Joan was simply mesmerizing as an actress. It's not just make-up and clothes - her entire mannerism would change depending on character. As an older lady she seems kind of worried and insecure, but at the same time very poised and noble; as a young woman she becomes flirty and whimsical, her movements become youthful and vital again. Amazing.
Crawford was what is referred to as a "transformational" actor. This means seeming to have the ability to completely change their outward appearance depending on the role or scene as required for the character. Of course, costumes, lighting and makeup can do a lot of that, but some actors have this additional ability that is unique and very apparent in their roles. Others who have this quality include Bette Davis, Meryl Streep, and Cher.
I guarantee that no other star of a William Castle production ever had such elaborate makeup and wardrobe tests! Fascinating how she morphs into each stage of the characters's age as the costumes dictated. What a pro she was.
Absolutely fascinating in how she acted the character's mood or age depending on the costume. I have a sense it was not only make-up and lighting that made her look younger--she somehow willed herself to appear younger--at least I'd like to think so. Incidentally, the background music is mostly a variation on the 1940s song, "There Goes that Song Again". Thanks so much for sharing this. It's one of Castle's best pictures in my estimation and it's possibly Crawford's last great role; she's excellent in this.
Michael Klein The sets she worked on were kept at 32 degrees, true story, to keep her skin tighter and her makeup from melting away in the lights because she caked on the makeup. The lighting was a joke then and now because they would basically only light the eyes and shade the rest of the face so it was painfully obvious what they were trying to do.
Oh yes, I've read accounts from many of her costars about that, most of them mentioning freezing to death! Of course, when asked, she always maintained that the lower temperature was just more comfortable for her.
She was so, so, so beautiful. I hope that whatever she is, she knows that over 100 years later, she is still adored, loved, and admired so much by fans around the world. Joan was simply the best.
Joan looks fantastic here! Love her swagger in the younger look lol! But she did look even better more natural as the older look, it was softer and more fresh faced. Joan's talent is not recognized nearly enough. You can see her really working everything and it shows her ability to play a range of emotions and looks. Really like seeing her having fun!
Even in her 60s, she still looked beautiful. She just had that glow of youth in her. I'm sure if she stayed away from smoking and drinking, she would have looked a lot younger. But she still looked pretty good. Gorgeous woman and a great actress. This may have been a B movie, but Joan has always given an A+ performance. In my opinion, if they didn't make this as a "Camp Picture," she probably could have gotten an Oscar nomination.
Hard to believe his icon was barely five foot, as was Bette Davis and Judy was 4 11. They live more big and grand than any celebrity or actress of today can hope to achieve. Love how devoted Joan is in these makeup tests. A pro!
Joan was 5’4”. Or 5’3 1/2.” Not barely 5’ tall. That rumor got started because Ann Blyth said it in her lovely TCM piece on Joan. On that point she was mistaken.. 5’4” is not 5’ and in fact is pretty average height, not super tiny. (She was more like 5’3 1/2, probably)
There is no way in heaven or the other place that I can thank Sean De Simone and UA-cam enough for introducing me to this makeup test with Joan Crawford, so I will simply say,I am more grateful than I could ever say. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
joan was ageless. she could play any part. she has the ability to become whatever part she played. she was simply beautiful... star quality shines from her very being... just gorgeous. she is the all time best actress of hollywood... meryl streep eat your heart out!
She looks like she is having a ball doing these tests and loving it appearing to look sassy again for the younger shots. It wouldn't surprise me if she wasn't out of it a bit in her dressing room doing these, but, nevertheless always in control...Joan Crawford
Most famous actresses were petite with large heads, Joan fit the mold. And Dietrich too. Garbo and Hepburn were more classically tall and small headed, like models.
