Featured Audience Ratings

• Universal D

  
  I just saw this again and zowie, is Bette Davis hot! Very nearly a companion piece to Sunset Boulevard and another sizzling commentary on the price of fame. The seconds in the cast do as well as the primaries, too, altho the twist at the finale is weak.

• Reid V

  
  Love is a many splendored-thing. Or so the cinema would lead us to believe. Over the years we as a people have been subjected to countless tales of loins-churning romance. In fact, it is well known that one could fill the Grand Canyon with the countless reels of film that have… More
  Love is a many splendored-thing. Or so the cinema would lead us to believe. Over the years we as a people have been subjected to countless tales of loins-churning romance. In fact, it is well known that one could fill the Grand Canyon with the countless reels of film that have captured chiseled jaw lines colliding with pouty lips and still have plenty to boot. The same could be said for unrequited love as well. Take a handful of your Fatal Attractions, some of your 500 Days of Summers, and throw in a dash of Casablancas, and you have the recipe for a rich history of films regarding forlorn love. Yet, while passion has for so many years consumed celluloid, often the sultry reality behind the camera can be just as entertaining as what takes place on screen. The examples of this are myriad: Brad & Jennifer, Ben & Jennifer, Whitney & Bobby (& Jennifer). These stars and their sordid love affairs have been splashed all over the tabloids, assuring readers of all kinds that just because celebrity closets may be filled with diamond encrusted footwear, their lives are just as empty as ours. But there are still some stories so batty that no matter how starving the artist, one could never come close to concocting a story as satisfying as the twisted decadence of reality. One such example is the story of Bette Davis and Joan Crawford. While both would share the distinct honor of being belles of the silver screen during their time, these women would detest each other for the better part of thirty years. The source of this scorn? Well it has recently come to light that Crawford, a rather licentious bisexual, was at one time spurned by Davis. To make matters undoubtedly worse, the love of Davis' life was snatched up by Crawford in her second stroll down the aisle. Even ten years after Crawford's death, still reeling from a recent stroke, Davis showed her capacity for grace when she stated, "She (Crawford) did it coldly, deliberately, and with complete ruthlessness. I have never forgiven her for that and never will." Only barely upstaging her previous comment, "I wouldn't piss on Joan Crawford if she was on fire." Although both would fight tooth and nail to be the ruling queen of Hollywood, subsequent decades would see these women fighting to merely stay afloat. Box-office disasters such as 1955's Storm Center, 1956's Autumn Leaves, & The Catered Affair, all left stains on their careers and psyches so large that no amount of bleach could wash them out. Both were in need of redemption. In need of roles that would finally show the world that in fact they were destined to reign supreme. What they got (and the world gratefully received) was the emotionally brutish fever dream Whatever Happened to Baby Jane? Depicting the mental meltdown of former child star Baby Jane Hudson (Crawford) and the emotional and physical torture she inflicts on her invalid sister Blanche (Davis), Whatever Happened to Baby Jane? is the comeback film that nobody wanted. Director Robert Aldrich shopped this project around to various studios but was met with virulent opposition. Pitting these sour relics against each other seemed like a double dosage of box-office poison. Triggering studio head Jack Warner to retort, "I wouldn't give you one dime for those two washed-up old bitches." Thankfully, somebody eventually relented and the results are nothing short of astounding. Like the congealed masses of makeup slathered on Crawford's face, the film is heavy-handed, excessive, & to borrow a phrase from Robert Palmer, simply irresistible. It opens in the early 1900's as our future miscarriage of a human being Jane is at the peak of her fame. Following a polite curtsey, Baby Jane unleashes her brilliant smile before launching into her famous jingle "I've Written a Letter to Daddy" to rapturous applause. The audience shuffles out shortly after and in a shrewd bit of foreshadowing, aides are seen removing the sign with her name emblazoned on it; replacing it with the name of the next big thing. Her sister Blanche waits patiently behind the scenes for someone to kill the spotlight so they can finally go home. Fast-forward roughly fifty years. Blanche has since drastically eclipsed Jane in the fame department, but was sadly the victim of a tragic automobile accident in which an "unknown" assailant left her confined to a wheelchair. Jane and Blanche spend their days decaying as rapidly as the gothic mansion in which they have sequestered themselves. Blanche watching reruns of her films on television, Jane drowning her sorrows in cheap gin. Nursing her handicapped sister, her own deteriorating mental state, long history of jealous rage, & daddy issues. (Possibly some childhood "consensual sex issues" as well.) The situation worsens when Jane catches wind that Blanche has plans to sell their tomb of a house and live elsewhere. What ensues is a nightmare on par with the likes of anything Cronenberg or Tarantino could produce. Blanche tries desperately to call for help as her sister starves her, cooks up and serves their pet parakeet for lunch, delivers blow after blow to her cranium, and even drags her limp body to the beach to watch Jane play in the waves. Mirroring reality, tensions were hot on set as the women did their best to outsmart each other. In one particularly infamous scene that has Jane delivering a rather devastating kick to her sister's scalp, Davis's foot actually made rather forceful contact with Crawford's head. In a rather clever act of retaliation, Davis donned a lead weightlifter's belt under her clothes for a scene in which Crawford would be forcefully pulling her out of the one place that she had been trying to get Davis for years: the bed. When she endeavored to try to lift Davis, Crawford shrieked "My back! Oh, God! My back" before hobbling off to her dressing room. That the final product was so berserk should not have been a total surprise as Aldrich was also no stranger to crazy. His iconic 1957 noir Kiss Me Deadly was so nihilistically nutty that shooting these two women starve and claw at each other must have been akin to filming two kittens lightly bat around a ball of yarn for a couple of weeks. Word of mouth spread like a virus and for the first time in a long time people came out in droves to see Crawford and Davis on the big screen. Whatever Happened to Baby Jane? was a monster hit and garnered massive amounts of praise and money for the duo. Although the hatchet may have temporarily been buried in a heap of greenbacks, it would quickly be unearthed when the Oscar nominations were released. Davis would recieve a Best Actress nod while Crawford would only walk away with more fuel for the inferno that blazed deep inside. Yet in a strange twist of fate, Crawford would be the only one clutching a statue at the end of the evening, accepting the award on behalf of Anne Bancroft. Aldrich would later attempt to reteam the women for another film, but alas succumbed to their toxicity, eventually shutting production down. Both spent their remaining days on earth sucking down drinks & using their precious remaining interviews to further drag each other's names through the muck. Death would prove the only way to truly cease the slander; at least for the slanderer. As stated before, Davis would continue to commit every last breathe to defaming the deceased. When one director begged her to stop since Crawford was no longer able to hear her remarks, Davis replied, "Just because a person is dead, doesn't mean they've changed." So while love may be a many splendored-thing on screen, in the real world it is also vindictive, enduring, & yields strange fruit.

