lady"
horror movies, and it certainly can't be accused of being boring. The film's version of
Crawford is a sort of cross between Baby Jane and Countess Dracula, which does nothing for
verisimilitude, but does make it very watchable. I gather the film became something of a
cult in America at the time, with audiences wearing clothes-hanger earrings, and shouting
along with the more quotable lines.
Mike
"Me and the elephant ....
We still remember you."
Justin Kerswell
<fr.m...@virgin.net> writes
>It's therefore oddly appropriate that the film of her life, "Mommie Dearest",
>should be a
>camp horror story about an old witch, hiding behind the guise of a respectable
>biopic.
>Based on the first, and best, revenge book, by her daughter, Christina, it is
>one of the
>trashiest films ever made, and also a lot of not-so-innocent fun.
...MOMMIE DEAREST is *fabulous*!
You're right Fr. about the film becoming something of a 'cult
classic'. I seem to remember reading about the film's press screening
where, all the assembled journalists afforded the film a polite,
respectful reception- one that fitted a film with a star the magnitude
of Faye Dunaway; but, apparently, when the film got to the moment where
Dunaway utters the legend- "Christina, fetch me... the axe!", the whole
place just erupted into howls of laughter. From that moment on its fate
was sealed; it gained the (not entirely fair) tag as a raging turkey and
a camp late night favourite.
It is incredible that no-one had realised that, what should
have been a harrowing tale of child abuse, was going to turn out to be
an archly camp pantomime. If I remember correctly the book was even more
sensationalistic- one highlight being Christina accusing her adoptive
Mother of sending her to an isolated hilltop nunnery for a year, because
she didn't write out her Christmas card list on time!... There was, of
course, much talk at the time the book and movie were released that most
of it was sour grapes- on the behalf of Christina Crawford, who was cut
out of her Mother's will- as a lesson in frugality!
Another book about Joan Crawford, and possibly the *funniest*
book I have *ever* read, is THE DIVINE FEUD; it catalogues her epic,
bitter and bitchy dealings with arch-nemesis Bette Davis. It goes into
details about how Davis kicked Crawford in the head (on purpose) during
a climactic scene in WHATEVER HAPPENED TO BABY JANE; and Crawford-
always one to hold a grudge, put weights in her dressing gown causing
Davies to put her back out when she had to lift her!
I must admit though that I do like most of Joan Crawford's post
BABY JANE movies; TROG is a little bit of a guilty pleasure, and I adore
William Castle's STRAIT-JACKET. At least she never quite plumbed the
dizzying depths of Veronica Lake in 1970's FLESH FEAST.
--
Justin Kerswell
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Scott Davies
on cable in 82, when I was 12, and immediately identified with it.
Faye/Joan was very much like my mother, and from that point on my mother
was known as "Joan" by me. My mother would do the middle-of-the-night,
drunken tantrums, etc.., Perhaps that's a reason why I haven't spoken to
her in 10 years?? Amazingly, this film was not/is not hurtful for me to
watch. I think it's a scream. I know the whole thing nearly by heart,
and am DYING for a DVD release with LOTS of extras. Everyone thinks poor
Christina is just an innocent victim. Pay attention, she's a defyant
little brat. How about when she's embarasses poor Joan in front of her
date. "I brought you a freshener Mommie Dearest". You just wanted to
smack her. If you think the movie is overdone, the truth is it's
actually underdone. Just listen to the audio book. Yes, I said audio
book, read by Christina with SUCH emotion. One can't help but feel for
poor Christina as she tells the story of how Joan had Christina's
friends call her "Stinky" rather than Miss Crawford. I almost cried. Why
didn't they put that part into the movie????
I don't think Joan's career ended with a batch of bad films. They were
the kind of accidental camp classics that have made her a legend. Strait
Jacket, Berserk, Queen Bee, I saw what you did, and yes, even Trog all
have grade A camp value, and are a big reason she is remembered today.
Scott
Paul Hutchings
Here's a film that I can't stand. I even liked "Dolly dearest" better
than this! I saw it as a straight drama than a horror film.
--
Paul Hutchings
Jordan Ruud
> It is incredible that no-one had realised that, what should
> have been a harrowing tale of child abuse, was going to turn out to be
> an archly camp pantomime. If I remember correctly the book was even more
> sensationalistic- one highlight being Christina accusing her adoptive
> Mother of sending her to an isolated hilltop nunnery for a year, because
> she didn't write out her Christmas card list on time!... There was, of
> course, much talk at the time the book and movie were released that most
> of it was sour grapes- on the behalf of Christina Crawford, who was cut
> out of her Mother's will- as a lesson in frugality!
The book is a classic...soooooo incredibly stupid!
> Another book about Joan Crawford, and possibly the *funniest*
> book I have *ever* read, is THE DIVINE FEUD; it catalogues her epic,
> bitter and bitchy dealings with arch-nemesis Bette Davis. It goes into
> details about how Davis kicked Crawford in the head (on purpose) during
> a climactic scene in WHATEVER HAPPENED TO BABY JANE; and Crawford-
> always one to hold a grudge, put weights in her dressing gown causing
> Davies to put her back out when she had to lift her!
Bette Davis once said "The best time I ever had with Joan Crawford was pushing her down
the stairs in 'Whatever Happened...'".
--
Jordan Ruud | "I believe we are on an
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Homepage: http://i.am/jruud | more freedom and democracy,
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Justin Kerswell
<tombc...@ulink.net> writes
>I have heard Christina has recounted some of what happened....anyone know if
>this is true?
>
Howard Paul Burgess
offered the lead in MOMMIE DEAREST but turned it down because she didn't
want to be blacklisted in Hollywood.
Maybe this is what happened to Faye's career. There are still people
from the old days in positions of power in Hollywood, and they may well
have felt that this movie was an act of treason.
It's a sad commentary on our society that actresses are considered
disposable when they pass a certain age. We see Sean Connery in
ENTRAPMENT with a leading lady who could literally be his
grand-daughter. The only movie in which there was a similar disparity
between the young leading man and older leading woman was HAROLD AND
MAUDE.
Beaver Fever
Jared
> My mom would tell us you think you are abused watch this
recommends must be what that Ryan Murphy thing is based on.