I read somewhere or saw an interview on Joan , where she said one of her biggest mistakes she made when she started out in Hollywood years ago , was that she allowed a make up person or the studio heads shave her beautiful eye brows , and then it was too late when she wanted them back , they were gone for good , she was very upset , and her brows were never the same , so maybe this is why they always look so exaggerated , because they are gone completely , and this happened to many other stars back then . They didn't always have a choice , the Hollywood machine . Clothes can make a person look younger in so many levels , but mainly if you feel young you look less uptight and then it relaxes the face and body muscles . Joan was a superb actress
bluepuppydan Joan actually was at the height of her beauty in the 1930's while at MGM with more slender brows. I think she thickened them to look tougher or a little manly for the strong parts and roles she played at Warner Bros.
bluepuppydan, she actually was able to grow her eyebrows completely back and didn't pencil them at all. She did brush them with a little bit of mascara. She always gave credit for growing them back to a mixture of Vaseline and cod liver oil that she rubbed into them every night. Google her any time in the 1960s or early 1970s and zoom in. Her eyebrows were truly large and in charge.
Really? Thanks goodness she grew them back. They complimented her beautiful eyes and created her unique look. She really stood out among all those browless actresses.
I love her gorgeous shaved look in the 30s but in my opinion the peak of her beauty and the most memorable Joan Crawford look was in the 40s. She is most remembered from that time with thicker eyebrows and shoulderpads.
I hope Joan is still somehow aware of all the love her fans had and still have for her and that she is unaware of how her reputation and legacy has been so damaged by her daughter's vicious book published after she realised she had been left out of the will. Joan would have been heartbroken if she'd known anyone believed the pantomime monster portrayed in Mommie Dearest . God Bless you Ms Crawford.
Its fantastic that she did not just tested the costume but also acted the character! Its creepy and amazing! Joan Crawford really jumped in whatever character she needed to be! That is total talent!
This is fascinating stuff. Real insight. Thanks for posting. Yes, well maybe she shouldn't have done the horror stuff in the 60s..BUT we who are her fans love her when she is serious and when she is campy. She's obviously having a good time here. Too bad she didn't finish "Hush Hush Sweet Charlotte" but Olivia DeHavilland is stellar in that role!
Her performance in this movie is AMAZING.its a low budget film but her acting in just.unbelievable.words r useless..i have so much respect 4 her..n dont believe her daughter.joan found out bout that book b4 she died n wrote christina n christopher outta the will cause joan found out they were working on the book 2gether...oh well i dont feel bad at all 4 christina..love u joan 4 everxoxoxoxo
She lived, breathed, saturated, engulfed, soaked every little drop of her fame. You gotta love her for it! It takes a hell of alot of gusto to pull it off and ahe did it brilliantly
I really don't care what anyone says about Joan, she was a brilliant actress and her only nemesis was Bette Davis whom I also loved. I think the despised each other because they were so much alike in many ways right down to their backgrounds and the two of them together in one movie was a great idea - doesn't get any better. Both sadly missed but both live on and will never be forgotten.
Exactly. I think they seemed very different, but at the same time they were very much alike and that made them feel uncomfortable about each other. And they both had daughters that wrote books trashing them. No matter what anyone says, they were great and difficult personalities with amazing talents. And the most mesmerizing actresses ever.
For all the smoking and drinking, she really did stay looking beautiful with nice skin well into her 60’s. And considering a screen test would be pretty insulting for a star of her caliber, she looked like she had a ball.
WOW, I definitel wouldn't believe the age 29 but gosh - she did NOT looked like 59 years old lady! What a beauty she was!!! @chuckina - I so agree, she seems to me like she lived every tiny drop of her fame...in my personal opinion : sometimes it was fortunately, sometimes unfortunately.
The exterior shots of "Strait Jacket" were filmed in Riverside, California. The large home is still there and part of the Parks and Recreation buildings in the City of Riverside. The remaining shots were filmed in Rubidioux, California next to Riverside and now a part of the City.
WOW! Even her wardrobe test is glamorous, no wonder Joan was addicted to film making, having people worship you has to feed your ego. The lighting that just features her eyes is straight from film noir movies. The black wig that she wears looks just like her Mildred Pierce hairdo, except not worn with a snood, but instead worn loose to the shoulders. It's a hoot when Joan takes off her false eyelashes in this screen test and just throws them on the floor like the Diva that Joan was.
I wish that (for their benefit- not ours) they would have taken SMALLER roles in better movies (Judy Garland in Judgment at Nuremberg , as an example) . Instead - they took ANYTHING that had them as the LEAD . @@gfgall
@MarkLemonds Yes, Joan Crawford was always the consummate artiste actress--ever originally resourceful and creative with--and tour de force inspired by--the props, costumes, circumstances, characters at hand. She was a great, noble artistic spirit who left a half century of timelessly great, ambitious and versatile film work. She was a female Napoleon of Hollywood!
