I Only Wanna Talk About The Nice Things.

Well, unfortunatley darling, if that applies to you, don't read on. Me and my Mum have just forceed my Dad into watching Whatever Happened To Baby Jane?. Mwaaaa HAHAHAHAHA!!!! But the more we all watched it, the more we felt sorry for Jane, and we all decided that both Joan Crawford and Bette Davis did some of their finest work while at  each others throats. It is a very, shall we say, surprising (?) film. I will try to keep most of it some of it a surprise, but this is me we are talkin' about honey.

Whatever Happened To Baby Jane?

Cast:

• Joan Crawford ..... Blanche Hudson
• Bette Davis ..... Jane Hudson
• Victor Buono ..... Edwin Flagg
• Maidie Norman ..... Elvira Stitt

Plot:
(Parental guidance: This film is rated 12 on my DVD cover, and whenever I ask my 8 year old sister to watch it, she cries. Bear that in mind if you want to show this to a young child.)
The film opens in 1917 at a vaudeville show, in which Baby Jane Hudson is performing. Jane is also a spoilt brat who has become used to having her father dote upon her night and day, while her sister Blanche and her mother watch from the wings. We then skip to 1935, where their roles are reversed considerably. Blanche is now a glamourous Hollywood star while Jane tries desperately to keep up with mediocre pictures that hardly ever got released. Now known as a "talentless broad", Jane takes to alcoholism, and also becomes renouned for her behaviour. One night after a party, the sisters arrive at their mansion and one of them gets out to open the gate. It is unclear who is doing what, but the sister driving drives straight into the sister at the gates. We are now in the present (1962) and Jane is "looking after" Blanche. She feeds her, shouts abuse at her, never lets her out and disconects her phone. Call that looking after? No, me niether.

Blanche is convinced Jane is mentally ill (well, duh - she is kinda alcoholic!?) and wants to send for a doctor as her maid, Elvira says, but due to lack of couragepans phone, she fails to do so. Jane  puts an advert in a newspaper for a pianist to come and re-do her old numbers for a new act, but when he arrives he is 6ft 3 and more than a bit overweight.

Expecting a gorgeous young man to crush on, she is slightly taken aback, but ends up loving him anyway. Increasingly crazy, Jane goes out to get some new costumes and while she is away Blanche crawls down the stairs to call a doctor. Upon arrival, Jane takes one look at Blanche and kicks her and half kills her.

Later, Elvira comes by to see Blanche and is told by Jane that she is fired. They both go away leaving Blanche unnatended. 5 minutes later Elvira comes back and tries to get into Blanches room - which has been locked - with a hammer. Jane is furious when she sees, and as soon as Elvira gets in, Jane kills her with the hammer.

Thats it! I can't tell you the surprise ending, you'll never forgive me!!!

A fabulous lawn display for Halloween inspired by Baby jane.

The Review:
As creepy and sick minded as this film may sound, it is a rather breathaking film. Bette Davis' physicality is just out of this world. She never lets herself out of her slumpy attitude. The hatred between Joan Crawford and Bette Davis is apparent the whole way through. A-n-y-w-ay... it is a really good film. The first thing my dad said really really made me laugh, "Joan looks like Gregory Peck in a wig." LOL :-D!!!!! He said it must have been his most interesting role! Me and my mum also said that even though Joan was wonderful, Bette can just do anything. Me and Libby were having a chat via email the other day about how she was offered the role of a female lumberjack (!) and how we would have paid a large sum of money to see her do it. Yeah. Just amazing.

Yesterday I went to see an amazing musical adaptation of Roald Dahl's Matilda at the Royal Shakespere Company, and it was truly amazing. The man who played Mrs. Trunchbal was just superb. It was a real treat. Thanks to my grandma, if you're reading, who took us.



~Bette

P.S. This picture of shoe moulds of classic movie stars is just awesomesauce. They are all probably around a 5/6 and then Ingrid Bergman popps up and must be like a size 10! Wow, she must have had to have shoes specially made.

The Philadelphia Story VS High Society

Hmmm, she's dead. Shame.

"All this time, we could've been friends!" 

In the surprise ending to Whatever Happened To Baby Jane? Baby Jane Hudson (Bette Davis) realizes that all the time she was tormenting her sister, it was for the wrong reason, and they could've been friends.

I finished watching Whatever happened To Baby Jane? last night and found myself watching it gripped with morbid fascination! I also realized about halfway through that I was rooting for Baby Jane (Bette Davis) to kill Blanche Hudson (Joan Crawford) rather that wanting her to escape! I loved how Bette sung "I've Written A Letter To Daddy".

