Joan Crawford, Grand Hotel
Obviously, I love old movies like its my birthright. Love watching about them, love reading about the stars, love talking about them…. love absolutely every aspect of films from the silents through the 70s. I love all genres of films too – westerns, romances, film-noirs, comedies, musicals, dramas, and mysteries. Love everything about them. Fast forward through opening credits? I wouldn’t even dream of it! That sets the mood.
Leave as soon as the movie ends? Not a chance. That closes the magic.
One of my favorite things about films are the stars, themselves, of course and you’re looking at the beautiful face of one of the best – certainly one of my favorites, Joan Crawford.
If you aren’t familiar with this incredible actress’ work, I hope you’ll seek out as many of her films as possible and watch them right away.
I’d recommend starting with any of the following. The main thing is in my opinion it is best to start with her work from the 1930s (or early 1940s) and then progress from there. Please don’t start with What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?! Many start there and, because of the nature of the movie, never get any further.
- A Woman’s Face
- The Last of Mrs. Cheyney
- Dance, Fools, Dance
- Dancing Girl
- The Women
- The Gorgeous Hussy
- Grand Hotel
She is one of the greatest actresses of all time and, certainly, one of history’s greatest “stars.” If you avoid her work because of things you’ve heard or read about her (or aspects of her life that very well may have been true), you are missing out. I prefer to enjoy actors and actresses for what they did onscreen. After all, given that they were all human, none were perfect.
And before anyone says that’s condoning things they did or said, it is NOT condoning things they did or said. It’s just being an adult about it and it’s about being rational. Humans are not perfect – never have been never will be.
But, by gosh, Maureen O’Hara, Sidney Poitier, and James Stewart came darn close.
You can find Grand Hotel on dvd (Amazon link) or watch the movie on Prime Video.