Joan Crawford’s Tailor-Made ‘Strait-Jacket’ 1964

Joan
Crawford’s post-studio contract movies have been typically past excessive. However Strait-Jacket is correct up there with Johnny Guitar as a bizarro bonanza.
After the shock success of What Ever
Occurred to Child Jane?, Joan appeared in a solo suspense movie, Strait Jacket, whereas Bette Davis made Lifeless Ringer.

Did Adrian design Joan’s “Strait-Jacket?”

The lighting a match on the document participant scene by no means fails to make me chuckle. I want that Carol Burnett had spoofed Strait-Jacket on her traditional TV sequence.

A lot
has been written about this camp traditional, that I selected to notice issues about Strait-Jacket that I discovered personally
fascinating. The arrange is a few younger lady who catches her husband in mattress
with one other lady upon returning dwelling late one evening. She responds by chopping their heads
off with an ax. Completed and dusted! She then spends the following twenty years in an asylum. Upon
returning dwelling to her grown daughter, creepy issues start to
occur. And when the tensions actually rise, heads start to roll!

Frank Harbin and his bar pickup look laid out identical to corpses! That is Lee Majors, in his movie debut, about to get the ax by Joan Crawford in 1964’s “Strait-Jacket.”

Lucy Harbin’s scrapbook, with pics of her 7 years youthful hubby Frank, performed by Lee Majors. In actuality, Lee was nearly 35 years youthful than Joan! Observe the pics in Strait-Jacket with hubby’s heads reduce out. Shades of Uncle Greg in Mommie Dearest!

Strait-Jacket
was written by Robert Bloch of Psycho
fame. Producer/director William Citadel worshiped Psycho director Alfred Hitchcock, which he demonstrated by completely copying
him! Citadel additionally admired the old-time stars, so getting Joan Crawford for this B thriller was a coup in his thoughts.

Ankle straps are a couple of of Joan’s favourite issues, all on show in Strait Jacket!

Joan’s introduction as Lucy Harbin in Strait-Jacket is similar to her Sadie Thompson in Rain, one other “huge” efficiency!

Mama ‘pank onerous! Joan Crawford as a hoochie mama on the choo-choo station makes me consider Bette Davis’ small city overripe vamp in Past the Forest: the black fright wig, drag make-up, peasant attire, and ankle strap sneakers.

The
result’s a enjoyable fright flick that’s offered in a classy method. What undercuts
Strait-Jacket is the dialogue and the story’s plotting. All this and Joan Crawford working time beyond regulation to promote
you that she’s 29 and later 49 at nearly 60 sends the film straight into camp orbit.
Joan offers it her all and works effectively with Diane Baker, as her daughter. However Joan stands out in
the flawed method in opposition to the weathered character actors who’re her age, and the youthful actors who truly look youthful. Contrasted in opposition to all of this
is Joan, trying like a hillbilly Natasha Fatale.

Observe the clap board. Joan performs 29 as Lucy Harbin within the opening set piece of  Strait-Jacket. Crawford then performs her at 49 thereafter; Joan was 60-ish on the time.

“My mom, an ax assassin! Aren’t the pie slices dangerous sufficient? Should you degrade  us?” Diane Baker as daughter Carol recollects her mom’s historical past for the viewers and her boyfriend in Strait-Jacket’s prologue!

Strait-Jacket
was made on an excellent smaller funds than Child
Jane however was a average hit, helped by Joan’s tireless promotion. The
draw back was that it additional stamped Joan as a hag horror movie star.

Joan Crawford promoted her later films and Pepsi with equal vigor. She even obtained  Pepsi’s PR vice-president a job as her psychiatrist in “Strait-Jacket!”

George Kennedy, as Strait-Jacket’s farm hand, who leers in his spare time. Isn’t it fascinating that future “reasonable” stars like Kennedy, Bruce Dern, James Caan, and Donald Sutherland began out taking part in “challenged” characters?

Time
is a good healer and Joan’s star status has overcome the latter day
downturns of Crawford’s life and profession. Take pleasure in Strait-Jacket for what it’s, certainly one of Joan’s final gaudy jaunts at
the Hollywood rodeo.

I like this candid from the wardrobe assessments for Strait-Jacket. Joan’s silvery grey hair, easy make up, and smiling. That is way more interesting than the more and more grim drag queen look Crawford sported in her later years.

Right here’s
my deep dive into Joan’s Oscar-winning Mildred
Pierce, made 20 years earlier than Strait-Jacket:
https://ricksrealreel.blogspot.com/2020/03/how-joan-crawford-became-mildred-pierce.html

So my mom’s an ax assassin! Mainstreaming Mommie has its challenges in 1964’s   Strait-Jacket. Joan with Rochelle Hudson, Diane Baker, and Leif Erickson.