What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962)

User Rating:

8.0/10   

Director:

Robert Aldrich

Writers:

Henry Farrell (novel)
Lukas Heller (screenplay)

Release Date:

31 October 1962 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Horror | Thriller

Tagline:

Sister, sister, oh so fair, why is there blood all over your hair?

Plot:

In a decaying Hollywood mansion, Jane Hudson, a former child star, and her sister Blanche, a movie queen forced into retirement after a crippling accident, live in virtual isolation.

Plot Keywords:

Hollywood | Child Star | Revenge | Aging | Former Child Star

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 2 wins & 10 nominations

Cast

Bette Davis	...	Baby Jane Hudson
Joan Crawford	...	Blanche Hudson
Victor Buono	...	Edwin Flagg
Wesley Addy	...	Marty Mc Donald
Julie Allred	...	Baby Jane Hudson, in 1917
Anne Barton	...	Cora Hudson (as Ann Barton)
Marjorie Bennett	...	Dehlia Flagg
Bert Freed	...	Ben Golden (as Robert Freed)
Anna Lee	...	Mrs. Bates
Maidie Norman	...	Elvira Stitt
Dave Willock	...	Ray Hudson
William Aldrich	...	Lunch counter assistant at beach
Russ Conway	...	Police Officer
Maxine Cooper	...	Bank teller
Robert Cornthwaite	...	Dr. Shelby

Also Known As:

¿Qué pasó con Baby Jane? (Argentina) (Venezuela) [es]
Qu'est-il arrivé à Baby Jane? (Belgium: French title) (France) [fr]
¿Qué fue de Baby Jane? (Spain) [es]
Bebek Jane'e ne oldu? (Turkey: Turkish title) (TV title) [tr]
Che fine ha fatto Baby Jane? (Italy) [it]
Co sie zdarzylo Baby Jane? (Poland) [pl]
Hvad blev der egentlig af Baby Jane? (Denmark) [da]
Küçük bebege ne oldu? (Turkey: Turkish title) [tr]
Mitä tapahtuikaan Baby Janelle? (Finland) [fi]
O Que Terá Acontecido a Baby Jane? (Brazil) [pt]
Vad hände det med Baby Jane? (Finland: Swedish title) [sv]
Vad hände med Baby Jane? (Sweden) [sv]
Was geschah wirklich mit Baby Jane? (West Germany) [de]
Wat is er toch van Baby Jane terecht gekomen? (Belgium: Flemish title) [un]

Runtime:

134 min | Argentina:135 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound Recording)

Certification:

UK:18 (1988 rating) | Canada:14+ (Ontario) | Portugal:M/12 | France:-12 | Ireland:12 | Spain:18 | Germany:16 (f) | South Korea:15 | Argentina:16 | Australia:M | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15 | UK:12A (re-rating) (2004) | UK:X (original rating) (cut) | USA:Unrated

Filming Locations:

172 N. McCadden Pl., Hancock Park, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Associates & Aldrich Company, The

Trivia:

A freeze-frame just as the car enters the driveway in the prologue reveals the secret of who was driving the car the night Blanche was paralyzed.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Blanche removes the note she has typed to throw to her neighbour from the typewriter, the machine's carriage is at the far right. The next shot is a close up of Blanche adding a handwritten footnote to the letter -- the typewriter carriage is now positioned centrally.

Quotes:

Jane: [running after Flagg as he flees the house] Edwin, you forgot your money!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Dallas: Whatever Happened to Baby John?: Part 2 (#3.2)" (1979)

Soundtrack:

I'VE WRITTEN A LETTER TO DADDY

You didn't eat your dindin, Blanche

I have seen this movie at least two dozen times, and I will see it at least that many times again. It's such a Bette Davis feast. Of course, she was nominated for an Oscar. And she should have won it! There was a lot of 'history' between Miss Davis and Miss Crawford going way back to the 1940s, when Crawford was let go from M-G-M and went to work at WB where Bette Davis was Queen of the lot. The stories behind the making of the film are as interesting as the movie, with Miss Crawford demanding the set be kept at a breezy 55 (but preservative) degrees causing all kinds of problems with Miss Davis's bronchitis. One only wonders how much 'acting' was involved as Miss Davis tortures Miss Crawford emotionally and, later, physically. Miss Crawford suffers grandly and has her mandatory telephone scene, big eyes tremulous with fear. She is great, but it is a Bette Davis tour-de-force and she wipes every other actor off the screen. Full 10 of 10 for this one, and recommended to everyone who wants to see what the great actresses of the 1930s and 1940s could and would still do, albeit in minor-A productions, as the requests for their services dwindled, but wanted to keep on working.