Joan Crawford and a then-unknown Steven Spielberg worked together on the set of Night Gallery.


 


It was Spielberg’s very first professional directing job, and he admitted he was nervous working with such a big star. He later said, “The moment they cast her, it felt like the set belonged to her, not me. And honestly, I didn’t mind—I was just excited to finally have a real directing job.”


Surprisingly, Joan treated him with total respect and kindness. Spielberg said, “She treated me like royalty—like the famous directors Henry King or King Vidor.” But he didn’t know the full story at the time.


Years later, Spielberg found out from Lew Wasserman, a top executive at Universal, what really happened. Right after meeting Spielberg, Joan called Wasserman and said, “Get me a real director or I’m not doing this show. It’s him or me.”


Wasserman replied—and Spielberg shared this story at Lew’s memorial—“Joan, if I have to pick between you and Steven, I’m picking Steven.” Then there was total silence on the phone.


Wasserman continued, “Joan, you don’t need to come back to TV. You’re doing great with Pepsi-Cola. But we’re taking a chance on this young guy, and we’re letting him direct.”


Thanks to Lew setting the tone, Joan came back to set and treated Spielberg just like she had treated the famous directors she worked with in her prime. She showed him nothing but respect and support. Spielberg said, “I never once saw her famous temper. Instead, she sent me gifts every day.”


He returned the kindness by sending her flowers daily. They even stayed in touch after the show ended.

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