Mommie Dearest: Wire Hangers, Wigs & Wholesale Wickedness

And today, we’re talking about 1981’s Frank Perry film Mommie Dearest. Based on the best-selling book by Christina Crawford, it depicts in VIVID detail the abuse she suffered at the hands of her movie star mother, Joan Crawford. It follows Joan’s initial desires to have a child and difficulties with adopting Christina and her brother Christopher, to not-so-gently catapulting the audience into a near-endless parade of cringe-inducing scenes depicting escalating child abuse. Rocketing this film into its camp classic status is an iconic performance by Faye Dunaway as Joan Crawford, as she goes FULL FUCKING HAM to show Crawford’s perfectionism, alcoholism, manic-depression, and especially her disdain for wire hangers. The delicious scenery-chewing of Dunaway’s performance paired with a problematic marketing campaign from Paramount may have launched this into camp classic status, but it’s worth discussing if rampant child abuse is the best use of your marketing dollars, especially when it winds up being this fucking funny.The film stars Faye Dunaway, Diana Scarwid, Mara Hobel, Steve Forrest, Rutanya Alda, and has a runtime of 2 hours and 9 minutes.Hosted by: Kristina "Krissie" Rettig & Erin MaxwellEdited by: Russ LichterTheme song by: Spooky Dan