a&e features
‘Mommie Dearest’ actress shares diary
Carol Ann on Joan, Faye, Hollywood and the shoot from hell
Faye Dunaway, left, as Joan Crawford, and Rutanya Alda as Carol Ann on the set of ‘Mommie Dearest.’ (Photo courtesy Alda)
Editor’s note: This is part one of a two-part interview. Part two is here.
Actress Rutanya Alda was having a difficult time in early 1981. She was in the throes of the recurring drug habit her husband, Richard Bright, was battling and in Los Angeles spending many long hours filming “Mommie Dearest,” the Joan Crawford biopic that’s perhaps the biggest gay cult film of all time (one might make a credible case for “Valley of the Dolls” but that’s another discussion).
Though she’d made many films by that point (most notably 1978’s “The Deer Hunter” in which she played Angela), she says “Mommie” was an especially arduous shoot. To maintain her sanity, she kept a diary which she self-published this fall as “The Mommie Dearest Diary: Carol Ann Tells All.”
An hour-long phone interview from Alda’s New York City home was so far-ranging and candid, we’re publishing this in two parts. Look in next week’s edition for the conclusion. Her comments have been slightly edited for length. The book is available on Amazon.
Rutanya Alda, left, with Faye Dunaway, Mara Hobel and Jeremy Scott Reinholt in ‘Mommie Dearest.’ (Photo courtesy Alda)
WASHINGTON BLADE: You don’t mention any premiere for “Mommie Dearest” in the book. Was there one? When did you first see it?
RUTANYA ALDA: You’re right, there was no premiere which is really weird when I think back on it. It just opened in theaters in New York and I went and paid to see it just like everybody else.
BLADE: And what was your initial reaction?
ALDA: When the audience laughed, I was like, “Oh my gosh,” I was kind of taken aback because I knew (producer) Frank Yablans and (director) Frank Perry’s intention was to make this really serious drama and of course it turned into this kind of camp happening right from the get go. Even Paramount was caught off guard and they didn’t know how to promote it because it became such an audience experience right away. … I was actually quite pleased because the audience really got into it. It was just amazing to me.
BLADE: Had you always kept a diary?
ALDA: No, I’d never kept a diary before or since. This is my one and only diary.
BLADE: Why did you happen to keep one then?
ALDA: My personal life was in chaos because of Richard’s addiction problem and the set life was in chaos too because Faye Dunaway was causing a lot of stress, so between those two worlds, I just sort of had to survive it and my way of doing that was to journal it. That sort of gave me some balance. It made me feel better.
BLADE: You write that you were surprised at the camp angle when it came out but didn’t it seem like Faye Dunaway (Joan Crawford) was chewing the scenery during shooting? Or did it feel like she was just giving a really intense, bold performance?
ALDA: That’s a good question and I don’t know how to answer it. I know that Frank Perry lost control of the movie within the first week because as I also write in my book, when I did my first scene with little Christina and say that we should be more understanding that her mother has to do a screen test and this is very disgraceful for a star, when I finished that scene, Frank Perry had tears in his eyes. I was perplexed. He said, “No, this is the first honest piece of film we’ve had all week.” That sort of stunned me and I didn’t know what to say. They’d been shooting Faye for a week so that kind of gave me an inkling that he wasn’t getting what he wanted but there was nothing he could do about it. He was just overwhelmed and I think he was afraid of getting fired too. The stress level for him was very high as well as other people. You were dealing with a very unpredictable person and at the time, I think Faye was a huge star. … Frank Yablans had invested so much money on pre-production, the beautiful, just luscious sets and the great costumes by Irene Sharif that were custom made for Faye, they were just sumptuous and wonderful and I think they felt like they couldn’t replace Faye and it proved to be true. Early on, as I write, she held up production for a few days because she wanted Terry O’Neill, her boyfriend at the time, to get producer credit and I know (Yablans) was very upset about that. He was being squeezed. Frank Yablans was the former president of Paramount and not a small-time guy. I’m sure he wasn’t used to feeling sabotaged and he was upset about it. …. Faye’s performance was Faye’s performance. I know she’s going to probably say in her book that it’s going to be everybody’s else’s fault and we’re all the bad ones but I journaled it as it happened and she’s trying to remember it. Back in February, March, she asked me to come help her writer her book which was kind of a jaw-dropping moment for me because I hadn’t heard from this woman in 30 years and here she’s asking me to come help her write with her ghost writer because she can’t remember. And honestly, if I hadn’t journaled it, I wouldn’t have remembered the little details either. I would have kind of generally remembered it, but you know, I think it’s a fair book. It just sort of tells it as it happened observing the interactions with people on the set, their comments, what they said, working with these great people like the hairdresser, who had worked with Joan on many movies, and Charlie Schram, the makeup person who went back to Judy Garland and “The Wizard of Oz.” These people were all big people in their league in the industry so their reaction I thought was very interesting too.
