Della

Not terribly involving drama but worth catching for some of the cast. It might be a minor film but it's a major star vehicle for Joan.

Unlike the low grade horror films she finished her career in where everything including her wardrobe was on the cheap every effort is made to make her look as glamorous as possible. In every instance the walls and surrounding decor compliment Crawford's hair, make up and clothing making sure she dominates the scene. As befits a grande dame of a certain age there are scenes where the soft focus on her is so strong she actually appears hazy! With gravity defying hair and a total command of the screen she is never less than compelling treating the script's absurdities as if they were masterworks.

The inverse of Joan's powerful star presence is provided by the real sore spot of the picture, the male lead Paul Burke. An attractive but mechanical and stiff blank slate Crawford steamrolls right over him any time they occupy the same scene. It does almost irreparable damage to the film but Joan's professionalism saves it. As far as the rest of the cast goes the only member who even approaches Joan's charisma level is Charles Bickford but his part is small. Diane Baker is likewise handed little to work with though she does get a scene or two of anguish.

Even though it did get a European release the film betrays its TV movie origins in its choppy editing style. However the production design is a kaleidescope of 60's fashions and for any vintage car aficionado this will be heaven, all the characters drive fantastic automobiles in vibrant colors.

It may be a standard drama but for any fan of latter day Joan Crawford this little known item is a must see.

The scenic coastal city of "Royal Bay" invites a potentially lucrative deal from land developers. Unfortunately, bachelor attorney Paul Burke (as Bernard "Barney" Stafford) and his city councilman father Charles Bickford (as Hugh Stafford) are unable to proceed. Much of the city is owned by attractively graying Joan Crawford (as Della), who refuses to sell the land in question. The wealthy and reclusive Ms. Crawford has been secluded in her mansion for 15 years, due to an unfortunate incident we will learn about nearer the story's end. Receiving an invitation to visit Crawford, Mr. Burke meets her beautiful daughter Diane Baker (as Jenny Chappell) and the two are mutually attracted. Working out a land development deal grows secondary as Burke becomes more concerned with why Ms. Baker feels imprisoned, on the sprawling estate, by her mysterious mother...

This project began as a "Peyton Place" swipe entitled "Royal Bay" – but it was not picked up by the TV networks. This is not a surprise. The expense of producing a nighttime 1964 serial, in color, with possible appearances by Joan Crawford must have had executives scratching their heads. If she wasn't contacted to regularly appear, the series provides little else of interest. It would have starred Burke and Mr. Bickford, a Hollywood veteran who does get a notable scene with Crawford. Independent of Crawford, they are uninteresting. Other regulars Richard Carlson (as David Stafford) and Robert Sampson (as Joel Stafford) look promising and obviously had story lines, but nothing is revealed about them. In the end, this does not work as a proposed TV series. However, it does work as a Joan Crawford showcase; she would have excelled as a nighttime soap opera matriarch.

***** Royal Bay/ Della (8/8/64) Robert Gist ~ Joan Crawford, Paul Burke, Diane Baker, Charles Bickford

Della (1964)

*** (out of 4)

Lawyer Barney Stafford (Paul Burke) is trying to close a major land deal but the wealthy Della Chappell (Joan Crawford) refuses to sell some of her property. Della is known as a recluse who has stayed locked up inside her mansion for fifteen-years but when the lawyer goes to see her he meets her daughter Jenny (Diane Baker) and the two quickly fall in love but there's a family secret that's going to come up. DELLA is a film that has pretty much been forgotten for one reason or another. I think the main reason is that Crawford was making all sorts of campy horror films around this period so when fans watch the actress in a movie from this era they just aren't searching out this melodrama. I'm not going to sit here and say this is some sort of masterpiece or anything like that but I actually really enjoyed the film. At an incredibly short 70-minutes, there's no question that the film moves at a very good pace and we're given a terrific cast. Not only is Crawford, Burke and Baker on hand but we also get Charles Bickford, Richard Carlson and Otto Kruger. The performances are good for the most part with Crawford playing the type of eccentric character that she was normally doing during this period of her career. Since this doesn't go into the exploitation field, she's able to stay more laid back without being forced to go over-the-top. I thought both Burke and Baker were good in their parts and it was fun seeing Bickford in his next to last film. Bickford and Crawford get to share one scene together and it was great seeing the two vets working together. The screenplay certainly isn't anything great but it at least keeps you entertained up through the big secret. DELLA is mainly going to appeal to fans of Crawford who want to see what the actress was doing in this period outside the horror films.

This had originally been made for the small screen and had a cast to match - with the exception of Joan Crawford. But if the movies had got smaller, Joan Crawford hadn't - this is certainly no less than a full wattage star performance, even perhaps her best. It was a vehicle for a reprise of her earlier roles and a powerful demonstration of her ability to command the best for herself - best role, best dialogue, best costume, best sets, and, just possibly, no hint of competition from the rest of the cast. While she interacted with credibly, her performance utterly dominated. Even the story which was somewhat ramshackle nevertheless became coherent around the Joan Crawford character. Her bit of the ship at least would be ship-shape - or she'd damned well see that it was. It perhaps suggests that a troublesome, demanding star can be right and the audience the lasting gainer from the targeted exercise of star-power.

Saw this yesterday on Talking Pictures TV a new UK free to air terrestial TV station on Freeview ch81, dedicated to old, mainly British, movies.

I remember watching "Della" on late-night TV when I was a teenager. I did not realize it, in fact, WAS made for the small screen. Perhaps I found this film fascinating because my Mom's name was Della (and not such a common name).

There's just something about Joan Crawford that has always intrigued me. In this movie she carries herself regally throughout. She is simply beautiful, and her presence is impeccable. She plays a rather long-suffering, yet tough-as-nails mother to Diane Baker (who lives with a dark secret in a dark house).

Paul Burke does his best to challenge Miss Crawford, but her portrayal of Della is a superb, late entry for her talent. I wish more women would grow into their looks graciously the way Joan Crawford did. She's about 60 in this role, but she doesn't try to look 35...kudos to her choice wardrobe. I rather wish this 70-minute film would have indeed been made into a TV series as originally intended.

Even though later years would cast a pall on Joan's mothering skills (which to this day I doubt), in "Della" she is brazen at times and no-nonsense with her daughter Jenny, yet she conveys an extremely emotional, believable side to her love for her only child. I wonder if her tears in this movie are a mirror of her real life at that time.

It was only 11 years after the release of this film that I wrote to Joan and received an autographed book of hers (from her home in New York City). Even though Crawford had, to put it mildly, many more important and well-known movies, "Della" sticks with me as almost a final glimpse into the star quality and Hollywood glamour that in 1964 was nearly on the way out. I don't believe Joan Crawford fans would regret watching this and seeing a trooper of the studios put a professional spin on a mysterious, almost-surreal story.