Two years later, she and her mother moved to New York City, where Crews began to act with the Henry V. Donnelly Stock Company.

[2] Crews appeared in plays written by A.A. Milne, who was particularly impressed by her work[citation needed] in his Mr. Pim Passes By (1921).

She also appeared in The Silver Cord,[3] written by Sidney Howard, which was produced by the New York Theater Guild in 1926 and ran for 212 performances.

In the late 1920s, and because of her years as a stage actress, Crews had been hired as a voice coach by Gloria Swanson to help with her transition to talking pictures.

George Cukor, who had directed her in Camille (1936), recommended her for the role of Aunt Pittypat in Gone with the Wind (1939) after Billie Burke declined it.

Cukor wanted Crews to play the role "in a Billie Burke-ish manner" with "the same zany feeling".