Rutanya Alda today. (Photo courtesy Alda)
BLADE: As you write, several of them came out of retirement to do “Mommie Dearest.” If they admired Joan, as you say they had, why would they have come back for this character assassination?
ALDA: Yes, they all loved working with Joan so when somebody said, “Oh, Faye really channeled Joan,” I said, “No, no — if she had channeled Joan, she would have been polite to the crew.” Joan knew all their names, greeted them every morning, she was really gracious and kind, remembered their birthdays, gave thank-you notes, sent presents. This was her ball field so to speak. Often people who are that way at work, the tension and pressure sort of build up and they take it out on their wives, their kids, you know, the loved ones around them, because they have to relieve the pressure somewhere and I think in my mind, I suspect that’s what happened to Joan. She was under a lot of pressure, she was a huge star, she was losing her contract at MGM and I think she was under a lot of pressure and I think a lot of it is perspective. I read several books about her before we started the movie and you know, she grew up extremely poor, no clothes and the really pretty girls at her school made fun of her. I really identified with that because when I came to America wearing my one dress and having their girls dish me because I was always wearing the same dress … kids can be very hurtful at that age. … I’m sure in Joan’s eyes, she grew up with that poverty and struggle and she sees these kids in their Beverly Hills home and beautiful clothes being taken care of and, you know, she’s a disciplinarian. She was going to give them a good life, but they weren’t going to become spoiled brats. But it’s all relative. I’m sure from the kids’ point of view, maybe she was too strict and too punishing. … I look at my mother and I remember all the beatings, the belts, and I think, “Gosh, I would have loved to have lived in a beautiful house with beautiful clothes and just had a strict mother, that would have been great,” but again, it’s all relative and it’s such a personal experience growing up. No parents are perfect.
a&e features
Queery: Meet artist, performer John Levengood
Modern creative talks nightlife, coming out, and his personal queer heroes
John Levengood (he/him) describes himself as a modern creative with a wide‑ranging toolkit. He blends music, technology, civic duty, and a sharp sense of wit into a cohesive artistic identity. Known primarily as a recording artist and performer, he’s also a self‑taught music producer and software engineer who embodies a generation of creators who build their own lanes rather than wait for one to appear.
Levengood, 32, who is single and identifies as gay and queer, is best known as a recording artist who has performed at Pride festivals across the country, including the main stages of World Pride DC, Central Arkansas Pride, and Charlotte Pride.
“Locally in the DMV, I’m known for turning heads at nightlife venues with my eye-catching sense of style. When I go out, I don’t try to blend in. I hope I inspire people to be themselves and have the courage to stand out,” he says.
He’s also known for hosting karaoke at Freddie’s Beach Bar in Arlington, Va., on Thursday nights. “I like to create a space where people feel comfortable expressing themselves, building community, and showcasing their talents.”
He also creates social media content from my performances and do interviews at LGBTQ+ bars and theatres in the DMV. Follow the Arlington resident @johnlevengood.
How long have you been out and who was the hardest person to tell?
I have been fully out of the closet since 2019. My parents were the hardest people to tell because my family has always been my rock and at the time I couldn’t imagine a world without them. Their reactions were extremely positive and supportive so I had nothing to fear all along.
I remember sitting on the couch with my mom, dad, and sister in our hotel room in New Orleans during our winter vacation and being so nervous to tell them. After I finally mustered up the nerve and made the proclamation, I realized my dad had already fallen asleep on the couch. My mom promised to tell him when he woke up.
Who’s your LGBTQ hero?
My LGBTQ heroes are Harvey Milk for paving the way for gays in politics and Elton John for being a pioneer for the fabulous and authentic. My local heroes in the DMV are Howard Hicks, manager of Green Lantern, and Tony Rivenbark, manager of Freddie’s Beach Bar. Both of them are essential to creating spaces where I’ve felt welcome and safe since moving to the DMV.
What’s Washington’s best nightspot, past or present?
Trade tops the list for me because of the dance floor and outdoor space. It’s so nice to get a break from the music every once and a while to be able to have a conversation.
We live in challenging times. How do you cope?
I’m still figuring this out. What is working right now is writing music and spending time with family and friends. I’ve also been spending less time on social media going to the gym at least three times a week.
