Joan Crawford, one of the most iconic stars of the silver screen, is often remembered not only for her filmography but also for her legendary Hollywood feuds. Her most famous rivalry was with Bette Davis, though her contentious relationship with adopted daughter Christina Crawford, dramatized in Mommie Dearest, is equally notorious. However, many overlook Crawford's animosity toward Marilyn Monroe, who was seen as a successor to Crawford's era of silent film starlets.
An Awkward Encounter at the Photoplay Awards
According to actress Mamie Van Doren's new memoir You Thought I Was Dead, Crawford was less than impressed when she encountered Monroe at the 1953 Photoplay Awards, where Monroe received The New Star Award. Van Doren wrote, 'Marilyn was cavorting on stage that night in a skintight gold lame gown, while Crawford watched in disgust, drinking herself into a stupor.'
Monroe biographer Donald Spoto added details about the aftermath, noting that Monroe stole the show with a simple twist of her derriere. 'After Marilyn, every other girl appeared dull by contrast,' Spoto wrote, adding that both Crawford and Lana Turner received only 'casual attention' once Monroe entered the room.
Crawford's Public Denunciation
After being upstaged, Crawford summoned gossip columnist Bob Thomas and publicly denounced Monroe's behavior. 'It was like a burlesque show. The audience yelled and shouted, and Jerry Lewis got up on the table and whistled,' Crawford said. 'But those of us in the industry just shuddered... Sex plays a tremendously important part in every person’s life. People are interested in it, intrigued with it. But they don’t like to see it flaunted in their faces.'
Crawford continued, 'The publicity has gone too far. She is making the mistake of believing her publicity. Someone should make her see the light.' In her most cutting remark, she added, 'She should be told that the public likes provocative feminine personalities; but it also likes to know that underneath it all, the actresses are ladies.'
Monroe's Classy Response
Monroe issued a cleverly crafted response that subtly painted Crawford as jealous. 'Although I don’t know Miss Crawford very well, she was a symbol to me of kindness and understanding to those who need help,' Monroe said. 'At first, all I could think of was why should she select me to blast? She is a great star. I’m just starting. And then, when the first hurt began to die down, I told myself she must have spoken to Mr. Thomas impulsively, without thinking.'
A Complicated History
Crawford and Monroe had interacted before that night, with Crawford even inviting Monroe to her home to offer advice early in Monroe's career. According to Charlotte Chandler's 2009 biography Not the Girl Next Door, Monroe respected how Crawford had adopted her children. 'Marilyn was impressed that [Crawford] didn’t just depend on a man to support her economically or emotionally. Marilyn admired that kind of courage, though she didn’t feel she had it herself... She thought she was a saint. Saint Joan. Saint Joan Crawford!' wrote Chandler.
Monroe burst onto the scene in the early 1950s, just as Crawford's career was winding down. In 1953, Monroe starred in back-to-back blockbusters Gentlemen Prefer Blondes and How to Marry a Millionaire. By contrast, Crawford had dominated the silent film era in the 1920s, found success in talkies in the early 1930s, and staged a comeback in 1946's Mildred Pierce. Her career wound down again until a second major comeback in 1962's What Ever Happened To Baby Jane?
Crawford's Other Feuds
Despite her bad blood with Monroe, it paled in comparison to her rivalry with Bette Davis. The pair, both Oscar-winning stars, hated each other for 42 years. Davis later admitted that Crawford sabotaged her Best Actress Oscar campaign for Baby Jane out of jealousy. 'I was furious because that would've made me the first person with three [Academy Awards],' Davis said. Their rivalry was depicted in Ryan Murphy's 2017 series Feud.