"I've written a letter to Daddy. His address is heaven above!"

I admire the fact that if there was a note she couldn't hit, she just shrieked and hoped for the best.

"You should never say bad things about the dead, you should only say good . . . Joan Crawford is dead. Good!"~ Bette Davis

The DVD came with the documentary All About Bette which me and my Mum watched this morning which was really good, and hosted by Jodie Foster. But today I'm going to compare The Philadelphia Story and High Society, both based of the same play, the latter was made 16 years later.

High Society

Cast:

• Bing Crosby as C.K. Dexter-Haven
• Grace Kelly as Tracy Samantha Lord
• Frank Sinatra as Mike Connor
• Celeste Holm as Liz Imbrie

Plot:
The epitome of the rich society girl, Tracy Lord (Grace Kelly) has been divorced to the successful jazz musician Dexter Haven (the seedy Bing Crosby) for a few years. She is about to re-marry when Dexter arrives with his jazz gang and tries to win her back. Meanwhile the gossipy magazine "Spy" has planted a reporter (Frank Sinatra) and photographer (Celeste Holm, grrrrrr) to cover Tracy's wedding. The family has agreed to this so that the magazine will not publish a distasteful article about Tracy's estranged father and a chorus girl. She ends up falling for not only the reporter, but Dexter too.

Well... did you evah?

Review:
The highlights of the film are the fact that the leader of Bing's band is Louis Armstrong, and the fantastic music that was written by Cole Porter. Grace Kelly gives a surprisingly unemotional performance. It may be unknown to you that I can't stand Bing Crosby. Well I can't. He is seedy and dodgy, and completely unbelievable as Dexter. Plus, he looks old enough to be Grace's father. But despite all of that negativity, this film did get me to sleep on insomniac nights until I was 9.


Now for the good bit.


the Philadelphia Story

Cast:

• Cary Grant as C. K. Dexter Haven
• Katharine Hepburn as Tracy Lord
• James Stewart as Macaulay Connor
• Ruth Hussey as Elizabeth Imbrie

Plot:

The rich and intelligent (note the change in description) socialite, Tracy Lord (Katharine Hepburn) is about to marry the also rich George Kipperidge. But when her ex-husband, Dexter Haven (Cary Grant) turns up with a reporter (James Stewart *swoon*) and a photographer (Ruth Hussey, whoever she may be). She decides to go on with the marriage even though the presence of her ex-husband distracts her. After a bit too much champagne at a party the night before her wedding, she has a brief romance (lasting only about 2 hours) with the reporter. The next day, her fiancée sends her a not saying that her behaviour was unacceptable for a wife-to-be and that he would like to call it a day. As it has been obvious from the beginning that she would get back together with Dexter (who wouldn't want to go back with Cary Grant? But then again, who would want to leave Jimmy Stewart?) and they marry.

The Review:
I loved this film for all of its rich and emotional thought, and I think that Katharine Hepburn's portrayal was very sweet and understanding. The direction from George Cukor is great. Did you know that Bette Davis and Miriam Hopkins were both in his repertory company before they all shot to stardom? James Stewart looks about 12 in it! The performances generally work extremely well, and I am always finding it hard to work out whether I want her to go with James Stewart or Cary Grant!


THE LOWDOWN!!!!!

Preferred Film:
The Philadelphia Story definitely because I prefer the story without constant sing-song, and the direction is better in this.


Preferred Portrayals:
Tracy Lord: Katharine Hepburn
Dexter Haven: Cary Grant by miles
Elizabeth Imbrie (photographer): Celest Holm (as much as it pains me to say it) tied with Ruth Hussey
Macaulay Connor (reporter): Jimmy Stewart. Please don't feel rejected Fankie, it was a pretty close call.


Musical/Non-Musical?
Non-musical.

Which do you prefer?

~Bette
P.S. I found a gorgeous little vintagey 40sish shop in town today, and fell in love with a blue and cream stripy nipped-in-at-the-waist dress which was, as my mum stated about several items in the shop "sooooooo Bette Davis!", a pair of brown jodhpury trousers like the ones she wears in The Great Lie, and a little purse that looked like an old envelope. There are no pictures of these because, being typical me, I forgot the name of the shop. Watch this space!

P.P.S. Today is the 60th anniversary of All About Eve (my favourite film evah) being released.

“Bill’s thirty-two. He looks thirty-two. He looked it five years ago, he’ll look it twenty years from now. I hate men.”

—	Margo Channing (All About Eve)