|
US
premiere
|
Title
|
Released
by
|
Joan's
character
|
Notes
|
DVD/VHS
availability
|
|
2/23/25
|
Lady
of the Night (silent)
|
MGM
|
[uncredited]
|
Double
for Norma Shearer.
|
DVD
|
|
|
Proud
Flesh (silent)
|
MGM
|
[bit
part]
|
Joan
appears briefly several times as a party guest.
|
NA
|
|
|
A
Slave of Fashion (silent)
|
MGM
|
[mannequin]
|
|
NA
|
|
7/15/25
|
Pretty
Ladies (silent)
|
MGM
|
Bobby,
showgirl
|
Billed
for the first and only time by her real name, "Lucille
LeSueur."
|
NA
|
|
9/22/25
|
The
Circle
(silent)
|
MGM
|
Young
Lady Catherine
|
Joan
appears in the first few minutes in a "prequel" to the
subsequent main story.
|
DVD
|
|
|
The
Merry Widow (silent)
|
MGM
|
[extra]
|
|
NA
|
|
|
The
Midshipman (silent)
|
MGM
|
[extra]
|
A
William Haines vehicle.
|
NA
|
|
11/9/25
|
Old
Clothes (silent)
|
MGM
|
Mary
Riley, poor girl who befriends kid
|
A Jackie
Coogan vehicle.
|
NA
|
|
11/22/25
|
The
Only Thing (silent)
|
MGM
|
[extra,
appearing in several crowd scenes]
|
Story
by Elinor Glyn.
|
NA
|
|
12/7/25
|
Sally,
Irene, and Mary (silent)
|
MGM
|
Irene,
showgirl
|
Constance
Bennett, Sally O'Neil co-star.
|
NA
|
|
3/21/26
|
Tramp,
Tramp, Tramp (silent)
|
First
National
|
Betty,
daughter of shoe mogul
|
A Harry
Langdon vehicle.
|
VHS;
DVD as
part of 3-film
Harry Langdon set
|
|
5/24/26
|
Paris
(silent)
|
MGM
|
The
Girl, cabaret girl
|
Charles
Ray, Douglas Gilmore co-star.
|
NA
|
|
6/14/26
|
The
Boob (silent)
|
MGM
|
Jane,
prohibition agent
|
A George
K. Arthur vehicle.
|
DVD
|
|
1/15/27
|
Winners
of the Wilderness (silent)
|
MGM
|
Rene
Contrecoeur, general's daughter
|
A Tim
McCoy vehicle; set in 18th century.
|
NA
|
|
2/5/27
|
The
Taxi Dancer (silent)
|
MGM
|
Joselyn
Poe, taxi dancer
|
Joan's
first top billing.
|
NA
|
|
2/26/27
|
The
Understanding Heart (silent)
|
MGM
|
Monica
Dale, forest ranger
|
Another
top billing for Joan; Francis X. Bushman, Jr., co-stars.
|
NA
|
|
6/4/27
|
 The
Unknown (silent)
|
MGM
|
Nanon,
carney girl
|
Lon
Chaney stars, Tod Browning directs. Joan said Chaney's concentration
made her take acting seriously for first time.
|
DVD,
as part of
Lon Chaney set
|
|
7/9/27
|
Twelve
Miles Out (silent)
|
MGM
|
Jane,
kidnapped by rum-runner
|
John
Gilbert stars.
|
NA
|
|
10/18/27
|
Spring
Fever (silent)
|
MGM
|
Allie
Monte, country-club girl
|
A William
Haines vehicle.
|
DVD
|
|
1/2/28
|
West
Point (silent)
|
MGM
|
Betty
Channing, hotel-owner's daughter
|
A William
Haines vehicle.
|
DVD
|
|
1/21/28
|
The
Law of the Range (silent)
|
MGM
|
Betty
Dallas, Texas ranger's girlfriend
|
A Tim
McCoy vehicle.
|
NA
|
|
2/11/28
|
Rose-Marie
(silent)
|
MGM
|
Rose-Marie,
wild mountain girl
|
Joan
has top billing; originated onstage as a comic operetta.
