CATE BLANCHETT
IN A NEW BOOK, MELISSA RIVERS REVEALS THE PRIZED MEMENTOS THE TRAILBLAZING COMEDIAN LEFT BEHIND
The star discusses Lucille Ball’s legacy as she preps to play her in a new biopic.
People say that money is not the key to happiness,” Joan Rivers once famously joked, “but I always figured if you have enough money, you can have a key made!” In her personal life, Joan found her bliss by “surrounding herself with beautiful things,” former Hollywood Reporter columnist and longtime friend Sue Cameron tells Closer.
Fans will soon get a personal peek into the cherished possessions of the late comedian when Joan Rivers Confidential, a scrapbook of her life, hits bookstores in October. “We decided to create a photographic journey through the 50 years of my mom’s career,” says Melissa Rivers, 49, explaining that all the material comes from the memories that Joan kept. “It’s been pretty emotional,” she admits, but the result is a “history of the last five decades from a strong woman’s point of view.”
Much of the material has its roots in the library the cuttingedge comedian maintained of every joke she’d ever written. “She was much more organized than I was,” Dick Cavett, another old friend, admits to Closer. “It came in handy when she performed and needed a joke on a moment’s notice. I think most people would be surprised how bloody smart she was.”
Joan was driven, too. “People think it comes so easily. They have no idea…. I prepare like a crazy lady,” said the star, who was still writing gags right up to her unexpected death in 2014 at age 81. “She was always finding her voice and pushing the envelope, starting to talk about things that were totally taboo,” says Melissa, recalling how Joan wasn’t even allowed to say the word “pregnant” on TV in 1968. “It’s really fascinating to look at that.”
“I don’t throw any jokes away,
even when they’re no longer relevant.”
— Joan
COLLECTOR’S QUEST
Among the other treasures revealed in the tome is a 1938 school report card that noted that young Joan had a “keen desire to succeed.” There’s also a memento from her nursery school play and a book on show business that Joan memorized at age 8. “What was surprising to me was how Joan saved literally everything from her earliest days in life,” says friend Deborah Norville, anchor of Inside Edition. “But [she had] a clear sense that she was an historical person, and these mementos were a part of her history.”
After she hit the big time, Joan’s passions grew as outrageous as her onstage persona. “She loved royalty and collected things from Russia, France and England,” says Sue, who adds that the star bought Fabergé eggs, not as investments, but “for her own personal joy.” Melissa has said of her mother: “My mother loved the stories behind different pieces…. She loved the romance.”
It’s likely that Joan would approve of this candid look at her life, as she enjoyed sharing her favorite things with friends. “It wasn’t a reminder of her success; she didn’t need to be reminded,” Sue notes. “She was always very, very grateful. Joan simply felt it was important when you become successful to celebrate it.”
– Louise A. Barile with reporting by
Katie Bruno and Sue Rozdeba