What streaming show are you binging?
After “Traitors” Season 4 ended, I was in a bit of a show hole, but “Stumble” has me in a laughing loop right now. The writing is so witty.
What do you wish you’d known at 18?
At 18, I wish I would have known how liberating it is to come out of the closet. It would have been nice to know some winning lottery numbers as well.
What are your friends messaging about in your most recent group chat?
We are planning our next trip to New York City. If you can believe it, I visited NYC for the first time in 2025 for Pride and I’ve been back every quarter since. Growing up in the country, I was subconsciously primed to be scared of the city. But my mind has been blown. I can’t wait to go back.
Why Washington?
It’s the closest metropolitan area to my family, but not too close. I love the museums, the diversity, the history, and the proximity to the beach and mountains. It’s also nice to live in a city with public transportation.
Aging RFK Stadium has come down, but the RFK grounds are still getting lit up. Welcome back to the stage Project GLOW, D.C.’s homegrown electronic festival, on May 30-31. Back for its fifth year on these musically inclined acres, Project GLOW returns with an even more diverse lineup, and one that continues to celebrate LGBTQ antecedents, attendees, and acts.
Project GLOW 2026 headliners include house and techno star Mau P, progressive house legend Eric Prydz, hard-techno favorite Sara Landry, and bass acts Excision b2b Sullivan King, among the lineup of trance, bass, house, techno, dubstep, and others for the fifth anniversary year.
President & CEO Pete Kalamoutsos — born and raised in D.C. — founded Club GLOW in 1999. In 2020, GLOW entered into a partnership with global entertainment company Insomniac Events to produce live events like Project GLOW, which kicked off in 2022.
As in past years, Project GLOW not only makes space, but is intentionally inclusive of the LGBTQ community, one of its most dedicated fan bases. The festival’s LGBTQ-focused Secret Garden stage blooms again — a more intimate dance area that stands on the strength of DJs and musicians who draw from the LGBTQ community. D.C.’s LGBTQ nightlife mastermind Ed Bailey is the creative mind behind Secret Garden again. He joined Project GLOW in 2023.
“Kalamoustos says that “he’s proud of his partnership with Ed Bailey, along with Capital Pride and [nightlife producer] Jake Resnikow. It’s amazing to collaborate with Bailey at the Secret Garden stage, especially after the curated lineup we worked on at Pride last year.”
The Secret Garden will be a bit different from other stages: Eternal (“At the Eternal stage, time stands still. Lose yourself in the dance of past, present, and future, surrendering to the eternal rhythm of the universe”) and Pulse (“Feel the rhythm of the beat pulse through your veins as the heartbeat of the crowd synchronizes into one. Here, every moment vibrates with life as it guides you through a new dimension of euphoria”). The Secret Garden stage is in the round, surrounded by 16 shipping containers. The containers play canvas to muralists from around the world, who are coming in to paint them in a vibrant garden-style vibe. “We gave this stage some extra love with this layout,” K says, “ we finally cracked the code.”
K says that this will be the biggest lineup yet for the Secret Garden, featuring Nicole Moudaber b2b Chasewest, Riordan b2b Bullet Tooth, Ranger Trucco, Cassian, Eli & Fur, Cosmic Gate and Hayla. The stage is also the largest yet, featuring an expanded dance floor and 360-degree viewing.
Across all stages, K says that his goal for the fifth anniversary is “More art and fan interactive experience, more like a festival, strive to be like a Tomorrowland, as budget grows to add more experience.” Last year’s Project GLOW alone drew 40,000 attendees over two days.
K, however, was not satisfied with one festival this spring. GLOW recently announced a “pop-up” one-day event. Teaming up with Black Book Records, GLOW is set to throw a first-of-its-kind dance-music takeover of Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W., headlined by electronic music star Chris Lake. Set for April 18, this euphoric block party will feature bass and vibes blocks from the White House. Organizers expect as many as 10,000 fans to attend. Beyond music, there will be food, activations, and plenty of other activities taking place around 6th St and Pennsylvania Ave NW – a location familiar to many in the LGBTQ community, as this sits squarely inside the blocks of the Capital Pride party that takes place in DC every June.
Over the past two decades, Club GLOW has produced thousands of events, from club nights to large-scale festivals including Project GLOW, Moonrise Festival, and more. Club GLOW also operates Echostage.
a&e features
New book celebrates 1970s dance music icons
‘A Night at the Disco’ features interviews with Donna Summer, Debbie Harry, more
If you’re a fan of 1970s-era dance music, don’t miss the irresistible new book by Christian John Wikane and Alice Harris, “A Night at the Disco,” which revisits more than 90 interviews conducted with some of the biggest names in pop culture.
