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July 2008
Dear Casey,
I just wanted to say the Tonner Doll Collection is amazing! What a wonderful tribute after all these years to have these
dolls released. Just goes to show how much of Joan's presence is still with us after all these years. I think it's absolutely
wonderful. I am sure you are most proud and I know Joan would have been thrilled! I think what I truly appreciate more than
anything about Joan beside her amazing talent as an actress. Was her ability to reach out and love her fans. Celebrity's just
don't do this today and I think it's a shame. I think people have forgotten what it's like to admire a celebrity from afar.
How you look up to them or find something in them that you relate too. And they also forget who has made them famous. All
the talent in the world can still go no where if their is no one watching, listening and attending appearances. I just love
Joan for this and it's something I hold dear in my heart, how she loved her fans. Thanks for your time Casey.
God Bless you!
Paula
Bloomington,Illinois
July 2008
Dear Paula,
Thank you for the letter and welcome!
It has been an amazing process to work with The Tonner Doll Company (www.tonnerdoll.com) and Michelle Vogel to bring the
Joan Crawford doll series to fruition. Although I am of course slightly biased, what better classic Hollywood actress than
Joan Crawford to be transformed into a glamorous, highly collectible doll? As you know, Tonner did a remarkable job sculpting
the face and creating fabulous hair, makeup and costumes.
Mind you, the snapshots posted on this website are not the exquisite studio photography Tonner is know for. In the coming
weeks, Tonner will release professional shot photographs of the sample doll collection. I am sure the new photos will knock
your socks off!
We are anticipating potential sales and shipment later this summer into fall. I am sure the initial doll series run will
sell out quickly, because demand will be huge!
Please stay tuned to this website and www.midnightpalace.com, a fabulous classic Hollywood website operated by our colleague
and great friend Gary Sweeney for the most up to date information regarding this exciting project.
Thank you for the sweet letter and do write again!
Best,
Casey
July 2008
Casey,
I have just been "turned on" to your grandmother through Netflix and TCM and now I'm a huge fan. I'm 55 and
it goes to show you "it's never too late." Just wanted to say "hi" and let you know how much I have come
to love and appreciate Joan Crawford!
THANKS!!!!
Bird LeCroy
Acworth, GA
July 2008
Dear Bird,
Thanks for the letter and welcome to the website!
It is never too late to become a Joan Crawford fan! I am so very pleased you have discovered my grandmother's films.
Netflix and especially Turner Classic Movies (TCM) have become critical avenues for classic Hollywood fans to view their
favorite films.
I remember the first time I watched TCM back in 1997. My spouse and I had just moved to Richmond, Virginia so I could
attend graduate school. The cable guy did the install and the first channel we tuned to was TCM. The first image I saw was
TCM's intro to their short subject "From the Vault" series and it showed the elevator shaft in black and white.
TCM no longer uses that particular intro, but I remember it fondly.
With the advent of DVD technology, the movie studios finally had a mass medium that was digital, very dependable and a
great leap forward from VHS tapes. The studios have done a nice job of release not only my grandmother's films, but countless
other classic films and television shows. Warner Bros. especially has produced two great box sets of my grandmother's films.
With Joan's decades of film and television experience, you will surely be able to see most of her work released eventually
on DVD or other digital media or shown on TCM.
Thanks for the great letter and please write again!
Best,
Casey
July 2008
Casey,
It has been rumored and even mentioned in Shaun Considine's book that Joan went 'BOTH WAYS' when it came to her romantic
life-even having a very brief affair with Marilyn Monroe.
Any truth to this?
Take care,
Lisa Harrington
July 2008
Dear Lisa,
Thanks for the letter and welcome!
Stories have swirled for decades about Joan's rumored bisexual experiences. No doubt, she had a very active sex life
both during her marriages and while single, but there is no hard evidence she ever had a lesbian affair during her life.
The most famous unconfirmed lesbian experience was reported to be between Joan and Marilyn Monroe. Back in 2005, purported
"transcripts" of sessions Marilyn had with her psychiatrist surfaced, stating many interesting things, including
the affair.
The transcripts were later debunked and are not a trustworthy source of information.
At this time, the rumors are unconfirmed at best . . .
Thanks for the letter and please do write again!
Best,
Casey
July 2008
Dear Casey,
Did your mother ever recieve anything from your grandmother's will? And I would love to say that when chistina made that
movie what was she thinking, it didn't make her any richer. And it should of put her to shame. To do that to the women who
made her a spiled hollywood brat. Maybe thats why she made that movie, she is a brat, and also why isn't your mother and her
twim featured in the movie Mommie Dearest?
Thank You!
Tyler
July 2008
Dear Tyler,
Thanks for the letter and welcome!
My grandmother's will was very specific as to whom and what organizations received proceeds from her estate. The estate
was valued between $1 million and $2 million. My mother Cathy received a bulk of the estate to include some cash and most
of her physical belongings. All of Joan's furniture from her last apartment (as featured in a 1976 photo spread in Architectural
Digest) in Manhattan became my mother's property.
Two items of special interest were also included in the estate: Joan's Academy Award for Mildred Pierce and her 1970
Cecile B. DeMille award presented to her by John Wayne at the Golden Globes awards show.
As for the book, Christina's editors knew better than to portray anyone in a bad light who may still be living. She did
a bang-up job destroying my grandmother's reputation, but Joan was dead by the time the book was published and then later
the movie. United States libel laws are strict, but do not protect those deceased. In comparison, libel and slander laws
in the United Kingdom protect those alive and deceased.
Therefore, my mother, Aunt Cindy and Joan's longtime secretary and friend Betty Barker were not included in the book.
Christina and her publisher would have faced a barrage of litigation if my mother would have been included in the book. Furthermore,
their inclusion in the movie version of Mommie Dearest wouldn't have happened either, given the potential legal ramifications.
My mother and Aunt Cindy have repeatedly and steadfastly refuted Christina's allegations.
Thanks for the letter and please do write again!
Best,
Casey
July 2008,
Dear Casey,
I don't really have a question to ask, I juts wanted to thank you for all the hard work and effort that you put into defending
your grandmother's name and reputation. I have been a massive fan of Joan Crawford since reading "Mommie Dearest"
in 1978, when I was just 11 years old. So in a way, I have to thank Christina for writing such a pack of lies, because it
made me thirsty for the truth about the real Joan Crawford and I have not stopped since. She was supremely talented, breathtakingly
beautiful, strong, independent, determined... I could go on and on about what a role model for she was for me when I was growing
up. So, thank you once again for defending the memory of a truly remarkable woman.
Lots of love,
SAM SOUTHWELL
WEST MIDLANDS,UK
Dear Sam,
Thanks for the letter and welcome to the website!
I have always marveled at the incredible international fan base my grandmother garnered over the years. Your letter from
the West Midlands is another signal to me that she still has countless fans around the world!
I am very pleased that you read Mommie Dearest as a child then wanted more information beyond what was presented by my
Aunt Christina. As with countless other fans, Mommie Dearest piqued your interest to further investigate Joan Crawford's
life and career. As you have discovered over the years, she was a woman of substance and style.
Thanks again for the lovely letter and please do write again!
Best,
Casey
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