Wednesday, September 10, 2008

Daughter Dearest

Poor Joan Crawford never could catch a break with her daughters -- in the movies, or in real life. Her wretched brat, Christina, of course, wrote That Book; while on screen, La Crawford caught hell from Ann Blyth (Mildred Pierce, 1945), Geraldine Brooks (Possessed, 1947), Diane Baker (Strait-Jacket, 1964), and, finally, in 1967's Berserk!, from birthday girl Judy Geeson (September 10, 1948).


THE CAST OF BERSERK! (1967) L-R: TY HARDIN, JOAN CRAWFORD, PRODUCER HERMAN COHEN, JUDY GEESON, DIANA DORS

Miss Geeson had made her debut earlier that year in the acclaimed To Sir with Love, starring Sidney Poitier. Berserk! gave her a larger role, but in a decidedly lower-rent setting; and so from there it was on to television. Today, Judy Geeson runs her own antiques shop in England. (Insert antique/Joan Crawford joke here.)

2 comments:

  1. You just know she's thinking, "once up on a time, an all-star cast was me with two Barrymores, Garbo, and Beery. And now this. At least Ty's within groping distance..."

    And, fortunately for her, Dors is outside of slapping range.

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  2. But they still managed to talk Edith Head into designing Joan's ringmistress costume!

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