This is a very short feature on the DVD of "The Damned Don't Cry" that discusses Joan Crawford's star quality, basically making the point that off-screen as well as on, she always dressed and acted like a star. It was her all-consuming identity.
Much has been written about Crawford, a good deal of it derogatory. It is difficult to overlook her disciplinary actions toward her children, and one must always remember that alcohol played a large role in her behavior. On the plus side, she was a true rags to riches story, self-invented, disciplined, hardworking and intelligent. I once read an interview with her where she made some astonishing - and true - assessments of the then-hot Hollywood stars - not in any way unfavorable, just an assessment of their abilities. The lady knew what she was talking about.
Betsy Palmer and Ann Blyth were both friends of Crawford's and speak well of her. Rather than seeing her as an enemy of Bette Davis or a nasty woman, it's nice once in a while to remember she was part of Hollywood's Golden Age, as luminous and glamorous as they got.
