Customer Reviews

Joan Crawford: The Ultimate Star

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I was delighted to find this book several years ago. It is indeed a treat to read the information Alexander Walker gives about my favorite actress. The factual information he gives is well-written. Even more important to me than the accuracy of his words, however, is the myriad photographs he has included in this marvelous book. For those who have not followed the late actress' career, the book will be a treat to see the many ways Joan Crawford changed her "face" to meet the needs of her audience. The book is a lovely tribute to a very fine actress. I believe she would have been pleased herself to see such a lovely book. It is a pity it is now out-of-print.

This is indeed an interesting book about the life and career of the late Joan Crawford. The text about her 80 movies is interesting, but even more fascinating is the author's collection of pictures. The pictures chosen show the transformation of one of silver screen's most underrated actresses. Her face undergoes such interesting changes as the years went by in her career. Truly this coffee- table sized book is one of my most cherished books I have on the late actress. Surely everyone who has been interested in Joan Crawford and her career would find the book very interesting.

Can anyone tell me why most of the reviews for this Joan Crawford biography are for another book?

Alexander Walker has written a fascinating coffee-table style book on one of the greatest Hollywood icons of all-time, Joan Crawford. Originally published in 1983 this 193 page book is filled with anecdotes, information, and data on what made Joan Crawford the person she was. Walker takes the reader through the life of Joan in different chapters with each documenting that period in her life from the first chapter detailing Crawford's upbringing in Texas to the last chapter dealing with her later years when she bascially became a recluse. The book is also filled with multiple black and white photos, some as large as 8 X 10 that cover the entire page, and many of these have never been seen before. Both her personal and professional lives are covered here to the greatest extent and the reader will not be disappointed. One huge asset Walker had when writing this book was that he had access to the huge MGM archives, the studio where Crawford did some of her best work. Her salaries, the time when her films were released, and production dates are all included.

Having dozens of Crawford books in my home library I must say this is one of the better ones and a book many other authors have used as research in their own works on Joan.