October 2007

Dear Casey,

I almost dont know where to start, but I do want to say that I am sorry for the loss of your aunt. I bet she was a wonderful woman.

I am 23 years old and have been a hugely devoted fan of your grandmother for several years now. I dont know if its even possible to see all of her 82 films, but Ive seen at least 50. It seems you and I share some favorites, as I am a big fan of "Rain" and "Possessed."

To say she is the most beautiful actress ever is probably an opinion, but there is no one that can compare to her beauty and that is a fact. She had a mesmerizing combination of dark and light features that danced across the silver screen wonderfully. She was so talented in all the things she did and no matter how hard things got she kept on working and still managed to be considerate of all the people that loved her.

Of course you know all this, but Id like you to know how much it all means to me. She was such an inspiring person and anytime I need to get on the ball she pops into my head.

One thing that bugs me is, though she is revered by many, it seems that there has rarely been any kind of novelty merchandise. Im glad to have the films, but every so often I think, gee it would be nice to have a Joan clock and not have to get it specially made lol. Ive looked a lot of places, mostly Ebay and novelty shops and havent come across much. I noticed its the same for most stars that go back further than the 50s, but it still surprises me when you think of all she did.

By the way, do you know if there is a fan club and if not is it hard to start one? I like to imagine what it would be like if I was around when she was making films. Maybe get the chance to meet her or have her correspond in a letter. I know that you knew her as a grandmother first and foremost, but as you got to know more of her career later on was it almost unreal to you? I cant imagine having the greatest actress of all time as a grandmother, Im sure it's wonderful to look back on her work. There was a sweet and kind lady there for anybody to see and I can imagine that she was the sweetest grandmother you could ask for.

There are so many questions or things I want to say, but maybe another time. I do want to thank you so much for carrying on your grandmothers legacy and corresponding with us. Joan and her first two childrens personalities did probably clash a bit and that can be hard for parent and child, but there was no need for Christina to ruin Joans reputation ust to chase fame. It's such a big deal to me and so many people that you are advocating for Joan in a way that emulates one of her finest qualities, her dedication to the people that love her.

You're AWESOME!

God bless you,

Elliot Stuart
Boston, Mass.



October 2007

Dear Elliot,

Thank you for the warm words regarding Cindy.

Thank you for the fantastic letter. I was just in Boston a few weeks ago for a conference. What a great city!

Other than the normal publicity stills, fan magazines and normal studio produced merchandise, there really isn't much in the way of novelty items. Lobby cards and posters are probably the closest thing to any novelty items. Joan's prolific fan correspondence has become something of a collector's item, as she wrote many tens and hundreds of thousands of letters to fans, friends and family. A small percentage of those letters circulate for sale and it is always interesting to see who the recipient was, followed by that big Joan Crawford signature.

I will be the first to admit that having Joan as my grandmother is a bit unreal. As a young child I always knew she was a Hollywood actress, but never realized to what extent. It wasn't until after she passed away that I became much more knowledgeable about her life and career.

As for a Joan Crawford fan club, the advent of the Internet has made such an idea very easy. Fan sites like this one have begun operation over the past years and are a great way for fans to discuss Joan's life, career and Hollywood impact.

Thanks for the wonderful letter and please write again!

Best,
Casey

October 2007

Hi Casey,

I enjoyed your web site very much I loved Miss Crawford, I really have comments and questions. I do believe that Christina had a right to publish her book it is not uncommon for one child in a family to be singled out in abuse, abuse that other stars knew exsisted.

Why dosen't your aunt and mom take a blood test to prove that they are twins?

Also I thought that Miss Crawford was broke at the time of her death?

Looking forward to your answers.

Lori
N.Y.



October 2007

Hi Lori,

Thanks for the letter and welcome.

Christina had the right to publish her hateful book. However, I suggest she should have published the book prior to my grandmother's death so she may have defended herself from the accusations. If Christina believed everything she wrote, then her accusations should have held up under scrutiny from Joan.

As for your request for a "blood test" to prove that my mother and Aunt Cindy to "prove that they were twins" (as you put it), the request is ludicrous. It has been a proved fact for almost twenty years that they in fact are fraternal twins, born in 1947 in Tennessee. I was in the courtroom in Memphis, Tennessee many years ago trying to open the adoption records. I then met the birth family. I met my mother's and Aunt's father. Again, no reason for your silly blood test.

At the time of my grandmother's death, she willed almost here entire estate to charity. She wasn't broke by any means, and decided to give a bulk of her estate to several important charities. Joan was a remarkable woman and her act of donating to charity should set an example.

Thanks for the letter and please write again.

Best,
Casey

Hi Casey,

I don't believe Christina at all about the book she penned. I believe she did it only to make money off of Joan. Joan was not here to refute any of Christina's ramblings.

Casey do you have anything to do with Christina? I think its so sad when siblings try to ruin their parents reputations in this manner.

Another question: Casey I wonder if the supposed feud between Joan and Bette ever really existed or not? One more Casey, not many actresses can boast surviving as long as Joan had over a span of almost 50 years. Now that was a great accomplishment!

