who was joan crawford's lawyer greg

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Who was John Bautzer's partner Joan Crawford?

Bautzer's best known romance was with actress Joan Crawford. Their four-year relationship was reportedly on and off, as well as publicly heated at times, with Bautzer seen by many as Crawford's "escort".

What is Joan Crawford famous for?

Joan Crawford (born Lucille Fay LeSueur; March 23, c. 1904–1908 [Note 1] – May 10, 1977) was an American actress. Starting as a dancer in traveling theatrical companies before debuting on Broadway, Crawford was signed to a motion picture contract by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer in 1925.

Why did Joan Crawford appeal to many gay men?

In Joan Crawford: The Essential Biography, the author believes that Crawford appealed to many gay men because they sympathized with her struggle for success in both the entertainment industry and her personal life. [105]

Who was Joan Crawford's husband Franchot Tone?

In 1935, Crawford married Franchot Tone, a stage actor from New York who planned to use his film earnings to finance his theatre group. The couple built a small theatre at Crawford's Brentwood home, and put on productions of classic plays for select groups of friends who lived in the popular Brentwood area like Clark Gable and Charley Chase. [65]

Who is Uncle Greg in Mommie Dearest?

Greg Bautzer Profile(Gregson Edward Bautzer)?marries 19-year-old Buffy Cobb Chapmanc. 45divorces Chapman, who will soon start dating Victor Maturec. 45has an intense and much publicized affair with Joan Crawford. Bautzer will be immortalized as "Uncle Greg" in the 1981 biographical film, Mommie Dearest.35 more rows

Who was the lawyer in Mommie Dearest?

Gregson Edward Bautzer (April 3, 1911 – October 26, 1987) was an American attorney who represented such individuals as Ginger Rogers, Ingrid Bergman and Joan Crawford, Kirk Kerkorian, Howard Hughes and William R. Wilkerson. San Pedro, California, U.S.

Was Greg Savitt real?

The characters Carol Ann and Gregg Savitt did not exist in real life, and are composites of Joan's various housekeepers and boyfriends. The scene where Joan has an angry confrontation with the Board of Directors at Pepsi Cola does not appear in the book at all.

Who did Joan Crawford marry?

Alfred Steelem. 1955–1959Phillip Terrym. 1942–1946Franchot Tonem. 1935–1939Douglas Fairbanks Jr.m. 1929–1933Joan Crawford/Spouse

Was Carol Ann in Mommie Dearest a real person?

The character of Carol Ann is a compilation of Joan's longtime secretaries and nannies. The actress who played the nanny "Carol Ann" kept a journal during filming Mommie Dearest and later published it as a tell-all book called 'The Mommie Dearest Diary' by Rutanya Alda.

Was Mommie Dearest a true story?

Mommie Dearest is a memoir and exposé written by Christina Crawford, the adopted daughter of actress Joan Crawford. Published in 1978, it attracted much controversy for its portrayal of Joan Crawford as an unbalanced and alcoholic mother, with some family friends denouncing it as fiction and others corroborating it.

Who was Joan Crawford's boyfriend in Mommie Dearest?

Joan is in a relationship with Hollywood lawyer Gregg Savitt, but her career is in a downswing. Despite wanting a baby, she cannot get pregnant; seven pregnancies when she was married to actor Franchot Tone ended in miscarriages.

What happened to the little boy in Mommy Dearest?

Crawford adopted Christina in 1940, and died of a heart attack in 1977. Christina's younger brother, Christopher, died of cancer in 2006.

What happened to Joan Crawford's children?

According to Chandler's book, Christopher died in 2006 at the age of 62, and Cynthia died in October 2007 at the age of 60. Cathy spoke at length with Chandler for Not the Girl Next Door, but her whereabouts now appear to be unknown.

Did Bette Davis sleep with Robert Aldrich?

Although both Davis and Crawford allegedly had reputations for relationships with colleagues, there's no evidence to prove that Davis and Aldrich had any sort of romantic relationship — so, a steamy scene between Davis and Aldrich is based more on rumor than on proven facts.

