Pretty Good

Good start, but then it gets ruined

This is a tender, generous movie that likes its characters and presents them as real people, full of flaws and strengths.

It is a whirlwind of delight --- attractive actors, stunning couture, spectacular sets and outrageous parties.

This film has been on my watch list forever. Always knew the gist of the plot, but this was sheer brilliance for the age of the film. Completely character driven, Bette Davis was every inch the wicked sister and played so well a tortured soul herself.the Storyline is timeless and the film makes a great oldie!

What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? is a melodrama of the grotesque shot in stark black and white.Two ageing actresses Bette Davis and Joan Crawford play two has beens living in a cycle of hate and vengeance.Blanche Hudson (Joan Crawford) was a glamorous actress in the 1930s crippled in a car accident where her sister was thought to be the driver.'Baby' Jane Hudson (Bette Davis) was a major child star in the beginning of the 20th century. She was spoilt and taunted her sister Blanche who will find fame when she is older. By the 1930s Jane's career declines as she is not as talented as Blanche.In the present days (1960s) both are forgotten and living in gothic mansion. Jane is a drunk, getting madder everyday, being cruel to Blanche and dreaming of a come back on the stage. Blanche is wasting away upstairs in her bedroom, starved and living is despair, gagged and bound.Only their black maid shows concern but Jane gets rid of her, however Jane's madness leads to murder.Bette Davis went to the edge for her unhinged portrayal as Jane, even applying her own makeup. Crawford is more sedate but still manages to get under the skin of her sister when she in in her wheelchair. Both taunt each other unmercilessly because of past slights.It really is a claustrophobic chiller, another cynical film of shattered dreams of Hollywood and fame. Even the subplot about cash strapped pianist Edwin Flagg (Victor Buono) is another player who did not make it in Hollywood.

Im 26 years old now and I rewatch this movie every few years. It may be black and white but it works for this movie. It has stood the test of time. Its very creepy and and is definitely one of my top 10 of all time scary movies. Please give this movie a chance. You wont be disappointed.

It is well documented the Bette Davis and Joan Crawford, to put it mildly, didn't like each other very much. But to their credit, they saw the advantage of teaming up in a bizarre horror film that would revive their ebbing careers. That film was "Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?"In 1917 Baby Jane Hudson is a big star in vaudeville with her father. Her sister Blanche is envious of her success and vows to be more famous some day. Fast forward to 1935 and Blanche has turned into Joan Crawford and Baby Jane, Bette Davis. Blanche has become a successful movie star while Jane's career has floundered.A tragic accident causes Blanche to become paralyzed and Jane to become her full time caregiver. The rivalry between the two carries on. Both are immersed in their past successes however, Jane has begun to lose it. She continually harasses Blanche to the point of serving up bizarre meals to force Blanche to stop eating. Blanche is prevented in calling for help by the ever increasingly paranoid Jane. Housemaid Elvira Stitt (Maidie Norman), sympathetic to Blanche becomes suspicious of Jane's actions.Jane meanwhile is dreaming of a comeback and hires Victor Flagg (Victor Buono) to accompany her and help manage her career. Blanche in the meantime has made it to the phone and calls for help but Jane walks in and catches her. Jane then ties Blanche up and imprisons her in her room. Elvira, sensing trouble forces Jane to open the door to reveal the pathetic Blanche bound up to her bed. This forces Jane to take action and.........................................Davis and Crawford had been rivals since their salad days in the 1930s, when both were major stars. Both were immensely talented but just couldn't get along. Now as both were well into their 50s, they were smart enough to see the value of teaming up for the first time in their long careers. Unfortunately this was the one and only time they did so. Plans to re-team them for "Hush, Hush Sweet Charlotte) (1964) fell through. Both finished their careers in TV and in "crazy old broad" type pictures. Davis' "The Whales of August" (1987) was an exception.Also in the rather large cast were Marjorie Bennett excellent as Buono's mother Dehlia, John Ford favorite Anna Lee as the next door neighbor Mrs. Bates and Davis' daughter B.D. Merrill as Liza Bates. Too bad she didn't inherit her mother's considerable talent.By God they still had it. Too bad that this was their only collaboration.