Academy Award winner Eva Marie Saint will appear at the Laemmle Royal tonight for a Q&A and screening of “Exodus” (1960), directed by noir great Otto Preminger.
Miss Crawford would have been pleased … I think
March 24, 2015 by
A fun time was had by all Monday night at the Joan Crawford birthday party and screening at Laemmle NoHo 7 in North Hollywood! Thanks to Greg Laemmle and his staff, Warner Archive and Shakar Bakery. And of course everyone who attended!
In case you missed it, here are some vids, pix and a trivia fix.
We showed “Possessed” (1947, Curtis Bernhardt):
and “What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?” (1962, Robert Aldrich):
Trivia Questions
1. What was Joan’s given name and where was she born?
2. The name Joan Crawford was the second-place winner from a contest held by MGM to rename their new star. The top choice was rejected because it already belonged to another actress. What was it?
3. Joan won the Best Actress Oscar for her 1945 performance in “Mildred Pierce.” That was the only time she won but she was nominated for Best Actress two other times. Name the movies.
4. What did Joan’s professional resume have in common with Bette Davis’s as young women?
5. Joan starred with Clark Gable in eight films. Name the first one.
The Laemmle NoHo 7 at night
Film Noir Blonde gushing re: JC
Rat cake, anyone?
Eek! Greg Laemmle reacts to the cake, a superb creation by Shakar Bakery. The cake references an unforgettably gross moment in “Baby Jane.”
Trivia Answers
1. Lucille Fay LeSueur, San Antonio, Texas.
2. Joan Arden.
3. “Possessed” 1947 and “Sudden Fear” 1952
4. They were both dancers – Joan was a Broadway showgirl who came to Hollywood to play flappers (“Our Dancing Daughters” 1928 was a breakout film). She was Fred Astaire’s first on-screen dance partner. Bette Davis studied dance with Martha Graham.
5. “Dance, Fools, Dance” 1931. Their last was “Strange Cargo” 1940. Both married, their affair was called: “the affair that nearly burned Hollywood down.”
Celebrate Joan Crawford’s birthday at Laemmle’s NoHo 7
March 10, 2015 by
See “Possessed” & “What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?” on the big screen!
Laemmle Theatres and Film Noir Blonde are pleased to present a double feature on Monday, March 23, at Laemmle’s NoHo 7, to mark Joan Crawford’s birthday.
A gifted actress and the ultimate movie star, Joan Crawford found that by the mid-1940s, her career had stalled. She restarted it with the help of film noir, namely 1945’s “Mildred Pierce,” by director Michael Curtiz, for which she won the Best Actress Oscar. Whether she played a tough broad or a lady in distress, Crawford was especially well suited for the genre’s expressionistic intensity. She starred in many film-noir titles between 1945 and 1962.
On Monday, March 23, Laemmle’s NoHo 7 will pay tribute to her legacy with a special double bill from Warner Bros.: “Possessed” (1947, Curtis Bernhardt) and “What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?” (1962, Robert Aldrich).
The program will start at 7:30 p.m., with “Possessed” and “What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?” at 9:55. Tickets are $11 each, $15 for the double feature.
There will be a special birthday cake for Ms. Crawford’s fans and Warner Bros. Archive will provide select prizes. Laemmle’s NoHo 7 is at 5240 Lankershim Blvd., North Hollywood, CA 91601, 818-762-4600. Laemmle’s main number is 310-478-3836.
Film Noir Blonde
Joining the party will be Jacqueline Fitzgerald, founder and editor of FilmNoirBlonde.com. Fitzgerald will introduce the movies.
In “Possessed” (also starring Van Heflin and Raymond Massey) Crawford gives a memorable performance as a woman who can’t get over a bad relationship. In “What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?” she is Blanche Hudson, a once-glamorous Hollywood actress who lives with her demented sister (Bette Davis), a former child star.
Full reviews are available here:
“Possessed” http://bit.ly/1saxBHV
“Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?” http://bit.ly/1z7ctQ7
From FNB readers