A former child star torments her paraplegic sister in their decaying Hollywood mansion.
Director:
Robert Aldrich
Popularity
3,580
( 215)
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Title: What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962)
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Edit
Cast
| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
| Bette Davis | ... | ||
| Joan Crawford | ... | ||
| Victor Buono | ... | ||
| Wesley Addy | ... |
Marty Mc Donald
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Julie Allred | ... | |
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Anne Barton | ... |
Cora Hudson
(as Ann Barton)
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Marjorie Bennett | ... |
Dehlia Flagg
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| Bert Freed | ... |
Ben Golden
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| Anna Lee | ... |
Mrs. Bates
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| Maidie Norman | ... | ||
| Dave Willock | ... |
Ray Hudson
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William Aldrich | ... |
Lunch Counter Assistant at Beach
|
| Russ Conway | ... |
Police Officer
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Maxine Cooper | ... |
Bank Teller
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Robert Cornthwaite | ... | |
Edit
Plot Summary
|
Plot Synopsis
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. Written by garykmcd
Taglines:
Too late . . . too late . . . too late to call for help. See more »Parents Guide:
View content advisory »
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See more »
See full technical specs »
Details
Country:
USALanguage:
EnglishRelease Date:
31 October 1962 (USA) See more »Also Known As:
Was geschah wirklich mit Baby Jane? See more »Box Office
Budget:
$980,000 (estimated)Company Credits
Show detailed
company contact information
on
IMDbPro »
Technical Specs
Runtime:
Sound Mix:
Mono (RCA Sound Recording)Color:
Black and WhiteAspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1
Edit
Blanche: Yes, she's emotionally disturbed. She's unbalanced!
See more »
(uncredited)
Music by Stephen Foster
Played by band in the 1917 prologue
See more »
Did You Know?
Trivia
The Hudson sisters' car, identified by the police as a 1940 or '41 model, appears to be a 1946 Lincoln Continental. See more »Goofs
After Jane kicks Blanche, Blanche falls and Jane walks around her to kick her again, but when she kicks her again, she is in the same position that she was when she first kicked her, obviously as she kicks her from the right side of the screen (she would be on the left side of the screen if she walked around her). See more »Quotes
Dr. Shelby: I don't quite understand. Is this some kind of emotional disturbance you're talking about?Blanche: Yes, she's emotionally disturbed. She's unbalanced!
See more »
Crazy Credits
introducing Victor Buono See more »Soundtracks
Old Folks at Home(uncredited)
Music by Stephen Foster
Played by band in the 1917 prologue
See more »
"What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?" is a most unusual and impressive thriller. Director Robert Aldrich achieves a fantastic sordid and dark atmosphere at the Huadson sisters mansion -where most of the action takes place- with an unusual black and white shooting for the early 60's. An interesting story, a well delivered screenplay and an accurate musical score also rise the film high.
But the main credit of the picture is casting together to real big names in Hollywood's history, not at their peak then but always reliable and attractive to see. Bette Davis (Jane) takes the most interesting character as the former child star that couldn't make it as an adult in show business so she has gone insane and keeps behaving as the spoiled child he was. She looks grotesque and ridiculous in her child outfits, hairdo and heavy make up. Davis is outstanding in her role and looks really mean when she tortures both mentally and physically her sister Blanche, delicate and reasonable. Joan Crawford plays Blanche and very well too, a former big star whose career ended after a strange car accident that put her on a wheel chair for life.
In the end things are not completely as they seem but the final twist is not what makes this film an extremely good one; it's the strange relationship between the sisters, that requires of that final twist to understand Blanche's tolerant conduct towards her sister.
The movie is perhaps a little too long and it would probably have been even better with a 10 minutes cut. But no doubt this is a top product in its genre and a great movie indeed.