"If you need a sister every once in a while..."

Avid letter-writer Joan Crawford maintained a correspondence with many of her friends, among them fellow actress Barbara Stanwyck. The following letter was written in August 1965 when Barbara had just started to work on the television series The Big Valley, which would run from September 1965 to May 1969 and made her one of the most popular actresses on tv. Joan wrote the letter after she read an article in which Barbara had said some nice things about her.

Source: the best of everything: a joan crawford encyclopedia

Joan Crawford and Barbara Stanwyck in the 1930s: Barbara visits Joan on the set of "The Gorgeous Hussy" (1936).

Transcript:

August 21, 1965

Barbara darling,

A friend of mine in Birmingham, Alabama sent me an article about you by Emmett Weaver of the Post-Herald, and you were a blessed angel to say such nice things about me. I am so touched and pleased with your lovely compliments.

I wish you so much good luck in your new series, and I'm so happy for you. If you need a sister every once in a while, just let me know!

God bless. I hope you are having a wonderfully happy and fruitful summer.

Love, Joan (signed)

*Note: The comment in red was added later by Barbara Stanwyck. I guess that upon receiving the letter from Joan, Barbara wanted to make a note for herself as to what she had said in the article (starting the note with "What I said was..."). I'm afraid I can't really decipher what she wrote, so any suggestions are welcome!

Edit 6 July 2014

Transcript Barbara's handwritten comment:

What I said was- where's another Crawford- when she makes an entrance people knew a star just entered the room etc.

Thanks to Vienna from Vienna's Classic Hollywood for deciphering Barbara's handwriting.