Sunset Blvd. (1950)

Director:

Billy Wilder

Writers:

Charles Brackett (written by) &
Billy Wilder (written by) ...
(more)

Release Date:

25 August 1950 (Australia)

Genre:

Drama | Film-Noir

Tagline:

A Hollywood Story

Plot:

A hack screenwriter writes a screenplay for a former silent-film star who has faded into Hollywood obscurity.

Plot Keywords:

Writer | Mansion | Hollywood | Director | Comeback

Awards:

Won 3 Oscars. Another 13 wins & 13 nominations

Cast

William Holden	...	Joseph C. 'Joe' Gillis
Gloria Swanson	...	Norma Desmond
Erich von Stroheim	...	Max Von Mayerling
Nancy Olson	...	Betty Schaefer
Fred Clark	...	Sheldrake
Lloyd Gough	...	Morino
Jack Webb	...	Artie Green
Franklyn Farnum	...	Undertaker - Chimp's Funeral
Larry J. Blake	...	First Finance Man (as Larry Blake)
Charles Dayton	...	Second Finance Man
Cecil B. DeMille	...	Himself
Hedda Hopper	...	Herself
Buster Keaton	...	Himself - Bridge Player
Anna Q. Nilsson	...	Herself - Bridge Player
H.B. Warner	...	Himself - Bridge Player
Ray Evans	...	Himself
Jay Livingston	...	Himself
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Fred Aldrich	...	Cop Who Drags Joe's Body from Pool (uncredited)
Joel Allen	...	Prop Man #2 (uncredited)
Gertrude Astor	...	Courtier (uncredited)
Ken Christy	...	Homicide Captain (uncredited)
Ruth Clifford	...	Sheldrake's Secretary (uncredited)
John Cortay	...	Mac - Young Gate Guard at Paramount Studios (uncredited)
Archie R. Dalzell	...	Camera Operator (uncredited)
Eddie Dew	...	Assistant Coroner (uncredited)
Peter Drynan	...	Tailor (uncredited)
Julia Faye	...	Hisham (uncredited)
Al Ferguson	...	Phone Standby (uncredited)
Gerry Ganzer	...	Connie - Betty's Roommate (uncredited)
Kenneth Gibson	...	Salesman at Men's Shop (uncredited)
Joe Gray	...	Undetermined Role (uncredited)
Sanford E. Greenwald	...	Newsreel Cameraman (uncredited)
Creighton Hale	...	Undetermined Role (uncredited)
Chuck Hamilton	...	Grip on DeMille Set (uncredited)
James Hawley	...	Camera Assistant (uncredited)
Len Hendry	...	Police Sergeant (uncredited)
E. Mason Hopper	...	Doctor (uncredited)
Stan Johnson	...	First Assistant Director (uncredited)
Tiny Jones	...	Little Woman outside Paramount Gate (uncredited)
Howard Joslin	...	Police Lieutenant (uncredited)
Arthur Lane	...	Camera Operator (uncredited)
Perc Launders	...	Violinist at Norma's New Year's Eve Party (uncredited)
Gertrude Messinger	...	Hairdresser (uncredited)
Harold Miller	...	Man on Golf Course (uncredited)
John 'Skins' Miller	...	Hog-eye - Electrician (uncredited)
Lee Miller	...	Dancing Party Guest / Paramount Studio Employee (uncredited)
Ralph Montgomery	...	Prop Man #1 (uncredited)
Bert Moorhouse	...	Gordon Cole (uncredited)
Jay Morley	...	Fat Man (uncredited)
Bernice Mosk	...	Herself (uncredited)
Howard Negley	...	Police Captain (uncredited)
Ottola Nesmith	...	Undetermined Role (uncredited)
Eva Novak	...	Courtier (uncredited)
Frank O'Connor	...	Courtier (uncredited)
Robert Emmett O'Connor	...	Jonesy - Older Paramount Gate Guard (uncredited)
Jack Perrin	...	Detective (uncredited)
Virginia L. Randolph	...	Courtier (uncredited)
Bill Sheehan	...	Second Assistant Director (uncredited)
Sidney Skolsky	...	Himself (uncredited)
Emmett Smith	...	Black Man (uncredited)
Roy Thompson	...	Rudy - Shoeshine Boy (uncredited)
Archie Twitchell	...	Salesman at Men's Shop (uncredited)
Yvette Vickers	...	Giggling Girl on Phone at Party (uncredited)
Edward Wahrman	...	Camera Assistant (uncredited)
Henry Wilcoxon	...	Himself - Actor on DeMille's 'Samson & Delilah' Set (uncredited)

Directed by
Billy Wilder

Writing credits
Charles Brackett		(written by) &
Billy Wilder		(written by) &
D.M. Marshman Jr.		(written by)

Produced by
Charles Brackett	....	producer

Original Music by
Franz Waxman		(music score)

Cinematography by
John F. Seitz		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Arthur P. Schmidt		(as Arthur Schmidt)

Art Direction by
Hans Dreier
John Meehan

Set Decoration by
Sam Comer
Ray Moyer

Costume Design by
Edith Head		(costumes)

Makeup Department
Wally Westmore	....	makeup supervisor
Nellie Manley	....	hair (uncredited)
Karl Silvera	....	makeup artist (uncredited)
Frank Thayer	....	makeup artist (uncredited)
Vera Tomei	....	hair (uncredited)

