Not the Girl Next Door: Joan Crawford, A Personal Biography (Applause Books) - Softcover

Chandler, Charlotte

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1557837511 ISBN 13: 9781557837516

Publisher: Applause, 2009

Synopsis

Joan Crawford (1908-1977) was best known for her starring roles in The Women, Grand Hotel, Mildred Pierce, for which she won the Academy Award for Best Actress, Johnny Guitar, and What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? Charlotte Chandler's fascinating and intimate portrait includes interviews with Crawford; her first husband, Douglas Fairbanks, Jr.; Bette Davis; and Myrna Loy, and is perhaps her finest biography yet.

About this title

About the Author:

Charlotte Chandler (New York, NY)'s first book, Hello, I Must Be Going, was a national bestseller about Groucho Marx. Her book I, Fellini was selected as a New York Times notable book. She is also the author of Nobody's Perfect: Billy Wilder, A Personal Biography; It's Only a Movie: Alfred Hitchcock, A Personal Biography; The Girl Who Walked Home Alone: Bette Davis, A Personal Biography; and Ingrid: Ingrid Bergman, A Personal Biography.

From Publishers Weekly:

In this sympathetic biography, Chandler (Ingrid: The Girl Who Walked Home Alone) chronicles Crawford's life—from a brutal Midwest childhood to her self-imposed exile in New York. Crawford (1905–1977) began as a dancer, but her extraordinary features, perfect for the new medium of film, served her well. Her career spanned silents to Hollywood's golden era, and her body of work is legendary—Grand Hotel, The Women and Mildred Pierce, to name just a few. Divided into 10 sections, including the luminous MGM and Warner years, the book provides a brief description of her films and studio life, and offers a sanitized view of her four marriages as well as a strong refutation of the Mommie Dearest claims. Chandler isn't interested in sex or scandal; she had, however, extensively interviewed Crawford; her first husband, Douglas Fairbanks Jr.; and scores of film luminaries, like Myrna Loy and Bette Davis. All reveal a hardworking, disciplined and generous woman who lived for work. Joan Crawford and her camera. It was the greatest love affair I have ever known, said director George Cukor. Chandler's bio is a breezy, laudatory read that would have pleased Crawford, who was fiercely protective of her iconic status. (Feb.)
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About this edition

• Publisher: Applause
• Publication date: 2009
• ISBN 10: 1557837511
• ISBN 13: 9781557837516
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 336