*He was also one of the wealthiest Americans in his time, which may sound surprising.*
He (along with Barbara Stanwyck and Randolph (cue chorus) Scott) took Will Rogers advice early in their careers and invested in lots of land in the San Fernando Valley at a time when the Valley was still orange groves and agricultural.
After the war, the Valley exploded into suburbia and the three stars made a lot of money renting those properties to businesses.
In addition, each owned sizable ranches themselves. McCrea's may have been the biggest spread of the three.
But their investment in land helped make them very wealthy.
I am Joel McCrea's daughter, Mona Leigh McCrea. There is a lovely mini documentary on youtube by Jerry Skinner about Joel's life and I am included in that with a photo of my brother Peter and I when we first met on what would have been Joel's 101st birthday.
Jerry does wonderful documentaries on movie stars, directors, etc. He did make a number of mistakes in Joel's case including calling me Monica instead of Mona. Bless his heart, he corrected that in a later video. TCM fans may really enjoy Jerry's channel on youtube.
Here is a link to that little documentary.
I recently joined TCM and noticed there was a debate going on about whether Joel had a daughter. The biggest mistake I have seen made is the understandable lack of knowledge about my existence. Joel never acknowledged me publicly because he felt his wife, Frances, had been hurt enough by the affair and didn't want to see anyone hurt further. He negotiated with my mother when I was 12 years old about the entire business and they came to an agreement. Jerry Skinner thought I was conceived after Joel and Frances were separated but I believe I was the reason for that separation. Later, once Joel and Frances reconciled, my brother Peter was born. Peter and I have become quite close. Jody and I were very close and used to spend hours on the phone before he passed away.
My brothers Peter and Jody both acknowledged me publicly. Brother David was simply unable to discuss it for personal reasons and I understood that - we never met or spoke.
I agree with Sally Field who said "There just aren't enough Joel McCrea movies...." and would love to see Joel as Star Of The Month, though I don't watch tv and haven't for many years. I did do a music video in honor of my father which can be seen on youtube at
I was just fooling around in my studio one night and did this song thinking of Joel. I play, sing and recorded all of the instruments and vocals of this song with the exception of the lead guitar parts which were played by Leon Taylor. I have done some movie and stage acting but enjoy editing much more and focus mainly on that now. I played music for a living for 30 years, now focusing on recording in my personal studio. My brother Peter is an excellent movie editor and edited Dances With Wolves and another favorite movie of mine, Windwalker, which starred our sister in law, Dusty Iron Wing McCrea, Jody's wife.
I look forward to checking back in here from time to time to see articles and mentions of my father, as I never saw him again after age 12 years at his ranch in Thousand Oaks. Oh, my son, Colton Vaughan Evans is also an actor, having appeared in movies with Keanu Reeves, Tilda Swinton and others but he, like myself, doesn't enjoy the acting as much as other aspects of the industry.
Joel McCrea for Star of the Month
in General Discussions
Posted
I am Joel McCrea's daughter, Mona Leigh McCrea. There is a lovely mini documentary on youtube by Jerry Skinner about Joel's life and I am included in that with a photo of my brother Peter and I when we first met on what would have been Joel's 101st birthday.
Jerry does wonderful documentaries on movie stars, directors, etc. He did make a number of mistakes in Joel's case including calling me Monica instead of Mona. Bless his heart, he corrected that in a later video. TCM fans may really enjoy Jerry's channel on youtube.
Here is a link to that little documentary.
I recently joined TCM and noticed there was a debate going on about whether Joel had a daughter. The biggest mistake I have seen made is the understandable lack of knowledge about my existence. Joel never acknowledged me publicly because he felt his wife, Frances, had been hurt enough by the affair and didn't want to see anyone hurt further. He negotiated with my mother when I was 12 years old about the entire business and they came to an agreement. Jerry Skinner thought I was conceived after Joel and Frances were separated but I believe I was the reason for that separation. Later, once Joel and Frances reconciled, my brother Peter was born. Peter and I have become quite close. Jody and I were very close and used to spend hours on the phone before he passed away.
My brothers Peter and Jody both acknowledged me publicly. Brother David was simply unable to discuss it for personal reasons and I understood that - we never met or spoke.
I agree with Sally Field who said "There just aren't enough Joel McCrea movies...." and would love to see Joel as Star Of The Month, though I don't watch tv and haven't for many years. I did do a music video in honor of my father which can be seen on youtube at
I was just fooling around in my studio one night and did this song thinking of Joel. I play, sing and recorded all of the instruments and vocals of this song with the exception of the lead guitar parts which were played by Leon Taylor. I have done some movie and stage acting but enjoy editing much more and focus mainly on that now. I played music for a living for 30 years, now focusing on recording in my personal studio. My brother Peter is an excellent movie editor and edited Dances With Wolves and another favorite movie of mine, Windwalker, which starred our sister in law, Dusty Iron Wing McCrea, Jody's wife.
I look forward to checking back in here from time to time to see articles and mentions of my father, as I never saw him again after age 12 years at his ranch in Thousand Oaks. Oh, my son, Colton Vaughan Evans is also an actor, having appeared in movies with Keanu Reeves, Tilda Swinton and others but he, like myself, doesn't enjoy the acting as much as other aspects of the industry.
Cheers, All.
Mona Leigh McCrea