Happy 75th Birthday to Faye Dunaway

Faye Dunaway turns 75 today. Spin that around in The Windmills of Your Mind! I wonder if Rutanya Alda sent her a birthday card.

No matter your opinion of Ms D, there's no denying she's been one of the most glamorous and enduring stars of our generation. She was so beautiful in Bonnie & Clyde and The Thomas Crown Affair.

She certainly has done more than her fair share of camp classics, most notably Mommie Dearest, but also The Eyes of Laura Mars, The Towering Inferno, Barfly, The Wicked Lady and Supergirl amongst others. Her performances started becoming more and more over-the-top starting with Chinatown and then onto Network and so on. She can chew up her scenery with the best of them.

She portrayed both Eva Perone and Aimee Semple McPherson on network mini-series. Faye was born Dorothy Faye Dunaway in Bascom, Florida. The name Dorothy doesn't suit her, does it? I mean, she seems much more like a Faye! She certainly has a large following of the Friends of Dorothy as her fans, however.

After refusing to ever discuss Mommie Dearest, she is now promising to publish a behind-the-scenes tell-all about making it.

So, Happy Birthday to Faye Dunaway, Hollywood Royalty!

Christmas Countdown 2015: Christmas with Mommie Dearest

Dan-o-rama expertly put together this video collage with music and much comedy and wit.

Many of the images are from the film Mommie Dearest, of course. Songs by Darlene Love and by The Ronettes are from the Phil Spector Christmas album.

And then the video segues into Barry Manilow and further holiday merriment!

Enjoy as my Christmas Countdown carries on!

To watch the video, click on "Watch on YouTube" within the link below.

Beaverhausen Book Nook: The Mommie Dearest Diary ~ Carol Ann Tells All

Now it can be told ~ from Rutanaya Alda's (Carol Ann from the movie Mommie Dearest) point of view! It's not a pretty picture, gossip fans rest assured. As Faye Dunaway has her own memoir coming out about the making of Mommie Dearest, this could turn into a she said/ she said gossip feud.

Rutanya describes a very chaotic set and shoot. She quotes sources and strongly implies Dunaway had a substance abuse problem at this time. She cites people in the film industry, like Bette Davis and Roman Polanski, discussing their own difficulties working with the tempestuous star. Dunaway has accused Mommie Dearest of ruining her career but, clearly, it was her own reputation to blame.

Ms Alda recalls emigrating from Latvia to the USA as a child and of her own physical and emotional childhood abuse by her mother. She also recalls meeting the real Joan Crawford on the set of Rosemary's Baby where she was Mia Farrow's stand-in.

Rutanya's book has many fascinating stories about the bevy of Hollywood stars and directors she's worked with, and her personal life, though the focus is on the chaotic set of 1981's now camp classic Mommie Dearest, based on Christina Crawford's best-selling autobiography at the time. Faye Dunaway is described as an unstable ego-monster, as over-the-top on the set as she is on-screen, assured she was going to be nominated for an Oscar for her portrayal of Crawford.

The book has a lot of off-topic padding as well as unnecessary diary entries, like "Friday, January 23 (No entry)," for instance. However, when it gets to the meat of the matter, Carol Ann indeed tells all in juicy, delicious detail: Faye's on- and off-the-set discord with Diana Scarwid (the teen & adult Christina); director Frank Perry's weaknesses as a director kowtowing to his star's whims; veteran technical people quitting the making of the movie; how Faye stole her role from under Anne Bancroft's nose; Faye carelessly cutting into child actress Mara Hobel's flesh during the haircut scene; Faye Dunaway insisting on eight takes of slapping Caol Ann (rehearsing for Mildred Pierce), once so hard as to leave an imprint on her co-star's face; and much more.

Everything considered, I can only recommend this book to die-hard fans of the film and avid readers of behind-the-scenes Hollywood memoirs.





Available at Barnes & Noble and Amazon.com.

Faye Brays About Mommie Dearest

Tina, bring her the axe! Faye Dunaway's about to settle some old scores, perhaps, in writing a proposed memoir about her behind-the-scenes recollections of the making of Mommie Dearest. Undoubtedly, Ms. D will have many scores to settle indeed.

