History Trivia / MommieDearest

* PopCultureUrbanLegend: Some reviews erroneously claim the real Christina Crawford played the adoption agent who declines Joan’s application, a part which was actually performed by Virginia Kiser. The rumour likely got started because Kiser physically resembled Crawford as she looked in 1981.

* DisownedAdaptation: Christina felt the film was awful for going [[UpToEleven overboard]] in making her mom Joan a hateful harpy, saying:

* DisownedAdaptation: Christina felt the film was awful for going [[UpToEleven overboard]] in making her mom Joan a HateSink, saying:

** Prior to this, Dunaway was in ''Film/BonnieAndClyde'', ''Film/{{The Thomas Crown Affair|1968}}'', ''Film/TheToweringInferno'', ''Film/{{Chinatown}}'' and ''Film/{{Network}}''. And after? ''Film/{{Supergirl}}'' and ''Film/DunstonChecksIn''. Dunaway's performance was especially polarizing, earning the acclaim of the notoriously CausticCritic Creator/PaulineKael on one hand but a Razzie award for Worst Actress on the other. Despite having become a Cult Classic since, Dunaway has had nothing but bad things to say about the film and her performance, and in her later years refused to even talk about it.

* SelfAdaptation: {{Averted}}. Christina Crawford herself wrote the original screenplay for the film. It went through several rewrites by other scripters until it bore little resemblance to the source material.

* PropRecycling: In a 1981 interview with Creator/RogerEbert, Frank Yablans took the famed critic on a tour of the film's set, which he said cost $480,000. During the visit, he made sure to single out one particular piece of furniture. "This chair was originally built as a throne chair for Creator/CecilBDeMille for ''Film/TheTenCommandments''", he told Ebert. "What did we do? We painted it white. It looks perfect in this situation."

* DawsonCasting: 26-year-old Diana Scarwid plays Christina from teenager to late 30s and looks identical throughout, making it difficult to determine just how much time has progressed.

* CreatorChosenCasting: When asked who should play her in a biopic, Creator/JoanCrawford named Creator/FayeDunaway.

* HeyItsThatPlace:
** The set used for when Joan subs for Christina on ''The Secret Storm'' is the Cunningham home from ''Series/HappyDays''. The kitchen is identical, and the very recognizable living room can be viewed behind the actor sitting at the kitchen counter.
** The scene where Joan gets out of the cab in front of Christina's apartment was actually the same exterior used for ''Series/LaverneAndShirley''[='s=] Milwaukee apartment, which was filmed at Paramount Studios.
** The location seen here as Joan's Bevery Hills mansion was also used as Jesse White's palatial home in the final ''Film/BeachParty'' film, ''Pajama Party''.

** Christina herself wrote the original screenplay for the film. It went through several rewrites by other scripters until it bore little resemblance to the source material.

* TemptingFate: Joan Crawford's longtime rival, Creator/BetteDavis, was sharply critical of Christina for writing ''Mommie Dearest'', calling it disrespectful to Joan's memory and saying she'd simply ''die'' if her own daughter wrote a book like that about her. Fast forward to 1985, and Bette Davis' daughter, B.D. Hyman (who had appeared with her mother and Crawford in ''Film/WhatEverHappenedToBabyJane''), did just that, with a book called ''My Mother's Keeper''. As a result, Davis, like Joan before her, disinherited her daughter and never spoke to her again (Davis died in 1989).

** Prior to this, Dunaway was in ''Film/BonnieAndClyde'', ''Film/{{Chinatown}}'' and ''Film/{{Network}}''. And after? ''Film/{{Supergirl}}'' and ''Film/DunstonChecksIn''. Dunaway's performance was especially polarizing, earning the acclaim of the notoriously CausticCritic Creator/PaulineKael on one hand but a Razzie award for Worst Actress on the other. Despite having become a Cult Classic since, Dunaway has had nothing but bad things to say about the film and her performance, and in her later years refused to even talk about it.

* GenrePopularizer: Christina's book started a slew of mean-spirited books written by children of famous actors (especially actors from UsefulNotes/TheGoldenAgeOfHollywood) about their parents' alleged abusive and loose behavior, with the kids of Creator/MarleneDietrich, Creator/JudyGarland, Creator/HenryFonda, Creator/LorettaYoung, Music/BingCrosby, Creator/BetteDavis, and Creator/LanaTurner all releasing books, which tried to replicate its success with varying results (the Davis book in particular, for example, flopped and was universally debunked, in contrast to how ''Mommie Dearest'' resulted in conflicting accounts from Crawford's acquaintances). {{Lampshade|Hanging}}d in an episode of ''Series/TheGoldenGirls'' when, while in a bookstore, Sophia says she's going to go browse in the "Bitter Children of Celebrities" section.

* HostilityOnTheSet: According to Rutanya Alda, Dunaway was despised by the crew due to her unpleasant attitude.
-->Joan got her way in a ladylike way. Faye was despised because she was so rude to people. Everyone was on pins and needles when she worked, and everyone relaxed when she didn't. I wish Faye had learned from Joan.