• Spencer S

  
  A thriller that is so chillingly terrifying, not solely because of the amazing and out of this world performance from Bette Davis, but because of the relationship between these two women, two actresses giving the performances of their lives. I should point out that this isn't… More
  A thriller that is so chillingly terrifying, not solely because of the amazing and out of this world performance from Bette Davis, but because of the relationship between these two women, two actresses giving the performances of their lives. I should point out that this isn't complete hyperbole. The tension and utter bitterness between these two sisters comes in part through the real life relationship between rivals Bette Davis and Joan Crawford. At the time these actresses were in decline from their former star studded endeavors. Still, the two actresses set aside their differences in order to become friends for a short time and make this film. The story revolves around two sisters, one a spoiled former vaudeville star (Baby Jane) and the other a former film star of the thirties. Thirty years ago, when her starlet sister couldn't keep her in her contract any longer, Baby Jane paralyzed her sister, and eventually traps her in their large home, taking care of her yet hiding her from the world. Once Baby Jane snaps at the suggestion of the house being sold, her sister becomes the victim of a lunatic, watching as she murders those that get in the way of her trying to reclaim her former youth. The narcissism, obsession, and madness in Davis' performance are poignant and yet you feel very little empathy for someone who would tie their sister to a bed frame. Crawford in turn acts like the perfect victim, high mannered and poised, not visibly showing that she feels a great deal of anger towards her sister. Instead she's a fragmented and fragile creature who has quiet sensibilities and little power. She plays a victim so well to Davis' madwoman, but gives a performance as blithe and impersonal as the silent roles she took on so long ago. The plotting, climactic peaks of Baby Jane's terror spree, and a gracious and uneven performance from Victor Buono in a side story, make this a genuinely devious and different kind of thriller. You will love to see two women who obviously hate each other...hate each other, but in a loving way.

