Public opulence and private tyranny

Press, 29 September 1988, Page 19

Public opulence and private tyranny

To her millions of fans, Joan Crawford was a classic star of the silver screen, steeped in the glitz and glamour of the movie industry. In a career spanning nearly five decades, she rode the Hollywood tide on a combination of hard work, driving ambition and great adaptability. But after her death, in 1977, the world was to learn of another side of this giant of the screen — from her adopted daughter, Christina. It was a side which only those closest to Crawford knew about, but which Christina Crawford was determined should be known to all. Tonight’s Thursday Feature, “Mommie Dearest” at 8.30 on Two is based on the book of the same name, written by Christina following her mother’s death. It tells of the trauma of living with a movie star whom the press portrayed as a perfect mother but who, in reality, was psychologically unfit to raise chil-

dren. Joan Crawford’s own childhood was poor and lonely, and she suffered the instability of separ-, ated parents. It was a ; childhood which left her emotionally scarred and which she was determined to exorcise by creating a perfect family life of her own. After three marriages, however, Crawford was still childless and she set about adopting children. For the two children she adopted, life was to become a bizarre combination of public opulence and private tyranny. Crawford’s attempts to instil loyalty and obedience into her children were cruel and irrational. They were subjected to harsh penalties for the merest indiscretion and often had to suffer Crawford’s violent rages, even if they themselves were not at fault. On one occasion, Crawford came very close to causing Christina serious injury — in the presence

of a magazine journalist. Christina and her brother, Christopher, eventually grew up and began to lead their own lives — Christina beginning an acting career of her own. But Joan continued trying to dominate Christina’s life, even taking over one of her TV roles when Christina fell ill. The result was a disaster. The final blow came after Crawford died in 1977. Christina and her brother were called by Joan’s lawyer to the reading of the will, only to be told that they had been left nothing. It was Joan Crawford’s final irrational effort to impose some strange discipline on her children. Crawford’s will claimed her children would understand her reason for doing this, but they never did. “Mommie Dearest” stars Faye Dunaway as Joan Crawford, and Mara Hobel and Diana Scarwid as the younger and older Christina.