Aug

6

Trog: Joan Crawford, with a Whimper

August 6, 2007 |

Two months, and we shift one letter– from Troy to Trog. I could only take about ten minutes of this one. My first thought: “My God… did 2001 and Planet of the Apes inspire this fourth-rate retread? Were they ready to greenlight just about anything with a monkey in it?”

Joan Crawford's TrogThis before I checked IMDB and found that the apeman suit is in fact a recycled 2001 costume. And apparently, after I bailed, they gave us touching scenes of Joan and the Creature playing catch, as well as the classic “Cavemen-plus-dinosaurs” combo, where even then, people should have known better. Shades of One Million Years BC.

 IMDB also reveals a lot of painful trivia, including this:

The budget was so tight that Joan Crawford had to use her own car as a dressing room and supply all of her own wardrobe, except for the blue lab coat.

It’s easy to snipe at this kind of thing. But actually, as I think about it more and more, it’s… just kind of sad. Her career (which started before talkies) essentially over, Mommie Dearest having ruined her reputation, what did she have left?

To think of it and my initial snipe leaves me thinking, “Where is my compassion?” Whatever kind of person she was, she deserves some– we all do, human, prehuman, subhuman. Something drove her to this. Pity should stay my hand.


Comments

You must be logged in to post a comment.

Name (required)

Email (required)

Website

Speak your mind