To put it more bluntly and in more detail, the book pretty much destroyed Crawford's reputation in the eyes of the public, as far as the book's revelations about her systematic abuse of her children, Christina in particular. It spawned the equally famous Film of the Book, with Faye Dunaway in the role of Joan. In a nutshell, Mommie Dearest (1978) was a memoir written by Christina Crawford, depicting her physical and mental abuse at the hands of her adoptive mother, famed actress Joan Crawford. If you're fascinated by Feud and want to know more about the duo's relationship, Mommie Dearest can offer some of that insight.'I think you're overreacting, Miss Crawford.' When her career suffered, due to many reasons including her difficult personality, Joan allegedly behaved even more abusively toward Christina, whom she adopted even after being initially rejected by adoption agencies. The story told in Mommie Dearest offers details about who Joan was, and there are quotes from Mommie Dearest that add insight to Feud.Ĭhristina's memories of being verbally and emotionally abused by her mother Joan form the story of Mommie Dearest, which covers a large portion of Crawford's later life, including the time that she spent filming Whatever Happened to Baby Jane? As shown in the story, Joan displayed narcissistic, controlling, perfectionist behavior, and demanded that Christina behave perfectly at all times. That means Crawford's notoriously abusive relationship with her daughter Christina Crawford, depicted in Christina's memoir Mommie Dearest and subsequent film of the same name, will likely play a role. The new television series Feud, starring Susan Sarandon as Bette Davis and Jessica Lange as Joan Crawford, follows Davis and Crawford as they fight while on the set of the iconic thriller Whatever Happened to Baby Jane? The series also widens to examine the historical context of Davis and Crawford's professional and personal lives.

Joan crawford mother dearest