Later that evening, Joan attends a dinner party in celebration of the new Pepsi-Cola plant.
May 8: Joan attends the dedication ceremony of the new Pepsi-Cola bottling plant in Paducah, Kentucky. Following the dedication ceremony, Joan holds a 1 1/2-hour autograph session, whereby she autographs over 750 photographs. 8,000 people attend the ceremony and tour the plant.
May 9: Joan attends the Supermarket Institute's 28th annual convention held at the McCormick Place Convention Center in Chicago, Illinois.
During the convention, Joan gives a speech to the audience of over 2,000 attendees. Joan's speech is a tribute to the merchandising abilities of the food marketers and the need for the constant flow of new ideas to meet tomorrow's marketing challenges.
During her visit to Chicago, Joan visits her daughter, Christina, who is performing in the play "The Hasty Heart" at the Pheasant Run Playhouse in nearby St. Charles, Illinois.
May 10: Joan travels to New York City.
May 11-30: Joan's daughter, Christina, performs in the play "The Hasty Heart" at the Pheasant Run Playhouse in Chicago, Illinois.
May 14: The film "I Saw What You Did" opens for a limited release in two theaters in St. Paul, Minnesota.
May 14 (#2): Joan appears on "The Tonight Show With Johnny Carson." During her appearance, Joan promotes "I Saw What You Did" and Vivian Woodward cosmetics.
Mid-May: Joan accepts the board chairmanship of advisers position of the Anta Academy Board of Performing Arts. Joan's long-time friend, Dorothy Barrett, is the Anta Academy's director of the children's department, and later serves as the school's administrator.
May 18: Joan hosts a gala in honor of an art exhibit opening and cartoon art auction at the World House Gallery in New York City. Over 400 guests attend the gala, which is sponsored by the Newspaper Comics Council, and benefits the USO organization. Of the art pieces auctioned, a painting of Charlie Brown and Snoopy by artist Charles Schultz is purchased by Stan Lee. The exhibit runs until May 22nd.
Late May: Joan vacations for two weeks in Palm Springs, California.
Late May: Joan attends the opening of the Metropolitan Theater in Santa Barbara, California. During Joan's visit, theater owner Sherrill Corwin and Pepsi-Cola bottler William Newman holds a cocktail party in her honor.
June: Joan vacations for a week in Wisconsin with Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontanne.
June 1: Joan's daughter, Christina, performs as the leading lady in the debut of the play "Sunday In New York" at Sullivan's Little Theatre in Sullivan, Illinois.
Early June: While having lunch in 21 in New York, Joan sees actress Carol Lawrence come in and has a restaurant captain give Lawrence a note which reads; "Dear Miss Lawrence, you are the most beautiful woman, dancer, singer and actress. My deep, deep admiration." Lawrence sends a note back to Joan that reads; "Just when I was about to ask for your autograph, and now I have it."
June 2: Joan volunteers for the UNICEF sales booth at the World’s Fair in Queens, New York. Joan sells autographed notepaper, calendars and postcards.
June 4: Joan assists with organizing the City of Hope's annual "Hope Sunday" pledge drive, which takes place on this date. The pledge drive is to seek support for the free, nonsectarian City of Hope's program for free patient care and medical research. Joan is the southern Californian chairman of the organization.
June 6: Joan attends the annual Pepsi-Cola stock holder's meeting in Wilmington, Delaware. Joan and fellow Pepsi-Cola board members and executives arrive in Wilmington via train at 11:36 am. After arrival Joan has lunch at the Hotel du Pont, followed by a press conference.
The stockholder's meeting takes place at 2:00 pm at the Wilmington Trust Co. building. The meeting includes a vote by shareholders to merge Pepsi-Cola with Frito-Lay to form "PepsiCo Inc." A 51% vote in favor of the merger is needed and obtained. On June 8th, Frito-Lay stockholders hold a similar vote.
Joan travels back to New York City following the meeting, departing Wilmington at 4:41 pm.
June 8: Joan attends a Pepsi-Cola civic function.
Frito-Lay stockholders vote to merge the company with Pepsi-Cola to form "PepsiCo Inc." An 80% vote in favor of the merger is needed, and is obtained.
