January 14: Joan attends the Time Record Breakers Testimonial dinner at the Toot's Shor restaurant in Manhattan, New York. During the dinner, Joan is awarded a "Benrus Citation Award" for her long record of being an active and popular motion picture star.
January 19: A new maid Joan has recently hired begins her first day of work at Joan's apartment, however the maid quits the next morning. According to Joan, the new maid would not do housework and thought she was being hired as Joan's personal maid, and would be traveling with Joan, which was not the case.
January 25: Joan attends Blackglama's "Night of The Legends" gala at the Four Seasons Restaurant in Manhattan, New York. The gala is to benefit the Police Athletic League. Among the other guests are; Paulette Goddard, Claudette Colbert and Lauren Bacall.
January 28: Joan receives a $15,000 contract payment advance from Simon & Schuster publishers for Joan's autobiography "My Way of Life." Deducted from the $15,000 is $5,000 as payment to Joan's co-author, Audrey Inman Davenport, and $1,000 in commission to her agent at William Morris.
February 3: Joan arrives in Los Angeles, California to attend the 28th annual Golden Globe Awards ceremony, which is to be held on February 5th.
February 5: Joan attends the 28th annual Golden Globe Awards ceremony, which is presented by the Foreign Press Association at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Los Angeles, California. At the ceremony Joan presents Frank Sinatra with the Cecil B. Demille Award. Sinatra's daughter, Tina, accepts the award on her father's behalf. As Joan is praising Sinatra as she presents the award, a man from the audience shouts an obscenity and Joan immediately berates him from the stage.
February 6-7: Joan spends the weekend in Florida on a Pepsi-Cola business trip.
February 8: Joan travels home to Manhattan, New York.
February 16: Joan is interviewed on a live broadcast by Larry King, from 10:00 - 11:00 am, on King's radio show on WIOD in Miami, Florida.
Also on this date, Joan holds a news conference in her suite at the Fontainebleau Hotel. The news outlets included are; "The Miami Times," the "Diario Las Americas," "Vandidades" and local television stations WQBA, WMBM AND WCIX-TV.
Later in the day, Joan participates in a "Shake The Can" UNICEF charity drive, using one of Pepsi's new 16 ounce can as a collection container.
March: Joan accepts the position of honorary chairwoman of a new board of advisers to raise funds for the Negro Ensemble Company.
March 9: Joan's daughter, Christina, guest stars on an episode of the television show "Marcus Welby, M.D.," in the episode "Eulogy For A Mad Dog."
March 18 (#1): Joan has dinner in Manhattan with Leo and Teri Jaffe.
March 18 (#2): Joan's daughter, Christina, guest stars on an episode of the television show "Ironside."
March 27: Joan visits Don The Beachcomber's restaurant in the Sahara Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada.
(Note: This date is taken from the restaurant's guestbook, which Joan signed. However, at some point, someone dated her signature as signed on "Apr 27, 1971." April seems unlikely due to Joan being in Las Vegas for Variety Club's "Golden Convention" at the end of March. March 27th, is more likely.)
March 28: Joan attends Variety Clubs' annual "Global Convention" held at the Sands Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada. Among the convention's 500 guests are; Goldie Hawn, Sally Kellerman, Alan King and Walter Matthau, Sean Connery, Jack Nicholson and Karen Black.
Late March: Joan appears on the television talk show "The Merv Griffin Show," which was previously recorded at Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas, Nevada.
April 19: Joan signs a three-year representation and management contract with the William Morris agency for film and television projects.
May 15: Joan travels to Winter Haven, Florida to attend a dinner at the Florida Showcase in honor of Dick Pope, the man who founded Cypress Gardens, Florida. Joan is escorted into the dinner by the Orlando Pepsi-Cola plant manager Marc Lefebvre. Following the dinner, Joan presents Mr. Pope with a plaque from the "Keep America Beautiful" campaign. The dinner is attend by 500 guests.
June 5: Joan attends the dedication ceremony of a new Pepsi-Cola bottling plant in Valdosta, Georgia.
June 12: Joan attends the dedication ceremony of a new Pepsi-Cola bottling plant in Ventura, California.
June 30: Joan is previously invited by Larry Carr to attend a showing of "The Hollywood Revue of 1929" at New York's Museum of Modern Art. Joan declines.
Late June: Joan travels back home to Manhattan, New York.
July 28: Joan is treated to dinner at 21 in Manhattan, New York by Irving Mansfield and wife, Jacqueline Susann.
August 21: Joan travels to Birmingham, Alabama to attend the American Film Institute's film festival. Joan arrives in Birmingham at 1:30 pm aboard Eastern airlines. She is met at the airport by local Pepsi-Cola bottler James C. Lee.
August 22: Joan attends the opening day of the American Film Institute's film festival in Birmingham, Alabama.
August 24: Myrna Loy joins Joan onstage at the American Film Institute's Film Festival in Birmingham, Alabama.
August 25: Joan returns home to Manhattan, New York.
September 5: Joan appears at Jerry Lewis' Muscular Dystrophy Association telethon, which is held at the Americana Hotel in Manhattan, New York. Among the other guests are; Steve Allen, Sammy Davis jr, Jack Palance, Sidney Blackmer, Mike Douglas, Van Johnson Tiny Tim and the band "The Fifth Dimension."
