Torch Song VHS Joan Crawford
In 1953 Joan Crawford returned to her old studio MGM after a 10 year absence. When "Sudden Fear", Joan's 1952 independent film, was a huge box office and commercial success (the movie garnered Crawford her third and final Oscar nomination as Best Actress) MGM offered her a two-picture deal. The first movie was "Torch Song", a film about a hard-as-nails Broadway star who falls in love with her new pianist who is blind. The pianist was played by Michael Wilding who at the time was dating Elizabeth Taylor with whom Crawford was having a real-life feud with. Joan, at one point, even banned Liz from the MGM sound stages during filming! Rumor had it that Joan was envious and jealous of Taylor's success as an up and coming movie actress and wanted nothing to do with her.
"Torch Song", however, bombed at the box office, and immediately MGM, again, parted ways with Joan and her second feature was scrapped.
The film is not terrible, but it is not Oscar worthy either although Marjorie Rambeau, who played Joan's mother in the film, received a Best Supporting Actress nom . The script is pretty decent and the performances are good, but the thing just didn't jell. I always felt Joan was too tough in the role, an attribute she would bring to most of her 1950's films. Perhaps if Crawford had softened her character's portrayal audiences would have responded more nicely.
Joan actually loved doing "Torch Song". She stated, "It was absolutely a field day for an actress, especially one that had reached a certain age. I was able to act, dance, and pretend to sing (her voice was overdubbed).
The most distubing part of the movie for me is the fact that during filming in the summer of 1953, according to Joan's adopted daughter Christina, Joan had tried to kill her during a violent argument at Joan's Brentwood home. When you watch "Torch Song" you can see, not only the toughness Joan possessed, but the anger and bitterness she had from real life. Perhaps she was tired of fighting to keep her career alive at this point in her life and perhaps her alcoholism was getting out of hand. Whatever the reason for her convincing portrayal as Jenny Stewart one gets the impression it wasn't at all acting.
"Torch Song" was finally released on DVD a few years back in widescreen on the "Joan Crawford Box Set: Part 2", but never released as an individual stand-alone disc.
Torch Song is the Joan Crawfoed film Susan Hayward must have watched before doing her Helen Lawson character in Valley Of The Dolls ! It is great fun to see Joan hamming it up and it is her show all the way. Not to be taken seriously but only as entertainment, then you can enjoy it. Joan Crawford is the ultimate movie star !
BalasHapusAs someone who watches all of Joan's movies on a fairly regular basis I can most certainly say that "Torch Song" is not one of my favorites. But I don't think it's fair to compare it to Joan's other movies, especially to any of the other movies that she made during this time period (the '50s) because all of her movie roles were so diverse and unique.
BalasHapusI enjoy "Torch Song" though because it's just so over-the-top and in-your-face. This was Joan's first really great color movie, too and the studio pulled out all of the stops for her. MGM had a huge campaign advertising their Queen and their "new" MetroColor that was used to process this film.
In "Torch Song" Joan plays Jenny Stewart, a performer who is as hard as brick. She is a woman who knows what she wants and says what she means. The movie included many impressive dance routines the final one with Joan's face painted is just too ludicrous for words, though.
Joan's co-star in the film is Michael Wilding, who plays Tye Graham, a blind pianist who helps Jenny with her comeback. Incidentally, while filming the picture Michael Wilding's wife Liz Taylor walked onto the set and passed right by Joan without saying a peep to her. Of course Joan was very offended and hurt by this snub. And Joan made sure she let the head of MGM know that this disrespectful girl will never enter her set again without saying something. The following day Elizabeth Taylor had the decency to speak to Miss Crawford.
Joan loved "Torch Song" because it gave her a chance to do so many different things and play a character that was so different for her. Once speaking about this project, she said, "I loved doing this film. It gave me a chance to dance, to pretend to sing, to emote all over the place, and in color, yet."
There is not a stand-alone copy of "Torch Song" on DVD. Instead, you can get this with Joan's second boxed set , which also includes audio of Joan rehearsing for the film. The movie is also shown on TCM at least a few times a year, too.
And here it is more than 50 years later and this film is still loved by fans the world over. That is because Joan, in all of her movie roles, no matter what type of charter she portrayed was always so universally identifiable. She personified the American dream.
This is a supremely enjoyable Joan Crawford vehicle -- she's hard as nails, in all-too-rare MGM color. It's a camp classic. Once it's released on DVD, snatch it up!
BalasHapusIn 1953 Joan Crawford returned to her old studio MGM after a 10 year absence. When "Sudden Fear", Joan's 1952 independent film, was a huge box office and commercial success (the movie garnered Crawford her third and final Oscar nomination as Best Actress) MGM offered her a two-picture deal. The first movie was "Torch Song", a film about a hard-as-nails Broadway star who falls in love with her new pianist who is blind. The pianist was played by Michael Wilding who at the time was dating Elizabeth Taylor with whom Crawford was having a real-life feud with. Joan, at one point, even banned Liz from the MGM sound stages during filming! Rumor had it that Joan was envious and jealous of Taylor's success as an up and coming movie actress and wanted nothing to do with her.
BalasHapus"Torch Song", however, bombed at the box office, and immediately MGM, again, parted ways with Joan and her second feature was scrapped.
The film is not terrible, but it is not Oscar worthy either although Marjorie Rambeau, who played Joan's mother in the film, received a Best Supporting Actress nom . The script is pretty decent and the performances are good, but the thing just didn't jell. I always felt Joan was too tough in the role, an attribute she would bring to most of her 1950's films. Perhaps if Crawford had softened her character's portrayal audiences would have responded more nicely.
Joan actually loved doing "Torch Song". She stated, "It was absolutely a field day for an actress, especially one that had reached a certain age. I was able to act, dance, and pretend to sing (her voice was overdubbed).
The most distubing part of the movie for me is the fact that during filming in the summer of 1953, according to Joan's adopted daughter Christina, Joan had tried to kill her during a violent argument at Joan's Brentwood home. When you watch "Torch Song" you can see, not only the toughness Joan possessed, but the anger and bitterness she had from real life. Perhaps she was tired of fighting to keep her career alive at this point in her life and perhaps her alcoholism was getting out of hand. Whatever the reason for her convincing portrayal as Jenny Stewart one gets the impression it wasn't at all acting.
"Torch Song" was finally released on DVD a few years back in widescreen on the "Joan Crawford Box Set: Part 2", but never released as an individual stand-alone disc.
BalasHapus