|
NA
|
|
4/30/28
|
Across
to Singapore (silent)
|
MGM
|
Priscilla
Crowninshield, neighbor and love interest of seafaring brothers
|
Ramon
Novarro stars.
|
DVD
|
|
8/11/28
|
Four
Walls (silent)
|
MGM
|
Frieda,
gangster's moll
|
Joan's
second and last appearance with John Gilbert.
|
NA
|
|
9/1/28
|
Our
Dancing Daughters (silent)
|
MGM
|
Diana
Medford, socialite party girl
|
This
one made Joan a star and had huge box-office.
|
VHS,
DVD
|
|
12/1/28
|
Dream
of Love (silent)
|
MGM
|
Adrienne,
gypsy girl
|
Co-stars
Nils Asther, their 2nd of 3 films together.
|
NA
|
|
3/16/29
|
The
Duke Steps Out (silent)
|
MGM
|
Susie
the co-ed
|
Joan's
third appearance with William Haines; she's billed second.
|
NA
|
|
8/14/29
|
Hollywood
Revue of 1929
|
MGM
|
appears
as herself
|
MGM's
talking picture debut, showcasing most of its stable of stars; Joan
sings and dances.
|
DVD
|
|
8/24/29
|
Our
Modern Maidens (silent)
|
MGM
|
Billie
Brown, socialite party girl
|
Joan's
last silent; her only film appearance with husband Doug Fairbanks,
Jr. One of first films, if not the first, to feature
deco style.
|
VHS,
DVD
|
|
11/23/29
|
Untamed
|
MGM
|
Bingo,
jungle girl and oil heiress
|
Joan's
talkie acting debut; her first of 6 films with Robert Montgomery.
|
DVD
|
|
3/20/30
|
Montana
Moon
|
MGM
|
Joan
Prescott, rich rancher's daughter
|
TCM
says this might be the first "singing cowboy" film.
|
NA
|
|
7/19/30
|
Our
Blushing Brides
|
MGM
|
Jerry,
shopgirl
|
Joan's
second film with Robert Montgomery.
|
NA
|
|
12/30/30
|
Paid
|
MGM
|
Mary
Turner, ex-con
|
Joan's
first major dramatic role.
|
DVD
|
|
2/21/31
|
Dance,
Fools, Dance
|
MGM
|
Bonnie
Jordan, ex-socialite cub reporter
|
Joan's
first of 8 films with Clark Gable.
|
VHS,
DVD
|
|
5/30/31
|
Laughing
Sinners
|
MGM
|
Ivy
Stevens, cafe entertainer
|
Second
film with Gable, who replaced Johnny Mack Brown after MGM execs
noted the Crawford/Gable chemistry in their first film.
|
VHS,
DVD
|
|
8/29/31
|
This
Modern Age
|
MGM
|
Valentine
Winters, socialite daughter
|
Noted
stage actress Pauline Frederick co-stars as Joan's mother.
|
DVD
|
|
11/21/31
|
Possessed
|
MGM
|
Marian/Mrs.
Moreland, kept woman
|
Third
film with Gable.
|
VHS,
DVD
|
|
4/12/32
|
 Grand
Hotel
|
MGM
|
Flaemmchen,
a little stenographer
|
All-star
cast (Garbo, Barrymores, Beery), Oscar winner for Best Picture.
This one firmly established Joan as a superstar.
|
VHS,
DVD
|
|
4/30/32
|
Letty
Lynton
|
MGM
|
Letty
Lynton, stalked socialite
|
Third
film with Robert Montgomery, third and last with Nils Asther. A plagiarism lawsuit won against MGM
prevents this from being shown or sold today.
|
NA
|
|
10/12/32
|
Rain
|
United
Artists
|
Sadie
Thompson, prostitute
|
Joan
reprises the role made famous by Jeanne Eagels on Broadway in
1922. Critical and public response to Joan was poor at time,
though her performance much more lauded today.
|
VHS,
DVD
|
|
3/3/33
|
Today
We Live
|
MGM
|
Diana
Boyce-Smith, rich Englishwoman pursued by 2 men
|
Directed
by Howard Hawks; story by William Faulkner; Joan co-stars with Gary
Cooper for only time; her first of 7 appearances with husband Franchot
Tone, whom she met on set.
