Debunking The Private Investigator's Report in "Bette & Joan: The Divine Feud"
Did Joan Crawford elude a private investigator in a Rolls Royce during the filming of "Hush...Hush, Sweet Charlotte"?
The Answer is: No
From "Bette & Joan: The Divine Feud" by Shaun Considine:
"Skeptical of her condition, Robert Aldrich, at the urging of [Bette] Davis (Webmaster's note: no proof of an alleged urging by Davis), decided to have Crawford followed that weekend by a private detective."
In his book, Considine cites portions of the private investigator's report for the weekend of July 24th and 25th, 1964. Most notably that a person who appeared to be Joan left the Fountain Avenue apartments parking lot in a Rolls Royce, and how the private investigator lost a visual on the car while surveilling it through the streets of Beverly Hills.
Several details in Considine's book are inaccurate regarding the private investigator's report, including the license plate number of the Rolls Royce and where the private investigator lost visual of the car.
Below is the actual private investigator's report detailing his findings on the weekend of July 24th and 25th, 1964.The name of the private investigator was O.E. Hambleton.
Private investigator O.E. Hambelton's hand-drawn map of the vicinity of Joan's Fountain Avenue apartment:
A modern-day turn-by-turn map of route documented in the private investigator's report:
The intersection of Carmelita Drive and Linden Drive, where the private investigator's report states he lost visual of the Rolls Royce:
Loretta Young's 1964 two-toned Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud III
Note: The license plate number (OTZ-483) matches the license plate of the Rolls Royce the Private investigator followed on July 25th, 1964:
Loretta Young with her 1964 Rolls Royce in the 1990s:
Modern-day turn-by-turn mapping of the intersection of Carmelita Drive and Linden Drive to the registered address of Loretta Young's Rolls Royce
9885 Charlieville Boulevard, Beverly Hills, California
The 1966 registration card for Loretta Young's 1964 Rolls Royce:
Photographs of Joan Crawford and Loretta Young in 1964:
A.I.-generated photos of Joan Crawford and Loretta Young in 1964, wearing sunglasses and bandanas as stated in the private investigator's report:
In his report, the private investigator acknowledged the fact that Loretta Young lived in the same apartment building. (Webmaster's Note: Young actually lived in the adjacent house at the corner of Fountain Avenue and N. Flores Street, but Young's house shared the apartment building's parking lot).
The private investigator also verified that Young was the registered owner of the 1962 Chrysler he saw Young drive into the apartment building's parking lot on July 24th. However, he apparently failed to realize that the Rolls Royce he followed on July 25th was also registered to Young. Therefore, the Rolls Royce he followed was most probably driven by Young. Loretta Young and Joan Crawford had similar facial featured. As stated in the private investigator's report, the woman driving the Rolls Royce wore a "bandana over her hair" and "dark sunglasses." In fact, the private investigator lost visual of the Rolls Royce on a projected route to the vicinity of the registered address of Young's Rolls Royce: 9885 Charleville Boulevard, Beverly Hills, California.
(Photos shown here of Loretta Young and her 1964 Rolls Royce courtesy of this Loretta Young fan page)
