If Joan Crawford Had Actually Worked With Faye Dunaway, Her Opinion Of The Actress Would Have Been Much Different

Joan probably would have seen what Bette saw, and her impression of her probably would have changed.

Difference is Joan would have slapped the shit out of her. (Kidding).

[quote] "Joan probably would have seen what Bette saw, and her impression of her probably would have changed."

Agreed, R1. And while I also don't think it would've actually happened, Joan slapping Faye would've gone down in gay entertainment and pop culture history. I'd LIVE for that.

I don't think Faye would have tried her battshittery n bitchiness with Joan

It depends on when they would have worked together. When La Crawford made those remarks she was no longer working as an actress, so she wouldn't have had the chance to see for herself Faye's lack of professionalism. Had she worked with Dunaway in 1962 or 1964, Faye would have behaved because Joan would have mopped the floor with her. But if they'd worked together in Trog or Berserk (in some parallel universe where Faye'd have agreed to appear in either film) she would've made Joan a basket case.

[quote] "I don't think Faye would have tried her battshittery n bitchiness with Joan"

I agree. Though I'm both surprised and not surprised at what transpired with Davis.

Joan was very professional and highly disciplined (well, apart from the later alcoholism), and would dress people down for perceived improprietary and lack of manners. She clashed with her young co-star, Janice Rule, on the set of "Goodbye, My Fancy" because of Rule's unprofessionalism, which may have resulted in Rule being dropped from her Warner Bros contract. Joan would not have tolerated Dunaway's lack of professionalism either.

[quote] "It depends on when they would have worked together. When La Crawford made those remarks she was no longer working as an actress, so she wouldn't have had the chance to see for herself Faye's lack of professionalism. Had she worked with Dunaway in 1962 or 1964, Faye would have behaved because Joan would have mopped the floor with her. But if they'd worked together in Trog or Berserk (in some parallel universe where Faye'd have agreed to appear in either film) she would've made Joan a basket case."

You have several good points, R4. She had Anne Helm fired from "Strait-Jacket" in 1963 for far, far less than what Dunaway has since been found guilty of.

And I think you're right where her later career is concerned. Joan herself was barely holding it together by the time she made "Trog", and "Berserk", and absolutely would've been driven crazy by Faye's displays of cuntery.

But even if the slap hadn't happened, perhaps there's a chance Crawford would've found a way to exact revenge somehow, at some point, considering her own private campaign leading up to the 1963 Oscars. Of course, that particular feud ran much deeper.

Faye Dunaway is a better actress than Crawford and Davis combined. Her sheer intensity overwhelms theirs.

[quote] "She clashed with her young co-star, Janice Rule, on the set of "Goodbye, My Fancy" because of Rule's unprofessionalism, which may have resulted in Rule being dropped from her Warner Bros contract."

I've not heard of this particular incident, R6. This is fresh to me, and now I'm keen to read into it!

I don’t think Dunaway ever worked on anything as low rent and tacky as Joan’s late career movies. But she sure made up for it in her own late career.

R8:

[quote] "Faye Dunaway is a better actress than Crawford and Davis combined. Her sheer intensity overwhelms theirs."

That's quite an opinion, and you're certainly entitled, R8. But just judging by the reaction at R11 (and knowing DL) I hope you're ready, willing, and able to defend it.

In recent years it's come to light that Conversations With Joan Crawford, the source of this quote, may be entirely fabricated. The writer kept copious notes of every person of even the slightest fame that he met in his papers, which were well organized. No entry for Joan, whom he claimed to have spoken to at length over a half dozen times. And he tape recorded a lot of the time, though in Joan's case he covers his ass in the book saying "no tapes exist" though he was taping everything from the mid-60s on with other celebs.

Nor do Joan's secretaries during that time recall JC meeting or talking with Newquist at all or having him in her contacts, and they were the ones who typed her schedule, and she scheduled herself to the minute.

The author of CWJC does do a good job mimicking her "voice" but some of the quotes, like this one, are a little too on the nose to be true, it's just too handy that they came to light after Mommie Dearest.

R9, Joan mentioned it in her 1962 autobiography, "A Portrait of Joan":

[quote]The cast included a young girl named Janice Rule whose personality definitely clashed with mine. I felt she was non-professional in her attitude, that she regarded film work as something less than slumming and one day I told her so. “Miss Rule,” I said, “you’d better enjoy making films while you can, I doubt that you’ll be with us long!”

Joan would have really loved Faye had she lived long enough to see Mother Dearest.

I think Joan would've reamed her one. Miss Dun-oneway is quite talented at and capable of playing only Faye.

[quote] "I don’t think Dunaway ever worked on anything as low rent and tacky as Joan’s late career. But she sure made up for it in her own late career."

She's done worse since, but I was genuinely surprised and absolutely delighted to see her in this cameo (everyone in this sequence is fantastic). I wonder to what degree director Roger Avary's earlier BAFTA & Oscar wins for co-writing "Pulp Fiction" weighed on Dunaway's decision to play such a ridiculous part in an outrageous (but excellent) story segment that so prominently features "little homosexual boys", among other things.

I would've assumed she was FAR too uptight. So I give her lots of credit for seeing the humor in it, and playing the hell out of the part.