|
VHS,
DVD
|
|
11/24/33
|
Dancing
Lady
|
MGM
|
Janie
Barlow, aspiring showgirl
|
Joan's
fourth appearance with Gable, second with Tone; Fred Astaire's film
debut; Three Stooges on hand.
|
VHS;
DVD as part
of Clark Gable
Signature Collection
|
|
5/9/34
|
Sadie
McKee
|
MGM
|
Sadie
McKee, maid-turned-club entertainer-turned rich wife
|
Third
film with Tone.
|
VHS,
DVD
|
|
9/1/34
|
Chained
|
MGM
|
Diane
Lovering, kept woman
|
Fifth
film with Gable.
|
VHS,
DVD
|
|
12/23/34
|
Forsaking
All Others
|
MGM
|
Mary,
socialite pursued by 2 men
|
Sixth
film with Gable, fourth with Montgomery. From 1933 play starring
Tallulah Bankhead.
|
VHS,
DVD
|
|
6/14/35
|
No
More Ladies
|
MGM
|
Marcia,
socialite with philandering husband
|
Fifth
film with Montgomery, fourth with Tone. First film with director
George Cukor.
|
DVD
|
|
10/4/35
|
I
Live My Life
|
MGM
|
Kay,
socialite in love with archaeologist
|
Co-stars
Brian Aherne.
|
VHS
|
|
8/28/36
|
The
Gorgeous Hussy
|
MGM
|
Peggy
O'Neal, innkeeper's daughter who hobnobs with President Andrew Jackson
|
Unsuccessful
period piece set in 1830s based loosely on true story; fifth film
with Tone; first film with Robert Taylor, Melvyn Douglas, James
Stewart.
|
VHS,
DVD
|
|
11/20/36
|
Love
on the Run
|
MGM
|
Sally
Parker, socialite pursued by 2 men
|
Seventh
film with Gable, sixth with Tone.
|
VHS,
DVD
|
|
2/19/37
|
The
Last of Mrs. Cheyney
|
MGM
|
Fay
Cheyney, jewel thief
|
First
a 1925 play, then a 1929 Norma Shearer film. Joan co-stars with
William Powell for only time.
|
VHS
|
|
10/15/37
|
The
Bride Wore Red
|
MGM
|
Anni,
cabaret singer and society wannabe
|
Seventh
and last film with Franchot Tone. First film with Robert Young.
|
VHS
|
|
1/20/38
|
Mannequin
|
MGM
|
Jessica
Cassidy, working girl pursued by 2 men
|
Joan
co-stars with Spencer Tracy for only time.
|
VHS,
DVD
|
|
11/18/38
|
The
Shining Hour
|
MGM
|
Olivia
Riley, club performer-turned-rich wife
|
Originated
on Broadway. Joan's second film with Robert Young and Melvyn Douglas.
Co-stars Margaret Sullavan.
|
VHS,
DVD
|
|
3/10/39
|
The
Ice Follies of 1939
|
MGM
|
Mary
McKay, skating wife-turned-movie star
|
Extreme
fluff made to promote MGM's new find, The International Ice
Follies. Joan's second and last film with James Stewart.
|
DVD
|
|
9/1/39
|
The
Women
|
MGM
|
Crystal
Allen, shopgirl-on-the-make
|
Joan's
first villainous role, her second film with director Cukor. Based on the long-running play by Clare Boothe
that opened in 1936. Co-starred Joan's longtime MGM rival Norma
Shearer.
|
VHS,
DVD
|
|
3/1/40
|
Strange
Cargo
|
MGM
|
Julie,
on-the-lam nightclub entertainer
|
Joan's
eighth and last film with Clark Gable. (She was still top-billed,
despite his just appearing in Gone With the Wind.)
|
VHS,
DVD
|
|
6/7/40
|
Susan
and God
|
MGM
|
Susan,
flighty socialite who's found God and neglects family
|
Originated
on Broadway; Joan's only appearance with Fredric March and 3rd film
directed by Cukor. Role turned
down by Norma Shearer, who didn't want to play a mother. Rita Hayworth
has small role.