* GenrePopularizer: As mentioned, Christina's book started a slew of mean-spirited books written by children of famous actors about their parents' alleged abusive and loose behavior. {{Lampshaded}} in ''Series/TheGoldenGirls'', in a bookstore, Sophia says she's going to go browse in the "Bitter Children of Celebrities" section.

* UsefulNotes/AFIS100YearsSeries:
** AFIS100Years100HeroesAndVillains:
*** #41 Villain, Creator/JoanCrawford
** AFIS100Years100MovieQuotes:
*** #72, "No wire hangers, ever!"

* AFIS100YearsSeries:

** Creator/AnneBancroft had been cast as Joan initially, but left the project after the screenplay was completed. She viewed the film as a "hatchet-job", many other actresses having turned down the part for it being too unsympathetic towards Joan.

* TemptingFate: Joan Crawford's longtime rival, Creator/BetteDavis, was sharply critical of Christina for writing ''Mommie Dearest'', calling it disrespectful to Joan's memory and saying she'd simply ''die'' if her own daughter wrote a book like that about her. Fast forward to 1985, and Bette Davis' daughter, B.D. Hyman (who had appeared with her mother and Crawford in ''Film/WhatEverHappenedToBabyJane''), did just that, with a book called ''My Mother's Keeper''. As a result, Davis was estranged from her daughter for the rest of her life (Davis died in 1989) and, like Joan Crawford before her, cut her out of her will.

* TemptingFate: Joan Crawford's longtime rival, Creator/BetteDavis, was sharply critical of Christina for writing ''Mommie Dearest'', calling it disrespectful to Joan's memory and saying she'd simply ''die'' if her own daughter wrote a book like that about her. Fast forward to 1985, and Bette Davis' daughter, B.D. Hyman (who had appeared with her mother and Crawford in ''Film/WhatEverHappenedToBabyJane''), did just that, with a book called ''My Mother's Keeper''. Like Joan before her, Davis, who died in 1989, subsequently disinherited her daughter.

** Little love was lost between Dunaway and costume designer Irene Sharaff. "Yes, you may enter Miss Dunaway's dressing room," Sharaff once said, "but first you must throw a raw steak in - to divert her attention."

* BillingDisplacement: Second-billed Diana Scarwid does not appear until 1 hour and 15 minutes into the movie.
* CreatorBacklash: Creator/FayeDunaway regrets having played Creator/JoanCrawford in the movie version and doesn't like to talk about it, either. Christina Crawford also regretted it being made, feeling it went too far making Joan a HateSink to a point of {{Narm}}.

** Creator/FayeDunaway talks about a scene between Joan and the young Christina on the beach, where they would have a heart-to-heart. It would explain some of Joan's erratic behaviour and serve to humanise her a little. Dunaway was shocked that such an emotional scene was shot so early in production, and took that as a warning sign that the filmmakers' priorities weren't in the right place. The scene ended up cut.[[note]]See below under Troubled Production; at the same time Dunaway wanted to humanize Joan, Christina was fighting to make sure the movie wasn't softpedaling her story the way she was afraid it would[[/note]]
** The pressbook for the film goes into detail about several of the scenes, including one sequence that was cut from the film. Apparently they filmed an entire sequence where young Christina runs away from home and Joan goes out looking for her in her car. The classic cars that were necessary for the film caused a big stir in the neighborhood where the scene was filmed, and one of the people stopped in traffic so as not to ruin the scene was Creator/BarbraStreisand, who apparently spent time hanging out with Faye Dunaway between takes.

* DisownedAdaptation: Christina Crawford felt the film was awful for going [[UpToEleven overboard]] in making her mom Joan a HateSink, saying:

* GenrePopularizer: As mentioned, Christina Crawford's book started a slew of mean-spirited books written by children of famous actors about their parents' alleged abusive and loose behavior. Lampshaded in ''Series/TheGoldenGirls'', in a bookstore Sophia says she's going to go browse in the "Bitter Children of Celebrities" section.

** The location seen here as Joan Crawford's Bevery Hills mansion was also used as Jesse White's palatial home in the final ''Film/BeachParty'' movie, ''Pajama Party''.
* HostilityOnTheSet: According to Rutanya Alda, Creator/FayeDunaway was despised by the crew due to her unpleasant attitude.

* MetaCasting: In an interview in the 1970s, Creator/JoanCrawford had said that only Creator/FayeDunaway was among the current crop of actors who "had what it takes" to really become a star. So Joan was played by Faye Dunaway in the movie.
* ParodyRetcon: The movie started being advertised as a parody a few weeks after its release, with posters changed to read "Meet the biggest '''MOTHER''' of them all!"

