I’m often asked if I have a favorite item in the WCFTR’s collection. I could never single out just one item because I have an ever growing list of favorite items! One of my favorites, and something I usually bring out when we give tours of the WCFTR, is a telegram Joan Crawford sent to Rod Serling after she saw The Planet of the Apes (1968).
I was initially surprised when I found this little gem – I didn’t really picture Joan Crawford as being a science fiction fan. Maybe she was! She did go on to appear in the pilot episode of Serling’s Night Gallery television show in 1969 in the story entitled “Eyes” which was Steven Spielberg’s first professional directing assignment. Spielberg and Crawford became friends and corresponded with each other until she died in 1977.
Mary Huelsbeck