September 24, 1945 –
Michael Curtiz‘ tense film noir, Mildred Pierce, starring Joan Crawford and her enormous shoulder pads, was released on this date.
There were conflicts between Michael Curtiz and Joan Crawford. He wanted her canned, claiming she was altering the look and interpretation of the character to make her more glamorous. There were the inevitable arguments over shoulders, with Crawford tearfully (and not altogether truthfully) claiming her dowdy off-the-rack Sears dresses were unpadded. Curtiz started referring to her as “Phony Joanie” and “the rotten bitch,” laying into her mercilessly in front of cast and crew. Crawford wanted the director fired and replaced “with a human being.”
