What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962)

A former child star torments her paraplegic sister in their 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 1 win & 11 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
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 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:

sibling rivalry | psychological horror | child star | physical abuse | abusive relationship | 

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Taglines:

You'd better be shockproof before you dare find out!

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Genres:

Drama | Horror | Thriller

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

1963 (Peru)

Also Known As:

¿Qué pasó con Baby Jane?

Filming Locations:

172 South McCadden Place, Hancock Park, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$980,000 (estimated)

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$9,000,000, 31 December 1963

Company Credits

Production Co:

The Associates & Aldrich Company

Technical Specs

Runtime:

134 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Glen Glenn Sound Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Peter Lawford was originally set to play the part of Edwin Flagg, but two days after accepting the part he withdrew due to family concerns. Lawford felt the character might reflect badly on his real-life role as brother-in-law of the current President, John F. Kennedy. Victor Buono was then cast as Edwin. Bette Davis originally objected to Buono's casting but eventually came around.

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Goofs

Both scenes where we see Jane carrying a body in the wheelchair through the kitchen side door (once the maid, then her sister), have obviously been shot at a very short interval : we see two mops on the staircase rail exactly at the same place. In both scenes, on the first shot when she goes down the few steps, the mops are next to each other, then seconds later when seen from inside the car, the mops are separated by a few inches.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Toy Salesman: Want to see it again little girl? It shouldn't frighten you.

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Crazy Credits

The Warner Bros. logo does not appear at the beginning of this film.

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Connections

Referenced in Chappaqua (1966)

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Soundtracks

Old Folks at Home
(uncredited)
Music by Stephen Foster
Played by band in the 1917 prologue

User Reviews

A compelling movie; Davis and Crawford tear each other apart

Whatever Happened to Baby Jane? might seem dated, but it is still an extremely riveting watch. I literally could not look away, as soon as the movie started, I couldn't stop until it had finished. Not a lot of movies can do that to me. The acting is extremely good, Bette Davis and Joan Crawford are just so good as the main focus of the movie. The chilling score is suits the movie and the camera-work reminds me a lot of Hitchcock.

The story focuses on two sisters, Blanche Hudson (Joan Crawford) who was crippled in an accident awhile ago and "Baby" Jane Hudson (Bette Davis). Jane used to be a big child star, she even had a doll brand after her. Now, though, she is no longer recognised while her sister has recently become very famous. They live in an old mansion, with Blanche confined to her room upstairs while Jane gets madder and more cruel by the day.

Bette Davis gives the star performance here, some may call it over-acting but it is far from. She really makes Jane as mad, cruel and sad as possible. Joan Crawford is equally good in a very different role. She is much more timid then Jane and quite scared. The supporting cast are all good as well, especially Victor Buono as Victor Flagg, an odd pianist that befriends Jane. The black and white really are used to full effect, they make the mansion look extra creepy. Robert Aldrich's direction is fine.

To today's modern audience, this may seem boring as it does not have any action. Most of the movie is dialogue, but I do urge those who haven't seen it to do so, as it is a truly excellent movie.

A solid 5/5!