Conversations with Joan Crawford

I feel like I've waited my entire life for this book... I don't know where to start! I am so excited to have found this book. For years, I have been searching for a "real" book about my idol, cinematic legend, Miss Joan Crawford. With the exception of a very few, every book about Joan was always the same: boring-boring-boring. "Conversations With Joan," by Mr. Roy Newquist is really the very best book ever written about this fascinating and complex star! I absolutely could not put it down! The book is only 175 pages long, yet I felt like (for the first time, ever!) I got a clear and concise picture of Joan. Why is this the best book about Miss Crawford? "Conversations With Joan" treads new waters as it lays down an original painting on a clean and unused canvas. This book is a collection of extremely intimate, in-depth and never-before-published interviews with Joan. It even includes her very last interviews just a couple of months before she passed on! Roy Newquist was also the only member of the media that Joan ever spoke to after 1974. She only spoke to him because she trusted him and she knew that he was an accomplished and honest writer. "Conversations With Joan" should really have Joan's name listed as one of the authors, because 90% of the text comes straight out of her mouth. The book is very interestingly written and put together, it is more like a long fan-article than a typical hum-drum celebrity (auto)biography. Mr. Newquist wasn't just a journalist who chose to write a book about Joan. Nope. He was a friend of Joan's. "Conversations With Joan Crawford" was actually written over a 15 year time-period; from the time Mr. Newquist first met her, up until right before Miss Crawford's death in 1977! Joan is asked about and discusses everything! She talks about her childhood, her mother, her brother, her lovers, her father, her various step-fathers and she even answers many questions about her friends, as well. She is candid, funny and always forthcoming! The questions also get tough. Joan is questioned about her alleged alcohol abuse. She discusses her affair with Clark Gable. She discusses all of her divorces, and she even candidly details how it felt to become a widow at such a young age! Joan talks about her failures, too, in total description. We all know that Miss Crawford is a perfectionist. But the Joan in this book is also very vulnerable. She wishes she could change many aspects in both her private and professional lives. If this reviewer didn't know a modicum about Miss Crawford, I would learn that she had a heart an a soul. The first portion (note: there really aren't clear-cut chapters in this book) of the book includes an informative section that includes commentary from Joan on all of her movies from the 20's up until What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (Two-Disc Special Edition). As you may know, Joan was the epitome of a star during the Golden Era of cinema, and made more than 80 classic pictures. She is rather proud

I'm so glad I found out about this book. Fortunately, there are plenty of second hand copies around the world so it wasn't too hard to come by. This book was prepared over a period when Roy Newquist got to know Crawford on a deeper level. She opened up herself almost completely, although would not let him use a tape recorder. So the book is based on his notes during the sessions. What I think readers will enjoy the most are her opinions on all her films. It's interesting to see that she dislikes the films that most of us do, and loves the films we all love. Also worth reading are her thoughts on her early childhood which was clearly a tough and difficult time for the young Lucille Le Seuer. I also enjoyed reading the section on her two oldest children. Although this book pre-dates "Mommie Dearest", it becomes apparent that Crawford had been criticised for her mothering of Christina and Christopher in the late 70's. Her thoughts on her behavious and the two children's behaviour is worth reading. Always advisable to recognise that there are two sides to every story. This is a fascinating read, perhaps too short, but one thing is clear: all Crawford fans need a copy in their collection.

In spite of not being much of a fan of Joan Crawford, especially in her uptight Warner's years, this book is a fascinating insight into her persona, possibly the best available. The book is a compendium of interviews with Crawford over a 15 year period, all carefully re-arranged to provide continuity to the reader. The result is logical and easy to follow. Crawford was not highly educated so she states that she often struggled with the interview process because she was unsure what to say. Certainly, in the few existing interviews available, she is not highly articulate in the same way as Katharine Hepburn or Bette Davis. This book has a big advantage because the conversations were private, when Crawford was clearly more relaxed and not "maintaining" her public image. Accordingly, her observations are direct with an honesty for which she was not often credited and we get a much greater feel for who she was. The pretension is stripped away and her comments on her own films are excellent. She agreed with many film critics that many of her films were formula laden junk. There is not a lot about her children or her active sex life (dismissed with the comment that she was "highly sexed"), although she speaks openly of her relationship with Clark Gable. Many of her comments display a wit which might be unexpected. Certainly, her comments about the studio system in which she flourished are worthy of a text book on the subject. The overwhelming impression is of a tough woman who by hard work and dedication achieved great professional success but was unable to do the same in her personal life due to an overwhelming inferiority complex. When you read between the lines on her upbringing, it is no wonder she was poorly equipped for stable and rewarding relationships. One of her most attractive traits though is that she does not really feel sorry for herself. Her self discipline ultimately overrules everything else. This book has long been out of print but is worth tracking down.

Unlike her autobiography, which Crawford openly admits was self-censored to protect the studio image, Newquist's book reveals the real Joan Crawford. It opens with explaining how the author and Crawford met and how their relationship formed to a level that she was able to be open with him. After a brief biography, in come the interviews, easily the most important part of the book. First, the pair talks about Crawford's movies which she denounces or praises heartily. Then they talk about more personal things. Crawford candidly talks about her longtime affair with Clark Gable which was hushed up for years by the studio. However, there are some things she does not like to talk about, especially sex. She quickly responds and tries not to reveal too much of her personal life. Of course there are times when Crawford contradicts herself, especially when talking about Bette Davis with whom she had a love/hate relationship. The studio wanted publicity so during Whatever Happened to Baby Jane? the two were posed as arch enemies. In some cases this was true, but Joan highly respected Davis' talent as a fan. The few moments in which Crawford talks about her children, she admits that she may not have been the perfect mother, that perhaps she was too strict. She goes on to talk about how none of the major movie stars were fit parents or fit spouses because they were a star first and everything else second. This helps to explain if not down-play the harshness of the Mommie Dearest accusations which came from an incredibly biased viewpoint. Overall, this book is required reading for anyone who calls themselves a Joan Crawford fan. It will help one to differentiate Crawford the star and Crawford the woman (who incidentally thought Crawford sounded like Crawfish).

Conversations w/ Joan Crawford is a superb book w/ Joan speaking for herself in a question/answer "interview" type arena. Roy Newquist is a great interviewer who asks the right questions & got very frank & honest answers from Joan about her life, her films, her co-stars, Mr. Mayer & her philosophies on how she's lived. She was near the end of her life at the time the book was written & little high on the sauce at moments (acording to Roy Newquist) but Joan just lets it fly. this book is Excellent & a must for any Crawford fan.