June 11: Joan attends and speaks at the commencement festivities of the Nate B. and Frances Spingold Arts Center at Brandeis University in Boston, Massachusetts. Other attendees include; Alfred Lunt, Lynn Fontanne and director John Ford.
June 12: Joan attends a ribbon cutting dedication for the new $3.5 million Spingold Art Center for the performing arts at Brandeis University in Boston, Massachusetts.
June 13: Joan's daughter, Christina, appears on the television news show "Face The Nation."
Mid-June: Pepsi-Cola and Frito-Lay officially merge to become “PepsiCo Inc.” The appointed president of PepsiCo Inc. is Donald M. Kendall, with Frito-Lay president Herman W. Lay appointed as the chairman of the board. Joan is not elected as a director of PepsiCo Inc., however, she remains a director of Pepsi-Cola which becomes a subsidiary of "PepsiCo Incorporated" In 1966, Joan is voted onto the board of directors of Frito-Lay.
Following the June 1965 merger of the two companies, Joan purchases the first 100 shares of stock in the newly formed "PepsiCo Inc."
June 18: Joan signs a $10,000 contract to host an episode of “The Hollywood Palace,” which is scheduled to air on television in October. Joan films her appearance for the show on September 24th.
Early July: Joan visits with ex-husband, Franchot Tone, at his home in Ottawa, Canada.
July 8 (#1): Joan and Franchot Tone arrive in New York City from their vacation together in Ottawa, Canada.
July 8 (#2): Joan has lunch with Sammy Davis Jr. to plan the "USO A Go-Go" benefit, which is scheduled for November 14th.
July 12: Joan is honored as the "Most Gracious Hostess of The Year" by Oneida Silver.
July 15: Joan travels from New York City to Freeport, Grand Bahama for New York's "Couture Group's National Press Week."
July 16-17: Joan attends Couture Group's 45th National Press Week at the Lucayan Beach Hotel & Casino in Freeport, Grand Bahama. During her visit, Joan hosts a Barcardi Rum and Pepsi-Cola-sponsored "Swizzle Rum" cocktail party, and hosts a media press conference.
July 18: Joan returns to New York City from the Bahamas.
July 21: The film “I Saw What You Did” is released nationally in America.
July 21-24: Joan and co-stars Andi Garrett and Sara Lane make personal appearances for the film "I Saw What You Did" at 15 of the 26 theaters in the metropolitan New York area.
July 25 (#1): Joan attends a screening of the film "I Saw What You Did" at the Academy of Music in Greenwich Village, New York.
July 25 (#2): Joan travels from New York to Taormina, Italy to attend the Taormina Film Festival, which is held at the Ancient Greek Theater in Sicily, Italy.
July 29 - October 11: Columbia Pictures pays Joan $500 a week ($5,500 in total) for an eleven week "retainer" fee.
August 2: Joan attends the Taormina Film Festival in Sicily, Italy, where a screening of "I Saw What You Did" is shown. Joan is honored as a guest of honor at the festival and is presented with an award for her contributions to the film industry.
September: Joan falls in her Fifth Avenue apartment in New York City, and injures her shoulder.
September 6: Joan's daughter, Christina, begins portraying the character "Corie Bratter" in the play "Barefoot In The Park" at the Blackstone Theatre in Chicago, Illinois. Christina replaces actress Joan Van Ark. Also starring in the play is Myrna Loy.
September 8-11: Joan serves as a judge for the Miss America Beauty Pageant, which is held at Convention Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey.
September 12: Joan attends the 17th annual Primetime Emmy Awards ceremony, which is held at the Hilton Hotel in New York. Joan and Melvyn Douglas accept the "Best Actress" award on behalf of Lynn Fontanne, and the "Best Actor" award on behalf of Alfred Lunt. Both are bestowed the award for their "Outstanding Individual Achievements in Entertainment" for their performances in the Hallmark Hall of Fame film "The Magnificent Yankee."
September 13: Joan packs for a trip to Los Angeles, California.
September 14: Joan travels from New York City to Los Angeles, California.
