Mildred Pierce (1945) | |
| Director(s) | Michael Curtiz |
| Producer(s) | Jerry Wald, Jack L. Warner (executive) |
| Top Genres | Drama, Film Noir, Mystery, Romance |
| Top Topics | Book-Based, Divorce, Mother Daughter, Rags to Riches |
Featured Cast:
Mildred Pierce Overview:
Mildred Pierce (1945) was a Drama - Film Noir Film directed by Michael Curtiz and produced by Jack L. Warner and Jerry Wald.
The film was based on the novel of the same name written by James M. Cain published in 1941.
Mildred Pierce was inducted into the National Film Registry in 1996.
Academy Awards 1945 --- Ceremony Number 18 (source: AMPAS)
| Award | Recipient | Result |
| Best Actress | Joan Crawford | Won |
| Best Supporting Actress | Eve Arden | Nominated |
| Best Supporting Actress | Ann Blyth | Nominated |
| Best Cinematography | Ernest Haller | Nominated |
| Best Picture | Warner Bros. | Nominated |
| Best Writing | Ranald MacDougall | Nominated |
BlogHub Articles:
The Price of Devotion: Sacrificial Motherhood and Fatal Ambition in Michael Curtiz’s “Mildred Pierce”
By Stephen Reginald on Jul 14, 2026 From Classic Movie ManThe Price of Devotion: Sacrificial Motherhood and Fatal Ambition in Michael Curtiz’s “Mildred Pierce” Directed by Michael Curtiz, Mildred Pierce (1945) seamlessly blends classic melodrama with the dark, shadows-and-murder aesthetic of film noir. The story kicks off in classic ... Read full article
Noirvember Day 7: Things I’m Thankful For – Mildred Pierce Edition
By shadowsandsatin on Nov 7, 2024 From Shadows and SatinIt?s not just Noirvember ? it?s also the month of Thanksgiving, so I?m combining the two to serve up the top 10 things I?m thankful for about my movie of the week, Mildred Pierce! See you tomorrow on Day 8 of Noirvember, when I reveal my second spotlight noir of the month! ~ by shadowsandsatin on No... Read full article
Noirvember Day 6: The Mildred Pierce Quiz
By shadowsandsatin on Nov 6, 2024 From Shadows and SatinI love lots of things ? collecting classic movie magazines, baking cookies, shopping for antiques . . . And taking classic movie quizzes. I hope you do, too, because today?s Noirvember post serves up a quiz all about Mildred Pierce. Try your hand and see how you do ? and for the answers, scroll past... Read full article
Noir Nook: Dame Name Noirs ? Mildred Pierce (1945)
By Karen Burroughs Hannsberry on Nov 12, 2020 From Classic Movie Hub BlogNoir Nook: Dame Name Noirs ? Mildred Pierce (1945) If you know anything about me, you know I love my noir dames. Everything about them fascinates me ? from their fearless approach to life to their mercenary ways ? and don?t get me started on their unadulterated sexiness. No wonder they leave so m... Read full article
Wally Fay in Mildred Pierce
By Amanda Garrett on Jun 25, 2017 From Old Hollywood FilmsToday, I'm writing about my cinematic soft spot for the character of Wally Fay in the classic film noir Mildred Pierce (1945). In the production still above, Wally, played by Jack Carson, straps on an apron to help Mildred (Joan Crawford) and Lottie (Butterfly McQueen) in the kitchen. This articl... Read full article
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Quotes from
Ida: [Sarcastically] And I like you, too.
[to Monte]
Ida: Don't look now, Junior, but you're standing under a brick wall.
Monte: I don't get it.
Ida: You will - when it falls on you.
Veda: You think just because you made a little money you can get a new hairdo and some expensive clothes and turn yourself into a lady. But you can't, because you'll never be anything but a common frump whose father lived over a grocery store and whose mother took in washing.
Wally: My client feels, and I am in complete accord with her, that she has been irrep - ih...
Mrs. Forrester's lawyer: 'Irreparably'?
Wally: ...unduly damaged. Therefore there is one more little formality that we should discuss first.
Mrs. Forrester's lawyer: What's that, Mr. Fay?
Wally: The financial settlement. You see, my client would like ten thousand dollars.
Mrs. Forrester's lawyer: I think I'm safe in observing that almost anyone would like ten thousand dollars, Mr. Fay. But ih -...
Wally: But ih - ?
Mrs. Forrester's lawyer: We see no necessity for a financial settlement of any kind.
Wally: You don't, huh?
Mrs. Forrester's lawyer: No.
Wally: [Smirk] You will.
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Facts about
William Faulkner contributed to the script, but his additions were not used. He wrote a scene that had Butterfly McQueen consoling Joan Crawford while singing a gospel song.
Shooting the early scenes, director Michael Curtiz accused Joan Crawford of needlessly glamorizing her working mother role. She insisted she was buying her character's clothes off the rack, but didn't mention that her own dressmaker was fitting the waists and padding out the shoulders.
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