We have arrived at the final film in this Bette Davis film study series. The opportunity for WHATEVER HAPPENED TO BABY JANE came nearly twelve years after our last film, ALL ABOUT EVE. She continued working in those dozen years, but the golden era of Oscar nominated romantic lead roles was rapidly fading away. Now fifty-six years old, Davis was entering the last chapter in her film career. While rare for most actresses to be working in anything meatier than a toothpaste commercial beyond the age forty; as typical for Bette, her work and her shining days in the public spotlight were not quite finished.
In 1960, Henry Farrell published a gothic horror novel of two strange sisters with showbiz history, “WHAT EVER HAPPENED TO BABY JANE?” Backstage at a performance of “Night of the Iguana,” Joan Crawford approached Bette Davis about the two taking this story to the big screen. According to Bette from her own memoir “This ‘n That,” “she [Crawford] said she had sent it to Robert Aldrich with hopes that he would direct it. He had phoned her from Italy, where he was finishing a film, to say he had acquired the rights to the book.” Weeks later, Aldrich arrived at Bette’s place and they discussed the idea further, including the basic question of who would get which sister to portray. To give you some idea of how much Davis was no longer a studio darling, she was without any agent representation, so she took on Aldrich’s.
Around the same time, Hollywood producer Bill Frye (1921 – 2017) served as producer for 49 episodes of the television series, “Thriller” (1960 -1962). He considered the novel for TV, but quickly realized it would make a better fit for a feature film. He also approached Bette Davis and Olivia DeHavilland, thinking they’d work well as the Hudson sisters. He additionally thought of Ida Lupino for the director. He then took this project pitch to Lew Wasserman at Universal- who flatly turned it down, solely because he refused to work with Davis. Later, Bette confided in Frye, “You’ll never believe it, but Crawford gave me a copy of the book with a note suggesting I play the younger sister. I told her never. The only part I’m interested in is Baby Jane.” [Despite Bette’s reference to the ‘younger sister,’ Baby Jane is the younger sister.]
One of the most memorable, and certainly most buzz-worthy, aspects of this film is Bette Davis’s makeup for Jane Hudson. And we have Bette Davis, and only Bette Davis, to credit for that. Once Davis took a look at the wardrobe selected for Jane, she knew instantly what was needed. She also knew that only she could do it because no respectable makeup artist would desire their name being connected with the results that Davis had in mind. She went beyond what the makeup department- and director Robert Aldrich- could have ever dreamed up. “One [makeup artist] told me he was afraid that if he did what I wanted, he might never work again. Jane looked like many women one sees on Hollywood Boulevard… I felt Jane never washed her face—just added another layer of makeup each day. I used a chalk white base, lots of eye shadow – very black- a cupid’s bow mouth, a beauty mark on my cheek and a bleached blonde wig with Mary Pickford curls.”
After only a few days of filming, Aldrich felt Davis had gone too far with the look and asked her to play it down more. She threatened, “If you change my makeup, you’ll have to recast me, because if I play Jane, I will continue to wear this makeup.”
In contrast, Crawford was a challenge on set in the opposite direction. With each day, Joan attempted to make her character more youthful and glamorous, including an insistence that at minimum, Blanche should be allowed to wear red polished fingernails. (Perhaps Joan had been growing out her claws since her 1939 film, THE WOMEN, and wanted to show off her “Jungle Red!” nails for this role… *wink*) Davis recalled, “In her vanity she was consistent. As part of her wardrobe, Miss Crawford owned three sizes of bosoms. In the famous scene in which she lay on the beach, Joan wore the largest one. Let’s face it- when a woman lies on her back, I don’t care how well-endowed she is, her bosoms do not stand straight up. And Blanche had supposedly wasted away for nearly twenty years. The scene called for me to fall on top of her. I had the breath almost knocked out of me. It was like falling on two footballs.”
During this production, Crawford served on the board of directors for Pepsi-Cola. In 1955, she married Pepsi President, Alfred Steele and after his death in 1959, she was elected to fill his spot on the board. (She was forced to retire in 1973.) But she was always a Pepsi brand loyalist and showed up one day on set with a cooler filled with Pepsi for the cast and crew. In her own on-brand subtlety, Bette arrived the next day with an even bigger cooler filled with Coke.
