Kathleen Carroll, during a distinguished career as movie critic for the New York Daily News, wrote about films and celebrities. Robert Redford confided to her that he longed for a time when he was no longer “fashionable” as he eased into directing movies instead of acting in them. But Carroll knew he’d remain a star; she’d just seen his directorial debut, Ordinary People—“It was just that good,” she wrote.
An uncomfortable evening of cocktails with Joan Crawford at the actress’s East Side apartment revealed plastic slipcovers on the couch and chairs. Over reheated quiche, the deflated star, dressed in a housecoat, shared her resentment toward Hollywood. “I hate the place,” she told Carroll. “I hate what it does to people.”
Carroll’s anecdotes are endless: Chatting with Alfred Hitchcock, who, in his directing chair, looked and attended the Academy Awards.