The actress has firmly, fiercely refused to discuss this debacle with the press, at times defensive, rude or just walking out on her interviewers. Now, however, I assume old girl needs money, as she's expected to blab all about Mommie Dearest, the movie.

The Best Actress Oscar winner (for Network) was a major star from the late '60s (Bonnie and Clyde, 1967; The Thomas Crown Affair '68) through the '70s. (Chinatown, Network, The Towering Inferno, Eyes of Laura Mars). That her star status came to a crashing thud is often attributed to her assaying the role of Joan Crawford in the Frank Perry screen adaptiaton of Christina Crawford's controversial and best-selling tell-all about her famous mother. Although long a camp classic best remembered for Dunaway's over-the-top, no-holds-barred performance, the film was a critical disaster for the most part (though Pauline Kael, at the time, called Dunaway's acting "startling, ferocious," with which I suppose no one would disagree). Obviously, director Perry must have given her the word that she could not go "too big" in her portrayal.

Anne Bancroft was originally set to star but pulled out when she got a load of script.

But was the failure of Mommie Dearest truly the cause of Faye Dunaway's becoming washed up in its tumultuous wake? I suspect it was the excuse the film industry needed to wash their hands of the tempestuous star. If Dunaway pens her book, she will no doubt cast blame on this one film. She was long known, however, for being radically late on sets, angering her co-stars and directors, and generally being a pain in the ass to everyone around her. The death blow may have been dealt by none other than Bette Davis who, on The Tonight Show, complained about her The Disappearance of Aimee (tv-movie) co-star. Bette called Faye out on her unprofessional behavior, keeping cast and crew waiting for hours with her extreme tardiness. "She's well named," Davis told host Johnny Carson. "Many a time I wish I could have done away with her!"

So, we await with much interest as to what this recollection will have to say. The news broke big-time about the book deal today at Querty.com. I anticipate it wil be a bitch fest, if completed, with Faye laying blame all over the place. "Bad scripts, bad directors, I can't keep making them work...," as Faye explains in the film. Let the character assassinations begin in the name of saving face.

Happy Birthday, Mommie Dearest!

Faye Dunaway would cringe to see my headline. She would like nothing better than for everyone to forget the film version of "Mommie Dearest" and her over-the-top performance as Joan Crawford. More fiction than memoir, the film is a camp classic and the chances that people will ever forget about it are nil to zero.

January 14 marks Ms Dunaway's birthday and Dj Buddy Beaverhausen and his readers wish her a happy one. Born in Bascom, Florida, she attended Florida State University, Boston University and graduated from University of Florida as a theater major. In 1962, Dunaway enrolled in the American National Theater and Academy. She appeared, notably, on Broadway, in A Man for All Seasons and Hogan's Goat.

Faye has had a long string of successes as a major star in films, largely in the 1960s and throughout the '70s. She also had a long, ongoing reputation for being difficult. Her first film was 1967's The Happening (theme song by The Supremes). Also, in '67, however, she starred in Oscar Preminger's Hurry, Sundown. According to Wikipedia: Preminger regretted casting Dunaway, who stated that Preminger knew nothing about the process of acting. She resented having him yell at her in public and commented, "Once I've been crossed, I'm not very conciliatory." After filming was completed, she sued Preminger to win her release from the five-film contract she had signed with him. An out-of-court settlement was reached in March 1968. Dunaway later admitted in her autobiography, "It cost me a lot of money to not work for Otto again . . . I regretted paying him [but] I thought he was awful."

Ms Dunaway has a long history of rumors and difficulties on the sets with directors and fellow cast members, it must be said. She was notorious for showing up very late for filmings. The make-up artist on The Eyes of Laura Mars said, "No amount of make-up is going to hide this luggage [under her eyes]!"

William Holden, on the set of Towering Inferno, got so angry with Faye severely holding up shooting with her extremely late arrivals, he reportedly pinned her to the wall to shout out just how he and the cast and crew felt about it, expletives not deleted.

And Bette Davis, when asked by Johnny Carson on The Tonight Show in 1988, who she wouldn't want to work with again said (without missing a beat): "One million dollars on Faye Dunaway! Anybody you would put in this chair will tell you the same thing. She's just totally impossible... totally uncooperative... unprofessional!" Ms Davis worked with Dunaway on the NBC-tv movie, The Disappearance of Aimee, and reportedly told the press: "She is well named. Many a time I wished I could have done away with her!"

