What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962)

A former child star torments her crippled sister in a decaying Hollywood mansion.

Director:

Robert Aldrich

Writers:

Henry Farrell (from the novel by), Lukas Heller (screenplay)

Stars:

Bette Davis, Joan Crawford, Victor Buono

Won 1 Oscar. Another 2 wins & 10 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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

Storyline

In a tale that almost redefines sibling rivalry, faded actresses Blanche and 'Baby' Jane Hudson live together. Jane was by far the most famous when she performed with their father in vaudeville but as they got older, it was Blanche who became the finer actress, which Jane still resents. Blanche is now confined to a wheelchair - Jane ran her over with the car while drunk, even though she has no memory of it - and Jane is firmly in control. As time goes by, Jane exercises greater and greater control over her sister, intercepting her letters and ensuring that few if anyone from the outside has any contact with her. As Jane slowly loses her mind, she torments her sister going to ever greater extremes.

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Plot Keywords:

hollywood | sibling rivalry | wheelchair | aging | former child star | 

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Taglines:

Too late . . . too late . . . too late to call for help.

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Genres:

Drama | Horror | Thriller

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Certificate:

Unrated

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

31 October 1962 (USA)

Also Known As:

¿Qué pasó con Baby Jane?

Filming Locations:

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

Box Office

Budget:

$980,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Associates & Aldrich Company, The, Seven Arts Productions, Warner Bros

Technical Specs

Runtime:

134 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Because she was then a member of the Pepsi-Cola board of directors, Joan Crawford managed to see that product placement shots of the soft drinks appeared in all of her later films. Although nearly imperceptible, Pepsi does show up in this one. During the last sequence, a guy runs up to the refreshment stand on the beach and tries to collect the deposit on some empty Pepsi bottles - a transaction that actually only happened in stores.

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Goofs

When Jane is checking her horoscope you can clearly hear her saying "Gemini", yet her mouth doesn't move at all.

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Quotes

Jane: You mean all this time we could have been friends?

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Connections

Referenced in Bernard and Doris (2006)

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Soundtracks

"I'VE WRITTEN A LETTER TO DADDY"
Music by Frank De Vol
Lyrics by Bob Merrill
Performed by Bette Davis
Also performed by Julie Allred (dubbed by Debbie Burton)

User Reviews

Somehow, this is indeed compelling.

I don't think I walked into this one with the right set of expectations. I expected a low-fi, creepy bit of occult-tinted fun from an age before horror films were bloated, over-done sacks of crap, and what I got was much different. I wouldn't really say this is a straight horror movie like Psycho or The Birds, as it unfolds itself like a riveting drama of two sisters instead. The acting is phenomenal, though, at least from our two lead characters, and the way they play off each other is just fantastic. This one takes a while to get going, but once it does, you are in for a high-octane, creepy thrill ride. Recommended to fans of older horror/suspense type movies.