Star Of The Month- Joan Blondell

 

JOAN BLONDELL

BIRTH: July 30, 1906

DEATH: December 25, 1979

AGED: 73 years

DIED FROM: Leukaemia 

REAL NAME: Rose Joan Blondell

NICKNAMES: Rosebud, Bud, Buddie

MARRIED: George Barnes ( Cameraman); Dick Powell ( Actor/director), Mike Todd ( producer)

AFFAIRS: Clark Gable who proposed marriage but she declined; John Wayne, Humphrey Bogart, Bing Crosby, Pat DiCicco (producer), Ronald Reagan

CHILDREN: 2 children Norman Powell-producer & TV Executive and Ellen Powell- Make-up Artist

BEST FRIENDS: Glenda Farrell, James Cagney, Bette Davis, Barbara Stanwyck

FAMOUS RELATIVES: Gloria Blondell(sister), Both Parents, known as The Bouncing Blondell in Vaudeville

OSCAR NOMINATIONS: The Blue Veil-1952

TALENT: Excellent cook known for her cheesecake, Barbeque sauce and Chinese spiced chicken. Wrote a novel called, “Center Door Fancy” which is a thinly veiled 

KNOWN FOR: Her sassy, working girl ( Not that kind of working girl) who audiences could relate to. Her great humour and salty language.  She called Bette’s exes the Foreskins because Her friend, Bette Davis, was married 4 times. Her big, blue eyes and was a Wampas Baby Star.

This wise-cracking dame from pre-code Hollywood played the no-nonsense friend in many films from 1930 to 1934 often paired with James Cagney, in 6 films, in which he said that, “Next to my wife, Blondell is the only other woman I ever loved.” No, they were never romantically involved even though he stated Joan’s ass was the best he’s seen and has a great body. Before she became famous, she was part of her parents’ Vaudeville act since she was literally, born on the road, sleeping in dresser drawers. Once her sister(whom she was always close to) came along, the parents decided to settle down for the children and their own selves. When, Joan was working in the library, in 1927, she was raped by a police officer who threatened to kill her if she ever revealed what had happened and she kept this to herself until revealing this in her memoirs. She fell for Dick Powell when they were teamed in a movie and the marriage appeared good until she found out he was having an affair with June Allyson ( who often portrayed a wholesome girl next door). The divorce was not, shall we say, great but she bounced back into the arms of Mike Todd…not a great choice. He was a producer but a huge gambler in many areas and went through Joan’s savings never paying her back. In fact, this narcissistic jerk, although their sex life was fantastic, he was emotionally and mentally abusive and, according to Joan Blondell, physically, once holding her over the balcony, by her ankles..what an asshole! Her life was one of happiness and one of difficulties, I guess like most people. When she was giving birth to her son Norman, it was a 20 hr labour, with many complications including a fractured coccyx (ouch!) and the umbilical cord wrapped around his neck. This birth must, still, have been glorious since she had, at least, 2 abortions prior, to her first husband’s insistence. In later years, she became plump, which she didn’t mind but had to deal with rheumatoid arthritis but continued to work all the way through. She had to deal with a notorious 2 episode performance on The Lucy Show, where she was to become a regular but, Ball treated her horribly dissing her in front of the crew and the studio audience whereby Joan told her to F-Off and walked off the set. Ball was friends with June Allyson and Dick Powell which might have been one of the reasons for her horrible treatment of Joan. Joan worked until the end including Grease and Opening Night, a John Cassavetes film. She deserves to be well known today and is among the greats because she is a grande dame among dames.

FILMS ( I have not seen the last 5)

1. Topper Returns-1941

2. Support Your Local Gunfighter-1971

3. The Cincinnati Kid-1965

4. Nightmare Alley-1947

5.  Public Enemy-1931

6. Golddiggers of 1933-1933

7. Footlight Parade-1935

8. A Tree Grows In Brooklyn-1945

9. Desk Set-1957

10. Blonde Crazy

" A wife must smile through mental pain and develop a thick skin when her husband doesn't notice how pretty she is. Do not be jealous and do cultivate feminine mystique, and laugh until you pee. Remember he will always want a comfortable chair. Do not forget to praise his looks....and, above all, do not fart before the 3rd year of marriage."