How much did Christina Crawford inherit?

Crawford left about $2 million in her will. On October 28, 1976, less than a year before her death, she had made a new will. She left a trust fund of $77,500 to each of her adopted twin daughters, $35,000 to her longtime friend and secretary, Betty Barker, and smaller bequests to a few other people.

Why was Christopher Crawford strapped to his bed?

' At night she says her brother Christopher was strapped into bed with a canvas harness to prevent him from walking to the toilet.

Who was Howard Hughes' lawyer?

Bautzer gradually became more than arm-candy. He morphed into one of Hollywood’s most powerful lawyers — a mover, a shaker, a deal maker. He advised studios, moguls and the lunatic that was Howard Hughes. (And he and he alone could get Hughes on the phone.)

Who said the public likes colorful personalities but they like to know that underneath it all, the actresses are ladies

Hollywood had a big laugh when Crawford later dissed Marilyn Monroe, saying, “The public likes colorful personalities, but they like to know that underneath it all, the actresses are ladies.”. Joan had convinced herself, despite sleeping with directors, producers and leading men, that she was a “lady.”.

Did Merle Oberon have a grudge?

He had his demons — drink and an unexpectedly bad temper. But it never lasted, and even those subjected to the worst of him, always forgave, because he didn’t hold a grudge. He was always there for a friend or an ex-lover. For instance, when Merle Oberon needed TWA airplane tickets, she called Bautzer.

Who was Howard Hughes' wife?

‘Tax free?’ was the only question the lady asked. Hughes took fright at this and hastily withdrew the offer. Liz would have declined it anyway, as she was about to wed Nicky Hilton who was filthy rich in his own right. This was just one of scores of tasks Hughes had Greg carry out over the years. It could be argued that Bautzer was probably the only real friend the eccentric billionaire had, even if he was an employee on-call to the billionaire 24/7. Greg’s wife Dana Wynter was anything but happy about this arrangement and told Hughes so, much to his astonishment. He was not used to being chastised or spoken harshly to, but Dana was a no-nonsense kind of woman. It was she, after all, who barred Frank Sinatra from their home. She was appalled that he would bring his mobster friend, Sam Giancana, with him to dinner in her home, yet not even have the courtesy to tell her who he was.

Who was the phony biographer who threatened to publish Hughes' autobiography?

When phony biographer Clifford Irving threatened to publish Hughes’ autobiography, it was Bautzer who arranged for seven journalists who had known Howard for years and could instantly recognize his voice over the phone, to meet in conference. ‘I don’t know him. I never met him’, said Hughes, and that was enough to declare Irving a fraudster and send him to prison. Bautzer was driving in his car in 1976 when he heard over the radio that Hughes had died at the age of 70. Greg had his chauffeur pull over to the side of the road and wept uncontrollably for ten minutes or so. Another eleven years would pass before Bautzer, too, passed on from heart failure at the age of 76. Few Hollywood identities saw more action than he. The timeline below gives a fair indication of his love life:

Who was Greg Bautzer?

The story goes that renowned Hollywood lawyer Greg Bautzer set his sights on Hollywood from the moment he earned his law degree, borrowed $5,000 from someone (we know not whom), and used it to purchase a fine wardrobe and to get himself the best table at the Brown Derby for lunch each day. His plan was to become well-known to the movie community, date as many movie stars as he could, gain their trust, and corner the legal market. The Brown Derby was at that time the Hollywood hot-spot. In the evenings he would dine there and invite movie stars to dance with him. He was handsome, a terrific dancer and, by all appearances, very well off. And he had charm.

Did Greg Bautzer have a drinking problem?

On the dark side, however, he also had a drinking problem and could be violent when provoked. His drinking and temper could be an explosive combination wherever he happened to be. On at least one occasion Frank Sinatra saved Greg from serious injury (or worse) when he got into an altercation with some Mafia figures in Las Vegas, and Frank managed to spirit him away just in time. Bautzer had no idea who the men were and was too drunk to care anyway. His four-year affair with Joan Crawford regularly degenerated into a knock-down, drag-out fight between the two of them. Whenever they attended a party it was almost expected that they would be throwing things at each other before the evening was over. At a house-party one evening a jealous Crawford poured a glass of red wine over Arlene Dahl when she caught Bautzer flirting with her.

