What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (film)

What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? is a 1962 American psychological horror thriller film directed and produced by Robert Aldrich, from a screenplay by Lukas Heller, based on the 1960 novel of the same name by Henry Farrell. The film stars Bette Davis and Joan Crawford, and features the major film debut of Victor Buono. It follows an aging former child star tormenting her paraplegic sister, a former film star, in an old Hollywood mansion.
What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? was released in theaters in the United States on October 31, 1962, by Warner Bros. Pictures. The film was met with critical acclaim and was a box office success. It was nominated for five Academy Awards and won one for Best Costume Design, Black-and-White, with Davis receiving her tenth and final nomination for Best Actress.
The alleged bitter rivalry between the two stars, Davis and Crawford, was pivotal to the film's initial success which helped revitalize their careers. In the years after release, critics continued to acclaim the film for its psychologically driven black comedy, camp, and creation of the psycho-biddy subgenre. The film's novel and controversial plot meant that it originally received an X rating in the U.K. Because of the appeal of the film's stars, Dave Itzkoff in The New York Times has identified it as being a "cult classic".
In 2003, the character of Baby Jane Hudson was ranked No. 44 on the American Film Institute's list of the 50 Best Villains of American Cinema.
In 2021, the film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".
In 1917, "Baby Jane" Hudson is a spoiled and capricious child actress who performs in vaudeville theaters across the country with her father, who acts as her manager and accompanies her on stage on the piano. Her success is such that a line of porcelain dolls is made in her image. Meanwhile, her shy older sister Blanche lives in her shadow and is treated with contempt by the haughty Jane, cruelty by her father, and weak apologies by her mother.
As the sisters reach adulthood, their situations undergo a reversal; Jane's style of performing falls out of fashion, and her career declines as she descends into alcoholism, while Blanche becomes an acclaimed Hollywood actress. Mindful of a promise made to their mother, Blanche attempts to maintain a semblance of a career for Jane, going as far as to prevail on producers to guarantee acting roles for her. One evening in 1935, Blanche's career is cut short when she is paralyzed from the waist down in a mysterious car accident that is unofficially blamed on Jane, who is found three days later in a drunken stupor.
By 1962, Blanche and Jane are living together in a mansion purchased with Blanche's film earnings. Blanche's mobility is limited due to her reliance on a wheelchair and the lack of an elevator to her upstairs bedroom. Jane has become a grotesque, mentally unstable alcoholic who regularly abuses Blanche. When Blanche’s old films begin airing on television, renewing her popularity among her fans, Jane becomes increasingly jealous and resentful. She fixates on the success and adoration she once had as a child star and decides to revive her old act with hired pianist Edwin Flagg. When Blanche informs Jane she intends to sell the house, Jane correctly suspects Blanche will commit her to a psychiatric hospital once the house is sold. She removes the telephone from Blanche's bedroom, cutting her off from the outside world.
During Jane's absence, Blanche desperately drags herself down the stairs and calls her doctor for help. Jane returns to find Blanche on the phone and beats her unconscious before mimicking Blanche's voice to dismiss the doctor. After tying Blanche to her bed and locking her in her room, Jane abruptly fires their housekeeper, Elvira, when she comes to work. While Jane is away, the suspicious Elvira sneaks into the house and attempts to access Blanche's room. Concerned by the lack of a response, Elvira starts to remove the door's hinge pins with a hammer. Jane returns home and reluctantly gives Elvira the key. As soon as Elvira enters Blanche's room, Jane takes the hammer and kills Elvira. Edwin comes by the house, but Jane refuses to answer the door. That night, she uses Blanche's wheelchair to move Elvira's body to her car.
A few days later, the police call to tell Jane that Elvira's cousin has reported her missing. Jane panics and prepares to leave, taking Blanche with her. Before they can go, an inebriated Edwin is escorted to the house by police, who leave him there. Upon discovering Blanche bound to her bed, Edwin flees and notifies the authorities. Jane, in a fit of infantile regression, takes Blanche to a beach where she sang as a child.
