Sibling rivalry gone amok is at the heart of Whatever Happened to Baby Jane? (black & white, 1962). The film opens early in the 20th century, when vaudeville was still in vogue. Baby Jane Hudson, a spoiled, demanding and apparently none-too-gifted child star is the apple of her cloying father's eye. Her older, envious sister Blanche tends to smolder in the wings as Jane garners the shrieks and applause of her fans...but times change. Cut to a dark night and a fateful "accident" many years later...cut again to the early 60's, when former child star Jane (Bette Davis) and former movie star Blanche (Joan Crawford) now share a decomposing mansion...and some ugly memories. Blanche is crippled and wheelchair-bound as a result of the earlier "accident," and Jane is equally crippled, though her malady is psychological and fueled by alcohol.Director Robert Aldrich (Kiss Me Deadly, The Dirty Dozen) spins a beautifully twisted tale, adapted by Lukas Heller from Henry Farrell's novel, and creates a suspense-driven, enduring classic filled with macabre and gruesome set pieces and memorable moments. Bette Davis inhabits the title role of the aged, demented "Baby Jane." Inappropriate in every way, Jane flounces around the house and neighborhood in vintage wig, makeup and clothing that recall the era when she was a young star. Joan Crawford portrays the long-suffering Blanche who managed to achieve stardom on her own but harbors a secret and is now completely dependent upon her increasingly disturbed sister. When Jane discovers that Blanche has plans to sell the mansion and put her in a home, the situation turns deadly and the suspense takes off. It doesn't let up. And, in the tradition of some of the best of the genre, Whatever Happened to Baby Jane? delivers a plot twist, though a poignant one, at the end.
A sleeper that became a sensation when it was released, the film sparked a trend in casting one-time Hollywood leading ladies in horror/thriller melodramas. However, none of those that followed were on a par with Baby Jane: Crawford in Strait-Jacket, Berserk, etc.; Davis in Hush...Hush, Sweet Charlotte, Dead Ringer, etc.; Olivia de Havilland in Lady in a Cage (and Charlotte with Davis and Joseph Cotten)...and even Joan Bennett in the gothic TV phenomenon, "Dark Shadows." But the film did more than make money (it was the first Hollywood film to earn back its budget in one weekend) and set a trend, it was also nominated for five Academy Awards and won for best B&W costume design.
This film is celebrated for many reasons, but it is the performance of Bette Davis that cements Baby Jane's place as a classic outside any genre. Davis "kicks out the jams" and gives a bravura portrayal, one of fascinating depth. Her Baby Jane Hudson is a grotesque, yes, she's over-the-top and she is terrifying at times...but she also has comic elements...and she is also a tragic, even touching figure. Crawford deserves attention, too, for bravely going toe-to-toe with Davis and turning in one of her most interesting performances, and Victor Buono is also notable for his magnificently repellent rendition of the corpulent accompanist Jane hires when she decides to return to show business.
This is one film that was literally meant to be seen on Halloween - it was released on October 31, 1962...
