Backstory: "Hush...Hush, Sweet Charlotte" - Part 1

[2legit64]

Agnes Moorehead stole this movie from both DeHavilland and Davis. She was absolutely brilliant.

[MeatballsMarlowe]

Great underrated movie! Bette and Olivia are great, but so is Agnes Moorehead!

[megaswenson]

Oh, juicy JUICY gossip! This is wonderful.

[Gwyka]

It is freaky to see Melanie Wilkes as an evil bitch.

[tt247jer]

i wish BETTE HAD BEEN KILLED

[amuslima99]

I love to find out what happened behind movies and Back Story was one of my favorites programs for this reason. You know the head rolling down the stairs was done in ONE take?

[Agdollproductions18]

Davis deserved that nominy.

[tortilla1soup]

I wouldn't piss on Crawford either if she was on fire.....

[AnaEros]

Bette played a crazy woman so well haha

[bonjovigirl2011]

so this is the one they both beat the tire out of each other.

[ukelelito]

Where did you find this documentary? Is it in the dvd bonus track ? thanks

[TenebreFan]

was this backstory released on the "Hush.." dvd's???

[MichaelAuthorAllAges]

Ty for posting this interesting episode of Backstory :)

[skokian1able]

"You smirking Judas!"  ROTFL!

[windstorm1000]

It WOULD be interesting if Fox could dig up the Crawford shots/reels and graft them on the movie so fans could see what Crawford did!!

[windstorm1000]

To quote Sean Considine it was "Cannibal Time in Dixie" --and Crawford was for dinner!! (so to speak)

[lukemack]

I think it would have been bad for Joan to play second to Bette....Jane was different it was a great movie and both stars were really equally as important........Joan was not to be second in a line of Davis/Crawford horror flicks......altough bad for Hush hush sweet charlotte....it was good for Joans career to drop out

[VTMCompany]

bruce says, 'look ma...no hand...'

[LokiV]

If Joan and Bette had been friends it just wouldnt of been the same :)

[PeterFormaini]

You're a vile, sorry little bitch!!!!!!!!!!!

One of the great lines of movie history!!

[xtinaandravenfan]

Olivia played Miriam amazingly, I loved Bette and Olivia's movies together my favourites being In This Our Life and Hush Hush Sweet Charlotte. Love them both :) <3

[JudgeJulieLit]

@xtinaandravenfan Have you seen the 1939 film pairing of Bette Davis and Olivia de Havilland in "The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex"? In a triangle with the Earl of Essex, scenes of affection and dagger-eyed hostility alternated and abounded . . . but Queen Elizabeth Bette did all the slapping !

[greatguy1001]

I think that Joan did not bow out of the film because she was intimidated by Bette, --although she may have indeed used that scenario to play victim, gain fans and the favor of the studio, director's etc.- - but i think she decided to bow out of the movie because the part of the wretched antagonist (which olivia played well) would not have suited her well at the time. i could not see joan slap oliiva around as olivia did to bette in the car or say the cruel things she did in the movie.

[winnie19391]

Explosive temper !

[rickram1961]

Such a fabulous movie. Bette Davis played the innocent but off the wall Charlotte and playing Joan Crawford's replacement was the wonderful Olivia De Haviland playing against type as the conniving cousin Miriam.  However Agnes Moorehead stole the movie as Charlotte's housekeeper, Velma.

[NatureFillsMe]

@rickram1961 You are absolutely right!! Bette, and Olivia were awesome, but Agnes Moorhead overpassed them both.

[AdLaura]

Does anyone know if this movie is uploaded anywhere? I remember seeing it when I was a teenager, about 20 years ago, but would love to see it again.

[goldbergje]

I wonder how really bitter the rivalry was between Davis and Crawford. There are videos on youtube of both stars being interviewed, and while it's obvious there was no love lost between them, they never outright spoke poorly of each other that I'm aware of. I think some of these "battles" are sheer fabrication by the Hollywood Machine.

[goldbergje]

I'm going to backpedal a bit. I just saw Davis's comment about the whole awards ceremony thing.

[KURISUCHRIS99]

i wish joan would have played the role

[84ccipollini]

Bette was such a bitch to Joan during this.

[JudgeJulieLit]

@84ccipollini Apparently Bette's warjinks twd. Joan in the making of "Hush Hush Sweet Charlottte" were a payback for Joan's bitchery twd. Bette after their prior film ". . . Baby Jane" -- when non- Oscar nominee Joan putatively lobbied Academy voters not to vote for Bette, and Joan (stealing the ceremonial emblematology of Oscar victory) too lobbied non-ceremony-attending Best Actress nominees to let her (Joan) accept the Oscar for them . . . and she did, for winner Anne Bancroft.

[toothbrush55]

I wonder, does any of Joan Crawford's footage as Miriam exist?

[fullserve69]

Yes, but it's impossible to find. I've seen the clip. The scene is of Miriam repeatingly slapping Charlotte in the face in the car after they dumped the body. Crawford was absolutely terrifying in the scene.

[toothbrush55]

@fullserve69 Aw, I can totally imagine how terrifying she would be. How did you see it?

[fullserve69]

@toothbrush55 They would show it occasionally on TV when they were discussing the famous Davis-Crawford feud, but then it disappeared altogether a few years ago, and I haven't seen it since. I'm sure it's locked up in studio's vaults somewhere.

[sugarshula64]

Dynamic cast. Very convincing. As if there wasn't a script. Great movie. Appreciate this behind the scenes documentary.

[ch1aka2]

My parents took me to see this when I was six years old.

[klaviklack]

Bette Davis and Joan Crawford ...the greatest stars, ever...