We are taking steps to inform our audience that all HTC performances are being evaluated on a case by case basis. Click here to check our Corona Virus Updates.
Menu
Rise & Shine – Kupuna Movie Mornings – “What Ever Happened to Baby Jane” (1962)
What do you get when you cast two actresses who had been bitter rivals for three decades as sisters in an over-the-top psychological horror film? You get Robert Aldrich’s 1962 camp psychological horror classic “What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?”
Bette Davis stars as the eponymous Jane Hudson, an aging former child star who torments her paraplegic sister Blanche, played by Joan Crawford. The movie was directed by Robert Aldrich, who is well known for his gritty tough guy flicks such as “The Dirty Dozen” and“Kiss Me Deadly.” Aldrich was instrumental in bringing “What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?” to the big screen, having optioned the novel by Henry Farrell and serving as producer as well as director. He also helped bring Davis and Crawford onboard, a move that led Warner Brothers mogul Jack Warner to remark “I wouldn’t give a plugged nickel for either of those two old broads.”
Apparently, many people were more than happy to pay to see “those two old broads.” The movie was a huge hit, and one of the top grossing films of 1962. “What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?” also revitalized the careers of Robert Aldrich, Joan Crawford, and Bette Davis while earning five Academy Award nominations. Famously, Davis was nominated for Best Actress but Crawford was not, much to Crawford’s dismay and further fueling their ongoing feud.