• Carlos M

  
  Davis and Crawford are priceless here, embracing their roles with tremendous passion and delivering spectacular performances like horror queens in this campy and bizarre story. A psychological thriller that is hilarious and very entertaining as far as exploitation goes.

• xGary X

  
  A wheelchair-bound ex-Hollywood star is terrorized within her own home by her jealous and alcoholic elder sister. Whatever Happened To Baby Jane? hasn't got the most promising premise for a "comedy", but like Psycho and Dr Strangelove, it's the macabre streak of… More
  A wheelchair-bound ex-Hollywood star is terrorized within her own home by her jealous and alcoholic elder sister. Whatever Happened To Baby Jane? hasn't got the most promising premise for a "comedy", but like Psycho and Dr Strangelove, it's the macabre streak of black humour that provides the stroke of genius that makes it what it is. The plot read as straight is a very melodramatic, soapy affair, but Aldrich's skewed approach makes a black-hearted comedy of grotesques out of it all in a similar way to Sunset Boulevard. The cast are all great, but it is Bette Davis' show all the way as the increasingly unhinged child star-turned embittered old harridan and she sends herself up rotten; the scene where she recreates her old act has to be seen to be believed! The attractive cinematography contrasting with the ugliness of the goings on combines with Hitchockian suspense with a killer twist in the tale to create a bizarre and unique film that's a classic example of offbeat psychological horror.

• Bob O

  
  This one's all about Bette Davis's turn as the rubber-faced ghoul Jane Hudson -- a former child vaudevillian who torments her invalid, movie star sister Blanche (Joan Crawford). Jane is some kind of Bad-Seed and Norma Desmond amalgamation; a Peter-Pan-Syndrome, golden curled… More
  This one's all about Bette Davis's turn as the rubber-faced ghoul Jane Hudson -- a former child vaudevillian who torments her invalid, movie star sister Blanche (Joan Crawford). Jane is some kind of Bad-Seed and Norma Desmond amalgamation; a Peter-Pan-Syndrome, golden curled psychotic who's obsessed with her former stardom, her relationship with her father, and the mysterious car accident that caused her sister's lifelong paralysis. (Jane may or may not have been responsible.) Anyway she's sadistic, haunted and as the film develops increasingly delusional. Both Davis's makeup design and her performance evoke a living doll, aged and left out in the sun. Her wrinkles sag on her face like putty as Jane puts on a plastic smile to sing "I've written a letter to Daddy" her signature tune in fits of deranged nostalgia. Scenery Chewing? Perhaps. But chillingly effective. What Ever Happened To Baby Jane? is only let down by its director Robert Aldrich who never lets the mansion the two sisters share -- a gloomy dollhouse host to Hollywood roadkill -- be a living character. And Crawford's Blanche is never more than vulnerability incarnate. The psychology of Jane, who was forever doomed to personify her titular stage name, is the film's most fascinating detail -- it sizzles in the mind, along with her now iconic, prune-ish anti-beauty.

