IMDb >
What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962)
Watch It
Buy it at Amazon
Rent it at Blockbuster.com
Discuss in Boards More at IMDb Pro Add to My Movies Update Data
BETA
Discuss in Boards More at IMDb Pro Add to My Movies Update Data
Quicklinks
Top Links
trailers and videosfull cast and crewtriviaofficial sitesmemorable quotesOverview
main detailscombined detailsfull cast and crewcompany creditstv scheduleAwards & Reviews
user commentsexternal reviewsnewsgroup reviewsawardsuser ratingsparents guiderecommendationsmessage boardPlot & Quotes
plot summarysynopsisplot keywordsAmazon.com summarymemorable quotesFun Stuff
triviagoofssoundtrack listingcrazy creditsalternate versionsmovie connectionsFAQOther Info
merchandising linksbox office/businessrelease datesfilming locationstechnical specslaserdisc detailsDVD detailsliterature listingsNewsDeskPromotional
taglines trailers and videos posters photo galleryExternal Links
showtimesofficial sitesmiscellaneousphotographssound clipsvideo clipsWhat Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962) More at IMDbPro »
| Videos |
|
Overview
User Rating:
Director:
Writers:
Release Date:
31 October 1962 (USA)
more
Tagline:
Sister, sister, oh so fair, why is there blood all over your hair? more
Plot:
In a decaying Hollywood mansion, Jane Hudson, a former child star, and her sister Blanche, a movie queen forced into retirement after a crippling accident, live in virtual isolation. full summary | full synopsis
Plot Keywords:
Hollywood
|
Child Star
|
Recluse
|
Former Child Star
|
Aging
more
Awards:
Won Oscar.
Another 2 wins
&
10 nominations
more
NewsDesk:
(2 articles)
Spillane's Secretary In Kiss Me Deadly Dead At 84
(From WENN. 15 April 2009, 3:00 PM, PDT)
Bette To Star On Broadway
(From Studio Briefing - Film News. 25 March 1998)
(From WENN. 15 April 2009, 3:00 PM, PDT)
Bette To Star On Broadway
(From Studio Briefing - Film News. 25 March 1998)
User Comments:
Disturbing, because it's real
more (124 total)
Cast
(Cast overview, first billed only) | Bette Davis | ... | Baby Jane Hudson |
 | Joan Crawford | ... | Blanche Hudson |
 | Victor Buono | ... | Edwin Flagg |
| Wesley Addy | ... | Marty Mc Donald |
| Julie Allred | ... | Baby Jane Hudson, in 1917 |
| Anne Barton | ... | Cora Hudson (as Ann Barton) |
| Marjorie Bennett | ... | Dehlia Flagg |
| Bert Freed | ... | Ben Golden (as Robert Freed) |
| Anna Lee | ... | Mrs. Bates |
 | Maidie Norman | ... | Elvira Stitt |
| Dave Willock | ... | Ray Hudson |
| William Aldrich | ... | Lunch counter assistant at beach |
| Russ Conway | ... | Police Officer |
| Maxine Cooper | ... | Bank teller |
| Robert Cornthwaite | ... | Dr. Shelby |
Additional Details
Parents Guide:
Runtime:
134 min | Argentina:135 min
Country:
Language:
Color:
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Mono (RCA Sound Recording)
Certification:
UK:18 (1988 rating) |
Canada:14+ (Ontario) |
Portugal:M/12 |
France:-12 |
Ireland:12 |
Spain:18 |
Germany:16 (f) |
South Korea:15 |
Argentina:16 |
Australia:M |
Finland:K-16 |
Sweden:15 |
UK:12A (re-rating) (2004) |
UK:X (original rating) (cut) |
USA:Unrated
Filming Locations:
Company:
Fun Stuff
Trivia:
According to Bette Davis in her book This N' That, this film was originally going to be shot in color. Bette opposed this, saying that it would just make a sad story look pretty.
more
Goofs:
Continuity: When Jane is shocked by her reflection in the mirror, the expression in her face as well as her posture has changed in the next shot.
more
Quotes:
Movie Connections:
Referenced in "The Facts of Life: The Last Drive-In (#6.22)" (1985)
more
Soundtrack:
I'VE WRITTEN A LETTER TO DADDY
more
FAQ
This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.more (124 total)
Message Boards
Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962) moreRecommendations
If you enjoyed this title, our database also recommends:
Show more recommendations
|
|
|
|
|
| The Day of the Locust | La règle du jeu | The Aviator | The Notebook | Valentino |
|
IMDb User Rating:
|
IMDb User Rating:
|
IMDb User Rating:
|
IMDb User Rating:
|
IMDb User Rating:
|
Related Links
| Full cast and crew | Company credits | External reviews |
| News articles | IMDb Drama section | IMDb USA section |
| Add this title to MyMovies |
Interesting, to see comments dismissing WEHTBJ? as a "gay" film, or "cult" film, etc.
As a writer/producer who lived and worked in Hollywood for 30 years, I submit that those comments represent a "denial syndrome" of people who are ignorant of the facts of Hollywood.
What is so "horrifying" about WEHTBJ? is that the film is an utterly realistic psychodrama about two specific sisters of that era.
It's easy to say that Bette Davis' performance/makeup was "over the top," except that they weren't. In fact, I thought her look was taken from a sad "street person" in Hollywood who, in her seventies, walked up and down Hollywood Boulevard in a pink ball-gown and dead blonde wig and thick makeup, speaking into a transistor radio she held to her ear -- in the 60s, long before cell phones -- "talking" to the FBI about people chasing her.
Perhaps those who've spent their lives elsewhere, other than in Hollywood, feel that the characters in WEHTBJ? are "over the top." But they're not.
That's what makes them so heartbreaking. And the incredibly brave performances by Joan Crawford, Bette Davis, Victor Bono and the rest -- not to mention the script and Robert Aldrich's direction -- make this simply the most definitive "Hollywood" psycho-thriller since "Sunset Boulevard."
There's "A Star Is Born," in any of its incarnations. Which is also "true" in its (their) way.
And there is "Sunset Boulevard" and "Baby Jane," which are even more true, and more brilliantly made.
These are not "horror films." They are riveting psychological studies, cast with astonishing actors, and magnificently directed and photographed.
They are the equivalent of Hitchcock's "Psycho," IMHO, which was preceeded by "Sunset Boulevard" and followed by "Baby Jane."
Each different, each brilliant, each marked by some of the most indelible performances ever captured on film.
It's typical of adolescents to make a "joke" about things that make them uncomfortable.
But when experience and age acquaint one with people like Baby Jane and Norma Desmond and, yes, Norman Bates, what's the point of joking?
These three films will tell those characters' stories forever, and better than 99% of films ever made.
That's why they're classics.