Possessed
The Life of Joan Crawford
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Narrated by:
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Christina Delaine
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By:
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Donald Spoto
About this listen
New York Times best-selling author Donald Spoto has already brilliantly explored the lives and careers of numerous Hollywood stars and entertainment icons - Grace Kelly, James Dean, Alfred Hitchcock, and Marilyn Monroe, to name but a few.
In Possessed, his subject is the inimitable Joan Crawford, one of the most electrifying divas of the Golden Age of American film. A more thorough, revealing, and sympathetic portrait of the often maligned movie star - most notably lambasted, perhaps, in the scandalous best seller, Mommie Dearest - Possessed is a fascinating study of the real Joan Crawford, a remarkable actress, businesswoman, mother, and lover.
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Since 1929, Hollywood’s brightest stars have flocked to the Chateau Marmont as if it were a second home. An apartment building-turned-hotel, the Chateau has been the backdrop for generations of gossip and folklore: where director Nicholas Ray slept with his 16-year-old Rebel Without a Cause star Natalie Wood; Jim Morrison swung from the balconies; John Belushi suffered a fatal overdose; and Lindsay Lohan got the boot after racking up nearly $50,000 in charges in less than two months. Much of what has happened inside the Chateau’s walls has eluded the public eye - until now.
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Was enjoying it until...
- By leigh on 04-22-20
By: Shawn Levy
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The Sound of Music Story
- How a Beguiling Young Novice, a Handsome Austrian Captain, and Ten Singing Von Trapp Children Inspired the Most Beloved Film of All Time
- By: Tom Santopietro
- Narrated by: Eric Michael Summerer
- Length: 11 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
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Now Tom Santopietro has written the ultimate Sound of Music fan audiobook with all the inside dope, from behind-the-scenes stories of the filming in Austria and Hollywood to new interviews with Johannes von Trapp and others. Santopietro looks back at the real-life story of Maria von Trapp, goes on to chronicle the sensational success of the Broadway musical, and recounts the story of the near cancellation of the film when Cleopatra bankrupted 20th Century Fox.
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A must for super-fans
- By Simone on 07-29-17
By: Tom Santopietro
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The Queens of Animation
- The Untold Story of the Women Who Transformed the World of Disney and Made Cinematic History
- By: Nathalia Holt
- Narrated by: Saskia Maarleveld
- Length: 11 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
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From Snow White to Moana, from Pinocchio to Frozen, the animated films of Walt Disney Studios have moved and entertained millions. But few fans know that behind these groundbreaking features was an incredibly influential group of women who fought for respect in an often ruthless male-dominated industry and who have slipped under the radar for decades.
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Buy this book!! Truly Inspiring and fascinating!
- By Ellen on 02-05-20
By: Nathalia Holt
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Furious Love
- Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton, and the Marriage of the Century
- By: Sam Kashner, Nancy Schoenberger
- Narrated by: Paul Boehmer
- Length: 17 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
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He was a tough-guy Welshman softened by the affections of a breathtakingly beautiful woman; she was a modern-day Cleopatra madly in love with her own Mark Antony. For nearly a quarter of a century, Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton were Hollywood royalty, and their fiery romance - often called "the marriage of the century" - was the most notorious, publicized, and celebrated love affair of its day.
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Paul Boehmer needs more practice
- By Brenda Miller on 06-16-10
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Chasing the Light
- Writing, Directing, and Surviving Platoon, Midnight Express, Scarface, Salvador, and the Movie Game
- By: Oliver Stone
- Narrated by: Oliver Stone
- Length: 14 hrs and 26 mins
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An intimate memoir by the controversial, Oscar-winning director and screenwriter about his rarefied New York childhood, volunteering for combat, and his struggles and triumphs making such films as Platoon, Midnight Express, and Scarface.
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Impressive
- By Merle O. Tanner on 10-07-20
By: Oliver Stone
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The View from the Bridge
- Memories of Star Trek and a Life in Hollywood
- By: Nicholas Meyer
- Narrated by: Nicholas Meyer
- Length: 10 hrs and 52 mins
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When Nicholas Meyer was asked to direct the troubled second Star Trek film, he was something less than a true believer. A best-selling author and successful director, he had never been a fan of the TV series. But as he began to ponder the appeal of Kirk, Spock, et al., he realized that their story was a classical nautical adventure yarn transplanted into space and - armed with that insight - set out on his mission: to revitalize Trek.
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Mostly good
- By David W Braddock on 06-07-21
By: Nicholas Meyer
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Mary and Lou and Rhoda and Ted
- And All the Brilliant Minds Who Made the Mary Tyler Moore Show a Classic
- By: Jennifer Armstrong
- Narrated by: Amy Landon
- Length: 11 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
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Mary Tyler Moore made her name as Dick Van Dyke's wife on the eponymous show; she was a cute, unassuming housewife that audiences loved. But when screenwriters James Brooks and Allan Burnes dreamed up an edgy show about a divorced woman with a career, network executives replied: "Americans won't watch television about New York City, divorcées, men with mustaches, or Jews." But Moore and her team were committed, and when the show finally aired, in spite of tepid reviews, fans loved it.