Man, they just don't make 'em like this anymore. She's really acting throughout this entire mundane hair/wardrobe test. She just can't help but be the ultimate professional; what an actress!
I had to take out my calculator, because they were crunching some serious numbers in terms of the ages. I am shaking my head in disbelief as a result. Anyway, I love Joan, and this was a real treat. Where did that little dog go - I don't recall it in the movie.
Twenty nine IS pushing it but she does look amazing as always. She only appeared as 29 in a very short section of this film to tell the story, the rest of it she is dressed up to appear younger by her daughter.
She was such a pro, and it's hard to believe that by 1964, she had already outlived some of the younger actors who had taken off in the 50's, especially Marilyn Monroe and James Dean.
apparently when they came to her with the script they intended her character to be in her mid 50s or so and she wanted her to be in her 40s. I like how it seems they compromised at 49, probably because there's no way she could pull off 20 in the earlier scenes.
Yup! Bette Davis, Elizabeth Taylor and soooo many more who are giant icons were so petite! I still die knowing that Judy Garland, who I think is beyond compare was 4 /11! Can you imagine!
Joan was simply mesmerizing as an actress. It's not just make-up and clothes - her entire mannerism would change depending on character. As an older lady she seems kind of worried and insecure, but at the same time very poised and noble; as a young woman she becomes flirty and whimsical, her movements become youthful and vital again. Amazing.
Crawford was what is referred to as a "transformational" actor. This means seeming to have the ability to completely change their outward appearance depending on the role or scene as required for the character. Of course, costumes, lighting and makeup can do a lot of that, but some actors have this additional ability that is unique and very apparent in their roles. Others who have this quality include Bette Davis, Meryl Streep, and Cher.
There is nothing different about Joan's acting ability. She is simply an actress. 🙄
I guarantee that no other star of a William Castle production ever had such elaborate makeup and wardrobe tests! Fascinating how she morphs into each stage of the characters's age as the costumes dictated. What a pro she was.
LOL . Good call ! I wish one of the dresses had a Tingler pattern.
Joan Crawford was the epitome of Hollywood's super stardom. She definetely magnetized the camera!!!
In these tests, looks like rather she'd break the camera. But she was gorgeous in the 3O's, I agree
I think that would be either Audrey Hepburn or Katherine Hepburn before Joan
Absolutely fascinating in how she acted the character's mood or age depending on the costume. I have a sense it was not only make-up and lighting that made her look younger--she somehow willed herself to appear younger--at least I'd like to think so. Incidentally, the background music is mostly a variation on the 1940s song, "There Goes that Song Again". Thanks so much for sharing this. It's one of Castle's best pictures in my estimation and it's possibly Crawford's last great role; she's excellent in this.
Michael Klein The sets she worked on were kept at 32 degrees, true story, to keep her skin tighter and her makeup from melting away in the lights because she caked on the makeup. The lighting was a joke then and now because they would basically only light the eyes and shade the rest of the face so it was painfully obvious what they were trying to do.
Oh yes, I've read accounts from many of her costars about that, most of them mentioning freezing to death! Of course, when asked, she always maintained that the lower temperature was just more comfortable for her.
My wife always liked freezing temperatures in the house and i went increasing the temp.
She insisted on a very cold set so it would keep her skin tight and not show wrinkles.
Rick Elizz I like the freezing temperatures too how people like it so warm I don't get
She was so, so, so beautiful. I hope that whatever she is, she knows that over 100 years later, she is still adored, loved, and admired so much by fans around the world. Joan was simply the best.
To clarify; as best as I have been able to look up, her career started in 1919. So when I say 100 years, I mean past when she first started out.
She *was* beautiful at one point, but not by this time. By this time she was just old.
Joan looks fantastic here! Love her swagger in the younger look lol! But she did look even better more natural as the older look, it was softer and more fresh faced. Joan's talent is not recognized nearly enough. You can see her really working everything and it shows her ability to play a range of emotions and looks. Really like seeing her having fun!
this is completely fascinating--even for wardrobe Joan acted like a star--I love it!
