| THE FINAL YEARS JOAN WAS RETIRED FROM THE BOARD OF PEPSI COLA IN 1973, NO ONE HAD THE DECENCY TO TELL HER AND SHE FOUND OUT VIA THE NEW YORK TIMES. SHE WAS 65. ALFRED STEELE HAD BEEN DEAD SINCE 1959 AND SHE HAD CONTINUED ON THE BOARD SINCE THAT TIME. JOAN DID NOT TAKE IT WELL "I WORKED MY ASS OFF FOR THE COMPANY FOR ALMOST 20 YEARSAND NOW THEY'VE WASHED ME UP...WELL SCREW 'EM" SHE SAID. JOANS FILM CAREER WAS FARING NO BETTER EITHER, 1972 SHE HAD MADE THE"SIXTH SENSE" TELEVISION MOVIE "JOAN WE'RE GOING TO SCARE YOU TO DEATH" IT WAS HER LAST FEATURE, AND IT HAD BEEN 3 YEARS SINCE TROG, HER LAST CINEMATIC FILM. |
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| FORCED TO ECONOMISE SHE MOVED INTO A SMALLER APPARTMENT AT IMPERIAL HOUSE EAST 69TH STREET WHERE SHE CONCENTRATED ON HER CORRESPONDENCE AT CHRISTMAS SHE WOULD SEND AN INCREDIBLE 6,000 GREETINGS, MOST HAND WRITTEN OR TYPED. AND EVERY CHRISTMAS GREETING SHE RECEIVED WOULD BE PERSONALLY REPLIED TO, WITH ONE OF HER FAMOUS THANK YOU NOTES. EACH MONTH ON AVERAGE JOAN SENT BETWEEN 5 & 10,000 OF HER DISTINCTIVE PALE BLUE THANK YOU NOTES AND LETTERS. THIS CORRESPONDENCE BECAME IN EFFECT HER FULL TIME JOB. |
| JOAN WAS STILL DRINKING HEAVILY AND HAD BEGUN TO CURTAIL INTERVIEWS MAYBE BECAUSE THE ALCOHOL LOOSENED HER TONGUE TOO MUCH BESIDES THERE WERE NO FILMS OR PEPSI TO PROMOTE)( A SERIES OF VERY FRANK INTERVIEWS WITH ROY NEWQUIST WOULD BE PUBLISHED AFTER HER DEATH IN A VOLUME ENTITLED CONVERSATIONS WITH JOAN CRAWFORD IT MAKES FASCINATING AND FRANK READING AND BLOWS AWAY THE SACHARINE IMAGE PROMOTED IN HER BOOK MY WAY OF LIFE 1971) |
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| IN MARCH 1973 JOAN APPEARED AT JOHN SPRINGER'S "LEGENDARY LADIES AT THE TOWN HALL" SERIES OF LECTURES. HOT ON THE HEELS OF ARCH RIVAL BETTE DAVIS. SHE WAS PETRIFIED OF APPEARING IN PUBLIC BUT WAS AMAZED AT THE RECEPTION SHE RECEIVED AND PROMPTLY BROKE DOWN CLAIMING "I NEVER KNEW THERE WAS SO MUCH LOVE" IN 1974 SPRINGER PREPARED TO HOST ANOTHER LECTURE WITH ROSALIND RUSSEL AND ASKED JOAN TO CO-HOST A PARTY FOR HER. JOAN, NOW INCREASINGLY RECLUSIVE (SAVE FOR THE ODD LUNCH AT "21") AGREED AS A PERSONAL FAVOUR TO THE AILING ROSALIND. WHEN PICTURES APPEARED THE NEXT DAY , SO SHOCKED WAS SHE BY BOTH THEIR APPEARENCES, SHE VOWED NEVER TO MAKE ANOTHER PUBLIC APPEARENCE. |
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| 1975 FOUND A MORE MELLOW JOAN ALMOST A TOTAL RECLUSE SHE RE-EMBRACED HER CHRISTIAN SCIENCE FAITH AND AMAZINGLY GAVE UP ALCOHOL AND CIGARETTES . IN 1976 SHE WROTE HER WILL FAMOUSLY LEAVING CHRISTINA AND CHRISTOPHER, DAUGHTER AND SON DEAREST, NOTHING. "FOR REASONS THEY WELL KNOW" HER 1976 CHRISTMAS MESSAGE ,TO ALL, STATED IT WOULD BE HER LAST. |
| BY 1977 JOAN WAS DOWN TO 85 POUNDS, SHE KEPT HER ILLNESS FROM ALMOST EVERYONE AND REFUSED TO SEE A DOCTOR. IN MAY SHE WAS FORCED TO GIVE AWAY HER BELOVED DOG PRINCESS LOTUS BLOSSOM BECAUSE SHE WAS TOO ILL TO LOOK AFTER HER. THEN ON MAY 10 1977 HAVING INSISTED ON GETTING UP TO MAKE BREAKFAST FOR A FEMALE FAN WHO HAD STAYED OVER, SHE WENT BACK TO BED EXHAUSTED. THE FAN SENSING THE END BEGAN TO PRAY FOR JOAN SHE REPUTADLY SAID "DONT YOU DARE PRAY FOR ME", AND THEN SHE WAS GONE. THE LIGHTS OF HOLLYWOOD DIMMED AND HER PRAISES WERE SUNG....UNTILL THAT BOOK "MOMMIE DEAREST" IN WHICH JOANS DAUGHTER DESSIMATED HER REPUTATION. IRONICALLY THE BOOKS POPULARITY WOULD ENSURE HER FAME LIVED ON AND A WHOLE NEW GENERATION OF FANS DISCOVERED HER. MAYBE THE LAST LAUGH WAS INDEED JOAN'S |
| (CLICK ON THE PIC FOR THE TROG GALLERY) |
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| JOANS LAST PORTRAIT (WITH "PRINCESS") CHRISTMAS 1976 |