This maneuver explains how Davis found herself sitting at Aldrich’s side throughout filming, why Aldrich obliged Davis’s creative input, and how Davis secured the leverage to properly torture Crawford. This spiritual successor to ‘What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?’ is slow at … She would then inspect them. | California Privacy Rights Charlotte Hollis is a semi-recluse, and widely believed to be insane. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Condé Nast. “She would also stand next to director Aldrich while he was filming Joan’s scenes and make loud, negative comments.”, When Crawford woke up from a nap on set one day to discover that the entire production had left the location without her, “Joan was convinced that Davis was behind it, and furthermore that Davis was manipulating Aldrich behind the scenes,” wrote Quirk and Schoell. “I wept for nine hours.” Having recovered enough to roll phone calls to press, Crawford told The Hollywood Reporter, “Aldrich knew where to long distance me all over the world when he needed me, but he made no effort to reach me here that he had signed Olivia. Meanwhile, Davis took any and every opportunity thrown her way. I love that scene at the end of Hush Hush where Bette says "FUCK YOU!" “She’d exercise a little bit while I set out her makeup. I would layout six pair for her on the table. Charlotte Hollis, an aging recluse driven into dementia by horrible memories and hallucinations, lives in a secluded house where her married lover, John Mayhew, was beheaded and mutilated thirty-seven years before by an unknown assailant. So it's like that thing where you send out your investigator when somebody is saying they have whiplash from a car accident, and then you catch them playing tennis. Terms of Use | There were witnesses to that. On Sunday, April 23, the Feud between Hollywood icons Bette Davis and Joan Crawford will come to an end, as the hit FX series airs its Season 1 finale. Did you think about carrying this story out until Bette's death rather than Joan’s? Watchlist Added. | EU Privacy Preferences. She was charged with his murder but her wealthy, influential father managed to have the case dismissed. In Baby Jane Blanche’s ally, and cleaner, Elvira (Maidie Norman), is killed by Jane while Velma (Agnes Moorehead) Charlotte’s housekeeper and friend in Hush…Hush … suffers a similar fate. to spend hours ironing them in the one-hundred-degree weather.”, When Crawford arrived to set the fourth day of filming, Davis had already tactically befriended the local press and crew—the latter of whom she would eat lunch with. In this the roles of tormentor and tormented as played out in Baby Jane by Davis and Crawford respectively, were meant to be reversed. “You do not function well with someone of my type,” Davis wrote Aldrich, according to Shaun Considine’s Bette and Joan: The Divine Feud—an absolute must-read for fans of the FX series. AdChoices The intended Crawford and Davis follow-up to Baby Jane: Hush…Hush, Sweet Charlotte (1964) also prompted some fruitful reflection. How did crafting the final shot of them, on the first day of filming Baby Jane come about? She continued to work in films like “The Snake Pit,” “My Cousin Rachel,” “Light in the Piazza” and “Hush … Hush Sweet Charlotte,” among many others. . Understandably, the actresses were reluctant to re-team given their history. April 23, 2017 https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/hush-hush-sweet-charlotte There were more complications to Joan shutting down production on Sweet Charlotte than we actually showed. To revisit this article, visit My Profile, then View saved stories. evening dresses were chiffon, which meant that the wardrobe lady had Do you think Bette and Joan were really on each other's minds their whole lives? Absolutely. While Whatever Happened to Baby Jane is a very well known film, its follow up, Hush, Hush, Sweet Charlotte is rather more obscure.. And it also imbued that moment with all kinds of poignancy. Hush, Sweet Charlotte is somewhat overacted and certainly over-the-top, but an effective, very modern and highly underrated psychological thriller horror flick that’s a classic in my opinion. As "Feud" comes to an end we look at what really happened to the real life Joan Crawford and Bette Davis and other Golden Age actresses like Joan Blondell, Rosalind Russell and others. There were reports that when Joan was in her last days she was hallucinating and having conversations with people who were no longer alive. But even while in the hospital, the movie star couldn’t resist sniping at de Havilland during these interviews, according to Ed Sikov’s Dark Victory: The Life of Bette Davis. Though she’s far younger than the psycho biddies of that era, Ambrose’s Dorothy perfectly mirrors the unhinged aggressors of … On a personal note, the Ryan Murphy series followed the actresses as their respective health declined, ultimately ending with Crawford’s death. “Maggie Donovan, who had been my hairdresser for years, said to me one day, ‘We’re up to our asses in Crawford’s hairpieces,’” said Davis, per Considine. That last shot is really a bookend of the whole series. Okay, I just