Even in her 60s, she still looked beautiful. She just had that glow of youth in her. I'm sure if she stayed away from smoking and drinking, she would have looked a lot younger. But she still looked pretty good.
Gorgeous woman and a great actress.
This may have been a B movie, but Joan has always given an A+ performance.
In my opinion, if they didn't make this as a "Camp Picture," she probably could have gotten an Oscar nomination.
If she was born in 1907, that would make her 56 in 1963.
ThankTheLord she was born in 1904... and this was 1964
Joan was a beast.
@@LaDivinaLover Thank you! Haha
I have to disagree here, she looks haggard and older.
Joan is stunningly beautiful here!! For her age she looks fantastic. LOVE you Joan.
I think so too, this lady got better and better with age.
Now thats a Star 🌟 🤩 ⭐ 🌠 💫
I absolutely love the background music. I wish there was a soundtrack available.
Hard to believe his icon was barely five foot, as was Bette Davis and Judy was 4 11. They live more big and grand than any celebrity or actress of today can hope to achieve.
Love how devoted Joan is in these makeup tests. A pro!
Joan was 5’4”. Or 5’3 1/2.” Not barely 5’ tall. That rumor got started because Ann Blyth said it in her lovely TCM piece on Joan. On that point she was mistaken.. 5’4” is not 5’ and in fact is pretty average height, not super tiny. (She was more like 5’3 1/2, probably)
@@beckylink....Yes, some articles list her as 5 feet 5 inches. I've seen her in photos with Judy Garland and Joan almost dwarfs her.
There is no way in heaven or the other place that I can thank Sean De Simone and UA-cam enough for introducing me to this makeup test with Joan Crawford, so I will simply say,I am more grateful than I could ever say. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
She was such a professional!
I just Love watching her. Fascinating! ✨
She will always be the epitome of a star in my eyes and hopefully in the worlds eye too. There will never be another Joan Crawford
joan was ageless. she could play any part. she has the ability to become whatever part she played. she was simply beautiful... star quality shines from her very being... just gorgeous. she is the all time best actress of hollywood... meryl streep eat your heart out!
amazing smile !!!
She look SO MUCH BETTER as the older Lucy, frankly.
This is awesome, never seen this one before .
Cute! Love to see such a professional in her lighter moments. (The last 15 seconds of her expressions are especially great!)
Saw this movie for the first time not to long really enjoyed it
I loved her performance in this movie!
She looks like she is having a ball doing these tests and loving it appearing to look sassy again for the younger shots. It wouldn't surprise me if she wasn't out of it a bit in her dressing room doing these, but, nevertheless always in control...Joan Crawford
Fantastic screen test footage. Background music is on the mark!like when she throws her eyelash on the floor
Damn, love those Eyebrows
Great performance from a great star!
Most famous actresses were petite with large heads,
Joan fit the mold. And Dietrich too.
Garbo and Hepburn were more classically tall and small headed,
like models.
Joan looks so beautiful
what a beauty
I read somewhere or saw an interview on Joan , where she said one of her biggest mistakes she made when she started out in Hollywood years ago , was that she allowed a make up person or the studio heads shave her beautiful eye brows , and then it was too late when she wanted them back , they were gone for good , she was very upset , and her brows were never the same , so maybe this is why they always look so exaggerated , because they are gone completely , and this happened to many other stars back then . They didn't always have a choice , the Hollywood machine . Clothes can make a person look younger in so many levels , but mainly if you feel young you look less uptight and then it relaxes the face and body muscles . Joan was a superb actress
Lana Turner said the same thing
bluepuppydan Joan actually was at the height of her beauty in the 1930's while at MGM with more slender brows. I think she thickened them to look tougher or a little manly for the strong parts and roles she played at Warner Bros.
bluepuppydan, she actually was able to grow her eyebrows completely back and didn't pencil them at all. She did brush them with a little bit of mascara. She always gave credit for growing them back to a mixture of Vaseline and cod liver oil that she rubbed into them every night. Google her any time in the 1960s or early 1970s and zoom in. Her eyebrows were truly large and in charge.