September 6: Joan attends the "First Annual United States National Ballroom Dancing Championships," held at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in Manhattan, New York. 500 couples compete in the championship.
September 7: Joan attends a screening of her film "Dancing Lady" at the Movie Musical Theater (known as Theatre 80) at 80 St. Marks Place in Manhattan, New York. Prior to the screening, Joan sets her hands and signature in a slab of cement outside of the theater.
September 23: Joan appears on "The Lee Leonard Show" at 11:30 am on channel 5 in Manhattan, New York. During Joan's appearance, Leonard presents a pre-recorded street interview whereby he asked passersby what they would ask Joan if they were to me her.
October: Joan negotiates to be the host of a daily female-oriented talk show.
Early October: Joan begins a two-month long promotional tour of sixteen cities for her autobiography "My Way of Life."
October 3: Joan travels from Manhattan, New York to Washington, D.C. to attend the American Film Institute's "Joan Crawford Film Festival" and to promote her autobiography. During her visit, Joan stays at the Sheraton Carlton Hotel.
October 4: Joan attends an autograph party for "My Way of Life" from 2:00 pm - 4:00 pm at the Woodward & Lothrop department store in Washington, D.C.
October 5 (#1): Joan is interviewed on the radio program "Viewpoint," hosted by Betty Groebli, at 10:05 pm on WRC in Washington, D.C.
October 5 #2): Joan meets with FBI director J. Edgar Hoover in his office in Washington, D.C.
October 6: Joan attends a press conference in her suite at the Sheraton Carlton Hotel in Washington, D.C.
October 7: Joan attends a retrospective which is comprised of excerpts from five of her films at the American Film Institute in Washington, D.C.
The retrospect begins at 8:00 pm. The five films are later shown in their entirety during AFI's four-day "Joan Crawford Film Festival" from October 8th - October 11th.
October 8-11: Joan attends the "Joan Crawford Film Festival" at the AFI theater in Washington, D.C. The five films shown during the festival are; "Dancing Lady," "A Woman's Face," "Mildred Pierce," "Sudden Fear" and "Johnny Guitar."
October 8: "My Way of Life" is officially released nationally in America by Simon & Schuster.
October 11: Joan travels from Washington, D.C. to San Francisco, California.
October 12: Joan attends an autograph party for "My Way of Life," which begins at 12:00 pm at The City of Paris Dry Goods Co. in San Francisco, California.
October 14 (#1): Joan attends a book signing and press conference in her suite at the Beverly Hills Hotel in Los Angeles, California.
October 14 (#2): Joan records her appearance on "The Merv Griffin Show" in Los Angeles, California.
October 15: Joan signs copies of "My Way of Life" from 2:00 pm - 4:00 pm at the May Co. Store in west Los Angeles; located at the corner of Pico Boulevard and Overland Avenue.
October 20: Joan appears on the television talk show "The Merv Griffin Show" to promote "My Way of Life." Other guests on the episode include; Clint Eastwood, Dr. Louis B. Leakey and bullfighter Luis Dominguin.
October 21: Joan arrives in Birmingham, Alabama at 1:00 pm aboard Eastern flight #541. She is met at the airport by local Pepsi-Cola bottler James C. Lee.
October 22: Joan is honored at a party held at the Mountain Brook Club in Birmingham, Alabama. The party is hosted by Birmingham Pepsi-Cola bottler James C. Lee and his wife. Several other Pepsi-Cola associates attend the partying, which include Pepsi-Cola vice president Mitchell Cox and his wife, and Joan's personal assistant, Mary Jane Rachael.
October 28: Joan travels to Hartford, Connecticut. During her visit in Hartford, Joan stays at Hotel Sonesta.
October 29: Joan autographs copies of "My Way of Life" from 2:00 pm - 4:00 pm at G. Fox and Co. Department store in Hartford, Connecticut.
November 4: "Berserk" is shown for the first time on television in American at 9:00 pm as the CBS Thursday night movie.
November 5: Joan attends an American Cancer Society banquet and awards ceremony in the Empire Room at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in Manhattan, New York.
November 8: Joan arrives in Chicago, Illinois, and attends a book signing for "My Way of Life" at the Marshall Fields department store in downtown Chicago. During Joan's visit, she stays at the Ambassador Hotel, and holds interviews in the hotel's Royal Hunt Room and Pump Room restaurant.
November 15: Joan arrives in Boston, Massachusetts. Upon her arrival, she holds a press conference at 11:15 am in her suite at the Ritz Carlton Hotel.
November 16: Joan attends a book signing for "My Way of Life" from 2:00 pm - 3:00 pm at the Jordan Marsh department store in Boston, Massachusetts.
Click here for a special fan memory by Suzanne Page of her encounter with Joan at this book signing.
November 17: Joan watches Bette Davis on "The Dick Cavett Show." During the show, Bette recalls a story about being stung by a hornet once. Cavett asks her if she thought Joan Crawford put it there. Joan later calls Alanna Nash to ask if she watched the show, telling Nash that Cavitt "made a fool out of himself."
November 23 (#1): Joan attends a book signing for "My Way of Life," which begins at 12:15 pm in the Grand Court of the John Wanamaker department store in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
November 23 (#2): With assistance from her secretaries, Joan begins the process of mailing her 1971 Christmas cards.
Early December: Joan travels to Columbus, Ohio to attend an autograph party for "My Way of Life."