The Davis and Crawford rivalry was as infamous back then as it is to this day. Ryan Murphy capitalized on their notorious tension, especially during this production of this film in the television series, “FEUD: Bette and Joan” (2017). While they nit-picked endlessly in a feud that likely stemmed from the time Bette slept with Joan’s husband Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. back in the 1930s, Bette would openly admit her hatred for Miriam Hopkins while only teasing Joan. While Joan and Bette approached acting and emotional expression in very differing ways, the truth is they were very much alike otherwise. Both were very ambitious, competitive, clean-freaks, obsessive-compulsive, and hard-working in their struggle in Hollywood. Both came from childhoods where they moved around a lot, struggled financially, worked in school dining halls to pay for their own tuition at boarding schools, with absent/emotionally vacant father figures.
The true distinction between the two is that Bette always wanted to be the very best actress and would do anything to give the best performance, including not being afraid to ‘ugly it up’ for a good role. Whereas Crawford always wanted to be a glamorous Hollywood movie star. Her star image and the loyalty of her fanbase was paramount to everything she did. There’s an underlying fragile vulnerability revealed in Crawford’s performance that’s used very effectively in this film. Perhaps it stems from peeking behind her mask of sophistication after decades in the industry. Above all else, Crawford craved for everyone to like her vs. Bette didn’t ‘give a rat’ if you liked her, but you better respect her work. Ironically, this essential difference made Crawford work hard to gain Bette’s respect. Which Bette inherently knew and taunted Crawford at every possible turn. In the end, as Crawford was subconsciously attempting to appease Bette by showing her that she was not just a vain movie star, but a respectable actress; she ultimately gave a better- a very respectable performance.
Bette and Joan gave terrific performances in this camp horror film, which was nominated for five Oscars: Best Sound (Joseph D Kelly), Best Cinematography, Black-and-White (Ernest Haller), Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Victor Buono), and Best Actress in a Leading Role (Bette Davis). Norma Koch won the Oscar for Best Costume Design, Black-and-White. Note that Joan Crawford was not nominated. As you can imagine, this disparity did not go unnoticed. However, this nomination meant a great deal to Bette because if she won, it would mean her third Oscar- and breaking a record. Joan continued the power play by offering to accept the Academy Award statuette on behalf of the other nominees who were not present for the ceremony. According to Bette, Joan trashed her co-lead across the media and to Academy voters. Sure enough, Anne Bancroft who was too busy on Broadway to attend the ceremony won for THE MIRACLE WORKER, and Joan sashayed right past Bette to the stage.
Robert Aldrich was an independent filmmaker for this film, so it was shot at the ‘low rent’ Producers Studios, later known as the Raleigh Studios, across the street from Paramount. Aldrich filmed at the studio from July 9 to September 12, 1962 Surprisingly, it was Bette’s old boss Jack Warner that agreed to have Warner Brothers as the distributor, after he caught a preview audience’s thunderous reaction in New York.
To keep it a low budget production, many exterior scenes were shot on locales across town, not studio processed with rear projection. Exterior locations included the Hudson house in the Wilshire district at 172 South McCadden Place (this house still stands, not currently for sale but the Zillow listing is $4.7 million- and is next door to the house Judy Garland lived in when she filmed WIZARD OF OZ) and Malibu beach. This included Davis herself driving the car, with cinematographer Ernie Haller strapped to the front of the car or crouched in the back seat. The realism of this style of photography was on the verge of growing much more commonplace and popular at this time and benefited to create the authentic tone of camp horror.
While there is debate on the exact year of her birth (1904 to 1908?), Joan Crawford was born Lucille Fay LeSueur on March 23rd so they were both in their mid-fifties when this film was released on Halloween day in 1962. WHAT EVER HAPPENED TO BABY JANE was an immediate and huge success, both with audiences and critics. The film cost $825,000 (negative cost of a bit over $1 million) but made $1.6 million in its opening weekend- the film made a clear profit in less than two weeks. It grossed nearly $3.9 million by August 1963. By the late 1980s, thanks to its continued popularity and cult-like following, it already made over $10 million.