September 22: Actress Dorothy Malone becomes suddenly ill with a reported vascular condition of the lungs (which is a series of blood clots), and undergoes a 10-hour surgery at Cedars of Lebanon hospital in Los Angeles. Joan, who is in Los Angeles to film "The Hollywood Palace," reportedly goes to the hospital and prays for Malone outside the intensive care wing, and calls the hospital daily to ask about Malone's condition.
Joan later volunteers to substitute for Malone on the television show "Peyton Place" until filming can resume with Malone. In early October, actress Lola Albright is chosen to replace Malone until she returns.
September 23 (#1): Joan rehearses for her appearance for an episode of "Hollywood Palace."
September 23 (#2): Joan has dinner with ex-husband Franchot Tone. Tone, who is a Manhattan resident, is in Los Angeles filming the television show "Ben Casey."
September 24: Joan films her appearance for an episode of "The Hollywood Palace." Robert Gist directs Joan's dramatic reading for the episode.
September 27: Joan travels from Los Angeles, California to New York City.
Late September: It's publicly released that Joan will star in the film "The Lonely," in which Joan will portray a character who is a "very rich American woman."
Joan's co-star is to be actor Maximilian Schell. The film is to be produced by British producer Sydney Box, and is slated to begin filming in Morocco in February 1966. The project is ultimately canceled.
October 1: Joan is awarded the "Crystal Ball Citation" at a gala held in the fashion wing of the Philadelphia Museum of Art in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Joan is honored for being a woman who "has always walked in beauty, and who's good taste has never shattered an illusion." The gala begins at 9:00 pm, with awards given at 11:00 pm. Musician Guy Lombardo and his band serves as the gala's musical entertainment.
October 8: Columnist Dorothy Kilgallen reports that Joan is suffering from a bout of Bursitis. This is most likely regarding the shoulder injury Joan sustained when she fell in her apartment in September.
October 9: Joan hosts an episode of the ABC television variety show “Hollywood Palace." At the end of the episode Joan recites the poem "A Prayer For Little Children," written for her by Milton Geiger. Other guests include; singers Jack Jones, Joanie Sommers, and comedian team Steve Rossi and Marty Allen.
October 12: Joan attends the ribbon cutting for the "Joan Crawford Dance Studio" at Brandeis University in Boston, Massachusetts. Among the attending guests are; Pepsi-Cola executive Herbert L. Barnet, Frances Spingold and Columbia Pictures president Leo Jaffe.
October 13: Joan attends the 35th annual convention of Allied States Association of Motion Picture Exhibitors, which is held at the Penn-Sheraton Hotel in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. During the convention, Ann-Margret is named "Star of the Year," and Martin Ranaohoff is named "Producer of the Year” by the theater owners of America.
October 14 - November 4: Columbia Pictures pays Joan $500 a week ($2,000 in total) for a four week "retainer" fee.
October 20: Joan is presented an award of achievement at the "Salute To Women In Business" banquet held at McCormick Place in Chicago, Illinois. The dinner is hosted by the Cosmopolitan Chamber of Commerce, and began at 5:30 pm.
October 23: Joan attends the opening of a Pepsi-Cola bottling plant in Columbus, Ohio. Joan is accompanied by PepsiCo. president Donald Kendall and Pepsi-Cola president James B. Somerall.
October 30: Joan attends the dedication ceremony of a new Pepsi-Cola bottling plant in Rochester, New York from 10:30 am - 4:00 pm. The event offers free Pepsi and prizes to the public.
Late October: Joan daughter, Christina, is fired from the play "Barefoot In The Park," which is being performed at the Blackstone Theatre in Chicago, Illinois.
Christina's removal is reportedly due to Myrna Loy's inability to work with Christina in the stage production. Actress Geraldine Court replaces Christina in the role of "Corie Bratter."
November: Joan publicly announces that she is bequeathing to Brandies University; her personal library, which includes some 140 scrapbooks on her career; book volumes written and autographed by famed theatrical personalities; and her 1945 "Best Actress" Academy Award. Joan states she has already promised Brandeis University President Dr. Abraham L. Sacher the possessions.
