If she’s ok with it and views it as ridiculous, that should, in theory, give the rest of us permission to see it that way. And she’s even attended screenings of the film in San Francisco’s Castro Theater, where gay audiences howled at the proceedings on screen.

She has no problem with fans viewing the movie as a camp exercise. She says it’s a ridiculous interpretation of her life and the events documented in her book. Is it ok for any audience to poke fun at something that is a harrowing account of child abuse? Even if it’s cheesy? Well, Christina Crawford, the author of the book, has disowned the movie. It’s nonsense, but it would make for a fantastic drag show.Īll of this of course begs a rather uncomfortable question.

Urban legends have persisted for years than Dunaway believes she’s haunted by the ghost of Joan. And it formed the question “where does Joan end and Faye begin?” And then that persona became fodder for parody, too. Angry voicemails and reports about Faye allegedly assaulting castmates and producers emerged over the years. A role she has gone on record as wishing she had never done, because of the damage it did to her career. The conflation of Faye Dunaway the actress with the role she played. Joan Crawford take an axe to a tree in the middle of the night in Mommie Dearest.Īnd this is where things morph into something even more fascinating for Mommie Dearest’s gay fans. A way of letting each other know we’re in the same movie club. Over the years, spewing these quotes has been a calling card for LGBTQ fans. But for its hardcore fans, there’s also “ Tina, bring me the ax!” “I’m not mad at you, I’m mad at the dirt!” “I should have known you’d know where to find the boys and the booze!” And of course, “ Don’t f#*k with me, fellas! It ain’t my first time at the rodeo!” And these are just the tip of the iceberg. Most of you might have heard “No wire hangers EVER!!” in the past. It’s a movie filled to the brim with ridiculous moments, played with either earnest seriousness or daytime soap opera theatrics. Clearly, Paramount Pictures is keenly aware of who the legacy of Mommie Dearest belongs to now. Subsequently, the DVD commentary tracks for the film have included gay filmmaker John Waters and drag legends like Hedda Lettuce. It mixed in dialogue from old Crawford interviews and movies scenes with Dunaway’s iconic lines from Mommie Dearest. She did an off-Broadway show called The Passion of the Crawford in the 2000s. Lypsinka famously lip-synchs to meticulously edited, spoken word snippets of over-the-top movie performances.

John Epperson, a.k.a drag queen Lypsinka, was another performer who took their love for the film to new levels. Joan Crawford before the wire hanger tirade in Mommie Dearest.

Mommie dearest by christina crawford