Faye Dunaway Tells Why She Regrets 'Mommie Dearest' (2024)

FAQs

What is the famous line from Mommie Dearest? ›

No wire hangers, ever! The quote "No wire hangers, ever!" from Mommie Dearest has become an iconic representation of a mother's obsessive desire for perfection and control.

Her final exchange with her brother hints that Christina has decided to write a book about her experiences growing up with "Mommie Dearest" and thus avenge Christopher and herself, saying that their mother doesn't have "the final word."

The film underperformed at the box office, grossing $25 million internationally against a $10 million budget. Crawford's family also condemned the film for portraying Joan as more abusive than Christina alleged in her original book, with some family members disputing whether abuse occurred at all.

Joan Crawford

Christina Crawford / Mother

Published in 1978, it attracted much controversy for its portrayal of Joan Crawford as a cruel, unbalanced, and alcoholic mother, with Crawford's other twin daughters, household staff, and family friends denouncing it as sensationalized fiction.

Joan has four major personality disorders within the movie; Obsessive-compulsive, Bipolar, Borderline, and Narcissistic personality disorder.

According to many sources, Christopher died in 2006 at 62, Cindy in 2007 at 60, and Cathy in 2020 at 73. The only Crawford's daughter still alive is Christina.

One of her fallopian tubes had burst and she was bleeding out. Earlier, Cristina didn't seem so attached to the pregnancy and tried to convince everyone that she was fine but at the end of the day she finally broke down and she cried hysterically.

' Then she handed her back to me and said, 'She doesn't look anything like you!' " Christopher remained estranged from his mother until her death in 1977, never repairing their relationship. Joan even disinherited Christopher and Christina and left them out of her will.

The 75-year-old actress says the film gave people the 'wrong impression' of her. Even legends have their regrets. Faye Dunaway reflects on her life in the spotlight, aging in Hollywood and why she wishes she hadn't taken on the role of Joan Crawford in Mommie Dearest in a rare interview with People.

What ever happened to Faye Dunaway? ›

Protective of her private life, she rarely gives interviews and makes very few public appearances. After romantic relationships with Jerry Schatzberg and Marcello Mastroianni, Dunaway married twice, first to singer Peter Wolf and then to photographer Terry O'Neill, with whom she had a son, Liam.

She left $77,500 each to her two younger daughters, Cathy and Cynthia. She also bequeathed money to several other people and numerous charities. Cathy also inherited all of Joan's property including the Oscar for Mildred Pierce.

Crawford won the Best Actress Academy Award for Mildred Pierce in 1945. She made many more movies, but retired in 1970. She died in New York City of a heart attack.

Ferncliff Cemetery, NY

Joan Crawford / Place of burial

Joan adopted five children in her lifetime, Joan desperately wanted a child - she had tried several times to have children with past husbands Douglas Fairbanks Jr. and Franchot Tone but rumors of abortions and several miscarriages resulted. Crawford never had any biological children of her own.

Mary Crawford Quotes in Mansfield Park. There is not one in a hundred of either sex who is not taken in when they marry…it is, of all transactions, the one in which people expect most from others, and are least honest themselves… it is a manoeuvring business.

The phrase "Mommy Dearest" is often used in a somewhat sarcastic or mocking way to refer to a mother who is perceived as controlling, overbearing, or demanding. It can be used to describe a mother who is excessively protective or domineering.

“No wire hangers! No wire hangers ever!” The line, from the cult classic movie Mommie Dearest, staring Faye Dunaway as the overbearing and slightly psychotic actress Joan Crawford, resonates for many!

What's wire hangers doing in this closet when I told you: no wire hangers EVER?” – Joan Crawford (Faye Dunaway) to daughter Christina (Mara Hobel) in Mommie Dearest, 1981 By Richard Crouse. Every actor has had one. A howler of a line that in retrospect might have been better left unsaid.