finished watching the movie and I am really confused about the ending. © 2021 Condé Nast. The FX miniseries from Ryan Murphy chronicled the making of that flick, the doomed reteaming of Crawford and Davis on Hush…Hush, Sweet Charlotte and their later lives. Was Bette playing with the press with her "Joan's dead, good" quote? You've said the real tragic character in this is Joan. “I’d wake her up at six,” Westmore told Considine of his time with Crawford in Baton Rouge. It was amazing. Hush, Sweet Charlotte in 1964. That was the question FX anthology Feud: Bette and Joan left viewers with when it wrapped its look at the infamous feud between Joan Crawford (Jessica Lange) and Bette Davis (Susan Sarandon) during Sunday’s finale. “All you did was work on the eyelashes, then hold the mirror for her between setups. https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/hush-hush-sweet-charlotte Basically, he followed her into Beverly Hills. It would be fun if they did a special Halloween Sweet Charlotte tour with characters from the movie. Become A Better Singer In Only 30 Days, With Easy Video Lessons! She turned a corner and completely lost him. With production on Hush…Hush, Sweet Charlotte wrapped, the series flashed forward between 1969 and 1978 to showcase Crawford's slow decline … We wondered what they were talking about. outfits for the daytime scenes, and for the night shots all of her She would say to me, ‘Don’t fuck with my face.’”). Sound off in the comments below. I love that scene at the end of Hush Hush where Bette says "FUCK YOU!" And this guy, his report of following her is so hilarious because you learn nothing. “They always had to be just right,” explained Westmore. She's been shunned by the community for decades, ever since the fateful night in 1927 when her lover was hacked apart with an axe. . For example, according to Shaun Considine’s Bette and Joan: The Divine Feud, Crawford arrived at the Baton Rouge airport with a full entourage—including her hairdresser, makeup artist, and enough baggage to . TV Schedule; New Tonight ... Hush Hush, Sweet Charlotte. This marked a shift in the narrative that finally allowed Davis to move on from her lifelong rival. There was always a rivalry between them, and the only time they actually made a movie together was Baby Jane. . Later in production, when Aldrich refused to expand her part and take her character suggestions, Crawford—left with no way to legally quit the picture—took herself to Cedar Sinai hospital. . Hush, hush sweet Charlotte Charlotte, don't you cry Hush, hush sweet Charlotte I'll love you till I die Oh, hold me, darlin' Please hold me close And brush the tears From your eyes You weep because you had a dream last night You dreamed that I said good-bye Hush, hush sweet Charlotte Charlotte, don't you cry Charlotte. The biggest mistakes you never noticed in Hush... Hush, Sweet Charlotte (1964). I might wind up on the cutting-room floor.’”. Add more and vote on your favourites! Directed by Robert Aldrich. “I’m glad for Olivia,” Crawford told press, from inside her oxygen tent. Then Drew is revealed to be alive, and then the film has to reveal another detail about Jewel Mayhew.That makes about ten minutes of denouement altogether. That was a watershed moment for both of them and it made real, it made flesh and blood, a kind of legendary rivalry that had been more theoretical than anything else. What did you think of the first season? How strong is born out by "Cousin Charlotte"; I've never seen the movie based on that story ("Hush Hush Sweet Charlotte"), but you can see why it went to film. At times it's from Joan's point of view or it's from Bette's point of view. Amber Dowling, Jean Bentley, [This story contains spoilers from the season finale of FX's Feud: Bette and Joan.]. Three other cast members from What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? Check out my new site dedicated to Bette at http://www.bettedavisonline.com It's sort of that scenario. And we'd already seen them sitting in those chairs. They had always been pitted against each other, even when they were at different studios, and then certainly when they were at Warner Bros. Feeling ostracized, Crawford retreated further from the group—spending the majority of her time either avoiding the heat (and crew) in her trailer, or enforcing her compulsive routine on her entourage members including makeup artist Monte Westmore. George Cukor later reflected on Davis’s stone-cold set strategy: “She wanted to make a basket case out of Joan, and she almost succeeded.”, To further chip away at Crawford’s ego, Davis also coordinated group outings, cast and crew dinners, and other after-hours activities, inviting everyone except Joan. 8:30pm PT But a lesser-known Davis-Crawford battle followed—on the set of another Bob Aldrich–directed psycho-thriller, *Hush. Synopsis Forty years ago, on the night they were meant to elope, Charlotte Hollis (Bette Davis) found her lover decapitated during a party, the blood on her dress leading everyone to suspect she was the murderer. Hush, Sweet Charlotte. Could someone please answer these questions: ... Drew and Miriam die at the end when Charlotte realizes