• Jennifer D

  
  Oddly enough, earlier today I just so happened to finish a book about two sisters stuck in childhood. Very strange I should pick this movie without reading the summary. I thought Bette Davis was FANTASTIC. I can't imagine it's easy playing a crazy person. Joan Crawford was… More
  Oddly enough, earlier today I just so happened to finish a book about two sisters stuck in childhood. Very strange I should pick this movie without reading the summary. I thought Bette Davis was FANTASTIC. I can't imagine it's easy playing a crazy person. Joan Crawford was all right and the story lagged at a few points, but I couldn't take my eyes off of the weird and decidedly ugly Davis. Bravo, Miss Bette. Bravo. I also LOVED that they used younger pictures of both Crawford and Davis. Genius! Not every actor you can do that with!

• Tim S

  
  A pretty taught and tense film in the vein of a latter film "Misery". Some fabulous performances throughout, some envelope pushing and a psycho Bette Davis singing and dancing. Incredible.

• Randy T

  
  "The best time I ever had with Joan Crawford was when I pushed her down the stairs in <i>What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?</i>" -Bette Davis It's a simple fact of life that you will meet people who are likable and those who are not. In most circumstances… More
  "The best time I ever had with Joan Crawford was when I pushed her down the stairs in <i>What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?</i>" -Bette Davis It's a simple fact of life that you will meet people who are likable and those who are not. In most circumstances when an actor or actress is asked about someone they dislike they will just refuse to comment. It's called "taking the high road". I've seen this time and time again. Debra Winger hated Richard Gere so much that after the filming of <i>An Officer and a Gentleman</i> had wrapped she refused to appear with him on press junkets and talk shows. To this day Diane Keaton will not talk about her <i>Godfather</i> co-star Al Pacino, stating only that she disliked working with him. Herein lies one of the reasons why I love Bette Davis so much. If Miss Davis disliked you, and by all accounts she disliked a great number of people, the whole world knew it. Her feud with Joan Crawford is the stuff of Hollywood legend and the quotes that are attributed to Bette are priceless: "Why am I so good at playing bitches? I think it's because I'm not a bitch. Maybe that's why Miss Crawford always plays ladies." Personally, I have never once watched a Bette Davis picture and been drawn out of the story by an awareness that she was acting. Her portrayals are nothing if they're not honest and sincere. This holds true for <i>What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?</i>. There is a subtle but noticeable difference here between Crawford (the movie star) and Davis (the actress). In some cases this would be a detriment to the feel of the picture but, for this script, it works perfectly. Don't misunderstand me, I have enormous respect for Joan but, as an actress, I just think she's a tier (or two) below Bette. All told, this is a very good film that becomes even better once you know the back-story.

• AJ V

  
  This movie has such a great story of fame, jealousy, family, and suspense, it's very suspenseful. I loved this movie, and I highly recommend it.

• familiar s

  
  Usually I tend to avoid Black & White movies. But I'm glad that I didn't postpone watching this for long like I've been doing with: Touch of Evil (1958), The Third Man (1949), The Blue Dahlia (1946), Rebecca (1940), & The Big Heat (1953) which have been siting… More
  Usually I tend to avoid Black & White movies. But I'm glad that I didn't postpone watching this for long like I've been doing with: Touch of Evil (1958), The Third Man (1949), The Blue Dahlia (1946), Rebecca (1940), & The Big Heat (1953) which have been siting on my hard disk for over 3 months now!!! Though it wasn't exactly what I'd expected (while I'd avoided to read the plot purposely before watching the movie, I'd guessed by the title that it would be something about a mystery involving the missing of some baby), it didn't turn out to be disappointing either. It did lose its grip over me for a while in between, but the ending was so stupendous that it made it up for all its weak moments for me. A truly classic film-noir indeed!!!

• Fernando Rafael Q

  
  Watching WEHTBJ is the weirdest thing. Director Robert Aldrich expertly builds tension, but fails to create a real interest in the outcome of the actions he depicts. Maybe that was the point, but this dark comedy/psychological thriller is way too over-the-top and campy for someone… More
  Watching WEHTBJ is the weirdest thing. Director Robert Aldrich expertly builds tension, but fails to create a real interest in the outcome of the actions he depicts. Maybe that was the point, but this dark comedy/psychological thriller is way too over-the-top and campy for someone looking for a chilling thriller. Joan Crawford is excellent. Bette Davis's performance is uneven, but when she's good, she kicks ass.

