Sunset Blvd. (1950)

Director:

Billy Wilder

Writers:

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

Release Date:

4 August 1950 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Film-Noir | Romance

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:

Obsession | Mental Illness | Showbiz | Corpse | Satirical

Awards:

Won 3 Oscars. Another 13 wins & 13 nominations

Cast

William Holden	...	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
Larry J. Blake	...	Finance man #1 (as Larry Blake)
Charles Dayton	...	Finance man #2
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:
Joel Allen	...	Prop man #2 (uncredited)
Gertrude Astor	...	Courtier (uncredited)
Ken Christy	...	Homicide captain (uncredited)
Ruth Clifford	...	Sheldrake's secretary (uncredited)
John Cortay	...	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	...	(uncredited)
Sanford E. Greenwald	...	Newsreel cameraman (uncredited)
Creighton Hale	...	(uncredited)
James Hawley	...	Camera assistant (uncredited)
Len Hendry	...	Police sergeant (uncredited)
E. Mason Hopper	...	Doctor (uncredited)
Tommy Ivo	...	Boy (uncredited)
Stan Johnson	...	First assistant director (uncredited)
Howard Joslin	...	Police lieutenant (uncredited)
Arthur Lane	...	Camera operator (uncredited)
Gertrude Messinger	...	Hairdresser (uncredited)
John 'Skins' Miller	...	Hog-eye (electrician) (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	...	Woman (uncredited)
Eva Novak	...	Courtier (uncredited)
Frank O'Connor	...	Courtier (uncredited)
Robert Emmett O'Connor	...	Jonesy (older Paramount gate guard) (uncredited)
Jack Perrin	...	Extra (uncredited)
Virginia L. Randolph	...	Courtier (uncredited)
Bill Sheehan	...	Second assistant director (uncredited)
Sidney Skolsky	...	Himself (uncredited)
Emmett Smith	...	Man (uncredited)
Roy Thompson	...	Rudy (shoeshine boy) (uncredited)
Archie Twitchell	...	Salesman (uncredited)
Yvette Vickers	...	Giggling girl on phone at party (uncredited)
Edward Wahrman	...	Camera assistant (uncredited)
Henry Wilcoxon	...	Himself, Actor on DeMille 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

Cinematography by
John F. Seitz

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

Makeup Department
Wally Westmore	....	makeup supervisor
Nellie Manley	....	hair stylist (uncredited)
Karl Silvera	....	makeup artist (uncredited)
Vera Tomei	....	hair stylist (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)
Gene Lauritzen	....	construction coordinator (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)
Walter Tayler	....	gaffer (uncredited)
Fred True	....	grip (uncredited)

Editorial Department
Doane Harrison	....	supervising editor

Music Department
Gerardo Matos Rodríguez	....	composer: tango "La Cumparsita" (uncredited)

Other crew
Lupe Hall	....	script supervisor (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) S.L. (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)
• 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:G (Quebec) | Brazil:Livre | Canada:PG (Manitoba/Ontario) | Canada:A (Nova Scotia) | Portugal:M/12 (DVD rating) | Hungary:14 | Argentina:13 | Australia:PG | Finland:K-16 | Spain:18 | Sweden:11 (re-rating) (1982) | Sweden:15 (original rating) | UK:PG | USA:Unrated | 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.

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: When Joe enters his bedroom and turns on the light, a crewmember's arm (with wristwatch) is visible in the mirror next to the door.

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 "Seinfeld: The Little Kicks (#8.4)" (1996)

Soundtrack:

Dance of the Seven Veils

Better Late Than Never

Although this movie was made 8 years before I was, I saw it for the first time yesterday and I was blown away! I have spent my life missing what has just become one of my favorite movies of all time.

The acting was superb, the storyline riveting and the characters were people you could care about. Max was my personal favorite. There was a quiet, tragic dignity to him. I expected something to be revealed about him but was not prepared for the truth.

I've always liked William Holden but my experience with Gloria Swanson was limited to her brief role in "Airport 75". I will now look for more movies by her. What an expressive face.

It was fun to try to recognize some of the old time actors that were portraying themselves.

An all around excellent movie. One I truly regret having waited this long to see. But it is definitely a case of better late than never.