0:00:02 > 0:00:04When I put those clothes on,
0:00:04 > 0:00:06something happens to me.
0:00:08 > 0:00:12Something...
0:00:12 > 0:00:13..frightening.
0:00:13 > 0:00:15SHE SCREAMS
0:00:18 > 0:00:20Oh, God, no!
0:00:25 > 0:00:29Strait-Jacket mounts to a crescendo of electrifying suspense.
0:00:29 > 0:00:32Sinister. Frightening.
0:00:32 > 0:00:36Joan Crawford in a shattering screen portrayal.
0:00:36 > 0:00:37Leave me alone!
0:00:37 > 0:00:41- You let go of me! - You listen to me!
0:00:41 > 0:00:42Just call me Lucille.
0:00:42 > 0:00:45I wouldn't like my little girl to think I was trying to
0:00:45 > 0:00:46take her fella away from her.
0:00:46 > 0:00:49Carol and Michael are going to be married
0:00:49 > 0:00:51and nobody's going to stop it!
0:00:51 > 0:00:56Ingeniously designed to shock and startle, Strait-Jacket may go
0:00:56 > 0:00:59beyond the limits of your ability to endure suspense.
0:00:59 > 0:01:01Mother!
0:01:01 > 0:01:03He's gone.
0:01:04 > 0:01:06Oh, my God!
0:01:06 > 0:01:09The author of the famed novel Psycho,
0:01:09 > 0:01:13the director of the wildly acclaimed chiller Homicidal,
0:01:13 > 0:01:16the co-star of What Ever Happened To Baby Jane?,
0:01:16 > 0:01:19join forces to create a frightening classic of shock and suspense.
0:01:27 > 0:01:30APPLAUSE
0:01:33 > 0:01:38Direct from Hollywood, that master of suspense, Mr William Castle!
0:01:40 > 0:01:42Good evening, my murderous minions.
0:01:53 > 0:01:57I'm William Castle, the director of the picture you're about to see.
0:01:57 > 0:02:01Be warned, Strait-Jacket contains the most realistic portrayal
0:02:01 > 0:02:06of axe murders in motion picture history, made all the more vivid
0:02:06 > 0:02:09by the powerful performance of a screen legend.
0:02:09 > 0:02:13Ladies and gentlemen, the star of Strait-Jacket,
0:02:13 > 0:02:14Miss Joan Crawford.
0:02:14 > 0:02:17APPLAUSE
0:02:17 > 0:02:18Oh, no.
0:02:18 > 0:02:21Don't panic, but a madwoman is loose in this theatre!
0:02:21 > 0:02:23DOOR OPENS
0:02:51 > 0:02:52No!
0:02:56 > 0:02:59No, no, please!
0:03:02 > 0:03:04GASPS, MURMURS
0:03:04 > 0:03:06SCREAMS
0:03:12 > 0:03:14Miss Joan Crawford!
0:03:14 > 0:03:15APPLAUSE AND CHEERING
0:03:19 > 0:03:21Thank you.
0:03:21 > 0:03:23I hope you will approve of our little picture
0:03:23 > 0:03:30and, please, enjoy a refreshing Pepsi Cola at the concession stand.
0:03:30 > 0:03:32And now, before the show begins,
0:03:32 > 0:03:34a little something to protect all of you.
0:03:34 > 0:03:36Ladies, ladies, come on.
0:03:40 > 0:03:42What the hell is this? You said no more gimmicks.
0:03:42 > 0:03:44Well, do you want a hit, Joan, or don't you?
0:04:03 > 0:04:07Home again, home again, jiggedy jog, we put you to bed.
0:04:07 > 0:04:10I need a drink.
0:04:10 > 0:04:12Don't you think you had enough to drink on the plane?
0:04:12 > 0:04:16Hey, you are not my keeper. You're a servant - don't ever forget that.
0:04:18 > 0:04:21I don't think I can do it any more, Mamacita.
0:04:21 > 0:04:24New Mexico this weekend, then the tour is done.
0:04:24 > 0:04:29Oh, New Mexico. Jesus Christ! Why did I say yes to any of this?
0:04:29 > 0:04:30Why did you?
0:04:32 > 0:04:35No offers in nine months.
0:04:35 > 0:04:36Huh?
0:04:36 > 0:04:40I had to take it just to keep the goddamn lights on.
0:04:40 > 0:04:43Look, Miss Joan. Flowers.
0:04:43 > 0:04:46Yeah? From whom?
0:04:46 > 0:04:51Mr George Cukor. "Congratulating you on your latest success."
0:04:51 > 0:04:54"My latest success" - what a joke.
0:04:54 > 0:04:58He's five years older than me and he's hotter than he's ever been.
0:04:58 > 0:05:00He's winning awards for My Fair Lady,
0:05:00 > 0:05:03I'm pimping myself out to William Castle.
0:05:03 > 0:05:06The picture is doing very well. People are coming to see you.
0:05:06 > 0:05:12People are coming to see blood and gore and heads being chopped off!
0:05:12 > 0:05:15They're not coming to see me, you stupid croak!
0:05:20 > 0:05:23Oh, God.
0:05:23 > 0:05:27I'm sorry, Mamacita. I'm sorry, I'm sorry.
0:05:27 > 0:05:29I am sorry!
0:05:29 > 0:05:33You're always sorry! You're crazy, but you do it!
0:05:33 > 0:05:34I tell you now this -
0:05:34 > 0:05:38the next time you throw something at my head, I leave you.
0:05:38 > 0:05:39Then you will have nothing!
0:05:42 > 0:05:44Goodnight.
0:05:48 > 0:05:51Careful going up the stairs.
0:05:51 > 0:05:53You are blotto.
0:07:25 > 0:07:26Box office numbers, Mr Warner.
0:07:29 > 0:07:30What's with the guard?
0:07:30 > 0:07:32Are you afraid I'm going to kill the messenger?
0:07:32 > 0:07:35- Oh, I'm not security, sir. - This is Bart, our new trainee.
