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Joan Crawford

Hollywood Martyr

Joan Crawford Open the full-size image

Contributors

By David Bret

Formats and Prices

Price

$9.99

Price

$12.99 CAD

Format

ebook

Format:

ebook $9.99 $12.99 CAD

This item is a preorder. Your payment method will be charged immediately, and the product is expected to ship on or around April 15, 2009. This date is subject to change due to shipping delays beyond our control.

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In the first biography of Joan Crawford to give the full, uncensored story, bestselling author David Bret tells Crawford’s rags to riches climb, from working in a Kansas City laundry to collecting an Oscar for her defining role in Mildred Pierce, and on to her devotion to Christian Science and reliance on vodka. He discusses the star’s legendary relationship with Clark Gable, her countless love affairs, her marriages — three of them to gay men — and her obsession with rough sex. Bret divulges what really happened that led her to disinherit two of her four children, earning her the nickname “Mommie Dearest,” as well as how her loathed mother forced Crawford to work as a prostitute, appear in pornographic films, and sleep her way to the top. Bret analyzes Crawford’s films, many of which were constructed purely as vehicles where actress and character were often indistinguishable. Overtly generous towards her coterie of gay friends, she was heartless towards her enemies, particularly Bette Davis, her co-star in Whatever Happened to Baby Jane, with whom she shared a lifelong feud. Drawing on a wealth of unpublished material and interviews, David Bret presents a unique, fascinating portrait of a single-minded, uncompromising woman.

Genre:

  • Skyscraper, Winter 08
    “Full of salacious stories and juicy scandals…A fascinating read.”

On Sale
Apr 15, 2009
Page Count
336 pages
Publisher
Da Capo Press
ISBN-13
9780786732364

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David Bret

About the Author

French-born David Bret‘s previous books include biographies of subjects as diverse as Marlene Dietrich, Edith Piaf, Gracie Fields, George Formby, Rudolph Valentino, Morrissey, and Rock Hudson. He lives in Yorkshire, England.

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