Cain, James M. Mildred Pierce, London : Orion, 2002.

James M. Cain's best-selling novels were embraced by Hollywood in the post-war era.  His oeuvre is firmly rooted in social realism and was welcome fodder for studio scriptwriters who turned his books into melodramatic epics, censorship issues notwithstanding.

Mildred Pierce is a tale of sex and murder, set against the backdrop of suburban Los Angeles. Cain's characters are average people who find themselves drawn into hazardous situations. the plot is a page-turner of twisted relationships; the ambitious Mildred; her spineless husband; a louche lover; and a venal daughter, Veda. It is Mildred's wise-cracking assistant, Ida, who utters the famous line: "Crocodiles have the right idea - they eat their young."

Mildred Pierce was a wildly successful film for MGM in 1945.  It proved a huge money-spinner, won Joan Crawford a Best Actress Oscar and revitalised a career that had been in decline. Guy Pearce starred in a prestigious version for television in 2011.  Other Cain novels have been filmed:  including Double Indemnity and The Postman Always Rings Twice. 

Crawford, Christina. Mommie dearest: a true story, New York : William Morrow, 1978.

This torrid autobiography set the gold standard for Hollywood "tell-all" memoirs in the late 1970s, and opened the floodgates for baser forms of biography. On publication, Mommie Dearest was judged as a scandalous demolition job by a daughter (albeit adopted); one who was intent on fracturing the public image of her mother, the legendary star Joan Crawford. 

With considerable relish, Christina demolishes Joan as "Mommie" - and human being to boot.  A frightening portrait emerges of  Crawford as abusive, sadistic, alcoholic...an all-round head case.

The book became a movie (in 1981) with Faye Dunaway as Joan, and was an instant cult hit. Ironically, the film stopped Dunaway's career in its tracks, the over-the-top performance being deemed to have forever damaged her credibility.  

       VIDEO: Joan Crawford with Christina: rare archive footage





   VIDEO: Faye Dunaway as Mommie Dearest...