0:07:35 > 0:07:38He forgot his sport coat, so they gave him a loaner at the gate.
0:07:38 > 0:07:39- Ah. - HE CHUCKLES
0:07:39 > 0:07:41Well, your parents must be very proud.
0:07:43 > 0:07:46Son of a bitch. Strait-Jacket did 2.5 million?
0:07:46 > 0:07:49- Is that not good?- Yeah, it's great, if you're Harry Cohn.
0:07:49 > 0:07:50It's Columbia Pictures.
0:07:50 > 0:07:52And Lady In A Cage is on track to do even better.
0:07:52 > 0:07:54I heard that's supposed to be an excellent picture.
0:07:54 > 0:07:56- That's Paramount.- Quick, Biff...
0:07:56 > 0:07:59- Bart.- ..what is it about these hag movies that people love?
0:07:59 > 0:08:02I don't know, my mom says that they're kind of degrading.
0:08:02 > 0:08:06Bingo. Degradation. That's what it is.
0:08:06 > 0:08:09You take some movie queen of yore,
0:08:09 > 0:08:13who was once too beautiful to screw us, and you make her suffer.
0:08:16 > 0:08:20Tearing down your idols - it's very satisfying for an audience.
0:08:20 > 0:08:23- Don't you think, Bob? - Bart.- Goddamn it!
0:08:23 > 0:08:27I created this genre! Hagsploitation!
0:08:27 > 0:08:30It even has its own word! And you know who came up with that?
0:08:30 > 0:08:32- The New York Times.- No! Me!
0:08:34 > 0:08:37Get me Bob Aldrich in my office.
0:08:37 > 0:08:39Are you sure?
0:08:39 > 0:08:41Am I sure? What the...?
0:08:41 > 0:08:43You banned him from the lot.
0:08:48 > 0:08:50Switch jackets.
0:08:50 > 0:08:52Sir?
0:08:52 > 0:08:56You take off your jacket, and you give it to Bart,
0:08:56 > 0:08:58and then you put on his.
0:09:00 > 0:09:04Now show Bart how to dial Bob Aldrich,
0:09:04 > 0:09:07then go down to the front gate
0:09:07 > 0:09:10and tell them that you are the new security guard.
0:09:17 > 0:09:20Right.
0:09:20 > 0:09:23- Nice to meet you, Bart. - Great. Yes, sir, such a pleasure.
0:09:23 > 0:09:25- Thank you so much.- Mm-hmm.
0:09:28 > 0:09:29DOORBELL RINGS
0:09:36 > 0:09:40Please be brief. She must conserve her energy for Albuquerque.
0:09:40 > 0:09:42Is she crossing the desert on foot?
0:09:45 > 0:09:49Oh, Hedda, darling. I don't have a quiet minute today.
0:09:49 > 0:09:53I have to convert this dust bowl look to a desert look,
0:09:53 > 0:09:56work out this awful crick in my neck,
0:09:56 > 0:10:01and then back on the road for that goddamn Lizzie Borden routine.
0:10:01 > 0:10:04You're not having a gay old time greeting fans coast to coast?
0:10:04 > 0:10:08Does a Ringling Brothers elephant have a gay old time?
0:10:11 > 0:10:16Hedda? Hedda, what is it? Did you skip lunch? Do you want...
0:10:16 > 0:10:18- No.- ..me to get Mamacita to boil you an egg?
0:10:18 > 0:10:22No, no, just... Just sit with me.
0:10:23 > 0:10:26Hedda, are you all right?
0:10:30 > 0:10:33Oh... Hmm.
0:10:34 > 0:10:40Last week, I was on the phone with Frances Marion,
0:10:40 > 0:10:44deploring the demise of the tender love story,
0:10:44 > 0:10:48when my arm went dead. Limp like a stewed noodle.
0:10:48 > 0:10:50Oh...
0:10:50 > 0:10:55It was a heart attack. I have a defect, apparently,
0:10:55 > 0:10:59and the doctor says it won't be long before another one hits.
0:10:59 > 0:11:02Come on, Hedda. Get up. Let me...
0:11:02 > 0:11:05- We'll sit somewhere more comfortable.- Thank you, darling.
0:11:05 > 0:11:08Why, why, why didn't you call me?
0:11:08 > 0:11:11Oh, no, I used the time to reflect.
0:11:13 > 0:11:20If I am finished, and the sum of my life's work is tallied,
0:11:20 > 0:11:24am I satisfied with reams of gossip?
0:11:24 > 0:11:25Oh, how can you say that?
0:11:27 > 0:11:30Look at all the careers that you have launched,
0:11:30 > 0:11:32mine included.
0:11:32 > 0:11:36I didn't muse on the careers I'd nurtured.
0:11:36 > 0:11:39I thought about the ones I destroyed -
0:11:39 > 0:11:45the reds, the queers, the whores, the cheaters, and dopeheads...
0:11:45 > 0:11:50The ones who cursed me, sued me, offed themselves...
0:11:50 > 0:11:51And I felt...
0:11:54 > 0:11:56..good.
0:11:56 > 0:11:59That I'd contributed to our moral economy.
0:11:59 > 0:12:01And so you have.
0:12:01 > 0:12:06You have been nothing short of a bulwark against the tide
0:12:06 > 0:12:09of smut crashing over this culture.
0:12:10 > 0:12:14But I can't stop it lapping at your door.
0:12:18 > 0:12:20What are you talking about?
0:12:20 > 0:12:23Somebody's been shopping a stag picture
0:12:23 > 0:12:26in which you allegedly appeared in your youth.
0:12:26 > 0:12:27JOAN CHUCKLES
0:12:27 > 0:12:30Well, that is ridiculous.
0:12:30 > 0:12:33It must be someone who resembles me.
0:12:33 > 0:12:35I know Louella's been sniffing around,
0:12:35 > 0:12:37so has Confidential.
0:12:37 > 0:12:41Bastards. Can I sue?