Faye Dunawaye is best known for her starring roles in Bonnie & Clyde, The Thomas Crown Affair, Chinatown, Network, Three Days of the Condor, The Eyes of Laura Mars, Mommie Dearest, Barfly, The Handmaid's Tale, Don Juan DeMarco and Master Class.

New Yorkers, in particular, will appreciate the following story. Per Wikipedia: In August, 2011, Dunaway was sued for eviction by the landlord of her rent stabilized apartment on East 78th Street in Manhattan. The suit alleged that she was not actually residing in the apartment but rather lived in California. Rent stabilization rules require tenants to live in the apartment they are renting as a primary residence, not as a second home. If Dunaway were to leave the apartment, rented by her on August 1, 1994, the landlord could receive more than double the $1,048.72 per month rent paid by Dunaway. In a voice message to The New York Times, Dunaway said that she had not been evicted, but had chosen to leave the apartment because of its condition and that she had been spending less time in New York City.

In dealing with a NYC landlord, being a difficult diva can pay off. Unfortunately, in the face-off, the landlord got his way because, well, this isn't Hollywood.

Happy Birthday, Faye Dunaway!

Joan Crawford & Faye Dunaway on My Halloween Countdown 2013

Another great remix from Stevers62 YouTube that's perfect for your Halloween hell-abaloo! Especially fab if your guests just know all the lines from both the Joan Crawford flick, Strait-Jacket, and the Faye Dunaway-as-Joan Crawford film travesty, Mommie Dearest. Gnarls Barkley's "Crazy" is expertly mixed in for good measure. Now, bring me the axe!

Christina Crawford: Surviving Mommie Dearest

Watching Christina Crawford's show at the Snapple Theater on 42nd Street (that's right, the Snapple Theater), Surviving Mommie Dearest, wasn't the camp Mother's Day experience I had in mind. In fact, it was a downright unpleasant affair for the most part.

A multi-media stage production surrounding its narrator (Joan Crawford's first adopted daughter, in case you were born yesterday), I could liken it to the recent Beyond the Beehive, Ronnie Spector's stage show, inasmuch as both shows deal with victims of abuse giving voice to their experiences amongst projected images and videos. The differences are that Phil Spector continues to harass his ex-wife through lawyers, even while in prison. Christina, who claims she was abused as a child by her movie-star mother, has never found forgiveness or made peace with a woman who died 36 years ago. Ronnie's suffered abuses are only part of her story and she sings classic rock hits, there are joyous rare videos from her collection, and she ends her story in triumph. She is backed by a live band and she is frequently in motion. Christina is seated throughout her act, occasionally standing stiffly in place, as home movies, clips and images are projected behind her, and monotony sets in. Too large a part of this live act is given over to a filmed documentary.

Ms Crawford suffered a near-fatal stroke in 1981, from which she has recovered. She implied it may have been caused by the reaction to her book, the movie version of her book, and by Joan, of course.

During the audience Q & A, I was able to ask if, after all these years, CC might still find wire hangers traumatic after her famous experience documented in the tell-all book. I thought it was a fair question. Christina glowered, imperious in a way that might have made Joan proud, and simply said: "Next question."

How rude! Dissed by the real-life Christina who talks about how she hates the movie version of her book, hates Faye Dunaway, hates her mother; hates, hates, hates! She has a new, revised edition of Mommie Dearest (the book) to sell you (in fact, the show plays like a long infommercial for it). Her repressed memories include Joan Crawford trying to force her hand onto a flame on the stove top, and her recollection of how Joan murdered husband Alfred Steele. Maybe the last long-repressed memory was actually of Bette Davis in The Little Foxes?

I just need to say that Joan had two girls, adopted twins Cathy and Cynthia, who deny everything Christina seems to remember. They refused to be represented in the film version of Mommie Dearest. Christina, on the other hand, has said Joan only called these children twins but they were, in fact not. Photos will tell any reasonable person these sisters are identical twins. They were included in Joan's will; Christina and Christopher were not.

The anniversary of Joan Crawford's death is May 10. Surviving opened on May 8. It closes today, on Mother's Day. Coincidence? Or mocking cruelty?