Really? Thanks goodness she grew them back. They complimented her beautiful eyes and created her unique look. She really stood out among all those browless actresses.
I love her gorgeous shaved look in the 30s but in my opinion the peak of her beauty and the most memorable Joan Crawford look was in the 40s. She is most remembered from that time with thicker eyebrows and shoulderpads.
closer to 60 than 50 ! what a treat ! thank you ...
Just beautiful!!!!
This was actually a pretty decent movie!!
FanOfAyn I agree and Crawford's performance is excellent too.
I can't find it anywhere. Do you have a link?
Tenacious I think it’s in amazon prime.
That's so amazing!! I love Joan
I hope Joan is still somehow aware of all the love her fans had and still have for her and that she is unaware of how her reputation and legacy has been so damaged by her daughter's vicious book published after she realised she had been left out of the will. Joan would have been heartbroken if she'd known anyone believed the pantomime monster portrayed in Mommie Dearest . God Bless you Ms Crawford.
That background music is perfect. Especially the very beginning
Joan, give it all you’ve got, girl & thank you! 🌹
Its fantastic that she did not just tested the costume but also acted the character! Its creepy and amazing! Joan Crawford really jumped in whatever character she needed to be! That is total talent!
Tiene 60 años y se mira espectacular‼️🌟🎥🌟
This is fascinating stuff. Real insight. Thanks for posting.
Yes, well maybe she shouldn't have done the horror stuff in the 60s..BUT we who are her fans love her when she is serious and when she is campy. She's obviously having a good time here.
Too bad she didn't finish "Hush Hush Sweet Charlotte" but Olivia DeHavilland is stellar in that role!
There is no actress like Miss Crawford today.
Wonderful! Fascinating! Thanx!💙💙
Joan Crawford is my favorite drag queen ! Fierce as hell !
lakerboy72 Right???
What about Dolly Parton?
I bet her D was bigger than yours though.
Thats how I feel every morning. God bless Joan.
She looks SO damn pretty... It gives me Gay chills... I love older Joan Crawford... Beautiful at every Age! 🌹
wow! what fantastic clips-thanx so much for posting!
I would LOVE to see a screen test for Mildred Pierce.
That would be epic
Joan Crawford was amazing actress Joan will all be in are life forever Joan !
She loved the camera, and it loved her!
Her performance in this movie is AMAZING.its a low budget film but her acting in just.unbelievable.words r useless..i have so much respect 4 her..n dont believe her daughter.joan found out bout that book b4 she died n wrote christina n christopher outta the will cause joan found out they were working on the book 2gether...oh well i dont feel bad at all 4 christina..love u joan 4 everxoxoxoxo
Joan Crawford is all CLASS excellent actress ❤🤩
Brilliant talent!
I think she understood the camera better than any actor of her time.
Gorgeous woman.
She was magnetic. What an icon!
Miss Crawford deserves the Oscar for the role!!
Joan Blondell was fabulous, she was once Warners biggest star...she would have done a great job also...
She lived, breathed, saturated, engulfed, soaked every little drop of her fame. You gotta love her for it! It takes a hell of alot of gusto to pull it off and ahe did it brilliantly
I really don't care what anyone says about Joan, she was a brilliant actress and her only nemesis was Bette Davis whom I also loved. I think the despised each other because they were so much alike in many ways right down to their backgrounds and the two of them together in one movie was a great idea - doesn't get any better. Both sadly missed but both live on and will never be forgotten.
Exactly. I think they seemed very different, but at the same time they were very much alike and that made them feel uncomfortable about each other. And they both had daughters that wrote books trashing them. No matter what anyone says, they were great and difficult personalities with amazing talents. And the most mesmerizing actresses ever.
wow ! i loved when she tore off the lashes....
She was a master of the wardrobe test. She always 'acted'. Bette Davis once said, "She actually CRIES during the tests!"
Always beautiful
Lucy age 29 and Lucy age 49 look the exact same age, 59.
And both are cray cray.
Joan was 60 during this movie, but still looked great.
SHADEEEEEE
Joan Crawford did a WonderfuI Job
For all the smoking and drinking, she really did stay looking beautiful with nice skin well into her 60’s. And considering a screen test would be pretty insulting for a star of her caliber, she looked like she had a ball.