Thanks!

Albert LeMay Jr.
Ludlow Massachusetts



October 2007

Dear Albert,

Thanks for the great letter and welcome to the website!

Although to the dismay of truth seeking fans like yourself, I have been careful to never call my Aunt Christina a liar. This is more out of protecting myself from legal retribution from Christina than hiding from the truth. I love when true fans like you question Christina's motives.

I don't ever recall meeting Christina when I was a child. As you will recall, Christina and Christopher were famously written out of my grandmother's will. After the will reading, and as you can imagine, things were not very friendly among Joan's children. Over the next several years, through the "Mommie Dearest" book and film era, two obvious camps formed. It was Christina and Christopher on one side and my mother and Aunt Cindy on the other. The family was as dysfunctional as any other American family. No more, no less.

As to the purported Joan vs. Bette Davis feud, I will admit both great actresses made incredibly hurtful statements about each other over the years. However, I don't believe the "feud" was anything more than a concoction by the press looking for some juicy headlines. Neither actress minded a little extra publicity, especially in their later years, so the feud to them was probably no big deal.

Thanks for the letter and please write again!

Best,
Casey

October 2007


Hello Casey,

I think it is great that you take the time to interact with folks here who share in the love for Joan. I am 40 years young and have been a fan for many years and have amassed a huge collection of books and photos of your grandmother but still rare items pertaining to her pop up everyday.

Case and point: this fantastic website!

Have you ever considered a book honoring Joan? Perhaps you can join forces with the creater of this website and compile some of these wonderful photographs. There is one in particular of Joan dressed all in red with one of her famous hats that I would love to see again!

Regards,

Alan
Tennessee



October 2007

Dear Alan,

Thank you for the wonderful comments and welcome!

It is my sincere pleasure to correspond with my grandmother's fans all around the world.

Your point is well taken! Neil Maciejewski's website is the classiest and most amazing Joan Crawford website in existence. Neil's collection of Joan photographs and other memorabilia is unparalleled.

I will say that it is funny you mention a book honoring my grandmother . . .

Please stay tuned!

Thanks for the fabulous letter and please write again!

Best,
Casey

October 1, 2007

Dearest Casey:

I just wanted to say CHEERS and laudations to you! Your grandmother remains an incredibly fascinating and inspiring spirit who made it her goal to never be forgotten. Looking through all of the pictures on the Legendary site, and reading a perspective of Miss Crawford from an unbiased point of view is refreshing and honorable. Amazing how the family dynamic can differ - and let me assure you that I know first hand of that fact.

At any rate, I was wondering if your mother and her sister have written or have any plans to write a tome to present their side of the Joan Crawford experience? Have they done or do they plan to do a show for television? I ask because I am an author and producer, and I think that there would be many a hard-core Crawford fan interested in reading/seeing such a thing. I am just now wrapping up a six-week production in Jamestown, NY, but would love to do a bit of brainstorming with you if it is at all possible. We will be done filming as of 9/30/07, but you can feel free to contact me any time before then.

It would be an absolute honor for me to paint an incredibly beautiful, intimate and familial portrait of your Jo-Jo.

Please consider!

Sincerely,

Daniel Tegan Marsche, Marsche-Davis Productions
Youngsville, PA




October 1, 2007

Dear Daniel,

Thanks for the letter and a warm welcome to the website!

Thank you for the supportive comments. It has been my pleasure these last few years to correspond with Joan fans like yourself and answer questions from people all over the world.

I think thirty years after my grandmother's death and almost as long since "Mommie Dearest" was published could Joan Crawford fans and the public use another perspective on her life and career. It would be refreshing to get a current take on her life and career from my mother and Aunt Cindy. Joan's life with the twins is one aspect not truly examined from the perspective of the twins.

My mother and Aunt Cindy have done limited interviews, but nothing as in-depth as needed to fully explore their life and relationship with Joan. It's about time to fully restore my grandmother's reputation through an examination of her life career, minus the hype.

Thanks for the great letter and please write again!

Best,
Casey

October 1, 2007

Hello Casey,

I think this is a wonderful thing that your doing Joan would be proud! I have noticed that they are making a lot of remakes of movies-I hate it when they do that. They're not thinking of remaking any Joan Crawford movies are they?

Thank you,

Jamie
Queensland, Australia




October 1, 2007

Dear Jamie,

Thanks for the letter and welcome!

Another letter from Australia. My grandmother has some awesome Australian fans!

Thank you for the lovely comments.

Hollywood remakes are a never ending source of new films. Just this year, Neil Simon's excellent "The Heartbreak Kid" has been released as a remake starring Ben Stiller in the Charles Grodin role. It is just my opinion, but there are plenty of talented screenwriters in Hollywood. How about a new, original story?

The past several decades of independent Hollywood releases has been more interesting and varied than this recycled film business. Hollywood remakes are nothing new, but let's get a bit more creative!

As for Joan Crawford remakes, sadly, and I think destined for failure, is a remake of "The Women." The original film is a classic adaptation of the Clare Booth Luce play, directed by George Cukor.

