Film of the Week: Harriet Craig, 1950

There are other people besides Joan Crawford in this 1950 Columbia Pictures film based on the play of the same name by George Kelly. Really, there are. But, Crawford dominates the entire picture and holds it in her tiny, polished claw. And, she should. Director Vincent Sherman was correct in letting Miss Crawford swagger and growl her way through the picture. It is, after all about a domineering woman with control issues and a lot of resentment. If you believe everything you read, then, you might think the picture was about Crawford herself.

Harriet Craig is a clinging, cold, manipulative, jealous, petty, neat-freak with a penchant for lying and keeping everything looking perfect. Hmmm… Regardless of any resemblance to the present-day image of Miss Crawford, Harriet Craig is a retelling of a story that had been around for quite some time. Kelly’s play was first produced in 1925 and spawned two film versions—one silent, in 1928, the other, in 1936 starring Rosalind Russell.

This was the period where Crawford had finally abandoned her shop-girl-makes-good persona for the broad-shouldered, hard woman roles which allowed her to continue her career well into her Pepsi Cola days. This wasn’t her first time at the rodeo.

Miss Crawford is perfectly steely and alternately vulnerable in the part as Harriet trounces through the lives of those around her and generally makes existence unbearable for her man’s man husband (played by Wendell Corey). They are joined by Lucile Watson, K.T. Stevens, Allyn Joslyn (a decade before he was driven to wild fits by The Addams Family) and the always-old Ellen Corby who doesn’t look as old as she did as “Grandma Walton,” but has the eternal, “frail, old lady vibe.”

Yes, it’s more than a little melodramatic. Yes, there’s scenery chewing. In fact, there’s some scenery-breaking. But, what do you expect from a Joan Crawford movie from 1950? That’s part of the appeal. You’ll get wasp-waisted, broad-shouldered, overly-lipsticked, severe-hairdo Joan at her very best as she weaves her way around some decent actors and some exceptionally ugly lampshades.

A good time will be had by all—except possibly for Harriet. But, she’s used to it.