that they set up the whole thing to make her go crazy. That's a famous quote, but Susan Sarandon's line reading of that is some of the most brilliant screen acting I've ever seen. It's part Harlequin, part Gothic, part Horror, and all Surprise. Hush, Sweet Charlotte.” And on Sunday night’s episode of Feud, “Abandoned,” Ryan Murphy revealed how Davis masterminded her own sadistic revenge on her once-again co-star. She was paying for her room and board by doing this menial labor, cleaning toilets. It was Ryan's idea to have this fantasy scene. You saw a three-dimensional representation of her complicated feelings for Joan Crawford. Hush hush sweet Charlotte? Hush... Hush, Sweet Charlotte (1964) cast and crew credits, including actors, actresses, directors, writers and more. The picture was covered [by insurance], and I think Joan figured they would do the same thing for her.”. All the TV Shows That Are Ending in 2021. . All rights reserved. And, of course, she was sexually abused by her stepfather and still was taking responsibility for that. With production on Hush…Hush, Sweet Charlotte wrapped, the series flashed forward between 1969 and 1978 to showcase Crawford's slow decline … She pushes a huge cement flower pot over on them,killing them instantly. It wasn't about Joan and it wasn't about Bette. I think it was a poetic way of telling Joan's story but then giving the audience and us, as part of the audience, the opportunity to see the thing that we wished would have happened. Sitemap | “Trimmed perfectly in line, then curled in a circle. And that's really what that impromptu late, late-night party at Joan's house fantasy scene is about. Learn more about Michael Petit at TVGuide.com with exclusive news, full bio and filmography as well as photos, videos, and more. Ending Fatigue: Miriam and Drew are revealed to be in cahoots while there's still forty minutes to go, and around the time Charlotte is led to believe she has shot Drew, the film just goes on and on. But she imbued it with a kind of regret and almost guilt. well, let Davis explain: “For a goddamn week in Baton Rouge, she brought twenty pieces of Feud is an American docudrama television miniseries created by Ryan Murphy, Jaffe Cohen, and Michael Zam, and aired on FX from March 5 to April 23, 2017. Our fantasy was that there would be the perfect kind of [reunion]. But once one of those two women ceases to exist, that story is told. “I heard the news of my replacement over the radio, lying in my hospital bed,” said Joan, having gotten a Davis-administered dose of her own medicine. Privacy Policy | In a way, Joan is the more tragic character. But it's really funny. “She needed the part.”. He let me hear it for the first time in a radio release . Were there any other audacious scenes left on the cutting-room floor? It didn't really make sense to go beyond the point that we went because the show was about Bette and Joan. “Fox had closed down my last movie [Something’s Got to Give],” George Cukor later explained to Considine, “because no actress wanted to take over for [Marilyn] Monroe. At that point that was Bette's brand. Before signing onto the film, Crawford demanded her name be billed first; to get Davis on board, Aldrich made a series of sizable concessions including a $200,000 paycheck—the same fee Aldrich was receiving—and his word that Davis would be an associate producer on the picture. When you read interviews with them both, it's hard to find an interview with Joan or an interview with Bette where the other one isn't mentioned. Given that Joan and Bette never reunited as friends in real life, why was it important to the narrative to add that dream sequence? We went through a gross and a half of eyelashes per picture.”, Davis’s makeup artist, Bob Schiffer, concurred—adding that Crawford’s diva behavior didn’t endear her to the crew. THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER is a registered trademark of The Hollywood Reporter, LLC. She was cleaning up after the other girls, she was making the beds, she was feeding the other girls. Although Crawford and Davis never reunited professionally (or personally) after the fallout from Charlotte, Feud's story ended on a more positive note thanks in part to a dream sequence party scene featuring some of the other key players in their famed feud: Jack Crawford (Stanley Tucci) and Hedda Hopper (Judy Davis). All rights reserved. “‘So God knows what else she’s up to behind my back. 37 years earlier her boyfriend, John, was brutally murdered. . I would say that just because it's Joan's death, Bette is the survivor in the story. Right at the end, the insurance man gives Charlotte Jewel Mayhew's letter and in the next shot of him, his hands are empty. So there's some predicate for that kind of mania in the end stages of her disease. She was starchy and she survived. . It was a servitude position, and Joan made the slaves look like Boy Scouts.”, (In her defense, Davis also liked to do her own makeup: “On Charlotte I had my own makeup concept for Bette,” adds Schiffer in The Divine Feud, “which lasted about five minutes. It also showcased the final few filmed segments of the fictional documentary within the story itself, as the producers attempted to flag Davis down to add her comments to the story. Will be used in accordance with our Privacy Policy. On Sunday, April 23, the Feud between Hollywood icons Bette Davis and Joan Crawford will come to an end, as the hit FX series airs its Season 1 finale. It will be cheaper in the long run.”