0:12:41 > 0:12:45Not if there's a film. Is there, Joan?
0:12:46 > 0:12:48Why would you ask that?
0:12:48 > 0:12:50Because if there is, I'll find out.
0:12:50 > 0:12:52I always find out.
0:12:57 > 0:13:00And you would write about it.
0:13:00 > 0:13:01It's what I do.
0:13:05 > 0:13:06JOAN SIGHS
0:13:14 > 0:13:19I'm offering you the opportunity to add your voice to the story.
0:13:19 > 0:13:21By telling the tale of shame yourself,
0:13:21 > 0:13:24you can turn it into a story of redemption.
0:13:24 > 0:13:27Not a bad way for either of us to go out.
0:13:27 > 0:13:32The perfect final scoop for my readers.
0:13:35 > 0:13:38I am sorry about your ill health, Hedda.
0:13:40 > 0:13:45And I am sorry that it has so weakened your ability
0:13:45 > 0:13:48to distinguish truth from lies.
0:13:51 > 0:13:52All right, Joan.
0:13:55 > 0:13:58But just remember,
0:13:58 > 0:14:00it's always better to cooperate.
0:14:16 > 0:14:19Oh, goddamn it.
0:14:19 > 0:14:21I think I drank too much.
0:14:21 > 0:14:24All right.
0:14:24 > 0:14:26Time to talk.
0:14:26 > 0:14:29I don't think talking about it improves its performance any.
0:14:29 > 0:14:32I'm not talking about "it", I'm talking about you.
0:14:32 > 0:14:35You're morose. You've been morose.
0:14:35 > 0:14:37You wear slippers to lunch
0:14:37 > 0:14:40and you smashed all of my Sinatra records.
0:14:40 > 0:14:43Yeah, I thought it'd make me feel better, but it didn't.
0:14:43 > 0:14:45You know, I knew 4 For Texas was going to stink,
0:14:45 > 0:14:47even before Sinatra shit all over it.
0:14:47 > 0:14:49Then what'd you go through with it for?
0:14:49 > 0:14:51Because Jack Warner thought it was a bad idea
0:14:51 > 0:14:54and I didn't want to give that prick the satisfaction of being right.
0:14:54 > 0:14:56You know what I think?
0:14:56 > 0:14:59All this gloom isn't about your last flop.
0:14:59 > 0:15:01- It's about your last hit.- What?
0:15:01 > 0:15:04I think the fact that Bob Aldrich had his biggest success with
0:15:04 > 0:15:08a woman's picture... Well, I think it's knocked you off-balance.
0:15:08 > 0:15:10Ah, Harriet...
0:15:10 > 0:15:13You have to stop moping around the house -
0:15:13 > 0:15:14it's not good for you.
0:15:14 > 0:15:18It's time to decide what it is that you want to do, and then do it,
0:15:18 > 0:15:22even if Jack Warner does think it's a good idea.
0:15:22 > 0:15:25- Where you going?- Carson's on.
0:15:26 > 0:15:29I'm glad you finally came to your senses, Bobby.
0:15:29 > 0:15:30How do you mean?
0:15:30 > 0:15:33Well, I sent you out of here six months ago
0:15:33 > 0:15:36with a stack of premium hag scripts.
0:15:36 > 0:15:38Please tell me that you picked one.
0:15:38 > 0:15:44- Well, no, Jack, I didn't. - You're killing me, Bobby. Really?
0:15:44 > 0:15:46Look, I know you think I'm like a dog with a bone with this thing,
0:15:46 > 0:15:49but let me explain something to you, all right?
0:15:49 > 0:15:52Goldwyn is finished, Mayer is dead, and Selznick is just
0:15:52 > 0:15:55one pastrami sandwich away from a coronary.
0:15:55 > 0:15:59But Jack L Warner still runs Warner Brothers.
0:15:59 > 0:16:03And incidentally, how many brothers do you see standing in this room?
0:16:03 > 0:16:04You're the only one, Jack.
0:16:04 > 0:16:07That's right. I'm the last goddamn dinosaur
0:16:07 > 0:16:09and I am up to my tits in tar.
0:16:09 > 0:16:12- What are you talking about?- The end.
0:16:12 > 0:16:15- Talking about the end, Bobby. - Oh, come on, Jack.
0:16:15 > 0:16:18- My Fair Lady's the biggest hit in the last five years.- Yeah.
0:16:18 > 0:16:20And what happens in six months when I don't have anything
0:16:20 > 0:16:23to follow that up? I'll admit it, Bobby...
0:16:25 > 0:16:26I'm scared.
0:16:28 > 0:16:30I used to make the culture
0:16:30 > 0:16:33and, today, I'm lost in it.
0:16:33 > 0:16:36I am in the twilight of my days, Bobby,
0:16:36 > 0:16:41I know that. But I would...just like to keep the sun
0:16:41 > 0:16:44from going down a little bit longer.
0:16:44 > 0:16:46Sure.
0:16:46 > 0:16:48I need a miracle.
0:16:48 > 0:16:50I need another goddamn Baby Jane.
0:16:52 > 0:16:56And it's called What Ever Happened To Cousin Charlotte?
0:16:56 > 0:16:58That's a great title. I love this title...
0:16:58 > 0:17:01Because it'll remind people of What Ever Happened To Baby Jane?
0:17:01 > 0:17:04- Mm-hmm.- Right? All right. Go ahead, hit me.
0:17:04 > 0:17:07- What do you got?- OK, so, it's about an ageing Southern belle...
0:17:07 > 0:17:10- Yeah.- ..who's living all alone in one of those scary Louisiana
0:17:10 > 0:17:12- plantation mansions. - Uh-huh. Good, yeah, yeah.
0:17:12 > 0:17:15- And she's got a city slicker cousin who comes to visit.- Uh-huh. Mm-hmm.
0:17:15 > 0:17:17Huh? Drives her crazy, gaslights her.
0:17:17 > 0:17:19So you got dismemberment, there's a hatchet murder...