The next morning, the news of Elvira's murder and Blanche's condition is on the radio and the police are on the lookout. Weakened and near death, Blanche confesses to Jane that she caused her own accident. On the night in question, Blanche tried to run Jane over because she was angry at her drunken sister for mocking her at a party. Blanche's spine broke when her car struck the gates outside their mansion, and she dragged herself in front of the car's hood to stage the accident and frame Jane. Blanche took advantage of Jane's shock and subsequent bender, concealing the real cause of the accident from her, which subjected Jane to a life of guilt, loneliness, and servitude.
Now aware of the truth, a saddened Jane responds, "You mean all this time, we could have been friends?" When Jane gets ice cream for herself and Blanche from a nearby refreshment stand, she is recognized by two police officers, who ask her to lead them to Blanche, attracting the attention of nearby beachgoers. Jane dodges the officers' inquiry and dances before the crowd of curious onlookers. The officers find Blanche nearby and rush to save her.
Henry Farrell's novel, What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? was announced for publication on March 3, 1960. Three weeks later, producer Richard Rush was in talks to acquire the film rights, intending to cast Hugh O'Brian, Agnes Moorehead, and Jennifer West. However, the project stalled until September 1961, when Robert Aldrich came on board as director for producer Joseph E. Levine's Embassy Pictures. Years earlier, Joan Crawford discussed with Aldrich the idea of starring in a movie with Bette Davis. The two struggled to find a suitable project until they agreed on an adaptation of Farrell's novel. Aldrich commissioned Lukas Heller to write the script, and Crawford met with Aldrich on October 4, 1961, to discuss her role, which would mark her return to the screen after several years, her last appearance having been in Aldrich's 1956 film Autumn Leaves. Davis was cast in January 1962 and departed the cast of the Broadway show Night of the Iguana in March, taking a brief hiatus before rehearsals began in Los Angeles.
Funding was secured through Seven Arts Productions, with Warner Bros. Pictures handling distribution. Filming occurred at the Producers Studio, later renamed Raleigh Studios, in Los Angeles. Originally budgeted at $600,000 and slated for completion within thirty days, the production's costs eventually rose to $800,000. Aldrich mentioned that both actresses were offered generous salaries, albeit below their standard rates. To compensate, Davis received ten percent of net profits and Crawford fifteen percent, resulting in earnings exceeding $500,000 after successful box-office returns. Despite Davis' confidence in the film, she likened receiving payment based on net profits to gambling. On July 21, 1962, studio head Jack L. Warner hosted a press luncheon to celebrate Davis and Crawford and to publicize the start of production.
Victor Buono secured the role of "Edwin Flagg" after making a connection at the Golden Door spa in San Marcos, California. His brief appearance in the film marked the beginning of his career as a character actor, as reported by the Los Angeles Times.
Footage from the Bette Davis films Parachute Jumper and Ex-Lady (both 1933) and the Joan Crawford film Sadie McKee (1934) was used to represent the film acting of Jane and Blanche, respectively. The character of Liza, Mrs. Bates' daughter, was played by Davis's real-life daughter B. D. Merrill.
During filming in September 1962, Hedda Hopper mentioned hosting Crawford and Davis at her home for "an interview dinner." Crawford dismissed rumors of a feud between herself and Davis, expressing her desire to collaborate with her co-star since 1944 when they were both under contract to Warner Bros. Producer William Frye had recommended the source novel to Davis in 1960 but could not secure the rights. Davis then offered the story to Alfred Hitchcock, who had prior commitments. Variety quoted Davis from a television interview, stating that the two women had "too much pride to quarrel." Another report from Variety in August 1962 confirmed the friendly atmosphere on set. As a Pepsi-Cola Company board member, Crawford supplied the soft drink to the cast and crew throughout the shoot, although Aldrich occasionally brought bottles of Coca-Cola as a prank. Filming ran behind schedule, with completion expected in September. Despite this, Warner Bros. moved the release date from December to November 1962.
