Main Cast: Joan Crawford, Wendell Corey, Lucile Watson, Allyn Joslyn, William Bishop
Release Year: 1950
Country: US
Run Time: 94 minutes
Plot
Harriet Craig is the third film version of George Kelly's Pulitzer Prize-winning play Craig's Wife. Joan Crawford stars as the title character, a thoroughly selfish woman who prizes her house and her possessions above all else. Harriet Craig is even willing to spoil the business opportunities of her husband Walter (Wendell Corey) to avoid losing her precious home. When her self-involvement causes turbulence in the romantic life of her cousin (K.T. Stevens), and when her husband's eyes are finally opened to his wife's true nature, Harriet Craig is at long last hoist on her own petard. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Review
The cult of Joan Crawford will relish Harriet Craig, which features one of the star's most enduring and indelible performances. Indeed, in some ways Harriet Craig serves as a blueprint for Mommie Dearest, the scandalous biopic that presented Crawford as a real-life monster. Crawford is in high gear here, giving a performance which is certainly not great acting but is just about the last word in great entertainment. Imperious, bitchy, selfish, manipulative and demanding, Crawford's Harriet is a caricature and by all means should wear out its welcome early on. Instead, one watches total engagement, caught up in the sheer power that the actress brings to the role. And, in fairness to the star, the role as written is fairly one-dimensional anyway; there's only a cursory nod here and there to adding depth to her. This does cause a problem with the film, of course, for the character is so repellant that it's quite unbelievable that her husband would not have seen through her earlier or would have stayed with her for so many years. As a result, despite Crawford's Herculean efforts, this lack of credibility causes the film to sag and dampens its effectiveness. In addition, the story has been restructured to focus on Harriet to such a degree that the rest of the characters are given short shrift. Under the circumstances, the other actors do the best they can, but only Lucille Watson and Viola Roache manage to make much of an impression. While far from a great film, Harriet is worth watching for old fashioned star wattage of a very high order. ~ Craig Butler, All Movie Guide
Walter Holscher - Art Director, Sheila O'Brien - Costume Designer, Vincent Sherman - Director, Viola Lawrence - Editor, George Duning - Composer (Music Score), Morris W. Stoloff - Musical Direction/Supervision, Joseph Walker - Cinematographer, William Dozier - Producer, James Gunn - Screenwriter, Anne Froelick - Screenwriter, George Kelly - Play Author
Neurotic perfectionist Harriet Craig (Crawford) makes life miserable for everyone around her, especially her husband Walter (Wendell Corey). When it appears he will receive a work assignment that will interfere with her status quo, she sabotages the plans and even succeeds in keeping his best friend Billy Birkmire (Allyn Joslyn) away from the house. When her young cousin Clare (K. T. Stevens) falls in love with Wes Miller (William Bishop), Harriet puts an end to the romance. Eventually, her husband gains intimations of his wife's real nature. He smashes one of her beloved household possessions, a priceless Ming vase, and walks out, leaving Harriet to her one true love — her perfect house.
The supporting cast includes prolific character actress Ellen Corby as a bullied maid.[3] Corby later became widely known as Esther "Grandma" Walton on the popular TV series The Waltons for seven seasons beginning in 1972.[4]
Variety commented, "Joan Crawford does a prime job of putting over the selfish title-character" and Otis Guernsey of the New York Herald Tribune wrote, "[Crawford] remains, as always, a stylish performer in her clear and forceful characterization."[7]
