Agnes Moorehead's performance

Bette was hoping to get another Oscar nomination for Charlotte but no such luck. I'm glad she didn't. She was also hoping she'd be able to sing the theme to 'Hush' on the Oscar telecast but they chose Patti Page instead.

I agree. I just saw this movie over the weekend and I didn't like Bette Davis in it. She was a wonderful actress but I thought she overplayed it this time, coming off as screechy and hammy. On the other hand, I thought Mary Astor was really good.

Olivia was great I'm not denying that and of course you're right we won't know about Crawford because the footage doesn't exist but I do think she would have been as equally good as Olivia was.

People seem to forget (or aren't aware) that Miriam was originally written as a hard, conniving bitch which suited Crawford's acting style. When she was replaced and at the insistence of Olivia, Miriam was rewritten as a cool but devious sophisticate.

Joseph Cotten (according to his wife Patricia Medina) said that 'Mary Astor gave a much better performance with Joan than with Olivia. She was just marvelous with Crawford. Even Bette agreed that Astor was great with Crawford.'

Joan would have played it like an evil bitch from the beginning, and there wouldn't have been the surprise element in Miriam's character. Olivia was the kind, sympathetic cousin on the surface who is evil incarnate beneath her mask. Olivia played it brilliantly. I don't think that Joan would have been as effective in the role as Olivia was. And sadly, Joan was turning into a world class alcoholic by that time. I doubt that she could have completed the film.

Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain.

outstanding performances all the way around in yes, a derivite mish mash of other films.

Dilys Powell? anyway one of the big British critics said that Davis had done nothing better since THE LITTLE FOXES....and the kubuki like look, the shrieking, re the undead Joseph Cotten scene on the stair well--this is not over the top this is being driven crazy. Davis and deHavilland and Cotten's scene early in in the movie is camp but played with verve and moves the drama along.......'YOU'RE A VILE SORRY LITTLE BITCH" re Moorehead, perfect.

Crawford would have been a detriment and was only being forced on Altman because of BABY JANE....as once said about Crawford, you couldnt give her direction like "tell a lie" because she would act it out like Benedict Arnold betraying America....not subtle.

Davis subtle, you bet in this Grand Guignol classic. Her scenes with Cecil Kellaway, the Blanche Dubois ending of her driving off .....and the scenes Mary Astor gave, fantastic

Much better film than Baby Jane, and a shame they released it on Xmas eve to eligiblefor the oscars...and yup it got nominated for 7, and Bette Davis might have won....over Julie Christie in DARLING, Julie Andrews in SOUND OF MUCOUS, Samantha Eggar in Wyler's THE COLLECTOR, Ida Kaminska? in foreign film and i forget who.

this a movie i could watch over and over, and have. BABY JANE, not so much.
JANE didnt have deHavilland, Moorehead, Cotten, Astor, Kellaway, et al. There is, pathos genuinly squeezed in an otherwise camp film. Imagine Davis doing VIRGINA WOOLF with Henry Fonda or James Mason as Albee was hoping for...nothing against Liz and Dick here! Hepburn got Stanley Kramer keeping Tracy alive long enough for DINNER, then gets THE LION IN WINTER...no i dont think Bette could have played it...Vivien Leigh sure could have though.....I've read that Stanwyck was actually offered Jewl Mayhew, but then other sources say Velma.....so I side with oh poor joan crawford frightened of bette davis, she was frightened that she couldnt have her way and be treated like a queen. not saying she didnt give several very good performances, or wasnt classy in public, but her personal life is nothing i have an interest in. her screen performances were secondary to a well oiled fan base. Bette Davis is the greatest film actress of all time...followed by Meryl Streep, Vivien Leigh, Simone Signoret, Anna Magnani, Katharine Hepburn, then a whole host we are so lucky to argue over!

I may have miscounted,but I believe there were NINE people at least nominated for oscars,including some winners..I got bette,olivia,cotton,kennedy,kelloway,astor,dern,morehead and buono..did I miss anyone? thats quite a cast..

Moorehead was spot on with her 'bayou trashy woman' portrayal: suspicious as keeping the secret, but very loyal to Charlotte. She earned any nominations she got.

As far as all the 'what if Joan was...'. Joan wasn't. So there is nothing to talk about. Its as if it never happened.

Loved her lesbian performance in Dark Passage.

Swing away, Merrill....Merrill, swing away...