|
VHS,
DVD
|
|
5/15/41
|
A
Woman's Face
|
MGM
|
Anna
Holm, facially-disfigured criminal
|
Based
on 1938 Swedish film starring Ingrid Bergman. Last of 4 films with
director Cukor. Third film with Melvyn
Douglas. Co-stars Conrad Veidt.
|
VHS,
DVD
|
|
8/29/41
|
When
Ladies Meet
|
MGM
|
Mary
Howard, novelist pursued by 2 men
|
With
Robert Taylor for second time; co-stars Greer Garson.
|
VHS,
DVD
|
|
6/11/42
|
They
All Kissed the Bride
|
Columbia
|
Margaret
J. Drew, businesswoman
|
With
Melvyn Douglas for fourth and last time.
|
VHS
|
|
12/42
|
Reunion
in France
|
MGM
|
Michele
de la Becque, Frenchwoman during WWII
|
Joan
and John Wayne co-star for only time.
|
VHS;
DVD as part of John Wayne Film Collection.
|
|
8/6/43
|
Above
Suspicion
|
MGM
|
Frances
Myles, newlywed anti-Nazi spy
|
Joan's
last contract picture for MGM. Co-stars Fred MacMurray and Conrad
Veidt.
|
VHS,
DVD
|
|
12/15/44
|
Hollywood
Canteen
|
Warners
|
appears
as herself
|
First
film for new studio Warners; cameo appearance in all-star (including
Bette Davis) "support-the-troops"
effort.
|
VHS;
DVD as part of 3-disc "Homefront Collection"
|
|
9/24/45
|
Mildred
Pierce
|
Warners
|
Mildred
Pierce: mother, lover, businesswoman
|
Major
comeback for Joan. Oscar winner for Best Actress (Joan's only Oscar),
nominated for Best Picture.
|
VHS,
DVD
|
|
12/25/46
|
Humoresque
|
Warners
|
Helen
Wright, dilettante
|
Joan
at height of SEXY. Co-stars John Garfield.
|
VHS,
DVD
|
|
7/26/47
|
Possessed
|
Warners
|
Louise
Howell, obsessive spurned lover
|
2nd
Oscar
nomination for Best Actress. Co-stars Van Heflin.
|
VHS,
DVD
|
|
12/25/47
|
Daisy
Kenyon
|
20th
Century-Fox
|
Daisy
Kenyon, graphic artist pursued by 2 men
|
Directed
by Otto Preminger. Co-stars Dana Andrews and Henry Fonda.
|
DVD
|
|
5/6/49
|
Flamingo
Road
|
Warners
|
Lane
Bellamy, carney girl, er, woman
|
Directed
by Mildred Pierce's Michael Curtiz. Co-stars Sydney Greenstreet,
Zachary Scott, and David Brian.
|
VHS,
DVD
|
|
8/1/49
|
It's
a Great Feeling
|
Warners
|
appears
as herself
|
Cameo
in this Dennis Morgan/Jack Carson/Doris Day vehicle.
|
VHS;
DVD as part of the TCM Spotlight Doris Day Collection.
|
|
4/7/50
|
The
Damned Don't Cry
|
Warners
|
Ethel
Whitehead/Lorna Hansen Forbes, small-town wife turned-gangster's
moll
|
Joan's
first of 3 pictures directed by Vincent Sherman. Co-stars David
Brian for the 2nd time.
|
DVD
|
|
11/2/50
|
Harriet
Craig
|
Columbia
|
Harriet
Craig, obsessive housewife
|
Originated
as play and then as film, Craig's Wife, starring Rosalind
Russell. Joan's 2nd picture with director Sherman.
|
VHS
|
|
5/30/51
|
Goodbye
My Fancy
|
Warners
|
Agatha
Reed, congresswoman who returns to alma mater
|
Joan's
third and last film directed by Sherman; third film with Robert
Young.
|
DVD
|
|
2/28/52
|
This
Woman Is Dangerous
|
Warners
|
Beth
Austin, criminal
|
Joan's
last contract picture with Warners. Co-stars Dennis Morgan and David
Brian.
|
DVD
|
|
8/6/52
|
Sudden
Fear
|
RKO
|
Myra
Hudson, playwright and menaced wife
|
Joan's
first independent film, which she co-produced. 3rd and final Oscar nomination
for Best Actress. Co-starring Jack Palance.
|
VHS,
DVD
|
|
10/23/53
|
Torch
Song
|
MGM
|
Jenny
Stewart, musical star
|
Joan
back at MGM after 10 years.
|
VHS,
DVD
|
|
5/27/54
|
Johnny
Guitar
|
Republic
|
Vienna,
saloon owner
|
Directed
by Nicholas Ray, co-starring Mercedes McCambridge and Sterling Hayden.
