Google Groups no longer supports new Usenet posts or subscriptions. Historical content remains viewable.
Dismiss

Joan Crawford's c. 1925 "stag" film found

18,342 views
Skip to first unread message

Eric Grayson

unread,
Apr 1, 2007, 5:09:50 PM4/1/07
to
After approximately 72 years, the "stag" film that dogged Joan
Crawford's early career has finally been uncovered. Crawford, known
also by her real name, Lucille LeSueur, was known to have posed nude a
number of times in the days before her contract at MGM, which began in
mid-1925.

It has been rumored for years that Crawford also appeared in a short
16mm film that was intended for the "stag" market in the 1920s. Such
films were the precursor of the modern pornography industry, intended
to excite their mostly male audiences. The story went on that
Crawford's film was known by MGM chief Louis B. Mayer, and that he did
his best to buy up all extant copies of the film to keep scandal from
besmirching the name of his new star.

Given the underground nature of "stag" films at the time, it would have
been virtually impossible for Mayer to have known the location of all
prints, so Crawford fans have hoped that somewhere, stored in the
closet of some old man, the film might have remained intact.

This week, the Lilly Library located at Indiana University, which
houses the Kinsey collection, revealed that an anonymous donor had, in
fact, saved the film. Shrunken but still projectable, the film is
perhaps the last surviving copy of Crawford's early career misstep.

"The owner had no idea what he had," said a librarian, who asked that
her name not be used. "It was in a huge stack of other films that he
had amassed over the years. It was only because we knew to be on the
lookout for Crawford that we found it at all."

Crawford's identity was verified by two local film historians who
compared her appearance in the unnamed film with her appearance in The
Unknown (1927) and the 1925 MGM Studio Tour.

"The film is what you would call hardcore today," the librarian
continued. "Even though the whole thing is only about three minutes
long, they got a lot of action into it. Crawford is very visible and
an active participant."

There are currently no plans to release the film commercially, but that
idea has not yet been ruled out. The film will be digitally preserved
to DVD, but it will not be available even to library patrons until
underlying legal issues have been fully resolved.

Bruce Calvert

unread,
Apr 1, 2007, 6:51:03 PM4/1/07
to
I was beginning to think that we would make it through April Fools' Day
without anybody on alt.movies.silent noticing!


--
Bruce Calvert
--
Visit the Silent Film Still Archive
http://www.silentfilmstillarchive.com


phant...@aol.com

unread,
Apr 1, 2007, 6:59:02 PM4/1/07
to
I was fully expecting a discovery more along the lines of THE DEVIL'S
PASS KEY or MADAME SANS GENE. But I'm glad to see that Crawford is
getting her due.

Jay Salsberg

mack

unread,
Apr 1, 2007, 8:01:31 PM4/1/07
to

"Eric Grayson" <filmspam...@earthlink.net> wrote in message
news:010420071710233467%filmspam...@earthlink.net...

>> There are currently no plans to release the film commercially, but that
> idea has not yet been ruled out. The film will be digitally preserved
> to DVD, but it will not be available even to library patrons until
> underlying legal issues have been fully resolved.

Maybe it could be released as a double bill with LONDON AFTER MIDNIGHT.
on
The first of April 2008?


Eric Grayson

unread,
Apr 1, 2007, 11:45:14 PM4/1/07
to
In article <1175468342....@e65g2000hsc.googlegroups.com>,
<"phant...@aol.com"> wrote:

See, you can't put something like that up, because it will put everyone
on his guard. Pick something like this that's already rumored to exist
and then keep 'em guessing the whole time...

Stacia

unread,
Apr 2, 2007, 2:35:48 AM4/2/07
to
Eric Grayson <filmspam...@earthlink.net> writes:

>After approximately 72 years, the "stag" film that dogged Joan
>Crawford's early career has finally been uncovered. Crawford, known
>also by her real name, Lucille LeSueur, was known to have posed nude a
>number of times in the days before her contract at MGM, which began in
>mid-1925.

Feh. I didn't read this until the 2nd and for a moment forgot that
this must have been intended for April 1st reading. Kind of
disappointing, actually.

Stacia

wbr...@ucls.uchicago.edu

unread,
Sep 26, 2014, 5:28:42 PM9/26/14
to
Joan always insisted such a film never existed. She never even worried about it or talked about it much. And for her to do such a film would have been totally at odds with her persona. She was against great odds a success because she was determined to be a star, was a hard worker and she had total faith in herself no matter what. She would never do a stag film and there certainly other way for earn the bucks. She was for example a talented dancer with ample stage experience.
She also never would have made such a film and risked humiliating her mother and her brother.

shawn...@gmail.com

unread,
Nov 24, 2014, 8:48:37 PM11/24/14
to
On Friday, September 26, 2014 2:28:42 PM UTC-7, wbr...@ucls.uchicago.edu wrote:
> Joan always insisted such a film never existed. She never even worried about it or talked about it much. And for her to do such a film would have been totally at odds with her persona. She was against great odds a success because she was determined to be a star, was a hard worker and she had total faith in herself no matter what. She would never do a stag film and there certainly other way for earn the bucks. She was for example a talented dancer with ample stage experience.
> She also never would have made such a film and risked humiliating her mother and her brother.

BULL!
Message has been deleted
Message has been deleted

hackja...@gmail.com

unread,
Jun 6, 2017, 8:30:36 PM6/6/17
to
No in

honey...@gmail.com

unread,
Jan 29, 2018, 4:05:31 PM1/29/18
to
On Friday, September 26, 2014 at 2:28:42 PM UTC-7, wbr...@ucls.uchicago.edu wrote:
> Joan always insisted such a film never existed. She never even worried about it or talked about it much. And for her to do such a film would have been totally at odds with her persona. She was against great odds a success because she was determined to be a star, was a hard worker and she had total faith in herself no matter what. She would never do a stag film and there certainly other way for earn the bucks. She was for example a talented dancer with ample stage experience.
> She also never would have made such a film and risked humiliating her mother and her brother.

______


She lost her virginity at age 11, to her MOTHER'S HUSBAND (step dad).... She didn't exactly care about how much that scandal could've humiliated her mom and brother back then, did she?

maxjame...@gmail.com

unread,
Jun 16, 2018, 8:51:50 PM6/16/18
to
Joan Crawford had been sexually abused as a child, by her stepfather, for a period of years--this is my response to the sexist pig who implied that she seduced the man.

merril...@gmail.com

unread,
Aug 27, 2018, 4:42:38 PM8/27/18
to
Wow, really?

coolpapas...@gmail.com

unread,
Feb 28, 2019, 6:11:29 AM2/28/19
to
Check the dates it's April 1
Message has been deleted
Message has been deleted

shoem...@hotmail.com

unread,
Jun 25, 2020, 5:58:36 PM6/25/20
to
Ah, Apr 1st. I was looking around for info on the nude footage of Crawford (found in Crawford's home movies, now owned by grandson, Christina foiled from using a copy during a "one woman show" she was planning, etc.).

Had me going for a minute there.

Nice to be in a non-binary section of Usenet for a change. I got out of the habit!

David Miller

unread,
Jun 5, 2021, 10:18:38 AM6/5/21
to
Rumor is she was very kinky she would tie her kids up in bed wearing diapers rubber pants during parties so they would be quiet then get reward in morning Robert Mitchem said this on talk show other story was she would seduce men tie them up have her way the put them in diapers rubber pants for the nite take pictures many Hollywood directors had this done to them she had the power
0 new messages