0:17:19 > 0:17:23- Fantastic.- So I was thinking, for Cousin Charlotte, Bette Davis.
0:17:23 > 0:17:25And for the city slicker cousin,
0:17:25 > 0:17:27Ann Sheridan.
0:17:27 > 0:17:29No, no. It's got to be Crawford.
0:17:29 > 0:17:32Crawford and Davis together, that's the winning formula.
0:17:32 > 0:17:33This is my one condition, Jack -
0:17:33 > 0:17:36I am not working with them again together, never again.
0:17:36 > 0:17:39- You can't work with them? Wha...? - They hate each other!
0:17:39 > 0:17:41Besides, they'd never agree to it.
0:17:41 > 0:17:44Bobby, if you think it's twilight for us,
0:17:44 > 0:17:46it is midnight for them.
0:17:46 > 0:17:47They are going to do your Charlotte picture.
0:17:47 > 0:17:49And you know what? They're going to do it for less.
0:17:49 > 0:17:52And you know what else? So are you.
0:17:52 > 0:17:55All right, I want you to get those two harpies' signatures
0:17:55 > 0:17:57on the dotted line. You got it?
0:17:57 > 0:18:00- Got it, Jack.- Thanks.
0:18:00 > 0:18:01Now get out of here.
0:18:22 > 0:18:23Joanie!
0:18:26 > 0:18:27Bette!
0:18:27 > 0:18:29Another horror picture, Bob?
0:18:29 > 0:18:31I wouldn't classify it like that.
0:18:31 > 0:18:34Weren't you the one that said we shouldn't be repeating ourselves?
0:18:34 > 0:18:35This is completely different.
0:18:35 > 0:18:38This time, YOU get to kill the cleaning lady.
0:18:38 > 0:18:40Now, Charlotte's nothing at all like Jane.
0:18:40 > 0:18:42Charlotte's a victim, but she's also a fighter.
0:18:42 > 0:18:47- Tell me about Miriam. - Miriam. Elegant, calculating,
0:18:47 > 0:18:50but with a certain warmth. It needs an actress of real skill.
0:18:50 > 0:18:51And who do you see as Miriam?
0:18:51 > 0:18:54Uh, Joan, of course.
0:18:54 > 0:18:57And I suppose you want Bette to play Cousin Charlotte?
0:18:57 > 0:19:00- Who else?- And she's agreed?
0:19:00 > 0:19:02How could she say no?
0:19:02 > 0:19:04Are you out of your mind?
0:19:04 > 0:19:07I wouldn't piss on Crawford if she were on fire!
0:19:07 > 0:19:10I think she secretly blames me for her Oscar loss.
0:19:10 > 0:19:12I don't think that's true.
0:19:12 > 0:19:14She actively lobbied against me
0:19:14 > 0:19:17and then she wormed her way into accepting Bancroft's award,
0:19:17 > 0:19:20which I understand Bancroft hasn't even laid eyes on.
0:19:20 > 0:19:21Well...
0:19:21 > 0:19:24I know she expected all sorts of offers after her nomination,
0:19:24 > 0:19:27but they never really materialised, did they?
0:19:27 > 0:19:29And have you gotten a load of the interviews that she's
0:19:29 > 0:19:32been giving lately for that stinker, Lady With The Axe,
0:19:32 > 0:19:37or whatever the hell it's called? So goddamn grand you want to vomit.
0:19:37 > 0:19:39And now she's doing television? I mean, really,
0:19:39 > 0:19:43is that a face America wants in its living room at dinner time?
0:19:43 > 0:19:45I don't think so.
0:19:45 > 0:19:47She wouldn't promote our picture,
0:19:47 > 0:19:50but she has no problem taking her cow town carny act
0:19:50 > 0:19:52on the road with Bill, Bill...
0:19:52 > 0:19:53- Castle.- Yes!
0:19:53 > 0:19:56What I don't understand is why YOU would want to work with her again!
0:19:56 > 0:19:58Well, let's be honest, Bette,
0:19:58 > 0:20:00working with either of you wasn't exactly a picnic for me.
0:20:00 > 0:20:03But we did some good work together, the three of us.
0:20:03 > 0:20:05Did we?
0:20:05 > 0:20:06I'm not so sure.
0:20:06 > 0:20:08- What do you mean? - I'm seen as a joke now.
0:20:08 > 0:20:10A white-faced ghoul.
0:20:10 > 0:20:14I let myself be overshadowed, pushed aside.
0:20:14 > 0:20:17A grotesque caricature - that's the way I'm going to be remembered.
0:20:17 > 0:20:20I outlasted Garbo, for Christ's sakes.
0:20:20 > 0:20:23Now I'm going out as a dowdy matron?
0:20:24 > 0:20:26- The answer's...- No.
0:20:26 > 0:20:28Bette, come on.
0:20:28 > 0:20:31There is no movie without you.
0:20:31 > 0:20:33Just tell me what you want.
0:20:33 > 0:20:36I want top billing, my name before hers.
0:20:36 > 0:20:38I want creative control.
0:20:38 > 0:20:41BOB LAUGHS
0:20:44 > 0:20:45Really?
0:20:45 > 0:20:47I want a big signing bonus.
0:20:47 > 0:20:49Jack Warner cooked the books on Baby Jane.
0:20:49 > 0:20:52I want my payday up front.
0:20:52 > 0:20:54Every time I agree to a back end,
0:20:54 > 0:20:58that's exactly where I end up getting it.
0:20:58 > 0:21:01I'm through getting pushed around.
0:21:01 > 0:21:03I know exactly what you mean.
0:21:14 > 0:21:17Five bucks - to handle your bags.
0:21:21 > 0:21:24Cruise the parking lot, Teddy.
0:21:24 > 0:21:26Here.
0:21:26 > 0:21:28Get lost.
0:21:30 > 0:21:35Checking in, Miss Crawford? Presidential Suite's taken.
0:21:35 > 0:21:38You know why I'm here, Hal.
