What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? Bette Davis Joan Crawford (1962).

What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? is a 1962 American drama film produced and directed by Robert Aldrich. The screenplay by Lukas Heller is based on the novel of the same name by Henry Farrell. In 2003, the character of Baby Jane Hudson was ranked #44 on the American Film Institute's list of the 50 Best Villains of American Cinema.
In a lengthy prologue, we are introduced to six-year-old Baby Jane Hudson, a highly successful vaudeville performer, and her older sister Blanche, who remains in her shadow. As the two become adults, however, Jane fades into obscurity while Blanche becomes a renowned film actress. At the height of her career, Blanche is paralyzed in an automobile accident for which the alcoholic Jane is held responsible.

As the years pass, the two become recluses in their decaying mansion, where Jane cares for Blanche. When she learns Blanche is planning to sell the house and perhaps place her in a home, Jane holds her prisoner and subjects her to sadistic verbal, emotional, and physical abuse. Becoming increasingly demented, she thwarts Blanche's efforts to contact the neighbor and kills their maid Elvira when she becomes aware of the situation.

Jane decides to stage a comeback and hires shiftless pianist Edwin Flagg to accompany her. Although he immediately realizes she has no talent, he goes along with her plan in order to earn his fee. When he discovers Blanche gagged and bound in her bedroom and flees from the house, Jane fears he may call the police and drives Blanche to a nearby beach. While lying in the blazing sun, the slowly dying Blanche confesses she had been trying to run over Jane with the car and was in fact responsible for her own paralysis. As a crowd gathers and the police arrive, the now completely deranged Jane begins to entertain them with the song-and-dance routine that made her a childhood star.
Whatever Happened To Baby Jane Bette Davis.
The pairing of Bette Davis and Joan Crawford was, by most accounts, suggested by Crawford, who had worked with Robert Aldrich on Autumn Leaves in 1956 and claimed she had always wanted to work with Davis. The tension between Blanche and Jane onscreen was equaled by the rivalry between the two stars offscreen. The women reportedly bickered over salaries and who would receive top billing. A great deal of friction was apparently also generated mid-production by their very different acting styles - Davis played Baby Jane to the excessive, hysterical hilt, while Crawford rendered her performance of Blanche in a more passive, understated manner. [1]

During a scene after Blanche makes a desperate attempt to call Jane's doctor, Blanche is kicked around by Jane. In reality, Crawford had several broken ribs from the scene, as Davis had really kicked her.

The house used for the exterior of the Hudson mansion was located at 172 South McCadden Place in the Hancock Park section of Los Angeles. The final scene on the beach was shot in Malibu.

The small role of the neighbor's daughter was played by Davis' daughter B.D. Merrill who, following in the footsteps of Crawford's daughter Christina, later wrote a memoir that depicted her mother in a very unfavorable light.

Crawford was infuriated when Davis was nominated for an Oscar and she was overlooked. She contacted the Best Actress nominees who were unable to attend the ceremonies and offered to accept the award on their behalf should they win. When Anne Bancroft was declared the winner for The Miracle Worker, Crawford triumphantly pushed her way past Davis and swept onstage to pick up the trophy. Davis later commented, "It would have meant a million more dollars to our film if I had won. Joan was thrilled I hadn't." [2].

The film's success led to other projects featuring psychotic women, directed and/or produced by Aldrich, including Hush...Hush, Sweet Charlotte and What Ever Happened to Aunt Alice?.

The film was remade as a 1991 television movie starring real-life sisters Vanessa and Lynn Redgrave.

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[FascistiDux]

Most underrated film ever.

[Dannycuk]

Whatever Happened to Baby Jane is one of the best movies Joan or Bette played in and a true classic, not to like it is just....insane.... Maybe you need therapy?

[dukenthaylor]

These actresses had more hate for each other than did their characters!

[starfyre05]

bettie davis is a beast,in good way,love her

[KateAusten27]

i watched this with my gran

[misstia1979]

BUT YOU ARE IN THE CHAIR YOU ARE LOL

[simvampire99]

Never piss of your sister !!!.

[jckfmsincty]

Given Davis' many spectacular film performances ("Jezebel", "The Letter", "Now,Voyager", "All About Eve"), it's unfortunate that too many people define her career by this campy role. And, Joan Crawford may have been a movie star, but she was never an actress.

[MadameDiableret]

This works so well cause the acresses hated each other in real life so despite them being brilliant actresses this is probably there best roles because of the realism of it

[preacher1002]

When filmmaking was an art, and acting was a craft. This is my favorite scene. Enjoy this clip. Savor the richness that has now been lost to technological egos and passing fads.