The Best of E

Jeanne Eagels  •  Edward Earle  •  Mary Baker Eddy  •  Nelson Eddy  •  Roger Edens  •  Shirley Eder   •   Harry Edwards   •  Richard Egan  •  
 Max Ehrmann  •  Albert Einstein  •  Queen Elizabeth II  •  Elizabeth the Queen   •  El Jodo   •  Lillian Elliot  •   Paul Ellis   • 
 Katherine Emerine  •   Emery, Bird, Thayer   •   Emmy Awards   •  John Engstead  •  Leif Erickson  •  Stuart Erwin  •  Estrella Inn  •  
Ethan Frome   •   Joe Eula  •   Dale Eunson  •  Joan Evans   •  Robert Evans   •  Eyebrows  •  Eyes   •  Ex-Lady   •  The Exorcist  

Eagels, Jeanne. (6/26/1894 - 10/3/29) Actress, Broadway sensation as "Sadie Thompson" in "Rain" in 1922; received Oscar nomination for MGM's The Letter in 1929, just before she died of a heroin overdose at age 35. Joan reprised the Thompson role in the 1932 MGM film Rain, to lukewarm critical and popular acclaim. Eagels was born in Kansas City and worked in the Emery, Bird, Thayer department store there, as Joan later did. IMDb info.

Earle, Edward. (4/16/1882 - 12/15/1972) Appeared in the Joan films Twelve Miles Out ('27), Spring Fever ('27), and Ice Follies of 1939.

Eddy, Mary Baker. (1821 - 12/3/1910) See Christian Science.

Eddy, Nelson.  (6/29/01 - 3/6/67) MGM singing star, usually paired with Jeannette MacDonald. He made his film debut performing "Rhythm of the Day" in Joan's 1933 film Dancing Lady. IMDb info.

Edens, Roger. Judy Garland's music teacher, and Joan's piano accompanist in 1936 when she made several secret recordings at Metro of herself singing opera.

Eder, Shirley. Reporter and friend of Joan, who interviewed her for the radio on several occasions. In the early '70s, Eder dined with both Barbara Stanwyck and Crawford at New York's "21" Club and later reported on the event, noting that Joan chose the meat (calves' liver), vegetables, and salad for all three, though kindly leaving the dessert choice up to the individual. When Joan briefly left the table, Stanwyck told Eder that she hated calves' liver, but didn't dare mention it to Joan. Eder also noted that Joan and Stanwyck once made plans to dine during one of Joan's trips from NY to California. Joan had her secretary call Stanwyck and ask her to meet her at Don the Beachcomber's at 5pm. When Stanwyck objected to the early hour, the secretary said, "Miss Crawford's stomach will be on Eastern Standard Time." Stanwyck declined that invitation. Said Eder: "It's a strange friendship, but nevertheless it's real." (DF)

Edwards, Harry. Directed the 1926 Harry Langdon feature Tramp, Tramp, Tramp, also starring Joan.

Egan, Richard. Played Joan's laborer husband, Roy, in the 1950 film The Damned Don't Cry, his first film.

Ehrmann, Max. (9/26/1872 - 1945) Attorney, businessman, and writer from Terre Haute, Indiana; he wrote the meditation "Desiderata," which Joan cited in MWOL as an inspiration for finding peace of mind.

Einstein, Albert. According to Katharine Albert, Joan was in awe of "the truly great": "Once, when she saw Albert Einstein walking on Fifth Avenue, she was speechless." (DF)

Elizabeth II, Queen. Joan was invited to meet QEII at a Royal Command Performance on 10/29/56, along with Marilyn Monroe, Anita Ekberg (pictured here to the right of Joan), and Arlene Dahl, among others. Joan castigated the behavior of Marilyn et al: "The Queen is a lady, and expects to meet other ladies, but most of today's actresses can't even act politely... As her majesty came up the staircase, Monroe's hairdresser was still doing her hair. And the girl didn't even know how to curtsy." (DF)

Elizabeth the Queen. October 1936 CBS Caravan Theater radio show written by Maxwell Anderson and featuring Joan as Elizabeth and then-husband Franchot Tone as Essex. Said Joan: "I was told I had given a good performance; it was a real conquest." (US)  

Visit the Radio page to see two photos from the broadcast.

El Jodo. Joan's house at 426 Bristol Avenue, christened with this name when Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., moved in after their 1929 marriage. (Jo=Joan, Do=Doug.) Later more genteelly renamed "Cielito Lindo" ("Beautiful Little Heaven"). Though she later abandoned the cute moniker, she lived in this house until her 1955 marriage to 4th (and last) husband Al Steele.

Elliot, Lillian. (4/24/1874 - 1/15/1959) Appeared in the Joan-films Old Clothes ('25) and Sally, Irene, and Mary ('25).

Ellis, Paul. Co-star of Joan's first film Pretty Ladies (1925).

Emerine, Katherine. Travelling "vocal interpreter of New York operettas." Joan was one of 16 chorus girls backing her in her Springfield, Missouri, show in 1923. When the show folded after 2 weeks, Emerine told Joan to look her up if Joan were ever in Chicago. Joan showed up at Emerine's rather seedy rooming house in Chicago in the fall of 1923, only to find the performer on tour. (Joan rebounded by looking up a producer whom Emerine had mentioned, Ernie Young.)

