Mildred Pierce (1945) - watch any time in October or join the watch party on 22nd

Plus Joan Crawford's recipes for meatloaf, coleslaw and a special cocktail.

How many items of clothing do you have in your wardrobe that have shoulder pads? How many can you wear on top of each other to get shoulders as big as Mildred Pierce’s?

The revised version of the Joan Crawford cookbook is out today! Yippee! As Joan’s apron-clad Mildred appears on the cover, it couldn’t be any other film for October.

Over 30 of Joan’s very own recipes are included in the book, and I’m sharing three of them with you so that you can have a Crawford-themed din-dins with your screening of Mildred Pierce.

As always, feel free to watch the movie any time that suits you. But this month, I am doing something special to celebrate the book launch. An international watch party - everyone is welcome!

I will be attempting this hair-do, even though nobody will see me!

Wherever you are in the world, join me to watch this humdinger of a movie on Sunday, October 22nd at 7 pm BST (to check what time this is wherever you are in the world, try World Time Buddy).

If you’ve never been to a watch party before, do try it. They are so much fun. We’ll gather in the Substack app chatroom at 7 pm, and I’ll do a countdown to the moment we all press PLAY on our DVDs or streaming service version of the movie. You can join in with the text chat during the film, or if you prefer, wait until the end to share your thoughts.

Talking of watch parties, if you are in the UK, I’m co-hosting another on Sunday 8th October, in conjunction with the wonderful Talking Pictures TV. It’s a channel that screens fabulous vintage movies and TV shows - such treats!

On Sunday 8th, tune in to I’m All Right Jack at 6.30 pm to watch with us, and for your lunch or dinner, try recipes by three of its stars - Richard Attenborough, Ian Carmichael and the legendary Terry-Thomas.

All the details and recipes can be found on the Silver Screen Suppers site. Only two ingredients in Terry-T’s - a fishy and lots of salt!

Back to Mildred Pierce!

To get in the mood for your screening, I suggest a Joan Crawford Good-Bye Cocktail.

I only recently discovered this cocktail, and I have made a little demo video for you all. Come on into the Silver Screen Suppers Kitchen for a chit-chat about Joan and Mildred Pierce.

Here’s the cocktail book I was talking about in the video - Bottoms Up by Ted Saucier - published in 1962.

Plus, here’s a glimpse of Mrs Biederhof’s hairdo!

To celebrate the relaunch of Cooking With Joan Crawford, I’m giving away two copies.

Here’s how you can be in for a chance to win one.

1 - If you are UK-based, join in with the Talking Pictures TV Watch and Dine Party on Sunday 8th October and Tweet or Instagram a photo of your movie star dish with the hashtags #silverscreensuppers and #talkingpicturestv (or you can send your photos to theprojectionist@talkingpicturestv.co.uk).

2 - Wherever you are in the world, make Joan Crawford’s meatloaf, coleslaw or cocktail (or all three!) and send me a photo by replying to any of the Dinner and a Movie emails or by getting in touch via the Silver Screen Suppers website contact page. The prize draw will take place on 1st November.

Cheers, and bonne chance!

I am raising a glass of Joan’s cocktail in the general direction of Nessa Chileshe, who designed the book cover and made it look so beautiful inside. If you need book formatting help or graphic design, Nessa is your woman - nessachileshe@gmail.com

JOAN’S SIGNATURE DISHES

Now for Joan’s recipes. Unless you fancy serving up Mildred’s signature dish, a chicken-and-waffle dinner…

I’m proposing Joan’s meatloaf accompanied by her coleslaw. If you need more guidance on making either of these dishes, I’ve described how I made them over at the Silver Screen Suppers website.

Do let me know how your dishes turn out (especially what you chose for your “magical mix of herbs and spices” in the coleslaw), and do send me pix!

Joan’s Meatloaf

Joan’s Coleslaw

Here’s how mine turned out.

I heartily suggest you get yourself some Joan Crawford coffee to round off your dinner in style. The wonderful Dominique Chez Breakfast at Dominique’s kindly bartered a bag of Unchained coffee for a copy of the book. What a delight to have a Joan-themed coffee around the place!

It’s so delicious, and do check out Dominique’s Hollywood Blends for other iconic stars right there on your coffee bag! There are two Joan coffees to choose from and many more.

MINDFUL WATCHING TIPS

If you can’t join me on Sunday 22nd October, grab your diary and put a date in right now when you will immerse yourself in this classic movie. Ready? Are phones off, chatterboxes banished, salty snacks and beverages within arms reach, a last-minute wee done, pillows plumped? Then relax and enjoy every minute.

EXTRA GLAMOUR

For some more movie-suitable food, there will be a video demo showing how to make Joan’s Danti-Chips

coming on Friday for members of the Silver Screen Suppers Club (aka those lovely folks who support my writing with a paid subscription to this newsletter).

In the video, I’ll be showing how Joan’s snacky-snack can be adapted for the vegans in your life, and there will be some tips on throwing a dinner party Joan Crawford style from My Way of Life.

Shopping list for the extra treats

Potato chips (sturdy ones) or Tortilla chips

Potted ham (or another spreadable savoury delight of your choice)

American cheese/cheddar cheese (or vegan cheese)

Gherkins

If you take pix of your cocktails, meatloaf, coleslaw or Danti-Chips do copy me in and add hashtags on social media - @silverscreensuppers #silverscreensuppers #dinnerandamovie

YOUR THOUGHTS ON THE FILM AND MOVIE STAR VITTLES?

You can add your thoughts in the comment box of this post, by replying to this email or in the app.

In the app, we’ll be chatting about important matters such as our favourite lines of dialogue, whether any of our friends can strike a match on the sole of their shoe, and how we can get ourselves a beach house that has a bar in the lounge AND a cocktail making cabinet in the sunroom.

WHERE IS THE FILM PLAYING?

For streaming check the Just Watch site

Just Watch UK

Just Watch USA

If you are elsewhere in the world, search for - Mildred Pierce streaming - then your country name for the swiftest results.

If you are a DVD watcher, copies are quite cheap to pick up online. You could try your local library or ask around amongst your chums. Charity shops are also a really great source of classic films on DVD.

LINKY-LINKS

Please see this page if you need more info about how the Silver Screen Suppers Club works.

Eighteen years of movie star recipe experiments can be found on the Silver Screen Suppers website.

Here are links to my themed cookbooks featuring the favourite recipes of tonnes of movie stars. If you prefer not to buy from Amazon, all are available to order from bookshops except Cooking with Joan Crawford. These buttons link to UK Amazon, so do switch to your own country for correct pricing.

OUR NEXT MOVIE

Keep your eye on your inbox on Sunday, 5th November, when our next movie will be announced. I hope this is the style in which you’ll be watching it.