0:21:38 > 0:21:42Someone has been calling every rag in town claiming they have
0:21:42 > 0:21:46possession of a blue movie in which I supposedly appear.
0:21:46 > 0:21:49Geez, Billie. That's awful.
0:21:49 > 0:21:52You bastard, I know it's you.
0:21:52 > 0:21:55You threatened to tell the world about me and Daddy Cassin.
0:21:55 > 0:21:58I kept my mouth shut on all that, didn't I?
0:21:58 > 0:21:59A very expensive silence.
0:21:59 > 0:22:01Hey, it's an expensive town.
0:22:01 > 0:22:03Why do you do this to me?
0:22:03 > 0:22:05When you came to Hollywood, I found you work.
0:22:05 > 0:22:07As an extra, playing a clown.
0:22:07 > 0:22:09Nobody starts at the top.
0:22:09 > 0:22:11Yeah, guess you're proof of that.
0:22:14 > 0:22:17Christ, why don't you show some decency?
0:22:17 > 0:22:20This girl, whoever it is, must have been desperate.
0:22:20 > 0:22:23Needed the money for food or rent.
0:22:23 > 0:22:25Whatever it is you have, you should burn it.
0:22:25 > 0:22:27I ain't in the habit of burning money.
0:22:29 > 0:22:31No, you're not.
0:22:36 > 0:22:40This is half what Lolly Parsons is offering.
0:22:40 > 0:22:42That's all I've got to spare. I'm strapped.
0:22:42 > 0:22:44You? Strapped?
0:22:44 > 0:22:47Queen Pepsi, USA?
0:22:47 > 0:22:49Miss Big Fat Movie Star.
0:22:52 > 0:22:54You saw Baby Jane?
0:22:54 > 0:22:56I see all your pictures.
0:22:56 > 0:22:58I'm proud of my kid sister.
0:23:02 > 0:23:06That cheque is all you'll get for now.
0:23:06 > 0:23:08I'm at the end of my career.
0:23:10 > 0:23:12You want to call Lolly Parsons?
0:23:13 > 0:23:16Go ahead, ruin me.
0:23:16 > 0:23:18I don't care.
0:23:18 > 0:23:21I just want you to remember where you came from, Billie,
0:23:21 > 0:23:22and how lucky you are.
0:23:23 > 0:23:25I have never been lucky.
0:23:27 > 0:23:29L'Chaim, Bobby.
0:23:29 > 0:23:31I told you it would all work out.
0:23:31 > 0:23:32Help yourself.
0:23:33 > 0:23:37Every studio is struggling to find
0:23:37 > 0:23:40their own hag horror picture
0:23:40 > 0:23:41and we got the two original hags.
0:23:41 > 0:23:42The winning combination.
0:23:42 > 0:23:44I know.
0:23:44 > 0:23:48You know, I think that What Ever Happened to Sister, uh...
0:23:48 > 0:23:50- Cousin.- What?- Cousin Charlotte. - You changed it?
0:23:50 > 0:23:52No, it's always been Cousin Charlotte.
0:23:52 > 0:23:55- ..it's going to be even bigger than Baby Jane.- Yeah, I think so, too.
0:23:55 > 0:23:58- And you know who else thinks so? - Who?- Darryl Zanuck.
0:23:58 > 0:24:00Why are you speaking that betrayer's name
0:24:00 > 0:24:02in my presence, Bobby?
0:24:02 > 0:24:04Oh, come on, that's a little harsh, isn't it?
0:24:04 > 0:24:05I don't think he betrayed you.
0:24:05 > 0:24:08I think he felt creatively stifled here,
0:24:08 > 0:24:09so he just left.
0:24:09 > 0:24:11Yeah, to form another studio.
0:24:11 > 0:24:13Well, he always wanted to work with Bette after All About Eve
0:24:13 > 0:24:16and now that he's back at 20th, I mean, it's a perfect fit.
0:24:16 > 0:24:18What? This?
0:24:20 > 0:24:23What are you saying? You shopped my picture around to other studios?
0:24:23 > 0:24:26It's my picture, Jack, and now Zanuck's.
0:24:27 > 0:24:30You can't work for Zanuck. We have an agreement.
0:24:30 > 0:24:33No, no, we don't. But I do have a contract with Zanuck.
0:24:33 > 0:24:35Oh, and I'm not working for him, we're partners.
0:24:35 > 0:24:38I have full autonomy, final cut,
0:24:38 > 0:24:40and some respect.
0:24:40 > 0:24:41Respect is cheap.
0:24:43 > 0:24:46And you tell Zanuck I'll sue.
0:24:46 > 0:24:47Fuck you!
0:24:47 > 0:24:48This is my genre.
0:24:48 > 0:24:50That's bullshit, Jack.
0:24:50 > 0:24:52I brought Baby Jane to you.
0:24:52 > 0:24:53I had to convince you to do the picture.
0:24:53 > 0:24:56- I was the one that had the vision. - Come on!- I was the one that knew
0:24:56 > 0:24:58these two women still had something to offer.
0:24:58 > 0:25:00And what did you do all that time? What did you do?
0:25:00 > 0:25:02You questioned me, you berated me,
0:25:02 > 0:25:04you underestimated me, to the point
0:25:04 > 0:25:07where I was questioning and underestimating myself.
0:25:07 > 0:25:10And all this talk about twilight and end of days... Oh, my God.
0:25:10 > 0:25:13Well, it might be twilight for you, Jack, but it's not for me.
0:25:13 > 0:25:16From where I'm standing, this twilight is a new dawn.
0:25:16 > 0:25:20Oh, my God. You know what?
0:25:20 > 0:25:23If the speeches in Charlotte are all as shitty as that one,
0:25:23 > 0:25:25Zanuck can have it.
0:25:27 > 0:25:29You fu... Give me... give me back my cigar.
0:25:29 > 0:25:31- I didn't come here for your cigars. - No, what'd you come here for?
