FF 27: What Ever Happened to Baby Jane

Flixwise Podcast

We've reached the final entry in our first Bette Davis series (first of many if Lady P has anything to say about it). Our previous 'All About Bette' episodes covered Davis' turns in All About Eve (1950) and The Little Foxes (1941). Rounding out this glorious trifecta is the sister act that would come to define the latter, post-Studio System, half of Bette's career: What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962).

Largely due to the infamous feud between the film's two larger than life stars, Bette Davis and Joan Crawford, Baby Jane is now primarily remembered as a campy novelty film. We at Flixwise are certainly no strangers to the art of playful exaggeration (See our Johnny Guitar episode). However, in the case of Baby Jane, we want to make sure that film's reputation as drag queen fodder, hasn't overshadowed the abject terror and sadness at the heart of the story. We also want to highlight the film's great formal achievements. Director/referee Robert Aldrich does a masterful job creating a sense of claustrophobia and dread, while also guiding two of Hollywood's biggest leading ladies through performances that would, for better or for worse, cement their respective personas for future generations.

For our previous 'All About Bette' entries Kristen Sales and Anne Marie Kelly gave pitches for why their favorite Davis film should be included in the Flixwise canon. Now it's Lady P's turn to convince skeptics, Kristen and Anne Marie that this perennial horror classic is worthy of the Flixwise Favorite's list. Will she succeed? Pull up a chair and give it listen to find out.