Production Management
Hugh Brown	....	production manager (uncredited)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Charles C. Coleman	....	assistant director (as C.C. Coleman Jr.)
Gerd Oswald	....	second assistant director (uncredited)

Art Department
Steve Beers	....	head carpenter (uncredited)
Jack Colconda	....	props assistant (uncredited)
Gene Lauritzen	....	construction coordinator (uncredited)
Tom Plews	....	props (uncredited)

Sound Department
John Cope	....	sound recordist
Harry Lindgren	....	sound recordist

Special Effects by
Gordon Jennings	....	special photographic effects

Visual Effects by
Farciot Edouart	....	process photography

Camera and Electrical Department
Otto Pierce	....	camera operator (uncredited)
Glen E. Richardson	....	still photographer (uncredited)
Harlow Stengel	....	camera assistant (uncredited)
Walter Tayler	....	gaffer (uncredited)
Fred True	....	grip (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Ed Fitzharris	....	wardrobe (uncredited)
Hazel Hegarty	....	wardrobe (uncredited)

Editorial Department
Doane Harrison	....	editorial supervision
Frank Bracht	....	assistant editor (uncredited)

Other crew
Lupe Hall	....	script clerk (uncredited)
Ronnie Lubin	....	dialogue coach (uncredited)
Norris Stensland	....	technical advisor (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Paramount Pictures

Distributors

• Paramount Pictures (1950) (USA) (theatrical)
• Paramount Home Video (2002) (USA) (DVD)
• Paramount Filmes do Brasil (2003) (Brazil) (DVD)
• Paramount Home Entertainment (Spain) (2003) (Spain) (DVD)
• Paramount Home Entertainment (2003) (Germany) (DVD)
• Paramount Home Video (2006) (USA) (DVD)
• BFI (Collections)
• CIC-Taft Home Video (????) (Australia) (VHS)
• Facets Multimedia Distribution (????) (USA) (DVD)
• National Broadcasting Company (NBC) (196?) (USA) (TV)
• Paramount Home Entertainment (2003) (Netherlands) (DVD) (rental)
• Paramount Home Entertainment (2004) (Netherlands) (DVD) (retail)
• Paramount Home Entertainment (2008) (Netherlands) (DVD) (Award Winning Collection)
• Paramount Home Video (????) (USA) (VHS)

Also Known As:

Sunset Boulevard (UK) (USA) (alternative spelling)
A Can of Beans (USA) (fake working title)

Runtime:

110 min | Argentina:115 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Certification:

Canada:A (Nova Scotia) | Canada:G (Quebec) | Canada:PG (Manitoba/Ontario) | Portugal:M/12 (DVD rating) | Hungary:14 | Brazil:Livre | USA:Passed (National Board of Review) | Argentina:13 | Australia:PG | Finland:K-16 | Spain:18 | Sweden:11 (re-rating) (1982) | Sweden:15 (original rating) | UK:PG | USA:Approved (PCA #13955) | West Germany:16

Filming Locations:

Alto-Nido Apartments -1851 N. Ivar Street, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Paramount Pictures

Trivia:

The character of Joe Gillis was very much in tune with William Holden's standing at the time. When he appeared in the 1939 film Golden Boy (1939), he was hailed as exactly that, but had seen his stock fall, largely through his problems with alcohol and a string of unmemorable films in the 1940's. On the basis of this film and largely out of his continuing association with director Billy Wilder, Holden would reach the zenith of his career from 1950-55.

Goofs:

Audio/visual unsynchronized: At the New Year's Eve party (at Norma's house), we hear someone plucking a violin, but when we look at the orchestra, they are all playing with their bows.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Joe Gillis: Yes, this is Sunset Blvd., Los Angeles, California. It's about 5 0'clock in the morning. That's the homicide squad, complete with detectives and newspaper men.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Living with Michael Jackson: A Tonight Special (2003) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Charmaine/Diane

They Don't Make 'Em Like This Anymore

This is such a great film on so many levels I can't really settle on where to begin. It is so beautifully shot (in that stark black/white that only nitrate negative could achieve), has a witty, clever and extremely well-written script, features some of the best acting in film's history, acrobatically balances the main plot/subplots with expert precision, contains some of the best characters on celluloid, has many true-to-life parallels (Swanson's career/real life cameos/DeMille's involvement/etc) and is peppered with such great dialogue/narration that today's film writers should take note. If that weren't enough, there's even a cameo by silent film great Buster Keaton (among others).

One of the most appealing aspects of this film is how, in the story, an aging, forgotten star is trying to recapture a bygone era (the silent film era). What's interesting is that now, so many years later, we're looking back at her looking back. To present day viewers, Gloria Swanson of the 1950's is a long forgotten lost gem and to experience her own longing for the 1920's is especially captivating (and a little chilling, I might add). I don't think this film could have had that same effect when it debuted and maybe this added dimension holds so much more appeal for today's audiences. We all know that nothing lasts forever, but we don't often consider the abandoned participants; much like the veterans of a past war.

In response to the famous Swanson line (while watching one of her silent films): "...we didn't need dialogue; we had faces", I'd like to also add that they "didn't need movies; they had films."

They truly don't make them like this anymore. 10/10