. Whereas Joan lost everything. She may not have let hate in her heart. It was a black-and-white movie but she had color-coordinated We thought, “Well, we have a great first image so maybe that should also be the last image.” That moment, right when all the possibility was pregnant and it could have gone any way. To revisit this article, select My Account, then View saved stories. ... the ending could almost be described as a happy one. I do not wear well with tricks designed to make me do what someone else decides I will do.”, She ended by suggesting Aldrich “re-cast and pay me off. Hush Hush...Sweet Charlotte movie trailer. The biggest mistakes you never noticed in Hush... Hush, Sweet Charlotte (1964). Hush, Sweet Charlotte is somewhat overacted and certainly over-the-top, but an effective, very modern and highly underrated psychological thriller horror flick that’s a classic in my opinion. With production on Hush…Hush, Sweet Charlotte wrapped, the series flashed forward between 1969 and 1978 to showcase Crawford's slow decline … You mentioned omitting a real-life moment where Bette jumped on a table during a press tour with Joan because it was too unbelievable. “That was obvious throughout the filming of Baby Jane—and the suicidal desire this put me into many times, was almost more than I was able to bear. Then she’d make breakfast, which I had to eat.” Crawford applied her makeup herself, and tasked Westmore with the enormous task of finding the perfect false eyelashes. When the deal was inked, in one more nasty maneuver, Davis called her press agent to leak the story. They meet again before they get onto the boats and sail off at the end of Lord of the Rings, right? We were trying to figure out what the great last image would be. With Bette Davis, Olivia de Havilland, Joseph Cotten, Agnes Moorehead. © 2021 The Hollywood Reporter, LLC. In the scene when Bette is being roasted in this episode, half the jokes were about Joan Crawford. You know, it's sort of like this – whoever ended up dying first, that's where the story would have ended. And after several hospital stays, terse legal meetings, and unsuccessful talks with Crawford, Aldrich succeeded in getting the studio to agree to replace her. Hush, Sweet Charlotte.” Advertisement Davis plays wealthy spinster Charlotte Hollis, who is suspected by some in her Southern town in the unsolved killing of her beau 40 years earlier. Before Crawford pulled out and was replaced by Olivia de Havilland, she was set to play Miriam – Charlotte’s (Davis) tormentor. Unfortunately, Crawford ended up being replaced in Hush... Hush, Sweet Charlotte and her feud with Davis was likely the direct reason for her early departure. “Crawford wouldn’t listen to you,” said Schiffer, according to Considine. You mentioned omitting a real-life moment, You've said the real tragic character in this is Joan. They were inextricably tied to each other after Baby Jane, for sure. You can see where an editor might ask for more details - … “Davis [also] made sure that everyone, including members of the press and distinguished visitors to the set, knew that Joan was really 60 years old,” authors Lawrence J. Quirk and William Schoell write in Joan Crawford: The Essential Biography, before revealing another Davis tactic. They were paying their tuition. Although certain moments in “Abandoned” feel exaggerated for dramatic effect—like Crawford being made to wait for her hotel room, and then being stuck in a room next to the garbage disposal—the episode’s writers actually skimped on the insane details of what actually happened. Despite her own demands, Davis was quick to make cracks about Crawford’s high-maintenance upkeep and took delight in pointing out the “mounds of hairpieces” Crawford brought with her to cover her thinning hair. The cast also included Mary Astor, a friend of Davis' since their days at Warner Bros. and after filming Hush...Hush, Sweet Charlotte, Astor retired from acting and died in 1987. While Whatever Happened to Baby Jane is a very well known ... with the apparently sweet Cousin Miriam trying in vain to explain to Charlotte that there is very little she can do to prevent demolition of the family home. One of the things was Bob and Bette hired a private investigator to tail Joan Crawford when she was playing sick. Left, from Hulton Archive; Right, from Bettmann, Getty Images. Tim Minear talks with THR about 'Bette and Joan's' ultimate goodbye and what was left on the cutting-room floor. By now, Feud audiences are well acquainted with two of the most notorious chapters in Bette Davis and Joan Crawford’s shared Hollywood history—their rivalry during the making of What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?, and the ugly Oscars aftermath—in which Crawford found a way to hijack what Davis thought should have been her best-actress statuette. Hush, Sweet