Cult fave.
|
VHS,
DVD
|
|
8/20/55
|
Female
on the Beach
|
Universal-
International
|
Lynn
Markham, rich woman pursued by playboy
|
Co-stars
Jeff Chandler.
|
DVD
as part of 4-disc "Women in Danger: 1950s Thrillers" set.
|
|
11/7/55
|
Queen
Bee
|
Columbia
|
Eva
Phillips, evil Southern matriarch
|
Written
and directed by Ranald MacDougall, who wrote Mildred Pierce.
|
VHS,
DVD
|
|
8/2/56
|
Autumn
Leaves
|
Columbia
|
Millicent
Wetherby, spinster who marries younger psycho
|
Co-stars
Cliff Robertson.
|
VHS
|
|
11/6/57
|
The
Story of Esther Costello
|
Columbia
|
Margaret
Landi, rich woman who adopts deaf/dumb/blind Irish girland must
fend off lecherous ex.
|
Filmed
in England, co-stars Rossano Brazzi. Joan an uncredited co-producer.
|
VHS
|
|
10/9/59
|
The
Best of Everything
|
20th
Century-Fox
|
Amanda
Farrow, shrewish editor
|
Joan
in small role; first film after husband Steele's death.
|
VHS,
DVD
|
|
10/26/62
|
What
Ever Happened to Baby Jane?
|
Warners
|
Blanche
Hudson, crippled ex-movie star sister
|
Joan
and Bette Davis's only co-starring film. A huge hit, Davis Oscar-nominated.
|
VHS,
DVD
|
|
8/21/63
|
The
Caretakers
|
United
Artists
|
Lucretia
Terry, mean head nurse in psych ward
|
Joan
in small role; Robert Stack top-billed.
|
VHS,
DVD
|
|
1/19/64
|
Strait-Jacket
|
Columbia
|
Lucy
Harbin, ax murderess returned home
|
First
of two William Castle films. Diane Baker co-stars.
|
VHS,
DVD
|
|
7/21/65
|
I
Saw What You Did
|
Universal
|
Amy
Nelson, jealous lover
|
2nd
and last Castle film. Joan in small role, but top billing.
|
VHS,
DVD
|
|
1967
|
The
Karate Killers
|
MGM/Arena
|
Amanda
True, widow
|
Originally
a 2-part episode of the US TV series "The Man from U.N.C.L.E.,"
it was released theatrically in Europe. Joan had cameo.
|
VHS;
Region 1 and 2
DVD as part of
U.N.C.L.E. set
|
|
1/11/68
|
Berserk!
|
Columbia
|
Monica
Rivers, ringmistress
|
A
low-budget Herman Cohen production shot in England. Co-starred
Ty Hardin, Diana Dors.
|
VHS,
DVD
|
|
10/24/70
|
Trog
|
Warners
|
Dr.
Brockton, scientist and Trog befriender
|
Joan's
last film, another cheapie by Cohen shot in England.
|
VHS;
DVD as part of "Cult Camp Classics 2: Women in Peril."
|
 Joan's
Most Frequent Co-Stars
Clark
Gable. 8 films (Dance, Fools,
Dance, 1931; Laughing Sinners, '31; Possessed, '31; Dancing Lady, '33; Chained,
'34;
Forsaking All Others, '34; Love on the Run, '36; Strange Cargo, '40)
Franchot
Tone. 7 films (Today We
Live, 1933; Dancing Lady, '33; Sadie McKee, '34; No More Ladies, '35; The Gorgeous
Hussy, '36; Love on the Run, '36; The Bride Wore Red, '37)
Robert
Montgomery.
6 films (Untamed, 1929; Our Blushing Brides, '30; Letty Lynton, '32; Forsaking
All Others, '34; No More Ladies, '35; The Last of Mrs. Cheyney, '37)
William
Haines.
