Tim Hovey

Academy Award-winner Joan Crawford (Best Actress, Mildred Pierce, 1945) is at her conniving and devious best as the Southern socialite who manipulates the lives of those around her with tragic results. The poster art screamed, "One female alone may be the queen bee. The other females serve only to sacrifice themselves while tending the queen bee or defending her. The males of the species exist only to serve the queen's pleasure..." and who better to exact the role than Crawford? Eva Phillips (Crawford) is married to Avery (Barry Sullivan), a wealthy mill owner who has been driven to drink and bitterness by Eva's ruthless, self-seeking machinations and frank infidelity. When Avery's sister,Carol Lee (Betsy Palmer), announces her engagement, Crawford maneuvers to prevent the wedding to Judson Prentiss (John Ireland), the queen bee's secret lover.

Joan Crawford turns herself into something like a human chainsaw in this jarring drama in which she practically demolishes her family with her power-crazed antics. The victims of her fiendish wrath are Barry Sullivan, her bitter, alcoholic husband and his sister, who is driven to suicide.

Academy Award(r)-winner Joan Crawford (Best Actress, Mildred Pierce, 1945) is at her conniving and devious best as the Southern socialite who manipulates the lives of those around her with tragic results. The poster art screamed, 'One female alone may be the queen bee. The other females serve only tosacrifice themselves while tending the queen bee or defending her. The males of the species exist only to serve the queen's pleasure...' and who better to exact the role than Crawford? Eva Phillips (Crawford) is married to Avery (Barry Sullivan), a wealthy mill owner who has been driven to drink and bitterness by Eva's ruthless, self-seeking machinations and frank infidelity. When Avery's sister,Carol Lee (Betsy Palmer), announces her engagement, Crawford maneuvers to prevent the wedding to Judson Prentiss (John Ireland), the queen bee's secret lover.