0:25:31 > 0:25:33I came here to get my balls back.
0:25:35 > 0:25:37You hear 'em clanking?
0:25:56 > 0:25:58Nice dress, Lucille.
0:25:58 > 0:26:01Well, when I see how casually you're attired,
0:26:01 > 0:26:04I guess my enthusiasm for our little table read
0:26:04 > 0:26:06must have run away with me.
0:26:06 > 0:26:07Oh, not at all.
0:26:07 > 0:26:09You can go straight from day to night in that getup.
0:26:09 > 0:26:13You probably have plans after this to accept another award,
0:26:13 > 0:26:15maybe the Nobel Prize on behalf of Dr King.
0:26:16 > 0:26:18Give it to her.
0:26:26 > 0:26:29Matches. Goodie.
0:26:29 > 0:26:31I remembered your charming habit
0:26:31 > 0:26:33of striking matches on the sole of your shoe,
0:26:33 > 0:26:34so I found those for you.
0:26:34 > 0:26:37Can I use them to set you on fire?
0:26:37 > 0:26:39- How ungrateful.- Shh!
0:26:39 > 0:26:41I meant it as a symbolic gesture, Bette.
0:26:41 > 0:26:44I think we should burn the pages of our past
0:26:44 > 0:26:46up until now and start afresh.
0:26:50 > 0:26:53I know you need to hear it from me,
0:26:53 > 0:26:55so here it is.
0:26:57 > 0:27:01I'm sorry if what happened on Oscar night offended you.
0:27:04 > 0:27:06I don't want your half-assed apology.
0:27:06 > 0:27:08I want a promise from you.
0:27:08 > 0:27:10What?
0:27:10 > 0:27:13When we go in there, we present a united front.
0:27:13 > 0:27:17Bob, Zanuck, our co-stars are going to try to push us around.
0:27:17 > 0:27:18The only way we're going to get what we want
0:27:18 > 0:27:22is to speak with one voice, preferably mine.
0:27:22 > 0:27:24I'm your sworn ally.
0:27:24 > 0:27:27Good. It serves us both.
0:27:29 > 0:27:31- Shall we?- After you.
0:27:31 > 0:27:33- No, please, you first. - Ladies first.- I insist.
0:27:33 > 0:27:35- No, please. - SHE SIGHS ANGRILY
0:27:44 > 0:27:48Big Sam approaches the painting of his daughter, Charlotte,
0:27:48 > 0:27:50dressed in virginal white.
0:27:50 > 0:27:53I fought to keep this house and to bring it back up.
0:27:53 > 0:27:57I don't have a son to give it to, only Charlotte,
0:27:57 > 0:27:59and she ain't going to give it to you.
0:27:59 > 0:28:01No, Victor, I'm going to pause you there.
0:28:01 > 0:28:03This can't possibly be the opening of our film.
0:28:03 > 0:28:07- What's wrong with it?- A couple of guys arguing in a study?
0:28:07 > 0:28:08We have an illicit love affair,
0:28:08 > 0:28:11we have a Louisiana plantation to play with,
0:28:11 > 0:28:13and our introduction to Charlotte
0:28:13 > 0:28:15is a goddamn oil painting.
0:28:15 > 0:28:19I agree with Bette. And I was also wondering,
0:28:19 > 0:28:22do we really need all these ellipses?
0:28:22 > 0:28:24"Only Charlotte," dot, dot, dot.
0:28:24 > 0:28:26I mean, wouldn't a comma be more appropriate?
0:28:26 > 0:28:28Even a semicolon.
0:28:28 > 0:28:30We're not submitting it to the Library of Congress, Joan.
0:28:30 > 0:28:32Ladies, can we just get through it once?
0:28:32 > 0:28:35- Victor, from wherever you left off. - Yeah.
0:28:37 > 0:28:41I ain't watched over my girl all these years to have some...
0:28:41 > 0:28:44To have some creature like you take her away.
0:28:44 > 0:28:48Big Sam lunges at John, but John shields himself behind a desk.
0:28:48 > 0:28:50Listen, I'm going to tell you something.
0:28:50 > 0:28:52Your daughter ain't a little girl any more.
0:28:52 > 0:28:54What the hell is this?
0:28:54 > 0:28:56"A severed head bounces down the staircase
0:28:56 > 0:28:58"and rolls to a stop at Charlotte's feet"?
0:28:58 > 0:28:59Why are you jumping ahead?
0:28:59 > 0:29:02Because I'm looking for the changes that we discussed
0:29:02 > 0:29:03and I'm not finding them.
0:29:03 > 0:29:06What I see is...is chopped off hands and bloodied stumps.
0:29:06 > 0:29:08But where are the good character scenes?
0:29:08 > 0:29:10Where are the meaty monologues?
0:29:10 > 0:29:13Yes, and does the syntax concern anyone else here at the table?
0:29:13 > 0:29:18I mean, Louisianians speak with a kind of music all their own.
0:29:18 > 0:29:21Don't get me wrong. I am not opposed to blood and guts, all right?
0:29:21 > 0:29:23I mean, Shakespeare, for Christ's sake,
0:29:23 > 0:29:27he had a woman eat her sons in a pie, but there is a fine line
0:29:27 > 0:29:31between art and trash, and that line is plausibility.
0:29:31 > 0:29:33Well, let's keep our notes until...
0:29:33 > 0:29:35So, if you have a head bouncing down the stairs,
0:29:35 > 0:29:37and to all the world it looks like a rubber prop,
0:29:37 > 0:29:40well, then, my reaction isn't scary, it's a joke.
0:29:40 > 0:29:42You know what I'm talking about, Joan.
0:29:42 > 0:29:44I mean, that thing that you just came off of, right?
0:29:46 > 0:29:48Well, I don't know, Bette.
0:29:48 > 0:29:52I think you sell the believability with your performance.
0:29:52 > 0:29:54And granted, I mean, we didn't have
0:29:54 > 0:29:57the most realistic-looking severed heads on Strait-Jacket,
0:29:57 > 0:30:00but the picture did a robust business.