WOW, I definitel wouldn't believe the age 29 but gosh - she did NOT looked like 59 years old lady! What a beauty she was!!!
@chuckina - I so agree, she seems to me like she lived every tiny drop of her fame...in my personal opinion : sometimes it was fortunately, sometimes unfortunately.
The exterior shots of "Strait Jacket" were filmed in Riverside, California. The large home is still there and part of the Parks and Recreation buildings in the City of Riverside. The remaining shots were filmed in Rubidioux, California next to Riverside and now a part of the City.
i love it too..i live the creepyness of the strings.
WOW! Even her wardrobe test is glamorous, no wonder Joan was addicted to film making, having people worship you has to feed your ego. The lighting that just features her eyes is straight from film noir movies. The black wig that she wears looks just like her Mildred Pierce hairdo, except not worn with a snood, but instead worn loose to the shoulders. It's a hoot when Joan takes off her false eyelashes in this screen test and just throws them on the floor like the Diva that Joan was.
Her beauty and grace she was a striking woman 👩
This is my memory of Ms Crawford. I must have seen it on TV in the '60s. I just remember her as a brutal looking woman.
I think its sad how her career went down hill in the 60s. She was a great actress!!
But she was still working, even if these weren’t ‘A’ pictures. Most of her contemporaries had long since faded away.
I wish that (for their benefit- not ours) they would have taken SMALLER roles in better movies (Judy Garland in Judgment at Nuremberg , as an example) . Instead - they took ANYTHING that had them as the LEAD . @@gfgall
Love it! Love her!
@MarkLemonds Yes, Joan Crawford was always the consummate artiste actress--ever originally resourceful and creative with--and tour de force inspired by--the props, costumes, circumstances, characters at hand. She was a great, noble artistic spirit who left a half century of timelessly great, ambitious and versatile film work. She was a female Napoleon of Hollywood!
did anyone else see the clapper board saying "age 29"
Joan you are my all time hero and I love you. BUT COME ON!!!!
Clearly did not see the film. Keep quiet.
no one ever looked like Joan Crawford. before or since.
Love the music
i respect her it just ashame about the eyebrows she could have been so much softer she really was a beautiful woman
She looks great with her grey hair
Oh my god this movie is great 👍
Man, they just don't make 'em like this anymore. She's really acting throughout this entire mundane hair/wardrobe test. She just can't help but be the ultimate professional; what an actress!
Love her❤🌷
Now thats a 🌟!
Joan, of course, is one of the most memorable American movie stars. Even in trash like this she made you sit on the edge of your seat!!
I had to take out my calculator, because they were crunching some serious numbers in terms of the ages. I am shaking my head in disbelief as a result.
Anyway, I love Joan, and this was a real treat.
Where did that little dog go - I don't recall it in the movie.
What a find.
Uma das minhas atrizes favorita.❤😊🇧🇷
She doesn't look bad for 60 but there's no way she could pull off 29
Twenty nine IS pushing it but she does look amazing as always. She only appeared as 29 in a very short section of this film to tell the story, the rest of it she is dressed up to appear younger by her daughter.
Clearly you've never seen the film.
KaydeyRai 29 in her mind...lol
29x2
She looks very scary.
I love 2.09 when she rips off her fake eyelashes and flings them on the ground.
She was such a pro, and it's hard to believe that by 1964, she had already outlived some of the younger actors who had taken off in the 50's, especially Marilyn Monroe and James Dean.
apparently when they came to her with the script they intended her character to be in her mid 50s or so and she wanted her to be in her 40s. I like how it seems they compromised at 49, probably because there's no way she could pull off 20 in the earlier scenes.
She was born to entertain us.
she looked sensational there
Beautiful lady
I love it!
Era una actriz de carácter firme y lo mismo paso en México con María Félix
Yup! Bette Davis, Elizabeth Taylor and soooo many more who are giant icons were so petite! I still die knowing that Judy Garland, who I think is beyond compare was 4 /11! Can you imagine!
"To me, EVERYONE is a stranger."
Great movie
One of the few times we can clearly see how tiny Joan was, just five feet. Always surprised people who met her; she was so larger than life.