"Tacky" is a word that pops up for me regarding this mess of a theatrical presentation. "Amateurish," "opportunistic" and "cold-blooded" might be others. Christina Crawford has made a career out of trashing her movie-star mother. And, though I believe the gilded homes of the rich and famous are not exempt from child abuse, I certainly don't take Tina's vitriolic trashography at face value. Bring me the axe!

Interactive Mommie Dearest

Tonight marked the 11th year of Clearview Chelsea Cinema's "Movie Classics," hosted by the always hilarious Hedda Lettuce. Well, more than simply hosted, as Hedda provided a riotous running commentary throughout the film.

The event took place, as it did last year for the first time, at the cavernous and historic Ziegfeld movie house on West 54th Street in Manhattan. There may have been fewer wire hangers and less dress-up (as Joan and Christina) than last year, but certainly not less enthusiasm during the show. The movie palace was packed, with only rear balcony rows empty. Eat your heart out, Rock of Ages.

With a famously outstanding sound system (most movie musicals get booked here) and a pristine print, Interactive Mommie Dearest (as in shout out the dialogue along with the film, Rocky Horror style) did not disappoint at $20 a ticket.

There were free giveaway/promos in the lobby, which I always love to snatch up, even if I'm only going to throw them out later. My Magic Mike dog tag is a keeper. Channing Tatum as a stripper? I'm there, honey!

Lisa Lampanelli, recently on tv's Celebrity Apprentice, received the second annual Pride Award for her outstanding work in raising funds for the Gay Men's Health Crisis, opening the pre-show with an uproarious, politically incorrect and very gay-themed comedy routine.

But that only warmed us up for the divine Hedda Lettuce who entered diva-style, from the back of the theater, only to make her long march to the stage.

Hedda's guest was Rutanya Alda, who stars as Carol Ann (Joan Crawford's fictitious life-long assistant) in the film.  During their interview, Ms Alda said that Faye Dunaway was an "even bigger cunt" than Hedda. Now, that's saying a mouthful, in a manner of speaking.

Rutanya, who was plugging an off-Broadway show she's about to do and an upcoming "Mommie Dearest Diaries" book,  spoke her mind, prompted by Hedda, of course, about Faye's uncertain emotional states during filming; a bit bipolar, it would seem. To wit, forty takes of the shot where Faye slapped Rutanya so hard, the co-star's face was red all day afterwards. Faye also insisted Rutanya look dowdier than originally planned; and that she be present for Faye's close-ups in their scenes together, while not reciprocating when it came time to shoot her co-star's close-ups. 

Rutanya allowed as to how acting in The Deer Hunter was a far more pleasant experience for her, intimating there may have been some off-screen chemistry with co-star John Savage. You go, girl!

Ms Alda received applause, once the film rolled, by the largely gay male audience, every time she entered a shot.

Hedda provided an amazingly vivid and sometimes side-splitting commentary as the film rolled. She even used a projection pen to point out physical details on-screen. (Faye a bigger cunt than Hedda? Hard to imagine.)

A keyboardist supplied additional, ironic and frequently hilarious "additional score" to the scenes as well. After Faye dies and leaves nothing to Christina or Christopher, we all spilled happily back onto the street. Thank you, Hedda, and thank you, Chelsea Cinemas.

I look forward to next week's Chelsea Classics movie, back downtown on 23rd Street: the fabulous '50s/ reality Mad Men & Women of the publishing world, The Best of Everything, featuring Joan Crawford as a bitch of a boss to work for. Surprised?

A Danorama Christmas with the Crawfords & Barry Manilow

Something special for tonight's pre-Christmas stocking stuffer on my countdown. This is one of the ingenious videos created by VJ DanoRama, who started showcasing his videos at the dance club, Splash, in NYC. I think it's brilliant how synched-up the images are with the Barry Manilow song. Plus, it's just a lot of fun to watch. Hoping you all get as much joy out of this as I do. Goes well with spiked egg nog, by the way. For best effect, go full screen with this vid.

Joan Crawford Christmas Mix

Joan. Christmas. Perfect together. Especially as remixed here by Stevers62. It says dance mix over at Youtube. Don't think I could actually dance to it but maybe Christina could. See what you think. From Joan's Lux radio show. (Recreated & portrayed in the film Mommie Dearest.)