Joan Fontaine Has Died
Her older sister, Olivia de Havilland, best known for playing Melanie in Gone with the Wind, is 97 and still lives in Paris. The two had a feud dating back to 1940 when Fontaine beat out her sister for the Oscar. They never spoke after that date.
Nothing like holding a grudge. And God giving you long lives to see if one of you will give in.
ReplyDeleteRIP, Ms. Fontaine.
ReplyDeleteNow whenever I see an actress that worked with Hitchcock, I just wonder how much she had to put up with from Senor Psycho
She was so beautiful, serene looking but it seems she had feuds with everyone, even her children..
ReplyDeleteOh well Ms Fontaine RIP
Atta girl, Joan. A saucy diva til your last breath! Ill bet her wings are made of cashmere and have diamonds on them.
ReplyDeleteSo all that talk about holding grudges (and other general negativity) sending u to a early grave is a bunch of crap, I see. Lol
RIP Joan...
They spoke after the Oscars. They stopped after their mother's death in the 70s, as Olivia failed to have Joan informed for two weeks, explaining that Joan was on tour and hard to reach.
ReplyDeleteThe epitome of grace and class ,she also had a rep for letting her hair down ( not Lohan down but Carole Lombard DGAF**k down) RIP. Call your sister, let her know you got home safe...
ReplyDeleteIt's unclear which sister was the bigger bitch--Enty doesn't have it completely right here, but the story is interesting enough to read. Go to Joan Fontaine's wikipedia entry and check it out.
ReplyDeleteThe Washington Post also has a good article about it. Apparently in 1978, Fontaine said, “I married first, won the Oscar before Olivia did, and if I die first, she’ll undoubtedly be livid because I beat her to it!”
Both she and ODH had the huge bitch factor, but I do believe Fontaine was HBIC in that race. You have to admire someone who can hold a grudge over 3 decades. That's dedication. Your move, ODH.
ReplyDeleteLink to Washington Post article: here.
ReplyDeleteIn all this dust-up. let's not forget that Tom "Billy Jack" Laughlin died as well.
ReplyDeleteI wonder if he said to St Peter, "I'm gonna put this foot on that side of your face... and there's not a damn thing you can do about it."?
RIP.
ReplyDeleteShe was great always, but in my mind she was the hottest in Ivanhoe (not related to existing celebrities -Ivan hoe, you know, hahahaha, suffer my detestable puns).
Joan may have gotten the Oscar and the wedding ring first, but Olivia got the once-in-lifetime role. People that know very little about film will recognize her for a long time from her appearance in 'Gone With The Wind.'
ReplyDeleteOlivia's also great in The Heiress, 1948, with pre-car accident Montgomery Clift.
Jeeze Nutty, Save it for Olivia's death not Joan's. Can't the bitch have ONE DAY all to her own? :-D
ReplyDelete@Karen.. great article! I had never heard of her before but now I wish I had :(
ReplyDeleteI love Joan in Suspicion and Rebecca. ITA Nutty, Olivia was great in The Heiress.
ReplyDeleteI am a bit disappointed with this write-up. Being a gossip site, the drama between these two sisters is a fascinating read. Thanks to others who elaborated and posted links. I knew about the feud but it is fun to read up about it again.
Great article, @Karen! Their mother ... just wow.
ReplyDeleteRIP, Joan!
From Wiki...
ReplyDelete>>While in South America for a film festival in 1951, Fontaine met a 4-year-old Peruvian girl named Martita, and informally adopted her.[24] Fontaine met Martita while visiting Incan ruins where Martita's father worked as a caretaker. Martita's parents allowed Fontaine to become Martita's legal guardian in order to give the child a better life.[24] Fontaine promised Martita's parents she would send the girl back to Peru to visit when Martita was 16 years old. When Martita turned 16, Fontaine bought her a round-trip ticket to Peru, but Martita refused to go and opted to run away. Fontaine and Martita became estranged following the incident. While promoting her autobiography in 1978, Fontaine addressed the issue stating, "Until my adopted daughter goes back to see her parents, she's not welcome. I promised her parents. I do not forgive somebody who makes me break my word."[25]<<
Daaaang! Homegirl didn't play!
Interesting that she cut off all relations with her own children because they had secretly developed a relationship with their aunt!
ReplyDeleteSibling rivalry at its best.
Dammit people, Billy Jack died. BILLY JACK!
ReplyDeleteI may have to dig my Billy Jack hat out of the Halloween costume box and wear in place of a black armband.
The cutting the kids out of her life is the most disturbing thing of all.. that's not parenting. Those kids only had one mother. Well, technically Martita had two but still.
ReplyDeleteShe definitely took uncompromising to a different level, I guess as long as it's morals...its ok
ReplyDeleteLoved her in Cristabel. I'm sure she was playing herself.
ReplyDeleteWhile never speaking to each other is the jucier story for enty.
ReplyDeleteIn reality they reconciled in 1962 and had Christmas together with both their families.
Not to say their estrangement isn't Hollywood legend it is.
When Olivia was 9 she wrote a will bequeathing all her beauty to Joan, since Joan had none.
Now this was one f'd up family dynamic of legends.
Joan, Bette, Olivia, stanwiyck- man they could stop a clock with their cranky faces!!!!!!!! Scary as hell! rip.
ReplyDeleteBilly Jack is my most shameful pre-adolescent obsession. I think I saw it in the theater 25 times during it's first run. The multiplex was a short bike ride from home & Billy Jack was rated PG so my 11/12 year old self could get in. And it had not one, not two but 3 (THREE) nude scenes. Looking back that was the great appeal. The hippy commune crap is just embarrassing in hindsight.
ReplyDeleteI wonder if that commune wasn't modeled on The Manson Family. It seemed to be all beautiful teenage girl runaways with their violent guru/protector and saintly old lady overseeing everything. Rewatched it as an adult & the dialogue is just execrable.
RIP Ms. Fontaine. One of the last of the old Hollywood greats.
ReplyDelete@Timebob i believe they reconciled, but fell out again when ODH did not inform Joan of the death of their mother.
Non-violent sibling rivalry at its finest.
di butler I think one's energies are better directed than holding petty grudges for decades, so I don't find that admirable in the least.
ReplyDeleteNow if you are "divorcing" from certain members of your family because they are toxic, and this happens and this may be the case, I can understand that.
I remember years ago Keanu Reeves was trying to reboot Billy Jack either it got stuck in production hell or he couldn't raise the funding for it I guess.
ReplyDeletethat's actually inaccurate, they never spoke after their mother passed away in the 70s.
ReplyDelete