Nine days after production wrapped on BABY JANE, Bette Davis placed her infamous want ad in the trades, advertising herself as a mother of three with thirty years of experience in the motion picture industry in need of work. It was part tongue in cheek, part a jab at her agent, and part a jab at the industry itself because at her age she was no longer in high demand, despite her continued work but no longer as the romantic lead. It gained attention, but she would continue to see more camp, more horror, and more roles on the verge of parody in the following years, in striking contrast to her peak Warner Brothers days. As such, she wrote memoirs and appeared on many television shows. Her JEZEBEL and Margo Channing days were over, but her fans couldn’t get enough of that candid and dynamic personality. After battling breast cancer, a stroke, and the ultimate betrayal of her biological daughter, B.D., she somehow forged onward to her final appearance as the special guest of honor at a film festival in Spain. She died at the age of eighty-one in a hospital in Paris, October 6, 1989.
As we wrap up our exploration on Bette Davis, some final thoughts to discuss…
How does Bette express the emotional range of Jane – childlike wonder and innocence, hostility, cruelty, madness… ?
Known for his clever wit, prolific character actor Victor Buono (1938 – 1982) worked with Bette again in HUSH HUSH SWEET CHARLOTTE (1964), which reunited Aldrich and Crawford again before Joan dropped out after a week of filming, replaced by Olivia de Havilland.
How does Buono as Edwin (who was originally cast with Peter Lawford) and Marjorie Bennett as his mother, Dehlia add humor?
You may recognize the bank teller Maxine Cooper (1924 – 2009) from the film noir classic, KISS ME DEADLY (1955) or another Crawford film, AUTUMN LEAVES (1956).
You may recognize character actor Bert Freed from westerns like SHANE (1966) and noirs like WHERE THE SIDEWALK (1950).
Portraying the teen neighbor, Bette’s daughter B.D. made her only film role, minus a brief part when she was a toddler.
Both Davis and Crawford have their old film clips included- EX-LADY (1933) for Bette, and SADIE MCKEE (1934).
The character Baby Jane Hudson is rumored to be based on silent film star, Mary Miles Minter, who faced public scrutiny as the prime suspect in the unsolved murder of director William Desmond Taylor.
Joan Crawford was an avid collector of the famous Keane art and personal friends with the Keanes. If you look closely, you can see her “sad eyes” paintings from her own collection hanging in the neighbor’s [Anna Lee (1913 – 2004) as Mrs. Bates] living room.
In the BABY JANE final scene filmed on a Malibu beach, you can see a beach house in the background, which is the same house as the dramatic final scene in the film noir, KISS ME DEADLY (1955).
Cast and Crew:
Bette Davis – Baby Jane Hudson
Joan Crawford – Blanche Hudson
Victor Buono – Edwin Flagg
Wesley Addy – Marty McDonald
Julie Allred – Baby Jane Hudson (in 1917)
Anne Barton – Cora Hudson
Marjorie Bennett – Dehlia Flagg
Bert Freed – Ben Golden
Anna Lee – Mrs. Bates
Maidie Norman – Elvira Stitt
Dave Willock – Ray Hudson
William Adrich – Lunch counter assistant at beach
Russ Conway – Police officer
Maxine Cooper – Bank teller
Robert Cornthwaite – Dr. Shelby
Michael Fox – TV commercial man
Gina Gillespie – Blanche Hudson (in 1917)
Barbara aka B.D. Merrill – Liza Bates, teen neighbor
Directed by: Robert Aldrich
Produced by: Robert Aldrich, Kenneth Hyman
Writing by: Henry Farrell (novel by), Lukas Heller (screenplay by)
Cinematography: Ernest Heller
Music by: Frank De Vol
Editing by: Michael Luciano
Costume/Wardrobe: Norma Koch
Sources:
“Dark Victory, The Life of Bette Davis.” By: Ed Sikov. 2007. Henry Holt and Co.
“This ‘n That.” By: Bette Davis with Michael Herkowitz. 1987. Berkley Pub Group.
“Joan Crawford.” By: Bob Thomas. 2017. Simon and Schuster.
“Mother Goddam: Bette Davis.” By: Whitney Stine. 1974. Hawthorn Books.
IMDB.