“A Night at the Disco” (ACC Art Books) was published on March 24, and distributed by Simon & Schuster. It celebrates more than 100 artists who sparked a phenomenon in dance music from 1970-1979 and features excerpts from interviews with everyone from Donna Summer to Debbie Harry.
Lost City Books (2467 18th St., N.W.) will welcome author Christian John Wikane for a book signing and conversation about “A Night at the Disco” on Thursday, April 16 at 6 p.m. Details at lostcitybookstore.com. Bird in Hand Coffee & Books in Baltimore (11 E. 33rd St.) )will also host a Q&A with the author on Wednesday, April 15 at 6 p.m. Details at theivybookshop.com.
Below is an excerpt from “A Night at the Disco.”
“I’ll let in anyone who looks like they’ll make things fun.” Steve Rubell is guiding a New York Times reporter through Studio 54 as resident DJ Richie Kaczor dazzles the crowd with records by CHIC, Odyssey, and T-Connection. “Disco, that’s where the happy people go,” The Trammps sing as dancers spin and twirl underneath tubes of flashing lights. Seven months since Rubell and co-owner Ian Schrager opened Studio 54 in April 1977, it’s welcomed untold numbers of “happy people” … at least those lucky enough to pass through the doors.
“We were part of the chosen few,” says André De Shields, who immortalized the title role in The Wiz on Broadway at the time. “We could show up at Studio 54 and the doorman at the velvet stanchion would look over everyone and point to us from The Wiz to come in, that kind of thing.” As the lead vocalist in the GRAMMY-nominated Dr. Buzzard’s Original Savannah Band, whose debut modernized big band sophistication for the discothèques, Cory Daye had carte blanche in the club. “The energy was like a New Year’s Eve party every night,” she says. “I would go up to the mezzanine and watch the mechanical light pillars go up and down, metallic confetti falling from the ceiling, the spoon and the moon. I was so fascinated and enamored by it.
“When a certain song came on, the people would just rush to the dance floor. There was no contact dancing — the hustle was pretty much on its way out — but it was just an amazing experience to see all the cultures together. It was a fusion of cultures, which described my life and my band, so I was right at home there.”
“Studio 54 was the place,” adds Linda Clifford. “Crazy parties. If you could think it, you would see it. It was like a circus. Just an amazing place to be. I worked 54 so many times. It was like a second home to me. The people there treated me so well. The crowd always seemed to enjoy my show. I always had a good time with them. That was the most important thing: making sure that they had fun.”
Well before Studio 54 opened, disco had become a business juggernaut. “A four billion dollar market and still growing,” Billboard announced in February 1977, with dance music offering more variety than ever. “There is no longer a single, readily identifiable disco beat, but a kaleidoscope of sounds that are melodic and danceable,” Tom Moulton told the magazine. In the clubs, records by veteran artists like Stevie Wonder and the Bee Gees were mixed in with a range of new acts like Grace Jones, Boney M., and The Ritchie Family, while everyone from ABBA to Marvin Gaye scored number one pop hits with songs that had club-centric storylines.
Beyond the charts, disco itself remained as idiosyncratic as ever, especially on several productions by Laurin Rinder and W. Michael Lewis, whose studio creations, El Coco (“Let’s Get It Together,” “Cocomotion”) and Le Pamplemousse (“Le Spank”), joined their own “Lust” from Seven Deadly Sins (1977) among the most tantalizing releases on AVI Records. Rinder & Lewis also produced acts for the newly hatched Butterfly Records in Los Angeles, where Saint Tropez (“On a Rien à Perdre”) and Tuxedo Junction (“Moonlight Serenade”) reflected the duo’s high gloss sound, spanning everything from European sophistication to a more literal translation of the ’40s sensibilities popularized by Dr. Buzzard’s Original Savannah Band.
12-inch singles had also grown as the preferred format to approximate the club music experience at home. Nearly a year after Atlantic Records introduced its series of promotional 12-inch singles for DJs, New York-based Salsoul Records released the industry’s first commercially available 12-inch single, “Ten Percent” by Double Exposure, in May 1976. A year later, T.K. Records was the first label to certify a gold record for a 12-inch single when Peter Brown’s “Do You Wanna Get Funky With Me” tallied one million sales.— Christian John Wikane
(From “A Night at the Disco” by Alice Harris & Christian John Wikane. Published by ACC Art Books.)
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