joan and with director sherman and trim all the fat away from craig wife ( that mean remove every scene in which joan would not be present ) and and turn it into a tour de force for la crawford . a the epitome of every neurotic and deeply disturbed female that joan ever portray and harriet craig be joan with a capital j. take the role in her mouth and shake it into submission and she be play and ultimately and another facet of joan herself . but what joan film role do not become joan herself either before or after film . in a case of joan art imitate her life and as well a her life imitate her art and harriet provide joan with yet one more of those peculiar role role which must have be write with only joan in mind and since it would be difficult to imagine any other actress in this role . if rosalind russell have have this much focus on her in her version and craig wife and it hard to imagine if she could have sustain it and since part of russell strength be her ability to respond to other character while seemingly on a course all her own . but joan and never one to shy away from any movie role and make harriet craig one the great milestone of her career . and we be indebted to her for it . a she explain to her niece ( she always have niece in movie like this sweet young thing who come to live with her and become her indentured servant ) about how to keep men in line and we be give more pure joan philosophy . with line like and the average woman do put her life in someone else hand her husband . that why she usually come to grief and and no man be bear ready for marriage he have to be train and it be familiar joan territory . familiar now and because we have see joan spackling her angst all over movie and tv screen for decade and but along with mildred pierce and queen bee and torchsong and harriet craig and at the time and be a new dimension in joan personal psychosis commit to film .