The reaction to Crawford's appearance during the outing led to her decision to step back from the public eye
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():format(jpeg)/joan-crawford-051126-03c2b429bdd3408c91204638c7cc4da9.jpg "OAN CRAWFORD AT THE ROZ RUSSELL PARTY.1974")
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NEED TO KNOW
- Joan Crawford spent the last three years of her life away from the public eye
- Crawford’s final public appearance came in 1974, during an event at the Rainbow Room in New York
- Entertainment historian Steve Randisi opened up about the criticism that led to Crawford stepping back
Joan Crawford had a fierce reputation, but her human side took the lead later in life.
The Mildred Pierce actress kept to herself in the last years of her life due to public scrutiny, entertainment historian Steve Randisi revealed. Randisi learned about the situation in conversations with actress Penny Singleton, best known as the voice of Jane Jetson.
During a recent appearance on Nostalgia Tonight, Randisi recalled to host Joe Sibilia learning about Singleton's encounter with Crawford while working on the newly expanded edition of Penny Singleton: A Biography.
Singleton attended Crawford's final public appearance at the Rainbow Room in New York City, in 1974. Randisi says photographers at the event "had a field day taking pictures" of Crawford.
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"When the pictures were published, a lot of people commented on the fact that Joan had aged and didn’t look well. And I think they hurt her feelings," he shared.
Randisi believes the criticism deeply affected Crawford, who wasn't expecting that reaction, and led her to withdraw from public appearances from that point forward.
"She said, 'Well, if this is how I look, then I won’t be seen anymore.' From then on, she would only be seen in the company of close friends at private parties and things like that," he noted.
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Singleton felt for Crawford, believing the actress was treated unfairly by the media. Randisi said Singleton found the critiques "unfounded and unkind."
Randisi had his own fond memories of meeting Crawford in 1971, during a signing for her book My Way of Life.
“Crawford was what you would expect…very, very theatrical, very, very showbiz,” he said. “When you were in her presence, you knew that you were meeting a big star.”
“She posed for every picture. She signed every autograph,” Randisi added. “She could not have been nicer, more accommodating to her fans. So I had no gripe with Miss Crawford.”