Joan Crawford: In the 1950s

Turner Classic Movies and Sony Home Entertainment present Joan Crawford in the 1950s; four signature melodramas that demonstrate the star's enduring appeal as a formidable dramatic actress. Presented for the first time on DVD, these four films have been fully restored and re-mastered and offer a fascinating glimpse of the three-time Oscar nominated actress in her post-Warner Brothers years when she revived her career to become a top box-office star at Columbia studios. (Harriet Craig, 1950) Based on the Broadway hit (Craig's Wife) by George Kelly, this is the third film version of the Pulitzer Prize-winning play. Joan Crawford, in the title role, plays a materialistic housewife whose neurotic perfectionism alienates her friends and threatens to destroy her marriage. Directed by Vincent Sherman, this compelling psychological portrait of a woman who married for security and control co-stars Wendell Corey, Lucile Watson and Allyn Joslyn. (Queen Bee, 1955) An Academy Award nominee for Best Cinematography and Best Costume Design, (Queen Bee, 1955) is the story of a manipulative socialite in Georgia who tries to control the lives of those around her to disastrous effect. In the tradition of a Southern Gothic melodrama by Tennessee Williams, this movie provides a showcase for Crawford's most aggressive, scheming seductress since her role in (The Women, 1939) and features memorable supporting roles for Barry Sullivan, Betsy Palmer, John Ireland and Fay Wray. (Autumn Leaves, 1956) Featuring a theme song sung by Nat King Cole, (Autumn Leaves, 1956) is a dark romantic drama about a lonely spinster who falls in love with a younger man with severe mental problems. Among her later films, Crawford said, This was one of my favorite pictures, and felt it was the best film of it's type ever made. Directed by Robert Aldrich (What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?, 1962), the film also features Vera Miles, Lorne Greene and Cliff Robertson in his first major leading man role after a memorable supporting part in (Picnic, 1955) the previous year. (The Story of Esther Costello, 1957) Produced and directed by David Miller, who guided Crawford to a third Oscar nomination for Best Actress in (Sudden Fear, 1952), this stylish soap opera is the story of a wealthy divorcee who devotes herself to helping a deaf and blind girl while fending off charlatans who want to exploit the teenager. Filmed on location in England, the movie was honored at several international film festivals and Heather Sears, in the title role, was nominated for a Golden Globe award for Best Supporting Actress. Rossano Brazzi co-stars and the superb cinematography is by Robert Krasker (The Third Man, 1949).