Kirby Weatherly: Who was Joan Evans‘ husband?

Hollywood, with its glamour and glitz, is often home to stories that are stranger than fiction, and the surprising midnight marriage of Joan Evans and Kirby Weatherly is one such tale. Their unexpected nuptials, orchestrated by none other than the iconic Joan Crawford, reveal the interwoven relationships and complex dynamics of Hollywood’s Golden Age.

Just days after celebrating her 18th birthday, Evans, along with her boyfriend Kirby Weatherly, a 26-year-old car dealer, found themselves dining at Crawford’s Brentwood residence. In a spontaneous decision characteristic of Hollywood’s unpredictable nature, Crawford felt the evening was the perfect moment for the couple to tie the knot. Without hesitation, she summoned a judge to officiate, and by the early minutes of July 24, 1952, Evans and Weatherly were pronounced husband and wife.

Evans’ spontaneous act of rebellion against the advice of the head of publicity at Goldwyn led to a memorable phone call. She recounted, “He told me, ‘Joan, do whatever you want, but don’t call me in the middle of the night announcing you’ve wed.’ And so, that’s exactly what I did.”

The impromptu wedding did not sit well with everyone. Evans’ parents, already opposed to the union, held Crawford responsible and ended their relationship with her. Some whispered that Crawford’s insistence on the immediate wedding was a way to spite Evans’ parents, who had recently penned the screenplay for “The Star” (1952). This film cast Bette Davis, Crawford’s longtime rival, as an aging actress striving for relevance – a role many believed Davis modeled after Crawford.

However, despite the surrounding controversies and the reservations of her parents, Evans’ marriage to Weatherly stood the test of time. Until Weatherly’s passing on January 1, the couple remained together, proving wrong those who had predicted their union’s downfall. Evans reflected on their lasting bond, stating their marriage “wasn’t the mistake that my parents foretold.”

Throughout the years, Evans maintained her close relationship with Crawford. Debunking the notorious “Mommie Dearest” portrayal, Evans remembered Crawford fondly. “I witnessed nothing but kindness from her,” she mentioned in an interview with Hirsch. Sharing memories of their train journey from New York to California, Evans added, “A trip that would test any great actress, yet she remained her gracious self.”

The tale of Evans and Weatherly’s midnight wedding is a reminder of the unpredictable and intertwined lives of Hollywood’s luminaries, where personal decisions often intersected with professional dynamics, friendships, and rivalries.