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An Interesting Story That Never Quite Gets Told
- By S. Blythe on 07-26-13
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Something Wonderful
- Rodgers and Hammerstein's Broadway Revolution
- By: Todd S. Purdum
- Narrated by: Todd S. Purdum
- Length: 10 hrs and 53 mins
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They stand at the apex of the great age of songwriting, the creators of the classic Broadway musicals Oklahoma!, Carousel, South Pacific, The King and I, and The Sound of Music, whose songs have never lost their popularity or emotional power. Even before they joined forces, Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II had written dozens of Broadway shows, but together they pioneered a new art form: the serious musical play.
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Fabulous book about Rodgers & Hammerstein!!!
- By BigWally on 06-27-18
By: Todd S. Purdum
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"The Rest of Us"
- The Rise of America's Eastern European Jews
- By: Stephen Birmingham
- Narrated by: Mel Foster
- Length: 18 hrs and 2 mins
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The wave of Eastern European Jewish immigrants who swept into New York in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries by way of Ellis Island were not welcomed by the Jews who had arrived decades before. These refugees from czarist Russia and the Polish shtetls who came to America to escape pogroms and persecution were considered barbaric, uneducated, and too steeped in the traditions of the "old country" to be accepted by the more refined and already well-established German-Jewish community. But the new arrivals were tough, passionate, and determined.
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Book 3 of 3
- By Etoile NEOhio on 11-15-22
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the brightest stars can self destruct
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not much of interest
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1936 was a great year for the movie industry - the financial setbacks of the Great Depression were subsiding, so theater attendance was up. Americans everywhere were watching the stars, and few stars shined as brightly as one of America's most enduring screen favorites, Mary Astor. But Astor's personal story wasn't a happy one. Born poor and widowed at 24, Mary Astor had spent years looking for stability when she met and wed Dr. Franklyn Thorpe.
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What listeners say about Possessed
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Donna M. Rellas
- 06-07-23
Joan Crawford
I really enjoyed this book and learned quite a bit that I didn’t know. Mildred Pierce is my favorite Joan Crawford movie.
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- Amazon Customer
- 12-19-24
Possessed
I’m glad I listened to it. After mommy dearest i always thought that she was a hateful abusive mother. Now I know that she was not and I understand her life a driven woman who herself had to overcome many obstacles but did so much good for others. She has my respect
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- Walter Solley
- 10-17-20
An concise assessment of Joan's life
I was a bit unprepared for what initially seemed like a dispassionate account of Joan Crawford's life and career. Having read many books about Joan, she is one personality that inspires passion. But, Mr. Spoto--who so brilliantly and passionately dissected the films and life of Alfred Hitchcock--approaches Joan's life with the meticulous care of an attorney making the case for his client. Careful to lay out the verifiable and the sourced, Spoto does a great service to a wonderful actress and, indeed, makes the case for the redemption of Joan's reputation as a parent. The artistry of Spoto's approach is brought to fruition in the final, eloquent chapter.
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6 people found this helpful
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- john burke
- 03-02-21
Very Comprehensive and Compelling
I loved the scope and depth of this book. It's easy for these biographies to be really dry but Spoto and the narrator really allow for Crawford's life to come alive. Although not a perfect person or mother she does seem to gotten a bad wrap.
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- Ashley Woodruff
- 10-13-22
Joan was wonderful
I especially loved her name, Lucille Lesueur, I am at a loss as to why her gorgeous name was changed! she was and always will be a wonderful woman in my eyes. I didn't know what to think, as to say I did not know Joan, but I know now she was an amazing and generous woman. This book was wonderful and I highly recommend it to others.
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- Anonymous User
- 08-26-23
Wonderful and well overdue
Of all the books about obsessions and Hollywood egos and everything else, this is a beautiful and balanced book about a wonderful and versatile star, and a monument to American Hardwork ingenuity at a refusal to give up. Loved it.
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- bkw74
- 07-19-21
Waste of money
It is clear this is a biased version of the life of Joan Crawford. The author was clearly an enormous fan. I was hoping for an unbiased documentation of her life - not opinions. I regret using one of the credits I bought to purchase it.
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5 people found this helpful
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- Michelle
- 09-08-22
Excellent Book on Joan!
This book was great. I really enjoyed the debunking Mommie Dearest - that was my favorite part. Joan was really incredibly smart and she studied everything and did not miss a detail. My only complaint where I did not leave an overall 5 star was because I thought it went into too much of the movies in detail. You can spend a chapter about the ups and downs and productions of one of her movies and your mind can begin to wander. (At least mine did).
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- Sara
- 03-21-22
Don’t bother
This book sounds like it is performed by a robot. It seems like it was written by a publicist… Or perhaps someone who would profit from this unbalanced portrayal of the actress’s life…. Her younger children?
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