In August 1962, the Theatre Owners of America, concerned by the scarcity of Hollywood films outside holiday seasons, established a committee to organize "guaranteed bookings" and preview screenings. This film became the first release to benefit from the program. By October, the National Screen Service began distributing "special theatre accessories" for the preview screenings. Davis embarked on a three-day tour of New York City theaters during the week of November 7, 1962, participating in seventeen screenings, one of which featured a children's marching band welcoming her with "When the Saints Go Marching In." She expressed her preference for film over live theater to reporters and humorously advertised her availability to Hollywood studios in trade publications. She worked with singer Debbie Burton to record the song "Whatever Happened to Baby Jane," which appeared among the week's top singles in Variety. Davis later credited the film with "resuscitating" her film career.
The Writers Guild of America rejected writer Harry Essex's request for screenplay credit, as he argued that his stage play, also adapted from the novel, influenced Heller. In 1963, it was noted that Warner executive vice-president Benjamin Kalmenson recommended releasing the film after it was rejected by other studios. Ken Hyman of Seven Arts also claimed credit, stating that he threatened to resign unless his company financed the project. Seven Arts recouped the production expenses within the initial eleven days of the film's premiere in New York City.
In a 1972 telephone conversation, Crawford told author Shaun Considine that after seeing the film she urged Davis to go and have a look. When she failed to hear back from her co-star, Crawford called Davis and asked her what she thought of the film. Davis replied, "You were so right, Joan. The picture is good. And I was terrific." Crawford said, "That was it. She never said anything about my performance. Not a word." During the filming of Hush...Hush, Sweet Charlotte (1964), Crawford acknowledged to visiting reporter and author Lawrence J. Quirk the difficulty she was having with Davis but added, "She acted like Baby Jane was a one-woman show after they nominated her. What was I supposed to do? Let her hog all the glory, act like I hadn't even been in the movie? She got the nomination. I didn't begrudge her that, but it would have been nice if she'd been a little gracious in interviews and given me a little credit. I would've done so for her."
Contemporary reviews were mixed. In a generally negative review in The New York Times, Bosley Crowther observed, "[Davis and Crawford] do get off some amusing and eventually blood-chilling displays of screaming sororal hatred and general monstrousness ... The feeble attempts that Mr. Aldrich has made to suggest the irony of two once idolized and wealthy females living in such depravity, and the pathos of their deep-seated envy having brought them to this, wash out very quickly under the flood of sheer grotesquerie. There is nothing moving or particularly significant about these two." Philip K. Scheuer of the Los Angeles Times also panned the film, writing that Crawford and Davis had been turned into "grotesque caricatures of themselves" and that the film "mocks not only its characters but also the sensibilities of its audience." The Chicago Tribune wrote, "This isn't a movie, it's a caricature. Bette Davis' make-up could very well have been done by Charles Addams, Joan Crawford's perils make those of Pauline look like good, clean fun and the plot piles one fantastic twist upon another until it all becomes nonsensical." Brendan Gill of The New Yorker was somewhat negative as well, calling the film "far from being a Hitchcock—it goes on and on, in a light much dimmer than necessary, and the climax, when it belatedly arrives, is a bungled, languid mingling of pursuers and pursued which put me in mind of Last Year at Marienbad. Still, Bette Davis and Joan Crawford do get a chance to carry on like mad things, which at least one of them is supposed to be."
Among the positive reviews, Variety stated that after a slow and overlong introduction the film became "an emotional toboggan ride," adding, "Although the results heavily favor Davis (and she earns the credit), it should be recognized that the plot, of necessity, allows her to run unfettered through all the stages of oncoming insanity ... Crawford gives a quiet, remarkably fine interpretation of the crippled Blanche, held in emotionally by the nature and temperament of the role." Richard L. Coe of The Washington Post also liked the film, writing that "Miss Davis has the showiest role and bites into it with all her admired force, looking a fright from head to foot. I doubt if she would regret some of the laughs she gets. She plays for them and psychologically, they are needed. If Miss Crawford has the passive role, that is not without rewards. Suffering is one of her particular gifts." The Monthly Film Bulletin wrote that numerous directorial techniques, including all the plunging shots down the staircase, made the film look "rather like an anthology of the oldest and most hackneyed devices in thrillerdom. And yet, in its curious Gothic way, the film works marvelously, though mainly as a field-day for its actors."
