WITH LOVE, MOMMIE DEAREST

The making of a notorious movie.

Drawing on published sources and personal interviews, Hollywood historian Hoff offers a thorough account of the creation and reception of Mommie Dearest (1981), a critical flop now seen as a classic. Producer Frank Yablans felt certain that Christina Crawford’s memoir of life with her abusive mother would translate well to the screen, and he convinced Christina to sell him film rights by giving her a chance to write the screenplay—a job that ultimately went to Tracy Hotchner. Finding a director and star proved complicated. Christina nixed director Franco Zeffirelli because he was focused on the psychology of a diva rather than child abuse; she finally agreed to Frank Perry. Anne Bancroft was to play Crawford, until she dropped out, and Faye Dunaway—with a reputation for being mercurial—lobbied hard for the role. Hoff tells all: about costumes, wigs, jewels, makeup; scenes cut and scenes kept; the crew’s hostility to Dunaway; the re-creation of Crawford’s palatial house; the three actors cast to play Christina at different ages; and tensions on and off the set. He sees the movie as a milestone in entertainment history, “a myth-busting story spilling the beans that Hollywood magic was all smoke and mirrors and diffusion lenses, exposing the ordinary human frailties possessed by movie stars camouflaged by flattering angles and good lighting.” Christina, though, hoped it would have been a milestone for another reason: “the very first film to delve into the problem of family violence from the point of view of a child. It could have explained the complex personal interactions of the mother and daughter, giving insights into the larger problem of child abuse. But it didn’t,” she said, regretfully. “It was a series of hysterical scenes without explanation or relationship development.”

A brisk, gossipy Hollywood story.