Letter to Robert Jean. July 15, 1969

Joan Crawford was a plentiful correspondent, especially in her later years. In this letter to a regular pen pal, Robert “Bob” Jean, she wishes him well on a trip and refers to a conversation about gardening. She also thanks him for a stamp of W. C. Handy on his previous letter, as her children enjoyed it—Handy was a musician known as 'The Father of Blues.' This is strange, because her children were grown and no longer living with her. She is possibly referring to Cynthia and Cathy, identical twins that she adopted in 1947 and would have been about 22 years of age at the time this letter was written. Her elder adopted children, Christina and Christopher, had an acrimonious relationship with Crawford and were disinherited—Christina last saw her mother alive in 1968. Most importantly, Crawford writes to Jean about her final film. Trog was a science fiction movie shot in England in which Crawford played a female scientist who discovers a troglodyte in a cave and attempts to domesticate it with disastrous results. The film was panned by critics, although some credence was given to Crawford's sustained acting ability—a multiple winner of Oscars and recipient of the Cecil B. DeMille award in 1970, the same year Trog was released. Following the feature, she made a few minor television appearances, but after seeing photographs of herself at a birthday party for Rosalind Russell she became a recluse in New York City. While she had always been an avid letter-writer, she was even more prolific while hidden away. This letter shows Joan Crawford on the cusp of a profound personal change, and even in its simplicity demonstrates her power of spirit and relentless love of life.