#558. What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962)

Directed By: Robert Aldrich

Starring: Bette Davis, Joan Crawford, Victor Buono




Tag line: "Sister, sister, oh so fair, why is there blood all over your hair?"

Trivia: The wig Bette Davis wears throughout the film had, unbeknownst to both leads, been worn by Joan Crawford in an earlier MGM movie

What Ever Happened to Baby Jane is the story of two sisters, both of whom had careers in show business. Jane (Bette Davis) was a child star, perhaps the biggest stage act of her time, while Blanche (Joan Crawford) found her niche in motion pictures a few years later. Unable to jump-start her dwindling career, an adult Jane turned to the bottle, and one night, in a drunken stupor, caused an automobile accident that put Blanche in a wheelchair for the rest of her life. Many years have passed since that fateful evening, and the two elderly sisters are now living under the same roof. Unable to take care of herself, Blanche depends on Jane for her most basic needs. But when Jane decides to make a “triumphant return” to show business, it dredges up all the bad feelings of the past. Trapped in her wheelchair, Blanche can only sit back and watch as Jane’s delusions of grandeur spiral out of control, pushing her to the brink of insanity. 

In What Ever Happened to Baby Jane, we're afforded the opportunity of watching two of Hollywood’s greatest actresses face off against one another, with Bette Davis standing out as the unscrupulous sister who’ll do anything to get her own way. We’re given a first-hand account of Jane’s selfishness in the film's opening scene, a flashback to 1917, when “Baby Jane” (played as a child by Julie Allred) was an international sensation. While on stage, Jane’s a pure delight, singing and dancing her heart out for her adoring public.  Backstage, she's Godzilla in a dress, verbally abusing her father (Dave Willock) in front of dozens of young fans, all because he refused to buy her ice cream. It’s obvious Jane’s success came much too early in life, whereas Blanche’s arrived when she had matured, and was able to learn from her sister's mistakes. Always impressive, Joan Crawford works wonders as the handicapped former starlet, yet it's Bette Davis’ bitchy sibling, still aching from the pain of watching her sister become a big star, who commands our attention. As egotistical as she is crazy, there's no predicting how low she'll sink to grab the spotlight for herself. 

Besides being two tremendous performers, both Davis and Crawford had a reputation for flying off the handle from time to time, which led many Hollywood pundits to believe their pairing would lead to some nasty fireworks. Even Robert Aldrich said early on that he wasn’t sure if he was “going to direct a motion picture or referee a title fight”. But if there was friction between the two, it only worked to the film’s advantage, for however they may have felt about one another off-screen, their work in front of the camera was practically flawless.