She died of metastasized breast cancer on October 6, 1989, in Neuilly-sur-Seine, France. She was eighty-one years old. In 1999, the AFI ranked her second on its list of the greatest female stars in American film history, behind Katharine Hepburn.
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WHAT CRAWFORD SAID PUBLICLY—AND WHAT SHE DID NOT
One of the underexamined dimensions of this story is what Crawford actually said, on the record, about Davis and about the 1963 ceremony.
Before and during the awards season for *What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?*, Crawford’s documented public statements were notably supportive of Davis. Press accounts from the period include Crawford predicting an Oscar for Davis. Industry columnist Sheilah Graham reportedly criticized Davis for not mentioning Crawford’s contribution to the film’s success during the promotional period—a criticism that implies Crawford had been publicly generous and Davis had not reciprocated.
In 1962, Crawford told the press that the reports of feuding between herself and Davis were exaggerated. These statements are contemporaneous with the production and the awards season, and they are documented in print.
In a 1972 account—years after the Academy Awards night in question—Crawford said that Davis had never commented on her performance after seeing the film. She complained in 1964 that Davis had not given her credit after Davis’s Oscar nomination. These statements suggest frustration and hurt feelings, but they don’t constitute evidence of the specific behavior Davis alleged.
What Crawford did not do, at least in any account accessible to the public record, was actively contradict Davis’s allegations in sustained, detailed terms. She did not give long interviews in which she categorically denied contacting Academy members. Whether this was because she had nothing to deny, because she chose not to engage, or because the allegations were accurate, is not something the record can determine.