Born in San Antonio Texas as Lucille Fay LaSueur, screen legend Joan Crawford appeared in over 90 films between 1925 and 1970. A major star of the 1940s and into the 1950s, Crawford often portrayed fiercely independent women who could be both glamorous and ambitious. In this class, we’ll examine five of her many memorable roles. We’ll start with Mildred Pierce, directed by Michael Curtiz and co-starring Zachary Scott, Jack Carson, and Eve Arden, a classic noir with Crawford as the mother who will go to any length to protect her ungrateful brat of a daughter. We’ll next look at Humoresque, co-starring John Garfield and Oscar Levant, with Crawford taking on a gifted violinist as her protégé and lover, and featuring an extensive musical score played by Isaac Stern. Next will be Possessed, co-starring Van Heflin and Raymond Massey, with Crawford as a deranged schizophrenic who is obsessed with a man she once met. We’ll then turn to Sudden Fear, co-starring Jack Palance and Gloria Graham, a Hitchcockian thriller with Crawford vying against the machinations of her unscrupulous husband. We’ll end with What Ever Happened to Baby Jane, a psychological thriller co-starring Bette Davis, with Crawford as the once successful movie star now tormented by her jealous sister.

Participants will need to watch the films before class. These movies are available on streaming services and the Minuteman Library system. During class, we’ll cover background material and view selected clips, but the emphasis will be on a group discussion, focusing on script, acting, and cinematography.