With Love, Mommie Dearest: The Making of an Unintentional Camp Classic

· Tantor Media Inc · Narrated by Kim Niemi
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10 hr 28 min
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About this audiobook

When she died in 1977, Joan Crawford was remembered as an icon of Hollywood's Golden Age-until publication the following year of her daughter's memoir, Mommie Dearest. Christina Crawford's book was an immediate bestseller, addressing the infrequently discussed topic of child abuse. When Paramount Pictures released the film, starring Faye Dunaway as Crawford, it was critically panned, and remains one of the most legendary critical bombs in film history. The lavish, big-screen adaptation drew unexpected laughter in the scenes depicting life in the Crawford household. Rarely have such good intentions been met with such ridicule. Despite this, the movie was a commercial success and remains, four decades later, immensely popular. With Love, Mommie Dearest details the writing and selling of Christina's book and the aftermath of its publication, as well as the filming of the motion picture, whose backstage drama almost surpassed what was viewed onscreen in the film. Based on new interviews with people connected to the book and the film, Hollywood historian A. Ashley Hoff explores the phenomenon, the camp, and the very real social issues addressed by the book and film.

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About the author

A. Ashley Hoff is the author of Match Game 101: A Backstage History of Match Game and My Huckleberry Friend: Holly Golightly and the Untold History of Breakfast at Tiffany's. He previously worked for talent agencies in Chicago and Los Angeles and has written articles on Hollywood for the Advocate and Films in Review.

Kim Niemi has appeared on numerous stages in the Boston area as an actor and singer/songwriter. Kim is a graduate of the American Musical and Dramatic Academy and a proud member of Actors' Equity Association and SAG-AFTRA. Her voice has been described as soothing, soulful, and powerful.

Bruce Vilanch is an award-winning writer and performer.

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