• Michael G

  
  I'm pretty sure you need to be a catty gay man to get the maximum enjoyment out of What Ever Happened to Baby Jane. Bette Davis steals the show as jealous alcoholic to Joan Crawford's invalid. What Ever Happened to Baby Jane comes off like a bitchy (hence my initial comment)… More
  I'm pretty sure you need to be a catty gay man to get the maximum enjoyment out of What Ever Happened to Baby Jane. Bette Davis steals the show as jealous alcoholic to Joan Crawford's invalid. What Ever Happened to Baby Jane comes off like a bitchy (hence my initial comment) soap opera mostly but once Davis goes off the reservation the good times start rolling. And it gets nothing but increasingly creepy and grotesque with its beautiful photography. And knowing that Davis and Crawford hated each other's gutsmakes it all the more fun.

• Mark H

  
  Blanche: You wouldn't be able to do these awful things to me if I weren't still in this chair. Jane: But you *are*, Blanche! You *are* in that chair!

• Lafe F

  
  Freaky and unforgettable. Bette Davis plays "Baby Jane", a faded starlet who keeps her invalid sister (Joan Crawford) locked up at their large home. There's some shocking and funny scenes. I loved the surreal "Baby Jane" revival scene on the beach. A classic.

• Jennifer X

  
  Mm, I thought it would be better, but it's a very very engrossing film. Bette Davis's performance sent shudders down my spine.

• Cindy I

  
  Bette Davis is a hoot as a child star who grows up, falls out of favor with Hollywood and goes nuts from being ignored. Davis reportedly really abused Joan Crawford on the set in her role as Baby Jane's crippled actress sister.

• Leigh R

  
  Intense.

• Matthew R

  
  Two aging sisters, one a has-been child star (Bette Davis), the other a Hollywood actress (Joan Crawford) whose career was ruined when an accident left her in a wheelchair; share the same old, rundown mansion. The former child star Jane, begins to slowly grow demented out of jealousy… More
  Two aging sisters, one a has-been child star (Bette Davis), the other a Hollywood actress (Joan Crawford) whose career was ruined when an accident left her in a wheelchair; share the same old, rundown mansion. The former child star Jane, begins to slowly grow demented out of jealousy from the success her sister had leading to springs of abuse, torture, and murder. Conveyed in a striking style, filled with a creaky old Hollywood mansion and plenty of campy one-liners, this is the horror-camp classic for the ages. Visually, there isn't much to say, it is a black and white feature. There are a few terrifying visual scenes in this film but other than that, nothing really special. Despite the at times melodramatic direction, this film was loaded with twists and turns. The twist ending leaved a little to be desired though. What really propels this film into the classic stage is the acting by both lead women. Juicy and deliciously evil, Bette Davis performance as Baby Jane is masterfully done. The scene in which she sings "I've Written A Letter to Daddy" all dressed up in frilly little girl's clothes and cartoonish awful makeup, while in a drunken stupor in front of the mirror is very disturbing and not to be missed. Like how she felt, I believe she was cheated for not winning best actress for this role, her second best performance (The first being All About Eve, which she also did not win). Joan Crawford was more subdued but still brilliant in her role, as the tormented sister. This film is probably where Stephen King got his inspiration for Misery (another fantastic movie and book). The whole concept of this movie is creative and original. Whatever Happened to Baby Jane is a creepy, odd, and interesting film, a horror classic that doesn't get as much attention as it deserves Story: A Acting: A Direction: B+ Visuals: B+ Overall: A- ***1/2 out of 4 stars

• John B

  
  Put together an aging Bette Davis and an aging Joan Crawford and this is what you get..a wonderful cinematic catfight. Fabulously built, the the drama reaches the breaking point perfectly.

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