I think Christina's story checks out. And there is proof.
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Archived from the IMDb Discussion Forums — Mommie Dearest
j-s-inbrewer — 14 years ago(July 28, 2011 06:55 PM)
I have recently been searching throughout the media and the internet for all information and opinions related to actress Joan Crawfords daughter Christina reporting child abuse from her deceased mother. I see there are many conflicting opinions as well as unanswered questions of what really happened or who may or may not be reporting accurate information regarding Joan Crawfords parenting of her daughter.
One point that I must consider in the defense of Crawford is that her daughter waited until her mothers death before publishing the book which lead to the movie, Mommie Dearest, where Crawford is cast as an abusive mother and a despicable person. Obviously if written during her life, shed have the legal right to sue or prevent the book and movie from portraying her this way, especially if her daughter reported information that did not even happen. But, after Joan Crawford is dead, there may be nothing to legally prevent her daughter from writing whatever she wants and therefore, it could bring Christinas credibility into question. And given that it happened so many years ago, before most of us were born and could only be witnessed or corroborated by people who are now dead, there are many things we will never know.
However, I recently read an article written in Redbook magazine in 1960, when Christina was only 21 and her mother was alive and well and obviously aware of all that was written in the article. It would only seem in 1960, not many people thought ill of Joan Crawford. This was many years before her death when nobody would have dreamed of her daughter later publishing a book and airing a movie with the horrific charges Christina made of her in the portrayal of Mommie Dearest. And it would also seem the writer of the article in 1960 would have to be extremely careful not to misquote Joan Crawford or print anything she could dispute or get them in trouble for writing. The Revolt of Joan Crawford's Daughter was the name of the article which can be searched online.
There was one specific fact written in the 1960 article that all but confirms to me who I should believe. Joan Crawford was quoted saying that Christina got expelled from Chadwick Academy as a teenager and her mother had no choice except to send her to Flintridge convent where Christina was not allowed any phone calls or mail in or out, nor visitors nor allowed to leave or have any privileges or any life until she was a legal adult and could sign herself out of the place. Crawford is quoted as saying the reason Christina got sent to the convent is because it was the only school that would accept her after the expulsion from Chadwick and all the trouble she got into. Yet Christina affirms she was never expelled from Chadwick. Now obviously this discrepancy of their two stories in 1960 is not a simple difference of opinion between them. Christina either got expelled from Chadwick or she did not. So it means one of them has to be telling a bold faced lie.
In the article, it states that there is no record of Christinas expulsion from the school she reports her mother forced her out of to put her in a prison-like convent. Why wouldnt there be evidence of expulsion if it really happened? The article also presents facts that Christinas academic standing was far above average. She was involved in school plays, the student counsel, the swim team and was a football cheerleader. Not only that, but the article reports that Christina and her brother Christopher actually lived with the directors of the school, Commander and Mrs. Chadwick in their home until her mother pulled the plug on that. We dont see Joan Crawford disputing this information in the 1960 article so Ill assume its true. Does it take a brilliant person to conclude that theres no way she got expelled nor did anybody have a problem with her going to Chadwick except her mother? It confirms to me that her mother has told a bold face lie. And that shows me what kind of a person Joan Crawford must have been to make these false accusations of her daughter to the press.
There is also information of quotes from nuns at the Flintridge Convent who have gone on the record stating that they did not see that Christina did anything wrong nor had any information for why she got stuck there except that her mother alleged that she had problems in her old school. One nun is quoted as saying she thought Christina was a principled and intelligent young lady and she thought very highly of her.
Joan Crawford is also quoted as saying that the charges that she had issues with the Chadwicks are not true and she had very warm regards toward them. Christina disobeyed their rules and had problems with them. Yet its kind of odd that Crawford is reported for taking not only Christina out of their school but Christopher and the two other daughters she had as well. Why all 4 kids? Obviously she had issues with them.
In the article, Mrs. Chadwick is quoted for writing in a telegram, in response to the request for h -
guymar1 — 14 years ago(July 29, 2011 08:44 AM)
I am a huge Joan Crawford fan. Her life also fascinates me and I also do believe Christina suffered horrible abuse by her mother.
Several film and theatre stars have come forward to document their witnessing of cruel behavior towards Christina and Christopher by Joan (Helen Hayes, Betty Hutton, June Allyson). Joan's second and third daughters claim they never say abuse towards Christina. But they were born almost ten years after Christina and by the time they even had perceptions of life both Christina and Christopher were sent away to boarding schools.
Other film stars say they never saw Joan abuse her children but that means absolutely nothing they simply may not have actually witnessed it. Child abuse is rarely carried out for the entire world to see plus Joan was a HUGE screen star with an image. And Joan protected that image almost religously.
We'll never know the extent of the actual story but in general, I believe it. Joan was a very complex, very frightened, insecure, competitive, driven woman who had abilities and talents in which she never found avenues of expression. She also was emotionally and physically scarred from a very bad childhood. She wanted to succeed at everything 200%. Not being able to bear children of her own probably made her feel crazy with feeling of failure. Her friend Helen Hayes once made a haunting remark "Joan tried to be all things to all people, but I wish she hadn't tried to be a mother".
Very sad. -
deem_bastille — 11 years ago(July 23, 2014 04:15 PM)
Betty Hutton,
Helen Hayes,
James MacArthur (Hayes' son),
June Allyson,
Liz Smith,
Rex Reed,
and Vincent Sherman
stated that they had witnessed some form of abuse.