5 films (Sally,
Irene and Mary,
'25; Spring
Fever,
'27; West
Point,
'27; The
Duke Steps Out,
'29; Hollywood
Revue of 1929)
While the above
leading men might come to mind first when thinking of Joan's
co-stars, in fact, a couple of ladies actually appeared with her
more frequently:
Gwen
Lee.
This early MGM player appeared
with Joan in 9
films: Pretty Ladies,
1925; Lady of the Night,
1925; Twelve Miles Out,
1927; Untamed,
1929; The Duke Steps Out,
1929; Hollywood Revue of 1929;
Our Blushing Brides,
1930; Paid,
1930; Mannequin,
1938.
Bess
Flowers.
This
perennial bit player appeared with Joan in 12 films: Untamed,
Possessed
('31), Gorgeous
Hussy,
Shining
Hour,
Hollywood
Canteen,
Mildred Pierce,
Humoresque,
It's a Great Feeling,
Damned
Don't Cry,
Sudden
Fear,
Torch
Song,
and Autumn
Leaves.
|
 Most
Frequent Directors
5
films:
Clarence Brown, Jack
Conway.
4
films:
Harry Beaumont, Frank Borzage, George Cukor,
W.S. Van Dyke.
3
films:
Edmund Goulding, William Nigh,
Vincent Sherman.
2
films:
Robert Aldrich, Dorothy Arzner
(aside from the credited Bride Wore Red, she also finished up Mrs.
Cheyney after director Richard Boleslawski unexpectedly died), William Castle,
Michael Curtiz, Robert
Z. Leonard, David Miller, Jean
Negulesco, Edward Sedgwick.
Among the prominent one-timers were Monta
Bell, Tod Browning, Jules Dassin, Howard Hawks, Lewis Milestone, Otto Preminger,
Nicholas Ray, William Wellman, and Sam Wood. (Not to mention Steven Spielberg
making his directorial debut on television with Joan's Night Gallery episode,
"Eyes.")
|
 The
Shopgirl Myth
Joan's
roles of the 1930s are frequently referred to as being of the "shopgirl
makes good" variety. In fact, of her 25 films made during the '30s, only
three times--in 1930's Our
Blushing Brides, 1938's
Mannequin,
and 1939's The
Women-- does
she actually play a shopgirl. By far the most frequently recurring character-type
is that of a rich girl---one already born to money, not working her way
up to it or marrying into it.
She
plays a society girl in 8 films during this period: Montana
Moon
('30), This
Modern Age
('31), Letty
Lynton
('32), Today
We Live
('33), Forsaking
All Others
('34), No
More Ladies
('35), I
Live My Life
('35), and Love
on the Run
('36). (Two other films that might fit into a "privileged" subcategory:
In 1931's Dance,
Fools, Dance,
she starts out a socialite, but winds up a reporter after the market crash.
In '36's The
Gorgeous Hussy,
she's an innkeeper's daughter, but one who mingles intellectually with the prominent
politicians of the day, including President Jackson.)
Joan
does start poor but meet or marry rich in 3 films of the '30s: Possessed
('31, factory girl and rich politician), Sadie
McKee
('34, maid turned night-club entertainer and rich, drunken sugar daddy followed
by a
younger rich nice guy), and
The
Shining Hour
('38, night-club dancer and rich country gentleman).
But
just as frequently, she plays an entertainer of some sort who might meet
"nice," but not necessarily "rich": Laughing
Sinners
('31, cabaret singer and Salvation Army officer), Dancing
Lady
('33, showgirl and rough-edged show producer), The
Bride Wore Red
('37, cabaret singer and gentle postman), Ice
Follies of 1939
(ice-skater/actress and struggling skater hubby).
In
3 films, she plays a criminal: Paid
('30, ex-con, then blackmailer), Rain
('32, prostitute), The
Last of Mrs. Cheyney
('37, jewel thief).
And
in the two films of the 25 that are not quite categorizable: In '32's Grand
Hotel,
Joan's a stenographer of questionable reputation who winds up with a dying pensioner; in '34's Chained,
she's at first "kept" by a rich older man, but winds up with true
love, rancher
Gable.
|
