A cultish horror favorite, 1962′s What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? will make you think twice before hungrily unveiling a covered plate of food. Bette Davis stars as Jane Hudson, a onetime child actress and singer. As an elderly woman, she wishes to revive her vaudevillian career, but she has become a grotesque caricature of her former self. Over the years as her star faded, the star of her older sister Blanche (Joan Crawford) rose, outshining the career of the has-been Baby Jane. Jane was relegated to minor roles, which she only won when Blanche demanded that she be awarded them. The film opens years after a calamitous car accident leaves Blanche in a wheelchair, with no one to care for her except the increasingly insane and sadistic Jane and their servant, Norman. Trying to punish Blanche for her years of success, Jane tortures the housebound woman, slowly trying to starve her to death, all the while attempting to recapture the fame of her youth. This dark drama also stars Victor Buono as the hefty pianist who answers Jane’s ad for an accompanist, hoping to milk some money off the demented old woman. Both Buono and Davis were nominated for Oscars for their roles in this suspenseful and somewhat sick thriller that exploited well the real-life antagonism between Davis and Crawford, while at the same time rejuvenated both their careers. –Jenny Brown
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April 1, 2008
#1
This movie might possibly be the worst ever film on the face of this world. I would advise everyone to save their money to buy something that you won’t want to kill yourself over. Whatever Happened to Baby Jane is about to crazed sisters, one of whom is crippled, Blanch(Joan Crawford). Her sister Jane(Betty Davis) still thinks she is a beautiful child actor that wants all of the attention. When Jane’s sister get all of the attention and trys to kill her you see she just gets more, and more crazy. As the movie progresses you get more, and more annoyed, one cannot even sleep during this movie just because of how irritated you get. Finally, at the end of the movie we find Jane and Blanch(near death now) on a beach. Jane wants some ice-cream so she gets it and leaves her sister to die starving and thirsty on the beach. Do yourself a favor, listen to me when i say this is the worst movie EVER!
April 1, 2008
#2
oh well it could have been betty and ginger
both blonde both musical stars (grable was more popular)
April 1, 2008
#3
Because she beat up Joan Crawford good in this movie! this was great and suspenseful!
April 2, 2008
#4
The funniest part of this movie is the way Davis phrases her lines: “Ya’rn ever gonna sell this house, Blanche. And ya’rn ever gonna leave it!”. Hilarious! Otherwise, it’s an overlong movie that makes its two stars unnecessarily grotesque; after all the money both women made for Hollywood, it’s a pretty ungallant way to depict them. Robert Aldrich is a hack director if ever there was one.
April 2, 2008
#5
I love this film! It’s one of the best from it’s time. Bette Davis and Joan Crawford give excellent performances. You won’t be able to shake this one after it’s over, though.