Joan Crawford's secretary, Jeri Binder Smith, confirmed Christina's account.
and apparently joan was so distraught she haunted Lorenzo llamas and pleaded with him to clear her name!!
OH THANK YOU GOD! THANK YOU SO
BLOODY
MUCH!!! Basil Fawlty -
molly-31 — 14 years ago(March 10, 2012 10:08 PM)
I believed it the minute I heard it, long before the book came out, and I will never change my mind.
Also, if Joan insulted the Chadwick authorities half as bad as the book and film had it, no wonder Tina couldn't go back.
You want sausage? I've got sausage, too. -
the_daria — 13 years ago(April 17, 2012 05:10 PM)
I remember seeing "Mommie Dearest" years ago, and I did believe Christina then. But now, I
know
that Christina was telling the truth about her mother's abuse.
I was just watching an episode of "The Will: Family Secrets Revealed" which focuses on Joan Crawford and her children, and it sent a chill down my spine when they discussed that Christopher had to be strapped to his bed not because he had a problem with sleepwalking, but because he would try to run away from home even as a very small child. It reminded me of something my ex once said: his mother (my former mother-in-law) would use the sofa to block the front door in their apartment because he kept trying to run away to his grandparents house as his father was extremely abusive. My ex was about two or three years old at that point.
Another detail I noticed is that Christina and Christopher both endured a lot of abuse from Joan, but their younger twin sisters did not. My ex was the oldest child in his family and endured most of his fathers abuse, but his youngest siblings are spoiled by their father. So, this kind of behavior pattern is not unheard of. It also sounded like the twins didnt see much of Christina or Christopher when they were growing up either, so I wouldnt doubt that they would have different kinds of relationships with their mother.
You can't take the sky from me. -
tzogas — 10 years ago(May 10, 2015 10:31 PM)
the_daria - I recognize the behavior you are describing - it's called "selective abuse", and it is the reason why people sometimes get confused about why one child may report/show signs of abuse, while the other child(ren) seem fine, even adored.
Have an A1 day -
Siriry — 9 years ago(April 04, 2016 12:29 AM)
That was the way it was with my mother, she was horribly abused physically, emotionally and mentally by her mother. My mother's younger sister though was never abused.
Siri
Don't Make Me Have to Release the Flying Monkeys! -
d-s-wallner — 13 years ago(April 29, 2012 03:18 PM)
Christina Crawford is on youtube - everybody can check for himself, if he thinks she is credible:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=znbLxQLmXt0 -
rabbyt1 — 13 years ago(May 05, 2012 04:25 PM)
Of course she's telling the truth, her younger sisters were TEN years younger, and she was obviously nicer to the younger ones, she didn't want to screw up four kids, two was enough. She definitely treated them badly. I've seen older children treated like dirt and younger children treated like royalty, people just always want to think the best of people. WHY on earth would someone want to admit their mother was a psycho who beat them and made their lives miserable?
And I know people say "oh people who have been abused can't joke about it later" Uh, YES they can. It's called moving forward. -
cookiela2001 — 13 years ago(June 14, 2012 11:47 AM)
<< Of course she's telling the truth, her younger sisters were TEN years younger, and she was obviously nicer to the younger ones, she didn't want to screw up four kids, two was enough. >>
The twins were more mild mannered and subservient than the two elder childrenwho also went through tougher times with Crawford, when her nerves were frayed from career and romantic ups and downs.
Still, the weird thing about the twins is, when Crawford built her "dream home" in NYC with Al Steele, THERE WERE NO ROOMS FOR THE CHILDREN. The twins were still at boarding school, and were put in a nearby hotel with a nanny when they visited Mommie. Crawford had elaborate dressing rooms and closets built in the new place, with huge rooms and soaring ceilings, but not even one little bedroom for those two young daughters to share.
Sad. -
solex10 — 10 years ago(August 20, 2015 06:46 PM)
This shows more than ever that Crawford was mentally fracked up, and should have not been raising kids at all. It's a tragedy that she was not investigated, and her children taken away from her, as almost happened (IIRC) to Rita Hayworth during her marriage to Dick Haymes.
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rixrex — 13 years ago(May 07, 2012 11:34 PM)
Anyone with even a little bit of studying of personality types and disorders could easily see that Joan Crawford was an insecure narcissist, not unlike some other actors and actresses. For Joan, her children were supposed to behave like her legion of fans with unquestioning adorationm but they made the mistake of being mere children.
Nicely fitting that Joan ended up playing weirdos in B movies later on. My favorite Joan Crawford portrayal is in the original I Saw What You Did, where John Ireland gets to take care of her in a manner she deserves.
The Eyes of the City are Mine!
Mother Pressman / Anguish (1987) -
claudja777 — 12 years ago(July 23, 2013 01:09 PM)
shw was a psycho,but
I don t think she did anything of what she did on purpose
she sent em on boarding school cause she thought it was for the best
and all that crazy moves was because she was obsessed with having her children not becoming retarded spoiled brat.Crawford had a brother who was living on her money and that never achieved anything in hollywood even if joan gave him a part in all her movies and more.couldn t even become an extra.she was sure that people's life could lead to something only through sofference cause that's what happened to her.She always felt that the only reason she achieved something is because of all the effortn she put even on littlest thing.she was all about fights over fights and how she said, she never could enjoy really her success.Never felt "arrived".this is a woman who spent months in wirting personal answer to her fans.