Whatever Happened to Baby Jane? Joan vs. Bette

[joeybee12]

Personally, I have to go with Joan. In my book, Bette was always a personality, and not an actress. Her style was always over-the-top, and it works here, but usually it was just over-acting.

They say you can tell a great actor/actress by the way they listen. Watch Joan's face when she listens to Bette.

[flamingyouth]

1. I can quote entire scenes

Plus sing "I've Written A Letter to Daddy." It's one of my all-time favorite movies.
PS - I voted Joan. Bette doesn't have a BOC song about her.

[joeybee12]

2. I'm watching the DVD right now--what a riot!

In the production notes they're claiming the two actually got along!

Hah!

In the scene where Bette kicks Joan--she got so into it she broke one of Joan's ribs!

Joan checked herself into a hospital so she wouldn't have to do another movie with Bette! I forget which one they were thinking of making.

[BlackVelvetElvis]

3. I love this movie

Sublime camp!
Of course Bette is over the top-that's why I love her.
I made my nieces watch it with me when they were young. The youngest of them got very upset and cried. Later, she went into the bathroom and put on a thick layer of red, red lipstick all over her mouth and sang "I've written a letter to daddy". At least she got it!

[joeybee12]

4. What a riot! I just wish you had a nephew!

Love to see what he'd do, then you might be able to forsee his future, if you know what I mean!

[BlackVelvetElvis]

5. Yes!

He would be my favorite!

[joeybee12]

6. Do you remember Victor Buono?

He plays the guy Jane hires to help her revive her act.

He died at the age of 42--got an Oscar nomination for this (his first movie role), but I don't recall him in anything else.

[BlackVelvetElvis]

7. He was in TV's "Batman" in the 60's

as a reoccuring character.

[joeybee12]

8. I don't recall that, and I remember always watching Batman

Too bad he died so young.

[BlackVelvetElvis]

9. King Tut!

That was his character in Batman.
Unfortunatelly, I don't remember him either in Batman, but I remember reading that.
He was wonderful in "Baby Jane". What a strange dynamic with his mom in that role.

[joeybee12]

10. Yeah, they were scary because you know there's probably a lot of

those types in Hollywood, living on the fringes of the entertainment industry.

[BlackVelvetElvis]

11. Oh yeah

That would make an interesting screenplay.....

[joeybee12]

18. It probably would never be made into a movie

Hollywood doesn't like to look too closely at itself--the best movie about Hollywood so far really is Sunset Boulevard. And Hollywood hated it, and wouldn't give it the Oscar it deserved, and Gloria Swanson didn't get the Oscar she deserved for that role.

[BlackVelvetElvis]

19. Oh God, I love that one as well!

Hollywood hated it? What a surprise (sarcasm!)?

[joeybee12]

24. Yeah, lots of people let Billy Wilder know what they thought of him

Gloria really is great in that--she could have been just a cartoon stereotype, but she rises above it all. The greatest actress to never win an Oscar. Barbara Stanwyck is next.

[Blue-Jay]

17. He was also one of the creepy guys

in Beneath The Planet Of The Apes.

[geniph]

12. Bette Davis was "not an actress"?

Heretic! Heretic!

Go watch The Little Foxes and All About Eve, and tell me that. Go see Of Human Bondage. Jezebel. The Old Maid. The Letter. Now, Voyager.

Heretic!

[joeybee12]

15. I stand by my original statement!

She's a ham!!!!!

I recently re-watched All About Eve, and she's very comptetent in it because she's playing herself, but all the movements are just so darn hammy!

She came from a time when what we now consider over-acting was par for the course--she just couldn't adapt.

[Kathy in Cambridge]

13. Bette Davis was a Great Actress-All About Eve!

Now Voyager! Jezebel!

I loved Joan Crawford in Mildred Pierce (there used to be a gay cafe in the South End of Boston called Mildred's which had her pics all over the place!)...of course, now when anyone mentions Joan Crawford, a little voice in my head goes "NO...WIRE...HANGERS..."

In Baby Jane she was too nice-I prefer Betty Davis.

[BlackVelvetElvis]

14. No more wire hangers!

Faye was over the top in that one as well.
Loved it!

[joeybee12]

16. Did you ever read Mommie Dearest??????

I sort of came away with the feeling that Christina deserved it!

Only half-kidding. I'm sure Joan was a terror, but you could just tell that a lot of what Christina was writing about was what she blew out of proportion in her little mind.

[BlackVelvetElvis]

21. Read it, saw the movie when it came out!

Mental amplification of certain events in Christina's mind?
Oh yeah.

[joeybee12]

23. I mean the meat eating scene--I tend to doubt that happened

She also made some comment about how traumatized she was because Joan had many gay, male friends. Pllllllllleeeeeeeeeeeezzzzzzzzeeeeeeee!

[Kahuna]

20. I have always disliked Joan Crawford. She's

a very unsympathetic actress. I enjoy seeing her get hers in movies.

[joeybee12]

22. Really, she becamse famous because she portrayed sympathetic characters!

You should see her in some silent movies.

[kodi]

25. davis was over the top, but crawford, playing it quiet was better in it

btw: i stopped eating canaries after that film.

[cosmicdot]

26. "You wouldn't be able to do these awful things to me ...

if I wasn't in this chair." - Blanche

"But ya AAH Blanche, ya AAH are in that chair!" - Jane