In Sight & Sound, Peter John Dyer stated that the film had "a frequent air of incompetence," writing of Aldrich's direction that "Like some textbook student of Hitchcock who never got beyond Blackmail, he dispenses suspense with ham-fisted conventionality." Dyer did praise the performances of the leads, however, finding that they seemed to have found "a new maturity, a discipline encouraged perhaps by the confined sets and Crawford's wheelchair, or by the interaction of their professional rivalry upon a belated mutual respect."
More recent assessments have been more uniformly positive. On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes the film holds an approval rating of 91% based on 53 reviews, with an average rating of 7.9/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? combines powerhouse acting, rich atmosphere, and absorbing melodrama in service of a taut thriller with thought-provoking subtext." On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 75 out of 100 based on 15 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".
In a retrospective review, TV Guide awarded the film four stars, calling it "Star wars, trenchantly served" and adding, "If it sometimes looks like a poisonous senior citizen show with over-the-top spoiled ham, just try to look away ... As in the best Hitchcock movies, suspense, rather than actual mayhem, drives the film."
The Japanese filmmaker Akira Kurosawa cited What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? as one of his favorite films.
The film was a box office hit, grossing $9 million in theatrical rentals in North America, giving both Bette Davis and Joan Crawford their biggest hit in over a decade.
In the United Kingdom, the film was given an X certificate by the BBFC in 1962, with a few minor cuts. These cuts were waived for a video submission, which was given an 18 certificate in 1988, meaning no one under 18 years of age could purchase a copy of the film. However, in 2004, the film was re-submitted for a theatrical re-release, and it was given a 12A certificate, now meaning persons under 12 years of age could view it if accompanied by an adult. It remains at this category to this day.
The film's success spawned a succession of horror/thriller films featuring psychotic older women, later dubbed the psycho-biddy subgenre. Among them, Robert Aldrich's Hush...Hush, Sweet Charlotte (1964), Lee H. Katzin's What Ever Happened to Aunt Alice? (1969), Curtis Harrington's Whoever Slew Auntie Roo? (1972) and What's the Matter with Helen? (1971) and, more recently, Ti West's X (2022). It was also parodied by the Italian comedy film What Ever Happened to Baby Toto? (1964). In 1991, the film was remade as a television film starring real-life sisters Vanessa and Lynn Redgrave.
Inspired by the film, British comedy duo Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders created the episode "Whatever Happened to Baby Dawn?" (1990) of their BBC sketch comedy series, and also starred in a radio series (written by David Quantick) about feuding sisters called Whatever Happened To Baby Jane Austen (2021).
Author Shaun Considine chronicled the actresses' rivalry, including their experience shooting this film, in the 1989 book Bette and Joan: The Divine Feud. Their broadly fictionalized backstage battle during the production of the film was also the basis for Ryan Murphy's 2017 miniseries Feud, which starred Jessica Lange as Crawford and Susan Sarandon as Davis. The alleged rivalry was also dramatized for BBC Radio 4 as Bette and Joan and Baby Jane (2010), starring Catherine Tate as Davis and Tracy-Ann Oberman as Crawford.
In 2006, Christina Aguilera adopted a new alter ego called Baby Jane after Bette Davis' character in the film.
In Season 2, Episode 4 of RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars, the drag queens' acting chops are tested in parody film sequels of RuPaul's favorite films. A parody of ''What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?'' called ''Wha' Ha' Happened to Baby JJ?'' was made by Alaska and Alyssa Edwards.
In the film Space Jam: A New Legacy, Baby Jane makes an appearance as a spectator watching the Tune Squad battle the Goon Squad.