Whatever Happened To Baby Jane?

  Two aging Hollywood sisters live together in a dark, spooky mansion.  One, a former child-star who's career never amounted to anything afterwards, takes care of her invalid sister who was a much bigger star in her day.  Now bitter rivals, the invalid sister, (Joan Crawford), is at the mercy of her angry sister, (Bette Davis), who's slowly unraveling into insanity...

     The Grand Dame of Cinema Schlock- "Whatever Happened To Baby Jane?" will never cease to amaze, fascinate, and entertain.  This movie not only gave Bette Davis and Joan Crawford a much-needed comeback, but also kicked off a wave of movies that would become known as 'horror hag'.  Just take an aging Hollywood star, put her in a cheaply made horror movie, and presto!  Audiences flocked to these kind of flicks, and today they are all bona-fide classics of high camp.

      Now, "Whatever Happened To Baby Jane?" is actually a great movie- Bette and Joan are certainly a formidable match onscreen.  The pairing of these two giant Hollywood icons alone would have cemented its legendary status.  But besides that, we are treated to a genuinely creepy and unsettling look at old Hollwood, ala "Sunset Boulevard".  Way more than just a cheap horror film, "WEHTBJ" is a riveting psychological study of 'stars' in Hollywood, and how desperate they will become to keep those stars shining.  It's cheaply made, but rather creative and very influential.

      Bette Davis and Joan Crawford simply could not be replaced in this movie- they are absolutely pitch perfect.  Bette scowls, brays, shrieks, and howls- she is truly a tour-de-force in acting here.  There is a reason why she's called one of our greatest actresses of all time.   As great as Bette is,  Joan equally holds her own here. We immediately sympathize with Blanche, and we're with her all the way.  Considering the myth of their supposed 'feud', it certainly makes watching this movie all the more fascinating. You can practically feel the underlying tension ooze off the screen, what with the legendary rumours of their hatred for one another.  Whether any of this is true or not, it certainly adds to the movie.

     This movie was a huge hit when released in 1962- and made such an impact that there is now a licensed action figure set of the two stars.  It's a horror classic, and one of the biggest and most memorable films of the 60s. The character of Baby Jane ranked #44 on the American Film Institute's list of the 50 Best Villains of American Cinema. "Whatever Happened to Baby Jane" inspired a slew of knock-off imitations and drag queens around the world as well.  It also resurrected the careers of Miss Davis and Miss Crawford.  And we'll forever have the charms of "But ya are, Blanche, ya are in that chair!"