January 17: Joan, Alfred Steele and the children arrive in New York City aboard the Queen Mary following their Christmas vacation to Switzerland.
February 9: Joan and Alfred Steele travel to Jamaica.
March: Joan and Alfred purchase an apartment at 2 East 70th Street, on the corner of Fifth Avenue, in Manhattan, New York. Joan's friend, and interior decorator, William Haines, is hired to remodel and decorate the apartment.
March 23: Joan travels to Los Angeles, California.
April 4: Joan travels from Los Angeles, California to Manhattan, New York, via train, to meet with her friend and decorator William Haines regarding the remodeling of her and Alfred's apartment at 2 East 70th Street. Joan anticipates the remodeling to be completed by December 1956, however, the project is not completed until late 1957.
April 6: Joan arrives, via train, in Chicago, Illinois.
Mid-April: Joan travels from Manhattan, New York to Los Angeles, California.
April 21: Joan accompanies Alfred Steele to a Pepsi-Cola plant dedication ceremony in Salina, Kansas.
April 27: Joan signs her contract for "The Golden Virgin" (later re-named "The Story of Esther Costello"). Joan's contract stipulates her salary for the film to be $200,000 with 10% of the film's profits.
Mid-May: Joan travels to Los Angeles, California.
Late-May: Joan attends wardrobe fittings in Los Angeles, California in preparation for "The Story of Esther Costello."
July 2: Joan and Alfred Steele attend the premiere of "Moby Dick" at the Pantages Theater in Los Angeles, California.
July 12: Joan appears before the Santa Monica Superior Court as a character witness on behalf of defendant Albert Teitelbaum. Teitelbaum is on trial accused of staging a robbery of his Beverly Hills fur salon for the benefit of insurance money. Actress Joan Caulfield, columnist Louella Parsons and singer Mario Lanza also serve as character witnesses for the defense.
July 15: Joan and Alfred Steele arrive, via train, to New York's Grand Central Station.
Mid-July: Joan has an appointment with her dentist.
July 19: Joan, along with husband Alfred Steele, depart New York, via ship, to London, England for Joan to begin filming of "The Story of Esther Costello." Joan's daughters, Cathy and Cindy will join Joan and Alfred in London following their dismissal from summer camp.
July 24: Joan, and husband Alfred Steele, arrive in London, England.
July 26: Joan's daughters, Cathy and Cindy, are aboard the S.S. Ile de France ocean liner when the S.S. Andrea Doria is stuck and sinks 51 miles away from the Ile France, just off the coast of Nantucket, Massachusetts. The S.S. Ile de France rescues survivors of the ship wreak. Cathy and Cindy give child survivors their spare clothes.
August 2: Joan and Alfred Steele greet Joan's daughters, Cathy and Cindy, upon their arrival at Paddington Station in London, England, following their ship voyage from America aboard the S.S. Ile de France.
August 28: Joan begins filming "The Story of Esther Costello." Shortly after filming begins Joan injures her shoulder and is put into traction.
Early September: Joan's daughters, Cathy and Cindy, return to the United States from their trip to London, England to begin the new school year.
September: Joan's daughter, Christina, begins studying drama at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
September 18: Joan hosts a birthday celebration for her "The Story of Esther Costello" co-star, Rossano Brazzi. Among the guests are: Heather Sears, David Miller and Alfred Steele.
October 29: Joan is presented to Queen Elizabeth.
November 9: Joan attends the London premiere of "Autumn Leaves." Following the premiere, Joan attends a party in the film's honor. Earlier in the day, Joan gives an interview to the BBC's television program "A-Z."
November 22: Joan learns, via telephone in London, England, that Christopher has ran away from his boarding school in Arizona.
Mid-December: Due to the filming of "The Story of Esther Costello" being behind schedule, Joan cancels her previous plans; which was to leave England on December 12th and to travel by ship from London, England to Manhattan, New York and then on to Canada to spend Christmas with Alfred and her children.
Mid-December: Joan completes filming of "The Story of Esther Costello."
Mid-December: Joan travels from London, England to Switzerland for a Christmas vacation with Alfred and her daughters, Cathy and Cindy.