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February 2007
Hi Casey,
It is very kind of you to share your perspectives on your grandmother's life. I too, am interested in your mother and
aunt and their experiences with your grandmother as well as
your Aunt Christina. I know the question has been asked many times, here, but I am still wondering what your mother really
thought of Joan and if she can share any of her experiences; as well as her experiences with Christina.
When was the last time your mother spoke with and visited Joan? How often did she keep in contact during those years before
Joan's death? I do hope your mother and aunt will write a book about their life with Joan - it would help to clear some of
the misconceptions presented in Christina's torrid book and restore her proper place in cinema history.
Thanks for doing this - it gives a unique perspective.
Steve Palazzo
Seattle
February 2007
Dear Steve,
Thanks for the letter and welcome!
It has been my pleasure to open a new avenue to Joan Crawford fans around the world. I have been amazed by the outpouring
of lovely memories and thirst for knowledge about the Hollywood icon we all know and love.
I have become more intensely interested in convincing my mother and Aunt Cindy to write their own book on their life with
Joan. As I have said before, the book should not be a blow by blow refutation of Christina's claims. My mother and Aunt
Cindy were eight years or so younger than Christina. I would prefer the book to be a candid and thorough examination of their
life with Joan. That alone would provide its own natural counterpoint to Christina's memories.
My mother and Aunt Cindy have expressed nothing but loving memories of their mother. From my perspective, my mother was
devastated by Joan's death in 1977. Even as a young child I noticed the difference in my mother following her death. To
have such an impact, my mother must have loved Joan completely.
I personally can't recall the exact day of my mother's last contact with my grandmother before her death. I do remember
frequent phone calls between my grandmother and mother however, so it was probably not too many days before her death that
they spoke. We also would visit my grandmother frequently in New York City, as we lived just north of Philadelphia. It was
a two hour car ride into the city to see my grandmother, and we did it frequently.
As time goes on, it will become imperative to have my Aunt Cindy and my mother to go on the record, in book form, with
their loving memories of Joan Crawford. It is about time!
Thanks for the letter and please write again.
Best,
Casey
February 2007
Hi Casey,
I just found your site and I am so excited to write to you. I have been a fan of your grandmother for many years. I was
just wondering if you, your mom, and sister have any plans to do interviews together? I think it would be well received! Also,
what is your mom doing now? I read that she was a teacher but there is no new information after the 1981 article. Also, does
Joan have any great-grandchildren (ie. do you or your sister have any children?)
Thanks for coming out and speaking well of this extraordinary Hollywood icon!
Audrey
PA
February 2007
Dear Audrey,
Thanks for the letter and welcome to the website.
I am also glad you found the site. Web author Neil Maciejewski is phenomenal and pours his heart into every aspect of
the site.
I love your suggestions about doing interviews with the entire family. As we all are growing older, putting memories
to paper or on film is an excellent way to remember my grandmother. Almost every other letter to me pleads to have my mother
and Aunt Cindy do a book on their life with Joan. I am hoping before too long that this will be accomplished. A book like
this will provide a long needed counterpoint to Christina's claims.
My mother still works in education. My sister has a daughter and my wife and I have no children.
Thanks for the letter and please write again.
Best,
Casey
February 2007
Casey,
I am curious as I have read many descriptions of how your grandmother looked. To see pictures of her she looks so tall(which
I read that she was not)as I remember my grandfather and my parents when I was a child, they seemed so much different that
what they actually were. I could go on and on about the things I love about her. Everything about her was so defined her looks
her voice.....what a beautiful voice.
I heard on some show on TV that a lot of people thought that Joan was like Christina recalls her because of the type of
character she played in some of her movies (confusing her actual self with her character in movies.) Do you also think that
a lot the negative comments start from there? I for one would never make fun or criticize her for how neat and clean she liked
things. I can't even begin to imagine what it must have been like to come from the childhood that she did.
It sounds to me like she may have been a really sad and lonley person at times in her life. I did like the part in Christina's
book when she talked of how Joan was trying to tell her about life while they were at the beach in Carmel,Ca. Your grandmother
sounds like someone I would like to have known not so that I could meet a movie star...it sounds like she was the kind of
person who maybe needed a shoulder to put her head. I can't begin to imagine the things she had to cope with. It sounds she
was trying always to live up to what people expected of her. All I know of her is her movies and the many things that I have
read about her. If I were ever to talk to Christina I would have to tell her that maybe she needed to remember that Joan Crawford
was not just her mother...but that she was a human being whether anything happended to Christina as a child I don't know,
I tend to not believe everything I see in movies or read in print.
What I do know is that your grandmother filled a place in movie history that will never happen again. All the things that
Christina said could only tarnish your grandmother's memory if the individual person lets it. I will never let that happen
for me.
I hope to write you again.
Thank you,
Tim
Washougal,Washington
February 2007
Dear Tim,
Thank you for the warm letter and welcome!
Your observations are on the mark and very insightful. Through my own childhood memories, I picture Joan Crawford as
a pretty woman, tall and thin. In reality, she was gorgeous, about 5'4" tall and thin. My memories were not far from
the truth.
Joan was of average height, but her dominance on screen made her appear much taller and more commanding. Her Hollywood
starring roles such as Mildred Pierce and with such screen giants as Clark Gable helped make her appear larger than life.
Her onscreen roles also play a part in how fans imagine Joan's height, weight and voice. Without seeing Joan off screen
doing interviews or at a public appearance while she was still alive, many fans only had her onscreen person as from which
to draw. Imagine if a new Joan fan has only seen Strait Jacket or Rain!
Your thought about Christina confusing Joan's reality with her film roles is fascinating.
From all accounts and from my grandmother directly in Conversations with Joan, she longed to forget her childhood. After
reading about her troubled early life, in no way would I criticize her for her penchant for a clean house. Not only was she
trying to live up to others' expectations, but her own incredibly tough ideals on celebrity and motherhood.
Thank you for the great letter and please write again.
Best,
Casey
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