Merry Christmas, Mommie Dearest

December 20, 2024

–

ajtonyperkins

–

Christmas with Mommie Dearest

The photo below shows the well-known Christmas scene from the 1981 movie Mommie Dearest. In it, Joan Crawford and her adopted children, Christina and Christopher, are featured in a coast-to-coast radio broadcast.

Faye Dunaway plays Miss Crawford in the film.

The real-life Mommie Dearest Christmas

The scene depicted in the film took place in real life. Below is the actual 1949 audio recording of the Christmas interview from Crawford’s home.

I found the interview cringeworthy. Miss Crawford stated that she allows her children to play with all the presents on Christmas and then takes them away the next day. In the following months, she forces the children to earn the presents back with good behavior.

Crawford remarked that her son Christopher still hasn’t earned back all of his birthday presents.

Three times a year, Crawford also takes away the children’s playthings and clothing and gives them away to disadvantaged children. She states it’s excellent training for her children to give up something they really love.

Remembering Christmas with Mommie Dearest

Some people have criticized Christina Crawford for her account in her memoir Mommie Dearest. They claim that she exaggerated things or fabricated events.

In the recording, you can hear Joan Crawford’s child-rearing philosophy. It sounds like there was plenty of trauma in the Crawford home.