The Concluding Chapter of Crawford

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.

February 27: Joan signs a contract with Trahey Advertising for her likeness to be used by Trahey's client, Eve of Roma Corp., in advertisements of their products in national magazines from March 1st, 1973 until February 28th, 1974. For Joan's involvement, she is compensated in the sum of $5,475.00.

March: Joan travels to Detroit, Michigan on Pepsi-Cola business.

Late-March: Joan is "retired" as a board member of Pepsi-Cola following her official 65th birthday. However, Joan does continue to do light work for Pepsi until the end of 1974.

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 is shown before Springer interviews Joan, which is followed by a Q&A from the audience. The event was attended by 1,500 guests.

This is Joan's last official public appearance.

April 24: Joan attends a Variety Clubs banquet in honor of Floyd Starr in Grand Rapids, Michigan. At the banquet, Joan awards Starr with Variety Club's Achievement Award.

April 26: Joan meets with producer Morton Gottlieb before he leaves for Europe in regard to his proposal of casting her in a female version of his play "Sleuth."

May 9: Joan meets with Brazilian soccer player Pelé at a Manhattan restaurant.

June: Joan appears in a series of film introductions for her films; "Rain," "Mildred Pierce," "Humoresque," "Possessed," "Daisy Kenyon," and "Flamingo Road."
The introductions are for the "Joan Crawford Film Week" on WNEW-TV (Channel 5) in New York. The film week begins on June 10th.
Joan agreed to do the film introductions in exchange for the network's promotion of the Muscular Dystrophy Association.

Early-June: Joan attends a luncheon at the Four Seasons hotel in New York. The luncheon is attended by approximately 40 people.

Mid-June: Joan begins contemplating and assessing the liquidation of her jewelry collection. Subsequently, during the summer and early fall Joan will sell a variety of her most valuable jewelry pieces.

June 20: Joan sells approximately half a dozen of her jewelry pieces to Van Cleef & Arpels. of New York.

June 22: Joan is named, and given an official writ, as the "Lady Chamberlain of The Globe of The Great Southwest" by the Globe Theatre in Odessa, Texas.

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 to Joan by Pepsi-Cola, and along with Joan's removal from the company's board of directors Walsh's salary is no longer compensated by the company.

July 10: Joan attends a luncheon and preview reception for the opening of the Showcase Cinema Theater in Fairfield, Ohio.

July 26th: Joan hosts a 75th birthday birthday party for her maid, Mamacita. The party is held in Joan's apartment and attended by many of Joan's friends.

July 30: Joan sells eight pieces of her jewelry collection to Transcontinental Diamond Corporation in New York for the amount of $86,000.

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 2nd, 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: It seems most likely that Joan's appearance during this telethon is from a previously taped appearance.)

September 8: Carl Johnes helps Joan condense 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."

September 24: Joan sells three pieces from her jewelry collection to Transcontinental Diamond Corporation in New York for $98,500.

October 28: Joan has lunch with Carl Johnes, who delivers Alice Landais-designed scarfs to Joan that she asked him to pick up for on his recent trip to Paris. (Source: "Crawford: The Last Years")

November 1: Joan's Blackglama ad is featured, for the second time, in Vogue Magazine.

November 5: Joan begins moving from apartment 22G to apartment 22H in Imperial House.

December 26: Joan's long-time close 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")

Late-December: Joan's houseman, Charles Grant, leaves her employment. Mr. Grant decides to end his employment with Joan after she insults him for forgetting to pack away a box of Christmas decorations.

© 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