Emery, Bird, Thayer. Kansas City department store. After her failed semester at Stephens College, Joan worked here briefly in early 1923 in the women's wear department for $15 a week. (JB) (Jeanne Eagels and William Powell were two other former EBT employees.)

Emmy Awards. Joan appeared on the NBC-broadcast program on 9/12/65, accepting awards for Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontanne for their performances in Hallmark's "The Magnificent Yankee."

Engstead, John. Photographer. First shot Joan in 1944, and took the last publicized photos of her in September 1976 (with shi-tzu dog Princess Lotus Blossom), which she sent out to friends that Christmas.

Erickson, Leif. Plays Joan's brother Bill in 1964's Strait-Jacket. (Trivia: Erickson was also once married to bedeviled star Frances Farmer.)

Erwin, Stuart. Co-star of Joan's film Chained ('34).

Estrella Inn.  A favorite vacation spot of Joan's, located in Palm Springs. (Now renamed "Viceroy.") From their website's description of the lodgings: Estrella is Spanish for star, and that's the kind of treatment you'll enjoy . . . Joan Crawford was so nutty over The Estrella Inn, that she stayed in the same bungalow year after year. You can walk through her quarters, with all her 8X10 glossies still there.  

More info.

Ethan Frome. Warner Brothers owned the rights to this picture in 1943, which Joan says was "one of the main reasons" she signed with that studio after almost 20 years with MGM. She envisioned Gary Cooper as Frome, herself as Mattie, the young servant he falls in love with, and Bette Davis as Zenobia, the shrewish wife who cares for the couple after their suicide attempt fails. Said Joan, "That was my dream. When I brought it up to Jack Warner, he suggested I move slowly, because Miss Davis had her heart set on the property, but in the younger role." (DF)  (According to the IMDb, a film version of Frome wasn't made until 1993.)

Eula, Joe. New York illustrator who assisted during the photo shoot on the set of What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? for Life magazine. Eula recalled that there were no pleasantries or dialogue exchanged between Crawford and Davis during the shoot featuring the two sitting on the front of a vintage Rolls. "Not a word. That's why we had them sitting on the headlights, one on each side of the Rolls. We couldn't put them within arm's reach or the fur would really fly. It was over in 20 minutes. Then one went off with her Pepsi bottle full of vodka, and the other one muttered, 'She's so fucking unprofessional.' But somehow you could sense that deep down they respected one another." (DF)

Eunson, Dale. Writer and husband of Joan-friend Katharine Albert. Eunson wrote the 1952 film The Star, starring Bette Davis, whose character was allegedly patterned after Joan. Said Eunson of the two actresses: "Joan was not too intelligent. She wasn't half as smart or as talented as Bette Davis. But Joan developed charm, a wonderful charisma. She knew how to manipulate people with her looks and personality." (DF) But Joan admired the Eunson-Albert relationship: When she'd begin a new romance, she'd confide to Albert, "At last I've found my Dale." (JCB)

Evans, Joan. (7/18/34 -  ) Joan's goddaughter, daughter of Dale Eunson and Katharine Albert. Signed to MGM at 15, she initially appeared in Roseanna McCoy and Our Very Own, and maintained an acting career up until 1960. At 17, she wanted to marry a car salesman, Kirby Weatherly, to her parents' dismay. The Eunsons appealed to Joan to dissuade her goddaughter from the marriage; Joan invited the young couple to her home in mid-July (while The Star was in production--see above Eunson entry). At midnight she called the Eunsons to let them know that the two had been married at her home.

Said Dale Eunson in his 1988 memoirs: "She set the whole thing up behind our backs. She called the judge, and the press. She didn't invite us to our own daughter's wedding... Our daughter was close to Joan for a while, and her marriage became a lasting success, but Katharine refused to speak to Crawford again." (DF)

Both Joan Evans Weatherly and husband Kirby signed a 1984 "Daily Variety" tribute to Joan. (EB)

IMDb info.

Evans, Robert. Later to go on to fame as a Hollywood producer/man-about-town, Evans was one of many young co-stars of Joan's 1959 picture The Best of Everything.

Eyebrows. Here's how to cultivate them, according to Joan in MWOL: I encourage new growth by using castor oil and yellow vaseline--half and half--and rubbing it the wrong way, toward the nose, with a brush...it makes the brows grow like mad...Brows frame the eyes. Encourage them, for they're a great beauty asset.

According to Boze Hadleigh's book "Bette Speaks," Bette [Davis] said of Joan (and brows): She did have wonderful cheekbones. And a good mouth--she copied my generous lipline and then my natural eyebrows, but with her, she went overboard on everything. Those eyebrows wound up looking like African caterpillars! (Thanks, Elena, for the exact quote from the Hadleigh book.)

"Eyes." The segment of the Rod Serling-hosted TV show Night Gallery that Joan appeared in on 11/8/69. This was the show's pilot episode, and she was directed by Steven Spielberg, in his first industry job. Joan plays a rich blind woman who buys a desperate man's...EYES!

Ex-Lady. Bette Davis film of 1933, a clip of which was shown in the 1962 Bette-Joan vehicle What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?

Exorcist, The. 70s film in which one-time Joan-rival Mercedes McCambridge (Johnny Guitar, 1954) provided the voice of The Devil. (There was some controversy since McCambridge initially wasn't credited; she protested--after leaving the premiere in tears--and her name was subsequently reinstated.)