The remake is to star Eva Mendes in the role of Crystal Allen, the role made famous by my grandmother. I like Eva Mendes, but there is no way she will match my grandmother in the role!

I am not very excited about the remake because there are no actresses today that can match Norma Shearer, Rosalind Russell, Paulette Goddard and Joan Fontaine. From the press reports and the entry on IMDB, I can't discern who will play the role of Lucy, made famous by Marjorie Main.

Overall, I am not looking forward to the remake, because it will be impossible to match the machine gun fast dialog and incredible direction of George Cukor.

Thanks for the letter and please write again!

Best,
Casey

October 1, 2007

Hi Casey,

I really don't have a question just thought it would be cool to hear from someone so close to my idol Joan Crawford. I cant tell you how fascinated I am by her. She will always be my favorite idol ever. I even find myself at times dreaming of her and it seeming so real that when I wake up, I felt like I actually was in her presence. I would love someday to have a possession of hers to enjoy as
she did..have you ever met her? Do you have any personal notes maybe she wrote to you personally?

Thank you,

Alan
Rhode Island




October 1, 2007

Dear Alan,

Thanks for the wonderful letter and welcome!

I am consistently amazed by the outpouring of fantastic letters from Joan Crawford fans like yourself. It has been such a pleasure to correspond with people from all over the world.

There are lots of Joan collectibles on sale on any given day on EBay and in the usual yearly sales of Hollywood memorabilia at Sotheby's and Christie's auction houses. Other smaller sales occur periodically and some items can be bought rather inexpensively. Check frequently and I am sure you will find something you like!

I would love to have my birthday cards and other correspondence from my childhood, but I just don't. Although she was the famous actress Joan Crawford, she was also just a regular grandmother. I do have many precious childhood gifts and treasures she gave me over the years. My family and I visited her often and I have many cherished memories of my grandmother in Manhattan.

Thanks for the wonderful letter and please write again!

Best,
Casey

October 1, 2007


Hi Casey,

I am a very big fan of your grand mother Joan Crawford. My
question is this--She was in a movie where she throws her hands up in the air and says hey hey hey.This would be one of her early talking ones. TCM often play a few minute collage of her films and it shows her with her hands up and saying hey hey hey. I have never seen this movie but I would love to. If I knew the name of it I could maybe find it somewhere or TCM might have it and I could request that they play it.

Thank you so much for your time and all of your efforts with this site.I sure hope you are able to respond to my letter.

Have a nice day.

Sharon Sparks
Grand Junction, Colorado




October 1, 2007

Dear Sharon,

Thanks for the letters and welcome to the website!

Turner Classic Movies has been a leader in bringing classic Hollywood films to the greater public. I too have seen the TCM collage, showing Joan. The film clip you saw is from "Dancing Lady" (1933). The film is shown frequently on TCM and was released on DVD in 2006.

"Dancing Lady" is a fun film, with Joan teaming up with Broadway director Clark Gable. Franchot Tone also stars in the film and was a direct MGM competitor to Warner Bros. "42nd Street." I like any Broadway focused films, like "Gold Diggers of 1933." Seeing Joan dance and Clark Gable bark orders to the cast and crew is lots of fun!

So please stay tuned to TCM or checkout your local DVD rental store or my favorite, Netflix.com, for "Dancing Lady."

Thanks again for the letters and please write again!

Best,
Casey

October 1, 2007

Hi Casey!

Thanks so much for your response to my question about your grandmother's jewelry. I've always loved Joan Crawford, she was so very beautiful and gracious. Even in her later years she was just stunning to look at. I would love to see a book all about the clothes and accessories and jewelry she wore. I too have early memories of looking through my grandmother's jewelry - I think that's what got me started collecting! Here are some pieces from my jewelry box!

Thanks again,
Kevin




October 1, 2007

Dear Kevin,

Thanks for the follow up letter!

Your photos are fantastic! I think a study of my grandmother's ever changing style and jewelry over her career and life would be very enlightening and interesting.

Thanks again Kevin and please keep in touch!

Best,
Casey

October 1, 2007

Hello Casey,

I really love the the first Joan Crawford DVD set. Do you know if there will ever be a another DVD set of her movies?

Thanks so much for answering our letters!

Linda
Georgia




October 1, 2007

Dear Linda,

Thanks for the letter and welcome!

I was overjoyed when Warner Bros. released the first Joan Crawford box set in 2005. Warners picked some of her greatest films, including the fabulous triple threat, "Mildred Pierce" (1945), "Humoresque" (1946) and "Possessed" (1947). "The Women" and "The Damned Don't Cry" are also included to round out the box set.

As for a future box set, a new one is on the way late this year or early 2008.

Classic Hollywood star-focused box sets have been all the rage lately, with Bette Davis, Clark Gable, John Wayne and Cary Grant box sets receiving critical acclaim. Not to mention the box sets sold well also!

Please stay tuned to this website and check your favorite on-line or traditional retailer for news on the upcoming Joan Crawford box set release.

Thanks again for the letter and please write again!

Best,
Casey