Although Joan Crawford and Bette Davis were not friends and did indeed insult each other publicly their rivalry was more the stuff of Hollywood PR campaigns – it kept them in the news. Joan’s real hatred was for Norma Shearer and many of her scathing put-downs of Norma were more cringe-worthy than catty. Though Norma was a big star in her time and won an Oscar way before Joan did, Joan had the last laugh as she is still widely known (if only for her over-the-top personality) and Norma largely forgotten by most.