Who is Greg Bautzer?

For nearly 50 years Greg Bautzer was one of the premier entertainment attorneys in Hollywood, with a client list that included moguls Howard Hughes, Charles Bluhdorn, Darryl Zanuck and Kirk Kerkorian. He also made a name for himself handling the high-profile divorces of Ingrid Bergman, Nancy Sinatra and Rock Hudson.

What did Greg Bautzer want to do?

Greg Bautzer wanted to become a major player in Hollywood as soon as he got out of law school. Advertisement. It’s almost like a scene from a movie where he comes up with this plan to invest $5,000 that he borrowed from someone — we don’t know who — and buy himself a fancy wardrobe.

Who is the author of The Man Who Seduced Hollywood?

Bautzer, who died in 1987 at 76, is now the subject of a new biography, “The Man Who Seduced Hollywood,” by B. James Gladstone, executive vice president of business and legal affairs for Lionsgate Entertainment. We talked with him about the book.

Who is Susan King?

Susan King is a former entertainment writer at the Los Angeles Times who specialized in Classic Hollywood stories. She also wrote about independent, foreign and studio movies and occasionally TV and theater stories. Born in East Orange, N.J., she received her master’s degree in film history and criticism at USC.

Who was Joan Crawford's brother?

Lucille was the couple's third child; another daughter, Daisy, had died in infancy, and Lucille's brother, Hal, had been born the previous year. (Many years later, when little Lucille was the famous woman known to the world as Joan Crawford, the year of her birth mysteriously changed to 1906 or 1908.)

When did Joan Crawford retire?

After his death in 1959, Crawford was elected to fill his vacancy on the board of directors but was forcibly retired in 1973. She continued acting in film and television regularly through the 1960s, when her performances became fewer; after the release of the horror film Trog in 1970, Crawford retired from the screen.

What year was A. B. Crawford born?

^ a b Crawford's year of birth is uncertain, as various sources claim 1904, 1905, 1906, and 1908. Crawford herself widely claimed 1908 (the date on her tombstone). Crawford's daughter Christina states "1904" twice in the biography Mommie Dearest, published in 1978.

Why did Joan Crawford become a star?

Joan Crawford became a star because Joan Crawford decided to become a star.". She began attending dances in the afternoons and evenings at hotels around Hollywood and at dance venues on the beach piers, where she often won dance competitions with her performances of the Charleston and the Black Bottom.

Why was Christina Crawford's mother abusive?

In November 1978, Christina Crawford published Mommie Dearest, which contained allegations that her late adoptive mother was emotionally and physically abusive to Christina and her brother Christopher because she chose fame and her career over parenthood.

Why did Joan Crawford sign with Warner Bros?

Her first film for the studio was Hollywood Canteen (1944), an all-star morale-booster film that teamed her with several other top movie stars at the time. Crawford said one of the main reasons she signed with Warner Bros. was because she wanted to play the character "Mattie" in a proposed 1944 film version of Edith Wharton 's novel Ethan Frome (1911).

What year did Joan Crawford become Queen of the Movies?

Even though Crawford remained a respected MGM actress, and her films still earned profits, her popularity declined in the late 1930s. In 1937 , Crawford was proclaimed the first "Queen of the Movies" by Life magazine. She unexpectedly slipped from seventh to sixteenth place at the box office that year, and her public popularity also began to wane. Richard Boleslawski 's comedy-drama The Last of Mrs. Cheyney (1937) teamed her opposite William Powell in their sole screen pairing. The film was also Crawford's last box-office success before the onset of her "box office poison" period.

Overview

Gregson Edward Bautzer (April 3, 1911 – October 26, 1987) was an American attorney who represented such individuals as Ginger Rogers, Ingrid Bergman and Joan Crawford, Kirk Kerkorian, Howard Hughes and William R. Wilkerson.

Early life

Personal life

Death

See also

External links