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Movie Review:

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The real Joan Crawford???

First, there was the legend a poor girl from a broken home who made it to the top in show business and made padded shoulders for women a new fashion trend.

Then there was the book called Mommie Dearest by adopted daughter Christina Crawford, recounting in vivid detail each and ever mistake the Star ever made in her life. And there was another adopted daughter's response on a national talk show: "It's a great work of fiction."

We finally read the book a few weeks ago after a local representative for Paramount graciously sent us a free copy. Our own opinion was that it's a book that needs reading between the lines to see where a spoiled brat rebelled against discipline and a mother caught in a hectic lifestyle sometimes found the responsibilities of a family almost too much to handle.

Then we went to see the movie. The theme of the movie seems to be to make the book's reader see just how badly Christina abused Joan's well-meaning efforts to discipline an arrogant, selfish child. And, the movie doesn't deny, parents do make mistakes.

But, as one reviewer put it, he never knew child-beating could have a funny side. We admit that while we were in a minority (in a nearly empty theater), we did get a few good warped laughs out of fights involving the two women. A particularly good scene for laughs is the "wire hanger" routine.

If you don't know the book, it seems Joan resented Christina's use of wire hangers for her expensive clothes when padded wood hangers were provided. One night, coming by to look in on the children, J.C. just happens to look in the closet and sees a very expensive dress on a wire hanger. She takes it off the hanger, beats Christina with the hanger, throws all the clothes on

the floor to be re-hangered, then goes into the bathroom and demands to know if Christina feels the floor is clean.

It ends up with the elegantly clad Crawford in a full length black at-home gown slit almost to the waist scrubbing the floor, covered with Bon Ami, and a terrified Christina looking on.

Yes, Dunaway looks enough like Crawford to give you goose bumps. And a lot of you into elegance will get off on the great sets and gowns and all that sort of thing.

The highlight of the film for us was a very artistic scene where Miss Crawford, recently widowed, is confronted by phony sympathy from the Board of Directors at Pepsi, who seem to take a sadistic pleasure in advising her that they are not only taking over her husband's stock and new apartment but also removing her from the board...or so they think. It was a sheer delight to watch as Crawford/Dunaway looks down the table symetric with almost identical rows of directors on each side, almost a parody at the little old weasel at the other end, who has his yes-men doing his dirty work for him, and tells him that she has used her name and fame to build up his company, and unless he leaves her to carry on as before, keeping her on the board where she wants to be, her name and fame can tear down as she had previously built up.

You get three guesses, of course, who won that round.

In a nutshell, we went to see the film because we know a lot of our readers happen to be Crawford fans who would be interested. If you are, we ask only that you give careful consideration as to how much you value your time and money. If we had to pay cash to go see it, with our present knowledge thanks, but no, thanks!

Crawford 1 Pepsi 0

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