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Queen Bee | 
| Director: Ranald Macdougall
Actors: Joan Crawford, Barry Sullivan, Betsy Palmer, John Ireland, Lucy Marlow
Studio: Sony Pictures
Category: DVD
List Price: $19.94
Buy New: $13.49
You Save: $6.45 (32%)
New (35) Used (12) Collectible (1) from $10.98
Rating:  48 reviews
Sales Rank: 27728
Format: Anamorphic, Black & White, Closed-captioned, Color, Dvd-video, Subtitled, Widescreen, Ntsc
Languages: English (Original Language), English (Subtitled), Spanish (Subtitled), Portuguese (Subtitled), Georgian (Subtitled), Chinese (Subtitled), Thai (Subtitled)
Rating: Unrated
Region: 99
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
Number Of Discs: 1
Running Time: 95 Minutes
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.3
Dimensions (in): 7.4 x 5.1 x 0.6
MPN: D70889D
UPC: 043396708891
EAN: 0043396708891
ASIN: B00005RDRP
Theatrical Release Date: November 7, 1955
Release Date: December 18, 2001
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: Expedited shipping available
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: BRAND NEW, Factory Sealed items direct from the Studios. 30 Day Satisfaction Guarantee. Quick International Airmail!
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| Editorial Reviews:
Amazon.com
"Any man's my man if I want it that way." The speaker could only be Joan Crawford, as a wicked man-eater terrorizing her Deep South household in Queen Bee. Crawford's the whole show in this campy 1955 melodrama, which aspires to be second-rate Lillian Hellman but doesn't even reach that level. Having trapped a wealthy Southerner (Barry Sullivan) into marriage, Crawford takes her main pleasure in making life miserable for the other women of the mansion. This is fun to watch for a while, but director Ranald MacDougall (he wrote Mildred Pierce for Crawford) can't get the pace moving, and the final comeuppance is all too predictable. Crawford was going into her final high-diva phase at this point in her career, all chalky makeup and yard-long eyebrows, and Queen Bee clearly points the way toward What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? Star power prevails, however, and at least the picture summons up its share of unintentional laughs. --Robert Horton
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| Customer Reviews: Read 43 more reviews...
 "She'll sting you one day" November 22, 2007
Byron Kolln (the corner where Broadway meets Hollywood)
The South must hold the monopoly in bitter, fractured families. In QUEEN BEE, based on the novel by Edna Lee, every member of the Phillips family has their own axe to grind...and it all stems from matriarch Eva (played brilliantly by Joan Crawford). Eva manipulates everyone around her with precision skill. In a loveless marriage with alcoholic husband Avery (Barry Sullivan), Eva is also dallying with her cousin's fiancee (John Ireland). When Eva's distant relation Jennifer Stewart (Lucy Marlow) comes to live with the Phillips clan, Eva's "sweet sting" soon infects her as well. The machinations continue as Eva twists the lives of her family members until they all shatter.
Joan Crawford lets the venom flow with her masterly performance as Eva, the queen bee of the title. Dressed in some gorgeous Jean Louis gowns and filtered through soft lighting, "La Crawford" commands the screen in every possible way. Notice too, how her voice changes from soft and honeyed when Eva is trying to get what she wants, to gruff and unforgiving when her temper snaps. The brilliant supporting cast includes Betsy Palmer as ill-fated cousin Carol-Lee, and Fay Wray as the jilted Sue McKinnon. Contract player Lucy Marlow, in one of her first lead roles, provides the innocent core of the story, yet our eyes remain riveted to Crawford. She was the ultimate Queen Bee!
The DVD includes the trailer plus talent profiles and vintage advertising gallery. (Single-sided, single-layer disc).
 Joan is the best B...... October 23, 2007
Terry Richard (Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Joan Crawford proved in "Queen Bee" she was capable of playing the best villiness in motion pictures. From the moment she comes on the screen she owns it as well as all of her co stars. Crawford makes the film as a ruthless woman who destroys everyone around her in the South. The film was written by her "Mildred Pierce" scripter Ronald Mcdouggal who captures the coldness that Crawford can transfer to the screen. One is amazed at her performance and even her daughter Christina fled the movie theatre halfway through because it reminded her of how Joan was at home. Many Hollywood actresses could learn a few things from Crawford's stellar performance. A great picture with wonderful film and audio quality. A rare gem.