November: Joan meets her future friend and interior designer Carleton Varney when she attends the unveiling ceremony of the newly constructed and decorated "The Drummer's Inn" restaurant, which is located in the New York Coliseum. Pepsi-Cola sponsored the restaurant's construction and decoration, which was performed by Varney. (Source: Carleton Varney)
November: Joan attends the American Cola Bottling Convention in Miami, Florida.
November 2: Joan tapes a guest appearance for an episode of the television game show "To Tell The Truth." Joan appears in the episode with Dorothy Kilgallen and Arlene Francis. The women are masked with their voices distorted, with the show's panel attempting to determine who is the real Joan Crawford via a series of questions only the real Joan Crawford would be able to answer. This is to be the final television appearance of Dorothy Kilgallen, who is found dead in her Manhattan town house on the morning of November 8th.
November 8: Joan's appearance on "To Tell The Truth" is scheduled to air on this date, but is canceled out of respect of Dorothy Kilgallen, who appears on the episode, and was found dead on the morning of November 8th.
It is reported in the biography "Kilgallen" by Lee Israel that Joan was to have lunch with Dorothy Kilgallen on this day, however, Kilgallen had been found dead in her Manhattan home several hours prior, with Joan arriving at Kilgallen's home to find the police investigating her death.
November 9: Joan is scheduled to appear on "The Merv Griffin Show," however, as she is dressing for her appearance, the 1965 New York City Blackout occurs. The show, which was filmed in New York City, is canceled.
November 14: Joan and Sammy Davis Jr. host the "USO A Go-Go" benefit at Madison Square Garden in New York City. The benefit is attended by over 10,000 people. Those in attendance include; Red Buttons, Carroll Baker, Johnny Carson, Peter Falk, Alan King, Mia Farrow and Steve Lawrence.
December: Joan is considered for a seat on the board of directors of Columbia Pictures.
Early December: Joan is elected to the board of directors of Frito-Lay Inc.
December 5: Joan arrives in Dallas, Texas to attend the opening of the 17-story tall Frito-Lay Tower in Dallas' Diversa Exchange Park, which is to serve as the company's headquarters. Following her arrival at Love Field Airport, Joan tours the new Frito-Lay headquarters.
December 6: Joan attends an evening reception, which includes the attendance of over 1,000 Frito-Lay headquarters employees and their families.
December 7: Joan is awarded the "Hetty Green Oscar" by the Dallas Advertising League for her “outstanding performance as an internationally recognized leader among women in business."
In the afternoon, Joan tours the Frito-Lay headquarters with the company's Southern Division vice-president, and General Manager, Harry Tunstall and Plant Manager J.R. Lanfear. Later, Joan tours a local Frito-Lay snack plant, during which she visits with employees, and stood briefly on the product line to learn how to package fragile chips.
Later in the day, Joan is presented with the March of Dimes "Golden Key" at a ceremony in Dallas, Texas. The key is presented to Joan by five years old Nancy Kelly, who is the Dallas county mascot for the March of Dimes charity organization.
In the evening, Joan attends a private dinner in her honor at Mr. and Mrs. Herman Lay’s home. The dinner is attended by over 150 Dallas society members.
December 9: Joan visits Columbia, South Carolina and attends the Greater Columbia Chamber of Commerce annual meeting, which is held at the Wade Hampton Hotel.
Mid-December: Joan negotiates starring in an episode of the television show "Chrysler Theater," which is produced by Hope Pictures.
December 25: Joan spends the Christmas holiday in Palm Springs, California.
December 27: Joan signs a contract to play “Diane Miles” in Hope Picture's "Chrysler Theater.” The episode, which is titled “Every Day Is Mother’s Day," is scheduled to begin filming on January 4th, 1966.
Late-December: Joan, along with ten other women, is voted "1965's Best Coiffured Women" by the Guild of Professional Beauticians.
December 30: Due to time restraints and scheduling, Universal Studios producer Frank Rosenberg decides to delay Joan’s scheduled filming of the "Chrysler Theater" episode “Every Day Is Mother’s Day” from January 4th until late January 1966.
© All original Joan Crawford research and original text herein is property of Webmaster Bryan Johnson and is copyright protected by the United States Copyright Act of 1976. Copyright © Bryan Johnson