0:30:02 > 0:30:05We drew a very young, a very hip crowd.
0:30:05 > 0:30:08Well, I'm not traipsing around the country chopping off heads.
0:30:08 > 0:30:10No-one would ask Brando to do that.
0:30:10 > 0:30:15Brando isn't begging for a recurring role on Wagon Train either.
0:30:15 > 0:30:20Maybe we'll find a solution in reading the whole story aloud.
0:30:20 > 0:30:21That's right, thank you.
0:30:21 > 0:30:24Uh, uh, Pauline, pick it up from where we ended.
0:30:24 > 0:30:28Big Sam grips his cigar box as if to smash in John's skull,
0:30:28 > 0:30:30but then takes out a stogie to smoke.
0:30:30 > 0:30:32He laughs at the fear on John's face.
0:30:32 > 0:30:35HE LAUGHS
0:30:35 > 0:30:36Oh, for Christ's sake,
0:30:36 > 0:30:38you said there was to be no photography.
0:30:38 > 0:30:41He's up in the catwalk. He's not going to bother us.
0:30:41 > 0:30:44- Oh, I didn't even see him there! - Didn't you?
0:30:44 > 0:30:47I'm sorry you're not camera-ready, Bette,
0:30:47 > 0:30:51but we don't have eight hours to wait for you to put your face on.
0:30:51 > 0:30:53Do you think that matters to me? He's disrupting our rehearsal.
0:30:53 > 0:30:56Do you think anyone cares to see you mooning over a Pepsi-Cola?
0:30:56 > 0:30:59We are going to get through this if it kills us,
0:30:59 > 0:31:01even if I have to tranquilise the both of you!
0:31:01 > 0:31:03No, Bob, until you put some more thought into this script,
0:31:03 > 0:31:06you are just wasting our time.
0:31:09 > 0:31:12And change the goddamn title!
0:31:23 > 0:31:25I'd be happy to read both parts.
0:31:27 > 0:31:29Shall we begin again?
0:31:36 > 0:31:40If you're here to smother me with a pillow,
0:31:40 > 0:31:43wait till I fall asleep.
0:31:43 > 0:31:46Why bother? You're dead to me already.
0:31:46 > 0:31:48What do they say is wrong with you?
0:31:48 > 0:31:51My appendix - they want to take it out.
0:31:51 > 0:31:54Oh, well, that's a minor matter.
0:31:54 > 0:31:56But before you call around town
0:31:56 > 0:32:01with more lurid lies about me, here.
0:32:01 > 0:32:03To cover your medical expenses.
0:32:04 > 0:32:07If you've any decency, you'll agree.
0:32:07 > 0:32:10There's enough there to purchase whatever it is
0:32:10 > 0:32:11you think you have.
0:32:11 > 0:32:16You mean my personal copy of Velvet Lips?
0:32:16 > 0:32:18Oh...
0:32:18 > 0:32:23So much for the great Joan Crawford being cash-strapped.
0:32:23 > 0:32:26I got an advance on my next picture.
0:32:26 > 0:32:29I'm going to star with some of my Oscar-nominated colleagues
0:32:29 > 0:32:32from Baby Jane, so the studio is optimistic.
0:32:32 > 0:32:36- HE CHUCKLES - Jesus, Joan.
0:32:36 > 0:32:39I'm lying here like a beached fish
0:32:39 > 0:32:42and you still need to show off.
0:32:42 > 0:32:43Hey, I get it.
0:32:45 > 0:32:47I was the golden boy everyone loved,
0:32:47 > 0:32:50you were the runt Mother didn't want.
0:32:50 > 0:32:53That's how you're always going to see yourself.
0:32:55 > 0:32:59Do you think I actually give a shit
0:32:59 > 0:33:03who kissed your sorry ass back in Kansas 40 years ago?
0:33:03 > 0:33:08You think you're better than me, but you're not,
0:33:08 > 0:33:11with your Queen's English and your furs
0:33:11 > 0:33:14and your martyr routine.
0:33:14 > 0:33:16Underneath, you're rotten trash, like me.
0:33:16 > 0:33:18Then maybe you don't want...
0:33:18 > 0:33:22I'm keeping it as repayment for your shameful treatment of Mother.
0:33:22 > 0:33:24Ready for the OR, Mr LeSueur?
0:33:24 > 0:33:27"Shameful treatment"?!
0:33:27 > 0:33:31Bringing her out here to California so she could decline in luxury?
0:33:31 > 0:33:33You made her use the service entrance.
0:33:33 > 0:33:37You refused to let her take meals with your kids, for Christ's sake!
0:33:37 > 0:33:41I didn't want her poisoning them with her junk.
0:33:41 > 0:33:44I didn't want them to end up like you.
0:33:44 > 0:33:45Let's go.
0:33:45 > 0:33:47Come on, Hal, the film.
0:33:47 > 0:33:51There is no film, Billie, you said so yourself.
0:34:03 > 0:34:05Chops were nice.
0:34:05 > 0:34:07The fish was dry.
0:34:07 > 0:34:09What time is your flight leaving?
0:34:09 > 0:34:116am.
0:34:11 > 0:34:12I want you to come with me.
0:34:12 > 0:34:15- To the airport?- Baton Rouge.
0:34:15 > 0:34:18Oh, Louisiana this time of year?
0:34:18 > 0:34:21- No, thank you.- Why not?
0:34:21 > 0:34:22Harriet...
0:34:23 > 0:34:25Let's just go home.
0:34:41 > 0:34:44What's the matter?
0:34:44 > 0:34:46Nothing. I'm sorry,
0:34:46 > 0:34:48you have to leave early in the morning
0:34:48 > 0:34:50and we can talk about it when you get back.
0:34:51 > 0:34:53Why don't you want to be part of my movie?
0:34:55 > 0:34:58Because I don't want to be part of your life.
0:34:58 > 0:35:00What?
