Joan Crawford's contribution to film noir during the 1940s and 1950s, though rarely discussed in its totality, is one of her most impressive and far-reaching career achievements. Several of her noir and noir-tinged efforts contain arguably her best acting work, and all bear her personal stamp. These aren't conventional film noirs, they are Joan Crawford noirs: highly distinctive films that extended the boundaries of noir content and brought added depth and dimension to the noir style. Unlike most actors who routinely adapted to the needs of particular film projects and directors, she approached each film, first and foremost, as a Joan Crawford vehicle, often exerting great control over multiple production functions and at times operating as a de facto producer. Examining these films as a collective and relatively cohesive body of work, this book highlights what Crawford aspired to achieve in her art, how--when the circumstances were right--she could deliver superb results, how she helped expand the possibilities for noir, and why the best of her efforts speak across the decades with such intensity and authority. “This focused study will interest readers looking for a deep dive into this specific era of Crawford’s career or surveys of the ways classic Hollywood films mingling noir and melodrama depicted women.”― Library Journal “well structured, clearly written ... a scholarly critical evaluation of Crawford’s work and place in Hollywood history”― Booklist “A fascinating and informative study… The author provides a full book length examination, giving a great many details and offering interesting and enlightening information… This is the first book to concentrate so specifically on Joan Crawford’s work in noir films and is also the definitive study. It allows us to better appreciate several of Crawford’s finest films, and gives us a deeper understanding of her contributions beyond her performance. This study also allows us to examine the work of several different directors and cinematographers and how Joan Crawford responded to each. One of the best film study books of the year.”―James L. Neibaur “A fascinating and informative read from start to finish. A ‘must’ for the legions of Joan Crawford fans, this cinematic biography is insightfully informative and unreservedly recommended.”― Midwest Book Review The author of multiple books on film history, David Meuel has also published two books of poems, more than two dozen short stories, and hundreds of articles on subjects ranging from U.S. national parks to high technology. He lives in Gig Harbor, Washington.