Charlotte.” And on Sunday night’s episode of Feud, “Abandoned,” Ryan Murphy revealed how Davis masterminded her own sadistic revenge on her once-again co-star. Now, in 1964, Charlotte is an old recluse and must fight to keep her home. In a way, I don't feel like Bette is a tragic character. Davis, knowing that Crawford being replaced would be a masterful, final blow to the ego, phoned her friend Olivia de Havilland. by There’s an iconic photograph of the real Bette and Joan sitting in those chairs as well where they look like they’re laughing. An aging, reclusive Southern belle plagued by a horrifying family secret descends into madness after the arrival of a lost relative. Travel guide to filming locations for 1964 horror classic Hush... Hush, Sweet Charlotte, with Bette Davis and Olivia de Havilland, in Louisiana. She had a double mastectomy. . Hush, Hush, Sweet Charlotte. Of course the off-screen melodrama of Crawford and Davis’ ‘feud’ and their personal difficulties were also a point of discussion. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement (updated as of 1/1/21) and Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement (updated as of 1/1/21) and Your California Privacy Rights. Left, from Everett Collection; Right, by Nina Prommer/PatrickMcmullan.com. In the end, another officer shoots the worthless captain, and one of the enlisted men asserts, “Speaking of … However, during pre-production, Davis felt Aldrich was ignoring her input and fired off a firmly worded eight-page letter threatening to quit. . In what might be the most surprising aspect of Hush…Hush, Sweet Charlotte, Bette Davis is not the most laudable performance of … Also, Joan had a Dickensian childhood where she was, as a 12-year-old, living in a convent school but she was Cinderella before the ball. All this time they could have been friends. She is still haunted by John, thinking she sees or hears him at times. We wrote but didn't shoot it; it was one of my favorite things but it just didn't fit. So returning to that moment, having been through the story and seeing them at, weirdly, a much more innocent moment, it felt like the right way to end it. It was a glib line played without any glibness. Do you still feel that way? with her eyes alone. Vanity Fair may earn a portion of sales from products that are purchased through our site as part of our Affiliate Partnerships with retailers. “‘She’s practically directing the picture for him right in front of me,’” she complained. When her fellow Oscar winner balked at the part, Davis sent Aldrich to meet her in person in Switzerland and convince her to take the role. During the illusion, Dr. Drew will enter the room and pretend to be John, only to become a … were cast in Hush...Hush, Sweet Charlotte, including Wesley Addy, Dave Willock and Victor Buono. and, frankly, I think it stinks.”, “I still get chills when I think of the treachery that Miss Davis indulged in on that movie,” Crawford told Considine, “but I refused to ever let anger or hate enter my heart.”. It's so simple and any other actor would have just landed that as the insult, the great act-out remark that it is. Her daughter wrote a book while she was still alive and she was just defiant right up until the end. You know, there's a fantastic story to be told about Bette Davis and her decline, but this story ended. From the awards race to the box office, with everything in between: get the entertainment industry's must-read newsletter. luggage. Hush, Hush Sweet Charlotte (1964) Nightrider (1978) The Long Hot Summer (1985) Interview with the Vampire (1993) Primary Colors (1997) Beyonce Videos (2006) The 300 year old canopy of Virginia Live oak trees (or alley) of Oak Alley plantation are a quarter mile long and were planted in the early 1700’s by an unknown settler. It would be fun if they did a special Halloween Sweet Charlotte tour with characters from the movie. I absolutely do. Ad Choices, Davis finds a way to get back at Crawford in Sunday’s. Hush, Sweet Charlotte Poor Charlotte Hollis. She had a stroke. This spiritual successor to ‘What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?’ is slow at … . with her eyes alone. Feud has been renewed for a second season, which will revolve around Charles and Diana. In the end, Davis never agreed to sit down for the interview despite constantly bad mouthing Crawford to the press over the years (including the infamous line about it being “good” that Crawford was dead). With production on Hush…Hush, Sweet Charlotte wrapped, the series flashed forward between 1969 and 1978 to showcase Crawford's slow decline as she hit the lowest of lows for her work on the B flick Trog. To break down the finale's uplifting ending, The Hollywood Reporter caught up with showrunner Tim Minear. To truly send Charlotte to the loony-bin for all eternity, they decide to feed her some drugs, play a song called “Hush...Hush, Sweet Charlotte” and make her hallucinate the very party she found John Mayhem's body. So the weight and the gravity of everything that came before ends up resting on Bette Davis' unpadded shoulders. | Do Not Sell My Personal Information
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