The Joan Crawford Chronicle
1973
January: Joan is the guest of honor at an event at the Player's Club in New York.
February: Joan films a commercial for Pan Am Airlines.
March: Joan is unexpectedly and without notice "retired" by Pepsi-Cola, following her official 65th birthday.
April 8: Joan is honored on stage at Town Hall in New York as the final guest of the season in John Springer's "Legendary Ladies" series.
A brief montage of Joan's films are shown, before Springer interviews Joan, followed by a Q&A from the audience.
This is Joan's last official public appearance.
April 26: Joan meets with producer Morton Gottlieb before he leaves for Europe in regard to his proposal of casting Joan in a female version of his
all-male play "Sleuth".
July 6: Joan dismisses her long-time secretary Florence Walsh and gives Walsh her final paycheck along with a very large bonus.
Walsh was a secretary furnished by Pepsi-Cola, and along with Joan's removal from the company's board of directors, Walsh's salary was no longer compensated.
July 10: Joan attends a luncheon and preview reception for the opening of the Showcase Cinema Theater in Fairfield, Ohio.
August: Joan purchases apartment 22H in Imperial House for approximately $85,000. (Source: Carleton Varney)
August 25: It's reported that Joan, Bette Davis, Shirley Booth, and Bob Hope are among the actors being considered for the film "Follies".
September 2: According to a September 2, 1973 press release, Joan is among the celebrities who will appear on Jerry Lewis' MDA telethon beginning that evening at 6:30 pm.
The telethon is televised from the Sahara Hotel in Las Vegas.
(Webmaster's note: This website cannot confirm if Joan appeared live in Las Vegas for the telethon, or appeared on a prior taped appearance.)
September 8: Carl Johnes helps Joan "weed out" her library in preparation for her move to apartment 22H.
(Source: "Crawford: The Last Years")
September 11: Joan says in a letter "I have no plans of appearing in the movie of 'Follies' - can't imagine where that rumor ever started".
October 28: Joan has lunch with Carl Johnes, when he delivers scarfs by designer Alice Landais to Joan.
Johnes had picked up the scarfs for Joan, via Joan's request, while on a recent trip to Paris, France. (Source: "Crawford: The Last Years")
November 5: Joan begins moving from apartment 22G to apartment 22H in Imperial House.
December 26: Joan's friend, William Haines, dies at the age of 73 of lung cancer in Santa Monica, California.
December 27: Joan hosts a small after-Christmas cocktail party in her apartment for close friends. (Source: "Crawford: The Last Years")
© All original Joan Crawford research and original text herein is property of Webmaster Bryan Johnson and is copyright protected by the United States Copyright Act of 1976. Copyright © Bryan Johnson
THE CONCLUDING CHAPTER OF CRAWFORD