Sister, sister, oh so fair, why is there blood all over your hair?

Bette Davis once said that the best time she ever had with Joan Crawford was when she pushed her down the stairs in What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?. I don’t really recall such a scene in the film, but I don’t know what the two of them were up to between takes. That quote gives an idea of the aging stars fighting behind the scenes; it’s very clichéd, but if it’s true, I guess Bette won because she steals every scene she’s in.

The movie begins in 1917, when “Baby” Jane Hudson is a sensation in a vaudeville act where the child sings and dances. She is spoiled rotten and treats her sister Blanche with contempt. Fast-forward twenty years and Blanche has become one of Hollywood’s most popular stars, while Jane is struggling. A car accident ends Blanche’s career; she ends up in a wheelchair. Thirty years later, the sisters live together in Rudolph Valentino’s old house (incidentally, the movie really was shot in his house) where Jane takes care of Blanche, but there is no love between the sisters. Jane drove the car that incapacitated Blanche, so she feels compelled to care for her, but her uncontrollable jealousy and mental illness prevent her from being anything but cruel to Blanche. You see, people still remember the great Blanche Hudson, they even send her fan mail, but have forgotten all about Baby Jane, and the former child star can’t stand it. The housekeeper, Elvira (Maidie Norman), warns Blanche of Jane’s progressing illness, but Blanche nevertheless puts up with Jane’s sadistic behavior and too late does she realize that her life is in danger. As Jane plans to completely take over her sister’s life and money, she is also foolishly working on reviving Baby Jane’s career with the help of musician Edwin Flagg (Victor Buono), who is prepared to encourage her folly as long as he gets paid.

Blanche is surprisingly tolerant, even when Jane kills her pet bird and serves it for dinner, but the final sequence of the film reveals Blanche’s reason. The sisters’ relationship, we learn, has always been quite twisted. The story should not be taken too seriously though as a psychological study; it is absurd and not very believable. Director Aldrich’s first hit has been labeled both a black comedy and a horror movie; it has enjoyed comparisons with Sunset Blvd. (1950) and spawned other films with old movie stars in campy comebacks. What it is essentially is an opportunity for Davis and Crawford to show their strength as actors and box-office stars; they may be in their 50s, but they are not dead yet. Ms. Crawford is very sympathetic as the victimized Hollywood queen and Ms. Davis is wonderfully wicked (in a blonde wig) as the insane sister who eventually regresses to the point where she believes it is 1917 all over again. Mr. Buono provides (additional?) comic relief as Flagg, the rotund, patient son of an overbearing mother. The running time is not a problem; Mr. Aldrich keeps the movie both amusing and exciting and doesn’t go overboard with the crazier ingredients; the human aspect of Jane’s illness is still visible.

Watching this film, one can’t help but feeling that the two stars were lucky. This could have easily failed and there is a tragic dimension to the whole project. Ms. Davis’ final film would be the abysmal Wicked Stepmother (1989), a comedy that desperately wanted to be this film, but only succeeded in making Ms. Davis look old and foolish. It’s important to remember that this is all very entertaining, but it would be sad not to give older actors more opportunities other than playing demented harpies.

The YouTube clip shows an encounter between the sisters.

What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? 1962-U.S. 130 min. B/W. Produced and directed by Robert Aldrich. Screenplay: Lukas Heller. Novel: Henry Farrell. Cast: Bette Davis (“Baby” Jane Hudson), Joan Crawford (Blanche Hudson), Victor Buono (Edwin Flagg), Marjorie Bennett, Anna Lee.

Trivia: Ms. Davis’ daughter, Barbara Merrill, plays the neighbor’s daughter. Remade for TV in 1991.

Oscar: Best Costume Design.

Published 2006-12-17 04:57