Joan Crawford: podcast appearances and interviews

Joan Crawford was an American actress born as Lucille Fay LeSueur on March 23, 1904. She began her career as a dancer in traveling theatrical companies before making her Broadway debut. In 1925, Crawford signed a contract with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and initially faced challenges due to the limited size and quality of her roles. She responded by launching a publicity campaign that established her as a popular flapper by the end of the 1920s. Throughout the 1930s, Crawford's fame grew, equaling that of her MGM colleagues Norma Shearer and Greta Garbo. Often portraying hardworking young women who achieve romance and financial success, her performances resonated with depression-era audiences and women. She became one of Hollywood's most prominent stars and one of the highest-paid women in the United States. However, her films began to lose money, and by the end of the 1930s, she was labeled box office poison. After nearly two years away from the screen, Crawford made a successful comeback with her role in Mildred Pierce in 1945, which earned her the Academy Award for Best Actress. Beyond her acting career, Crawford was involved with the Pepsi-Cola Company through her marriage to its president Alfred Steele. Following his death, she was elected to the company's board of directors but retired from acting in 1973. Crawford continued to perform in film and television through the 1960s before retiring after the 1970 horror film Trog. She led a reclusive life until her death on May 10, 1977. Crawford married four times, adopted five children, and her relationships with her older children, Christina and Christopher, were contentious.