Joan Crawford at her conniving, devious best . . . October 14, 2007
Marc Harshbarger (Chic-a-go-go)
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
Joan rules the roost and this movie as Eva Phillips, whose sharp tongue tears her family apart one by one. She's married to Avery (Barry Sullivan)--or Beauty as they call him (despite the ugly scar on his face)--he's turned to drink because of his bitch of a wife. Avery's sister Carol Lee (played by a perky blonde Betsy Palmer, preparing herself for her later stardom as Jason's mother in 1980's "Friday the 13th"--"Queen Bee" is a horror flick of a different kind)--anyway, Carol Lee is in love with Jud (John Ireland), who used to be involved with--yup, you guessed it--Eva! But poor Carol Ann doesn't know this secret. And when she and Jud announce their engagement, Hurricane Eva doesn't take the news very well. You'll have to watch the film to find out what happens next to this dysfunctional clan--but four stars of my review belong soley to Joan (the remaining one is for the wonderful black and white cinematography), who is the reason to watch this melodrama. Her outfits are divine, her face is always lit perfectly in her every scene and her smooth delivery of outrageous lines that slap her "loved ones" across the face (and she even delivers an actual slap to one unfortunate soul) is a delight to watch. If you love Ms. Crawford, then you gotta see "Queen Bee"--it's one of my favorites of her flicks. And the DVD also includes the campy theatrical trailer, which is a hoot. You can't take "Queen Bee" too seriously or you'll be horrified by Joan's horrible behavior. Instead, you just need to sit back and enjoy a delicious dark comedy--that's the way I view this over-the-top classic--and laugh and hiss at Joan's evil ways. You'll have a great time!
Unintentional Laughs, but all old movies have that October 3, 2007
Stephen (Lenoir, NC)
I had to watch this film after reading Christina Crawford's "Mommie Dearest". Christina wrote "I went to see my mom in 'Queen Bee' and I hated it. She wasn't acting, she was being her true self in that movie, that's exactly how she was at home when she was drinking and at her very worst." Well, yes, Joan's character was pretty insane in the movie, but she wasn't into physical abuse, she was mostly into psychological abuse. I enjoyed it. Sometimes it is good to watch a silly old film.
Drama Queen September 16, 2007
J. Abercrombi (Kobenhavn)
"Queen Bee" is perhaps Joan's defining picture of the fifties. Not because it's a great movie, but because Joan worked so hard in this film.
Joan plays Eva Phillips, a family matriarch that rules her hive with an iron fist and an iron tongue. Eva has no use for other women, and as far as she's concerned, the men in her life are only good for 1 thing. (Take one guess what that is!) Eva will stop at nothing to manipulate the people around her; the woman is absolutely conniving. The question is, will anyone be able to stop The Queen-Bee before it's too late...?
If you're new to Miss Crawford's impressive fifties film resume, might I also recommend: Harriet Craig, Story of Esther Costello, Sudden Fear,Johnny Guitar and "Female On The Beach."
After you see "Queen Bee" you will see why Joan and this film are so loved. Because in this movie Joan is dramatic, very beautiful, fashionable and way to bitchy for her own good. In all her mean-spiritedness, Eva Phillips manages to make Leona Helmsley, Madonna and Barbra Streisand all look like very sweet Disney characters!
I also enjoyed Friday the 13th star, Betsy Palmer very much in this movie. Incidentally, I just recently watched a game show that Betsy and Miss Crawford did together many years after this movie. They did that one dramatic part from the movie when Eva says, "any man's my man if I want him." It was so funny!!
Sadly, besides "Sudden Fear" Joan didn't have a hit for many years; this film helped put life back into Joan's quickly fading career. "Queen Bee" taught me that Joan was a fighter who never gave up! Like a cat holding onto her 9th life hanging off the RCA building, Joan always knew how to endure!
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