Transforming Today's World Magazine - JAN 2014 Special Edition Vol 5 Issue 3 | Page 64

‘Joan Crawford’ was the second choice (Joan never cared for the last name,
saying that it sounded like “crawfish”). Her big breakthrough came in 1928
when she had a starring role in Dancing Daughters. F. Scott Fitzgerald,
famous author during the Jazz Age once said, “Joan Crawford is doubtless
the best example of the flapper, the girl you see in smart night clubs, gowned
to the apex of sophistication, toying iced glasses with a remote, faintly bitter
expression, dancing deliciously, laughing a great deal, with wide, hurt eyes.
Young things with a talent for living.”
Other silent movies followed, especiall y ones featuring her as a spunky wildbut-moral flapper. Audiences were drawn to her. Unlike many silent stars,
Joan made the transition to talking movies with smooth assurance. Her sultry
demeanor and voice were perfect for the new talking medium. Fan mail
poured in. Joan was a genuine star.

“Love is fire, but whether it is going to warm your heart
or burn down your house you can never tell.”
Her professional successes coincided with some personal ones. A new romance with Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. eventually led
to marriage in 1929. Although the union only lasted a few years, Joan was able to procure roles that would cement her as a
‘serious’ actress. Some of the best roles went to other stars, but Joan’s
movies were moneymakers. Dramatic roles in Possessed (with rising star
Clark Gable) and Grand Hotel (starring with Greta Garbo and the Barrymore
brothers) propelled her into the top tier of Hollywood actresses. She made
eight films with Clark Gable, her favorite leading man. Franchot Tone,
another young actor, also had good chemistry with Joan. He would become
her second husband. It didn’t last and she married three more times.

I think the most important thing
a woman can have, next to
talent,of course, is her
hairdresser.”
Crawford’s reputation as a fashion clotheshorse on and off screen enchanted
her fans. Trademark wide shouldered looks, full lips and defined eyebrows
intrigued audiences. In 1937, Joan was named “Queen of the Movies” by
Life magazine. What is a star? she was once asked, to which she replied, “a
human being who can contribute, give warmth and keep an image.”

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