Not the Girl Next Door

Born Lucille LeSueur in Texas in 1905 (although she maintained it was in 1908) Joan Crawford started her career as a famous flapper before she entered the world of silent firm and eventually found her voice in Possessed where she starred opposite Clark Gable. Their affair would continue for many years, both on and off screen, while Joan continued to take on challenging roles that earned her critical acclaim and reputation for playing a career woman who never gave up. Her Oscar-winning film Mildred Piece began the long-running feud between Joan and Bette Davis, which reached its peak when they both starred in Whatever Happened to Baby Jane.

While she is remembered as one of the finest actresses of Hollywood's golden age, her private life was not as illustrious. Joan married four times and adopted five children, mostly on her own. Shortly after her death in 1959 her eldest daughter Christina published the best-selling biography Mommie Dearest in which she alleged that her mother had been emotionally and physically abusive towards her. While some dismissed Christina Crawford's claims as fiction, Joan's image would be altered forever.

Charlotte Chandleris the author of several biographies of actors and directors, including Groucho Marx, Federico Fellini, Billy Wilder and Alfred Hitchcock. She is also the author of The Girl Who Walked Home Alone: Bette Davis and Ingrid: Ingrid Bergman.

Not the Girl Next Door
Simon and Schuster
Author: Charlotte Chandler
ISBN: 9781416547518
Price: $45.00