What Ever Happened to Aunt Alice? (1969)

An aging widow hides a deadly secret which she will do anything to keep buried.

Directors:

Lee H. Katzin, Bernard Girard (uncredited)

Writers:

Theodore Apstein (screenplay by), Ursula Curtiss (novel)

Stars:

Geraldine Page, Ruth Gordon, Rosemary Forsyth

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Geraldine Page	...	Mrs. Marrable
Ruth Gordon	...	Mrs. Dimmock
Rosemary Forsyth	...	Harriet Vaughn
Robert Fuller	...	Mike Darrah
Mildred Dunnock	...	Miss Tinsley
Joan Huntington	...	Julia Lawson
Peter Brandon	...	George Lawson
Michael Barbera	...	Jim Vaughn
Peter Bonerz	...	Mr. Bentley
Richard Angarola	...	Sheriff Armijo
Claire Kelly	...	Elva
Valerie Allen	...	Dottie
Martin Garralaga	...	Juan
Jack Bannon	...	Olin
Seth Riggs	...	Warren

Storyline

An aging widow hides a deadly secret which she will do anything to keep buried.

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Plot Keywords:

cult film | female serial murderer | bible | serial murder | cigarette smoking | 

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Taglines:

You'll know...when the horror starts to grow!

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Mystery | Thriller

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Certificate:

M/PG

Did You Know?

Trivia

Ruth Gordon wears a red wig throughout much of the movie. One film critic for the New York Times remarked in his review of the film that the wig made Gordon look like a "crazy animated peanut."

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Goofs

During the murder sequence that precedes the opening credits, Claire Marrable hits her housekeeper over the head with a rock whilst they are planting a tree and then shoves the woman into the hole. The older actress playing the housekeeper delivers a few lines in close-up just prior to her death and is clearly not the much younger stunt double who falls into the hole moments later.

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Quotes

Alice Dimmock: If you want to live like some duchess or maharani you had better learn to behave like one!

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Connections

Referenced in Die, Mommie, Die! (2003)

User Reviews

''What a fraud you are!''

Not-so-grieving widow Claire Marrable is horrified to hear that her supposedly wealthy husband has apparently left her penniless. But, being a practical (and resourceful) type, she hits on a scheme to keep her in the comfort to which she wishes to become accustomed. Relocating to the Arizona desert, she hires elderly housekeepers with no known relatives (but tidy nest eggs) and sends them to their rewards a bit sooner than they planned. And their remains become mulch for the widow's growing garden as each is buried under a quickly flourishing sapling. This later entry in the "horror hag" sweepstakes features absolutely wonderful performances from Geraldine Page, who has a high old time as the haughty, demented and thoroughly relentless Mrs. Marrable, and Ruth Gordon, as Alice Dimmock, her new housekeeper, who isn't quite what she seems to be. On the sidelines are Rosemary Forsyth, herself a (young) widow with a nephew, Robert Fuller as Miss Gordon's nephew, and Joan Huntington as the scheming wife of Page's nephew. With a cast made up of widows and nephews, how scary can "Aunt Alice" be? Not very. But it's a delicious black comedy which allows Page and Gordon the opportunity to give the performances of their lives. There's also a neat cameo from Mildred Dunnock ("Death Of A Salesman") as the luckless servant who precedes Miss Gordon. One of the best "Grand Guignol" films ever made!

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English German

Release Date:

20 August 1969 (USA)

Also Known As:

What Ever Happened to Aunt Alice?

Filming Locations:

Old Tucson - 201 S. Kinney Road, Tucson, Arizona, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Palomar Pictures International, The Associates & Aldrich Company, The American Broadcasting Companies

Technical Specs

Runtime:

101 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1