her consorting with “people of culture and taste,” she never forgot—and was usually more comfortable with—the average, unknown, behind-the-scenes workers who crossed her path. Joan befriended film crews and technicians as she did executives, remembering their birthdays, asking about their families, paying hospital and doctor bills for the indigent and providing financial assistance to help families who were ill or had fallen on hard times—as so many did in the 1930s. These generous acts were done quietly, and anyone who publicized her generosity was soundly chastised. Some
