Christmas with the Crawfords

Written by Richard Winchester & Mark Sargent, Christmas with the Crawfords takes place on Christmas Eve, 1944. Joan has recently been “fired” from MGM, and is looking forward to the live radio broadcast from her Brentwood mansion, to be hosted by her friend Hedda Hopper, as a way of keeping herself in public eye as she vies for a role in a film noir piece entitled Mildred Pierce offered to her, somewhat reluctantly, by Warner Bros. Suffice it to say the broadcast does not go well. Joan is plagued by problems, including the never-ending arrival of uninvited celebrity guests who take over the spotlight to sing their favorite holiday song. The broadcast itself ends in disaster, and a surprise present from the children puts Mommie Dearest over the edge. The final mother/daughter confrontation will likely make many of those watching reconsider their familial relationships and long for the bosom of their own family and home.