** Prior to this, Creator/FayeDunaway was in ''Film/BonnieAndClyde'', ''Film/{{Chinatown}}'', and ''Film/{{Network}}''. And after? ''Film/{{Supergirl}}'' and ''Film/DunstonChecksIn''. Dunaway's performance was especially polarizing, earning the acclaim of the notoriously CausticCritic Creator/PaulineKael on one hand but a Razzie award for Worst Actress on the other. Despite having become a Cult Classic since, Dunaway has had nothing but bad things to say about the film and her performance, and in her later years refused to even talk about it.
** In a roundabout sort of way, Joan Crawford herself, who died years before the film came out. Nowadays, more people associate her with this campy movie about how she abused her daughter then the films that made her famous.

** Creator/FayeDunaway took the part only after Creator/AnneBancroft had passed on it. After winning her Oscar for ''Film/{{Network}}'', she had slowed the pace of her career, doing only three movies and a TV miniseries while she and her boyfriend, Terry O'Neil, tried to have a baby. They finally adopted an infant in 1980, just before production began, meaning Dunaway experienced all the problems new parents experience on top of the demands of the production.
** She hoped the part would be her return to the kind of films she had been making in the early '70s that led to her Oscar. She had taken it after producer Frank Yablans and director Frank Perry convinced her they would try to humanize the domineering, abusive mother Christina Crawford had depicted in her controversial bestselling memoir. However, Crawford was afraid the producers were trying to tone it down ... so she got her husband, David Koontz, hired as executive producer to look out for her interests. Dunaway responded by getting O'Neill the same title. And both of them made the most of what would be their only movie credit ever by regularly being present on set and loudly arguing their cause with the producer and director, requiring them to walk an extraordinarily thin line creatively.
** Meanwhile, the role and the method acting Dunaway brought to it was taking a physical and psychological toll on her. She had to keep her face muscles contorted in a particular position to get her Joan Crawford look right, often holding that position between takes despite the pain it was causing her late in the day. At home at night, she found she was unable to leave it at the office, feeling as if she were haunted by Crawford's ghost.

** In her own diary, Dunaway says the movie stressed everyone out so much there was no wrap party. However, Alda recalls that there was and Dunaway just didn't show up. It [[http://www.slate.com/articles/podcasts/you_must_remember_this/2016/09/faye_dunaway_in_mommie_dearest_the_real_story.html has been speculated]] that maybe the rest of the cast was so sick of her by that point they just told her there wasn't one.
** The completed film thus became a [[{{camp}} Camp]] [[CultClassic Classic]] and not the serious biopic it was originally hoped it might be. For Dunaway it was arguably a StarDerailingRole, in the sense that she was never able to get her career back on track to what it had been before.

** Franco Zeffirelli intended to direct the film, but had a vision of Creator/JoanCrawford as a glamorous Hollywood martyr. Christina Crawford, who wanted her mother to be a despicable HateSink like in her book, disliked this and thus it didn't happen.

** The scene where Joan gets out of the cab in front of Christina's apartment was actually the same exterior used for ''Series/LaverneAndShirley''[='s] Milwaukee apartment, which was filmed at Paramount Studios.

* DisownedAdaptation: Christina Crawford felt the film was awful too for going [[UpToEleven overboard]] in making her mom Joan a HateSink, saying:

* GenreKiller: While the book spawned a slew of nasty tell-all "memoirs" by children of famous celebrity parents that continues to this day, this film seemed have killed the idea of turning those books into major motion pictures, save for a television movie every now and then.
* GenrePopularizer: As mentioned, Christina Crawford's book started a slew of mean-spirited books written by children of famous actors about their parents' alleged abusive and loose behavior. Lampshaded in ''Series/TheGoldenGirls,'' in a bookstore Sophia says she's going to go browse in the "Bitter children of celebrities" section.
* HeyItsThatPlace:
** Christina's soap opera set is the Cunningham home from ''Series/HappyDays''. The kitchen is identical and the very recognizable living room can be viewed behind the actor sitting at the kitchen counter.
** The scene where Joan gets out of the cab in front of Christina's apartment was actually the same exterior used for ''Series/LaverneAndShirley'''s Milwaukee apartment, which was filmed at Paramount Studios.

* ParodyRetcon: The movie started being advertised as a parody a few weeks after its release. Posters were changed to read, "Meet the biggest '''MOTHER''' of them all!"

** Prior to this, Creator/FayeDunaway was in ''Film/BonnieAndClyde'', ''Film/{{Chinatown}}'', and ''Film/{{Network}}''. And after? ''Film/{{Supergirl}}'' and ''Film/DunstonChecksIn''. Dunaway's performance was especially polarizing, earning the acclaim of the notoriously CausticCritic Pauline Kael on one hand but a Razzie award for Worst Actress on the other. Despite having become a Cult Classic since, Dunaway has had nothing but bad things to say about the film and her performance, and in her later years refused to even talk about it.

* TruthInTelevision: Some modern audiences are confused at the film where Christina's soap opera seems to be both performed live ''and'' being recorded at the same time. This was a technique called "live tape" where television shows were performed as if live, including timed pauses for commercial breaks, but recorded for later broadcast.