The actress, born Lucille LeSueur, was popular on film, TV, and stage. One of Hollywood's most prominent movie stars, Crawford was at one time one of the highest paid women in the United States. In later years she kept up a voluminous correspondence with many people, one of whom was Robert Jean of Wells Beach, Maine. The letter refers to John Springer's Legendary Ladies of the Movies series in New York in 1973. The show began with a retrospective of her films and ended with a personal appearance by the star in which she answered not-always vetted questions from the host and audience. Though her letter calls the evening "very thrilling for me" and "rewarding," the aging star was terrified of personal appearances and had to be literally pushed out on the stage for her last public appearance. She died in 1977.