0:35:00 > 0:35:03Because I haven't been for quite some time,
0:35:03 > 0:35:06and I never am when you're making a picture.
0:35:06 > 0:35:08And you're only happy when you're making a picture,
0:35:08 > 0:35:10going into battle.
0:35:10 > 0:35:13If you'd ever fought as hard for me in this marriage
0:35:13 > 0:35:15as you do for one of your stars,
0:35:15 > 0:35:17I wouldn't be saying this.
0:35:17 > 0:35:21And I hadn't planned on saying it tonight, but I want a divorce.
0:35:21 > 0:35:23- Harriet!- And I have to believe
0:35:23 > 0:35:25the only person who wants it more is you.
0:35:25 > 0:35:28- Oh, please, don't say that. - Oh, Christ, Bob, somebody has to.
0:35:28 > 0:35:30And you won't.
0:35:30 > 0:35:33Maybe because you never stopped having a life.
0:35:33 > 0:35:35I'm not sure when mine ended,
0:35:35 > 0:35:37but I'm going to get it back,
0:35:37 > 0:35:39but not with you.
0:35:50 > 0:35:53Mamacita, here,
0:35:53 > 0:35:55nude hose for the twins.
0:35:55 > 0:35:56I'm afraid, in those cotton tights,
0:35:56 > 0:35:59they're beginning to look like overgrown toddlers.
0:36:00 > 0:36:03Please join me in the living room.
0:36:03 > 0:36:05Why?
0:36:05 > 0:36:07I have difficult news.
0:36:09 > 0:36:11No, now what is it? Just tell me.
0:36:11 > 0:36:14The hospital called.
0:36:14 > 0:36:16Your brother died in surgery.
0:36:16 > 0:36:18His appendix exploded.
0:36:24 > 0:36:26Just like that.
0:36:41 > 0:36:44Sometimes, when the emotions are too many,
0:36:44 > 0:36:46we cannot cry.
0:36:59 > 0:37:00Jerry.
0:37:00 > 0:37:03Hello, this is Joan Crawford.
0:37:03 > 0:37:07Yes. I'm sorry to bug you after hours, but I was wondering -
0:37:07 > 0:37:10are the payments for Charlotte coming in all right?
0:37:11 > 0:37:13Wonderful.
0:37:13 > 0:37:16Jerry, listen, do me a favour, please.
0:37:16 > 0:37:20Call City National first thing in the morning when they open
0:37:20 > 0:37:24and cancel a cheque for me.
0:37:24 > 0:37:28Yes, I wrote it to my brother, Hal LeSueur,
0:37:28 > 0:37:29dated today.
0:37:29 > 0:37:33No, he won't be needing a loan after all.
0:37:33 > 0:37:35Yes, thank you, dear.
0:37:35 > 0:37:38Oh, and my best...my best to Anita.
0:37:41 > 0:37:44There is a bright side.
0:37:44 > 0:37:47You do not need the surplus to pay for your brother,
0:37:47 > 0:37:51so you are not forced to do the movie with that terrible Miss Davis.
0:37:53 > 0:37:56I'm not pulling out of Charlotte now. It has potential.
0:37:56 > 0:37:58It has potential to ruin your life.
0:37:58 > 0:38:01What do you want me to do, Mamacita?
0:38:01 > 0:38:04What, sit here by myself
0:38:04 > 0:38:07toasting my memories, hmm?
0:38:07 > 0:38:10There are many pleasures still to enjoy. New friends.
0:38:10 > 0:38:13You are invited to parties all the time.
0:38:13 > 0:38:18I can't show my face without having a picture to discuss.
0:38:18 > 0:38:22If I'm not working, I might as well be dead.
0:38:22 > 0:38:24Get some sleep.
0:38:24 > 0:38:27It's a long flight to Baton Rouge.
0:38:43 > 0:38:46I can't play a schoolmate of these children, it's obscene.
0:38:46 > 0:38:48Well, I hate to break it to you, Bette,
0:38:48 > 0:38:51but you're the one who insisted on playing young Charlotte yourself.
0:38:51 > 0:38:53You're just going to have to shoot me from the back.
0:38:53 > 0:38:56- We can't because we need to capture the evidence.- Oh.
0:38:56 > 0:38:58Well, cast one of these girls as a lookalike,
0:38:58 > 0:39:01put her face in the shadow, and I'll do the voice. Where the hell is Bob?
0:39:01 > 0:39:04Taking a nature break. Uh, maybe...
0:39:20 > 0:39:24All right, the wheels are flying off the scene in there
0:39:24 > 0:39:27and you're out here watering the daffodils.
0:39:27 > 0:39:28Wha...?
0:39:28 > 0:39:30Are you crying?
0:39:30 > 0:39:32I can't do it, Bette. I can't make this picture.
0:39:32 > 0:39:33What the hell are you talking about?
0:39:33 > 0:39:35Harriet and I are over.
0:39:35 > 0:39:37Christ.
0:39:38 > 0:39:41- Is it final?- Seems to be.
0:39:41 > 0:39:43She doesn't feel like she's part of my life.
0:39:45 > 0:39:46The crazy irony is that
0:39:46 > 0:39:48we were all going to be together on this picture.
0:39:48 > 0:39:50You know, the kids have all got parts.
0:39:50 > 0:39:53Adele's working on helping with the script.
0:39:53 > 0:39:56Harriet was supposed to be here enjoying it with me.
0:39:56 > 0:39:59Now I'm just looking around and I'm thinking...
0:39:59 > 0:40:00This has ruined my marriage.
0:40:00 > 0:40:03I'm not going to candy-coat it.
0:40:03 > 0:40:05Harriet is a wonderful woman.
0:40:05 > 0:40:08Losing her is going to be bad,
0:40:08 > 0:40:09it always is.
0:40:09 > 0:40:12I know, I've been through it four times.
0:40:12 > 0:40:15But I survived...
0:40:15 > 0:40:17And so will you.
0:40:17 > 0:40:1924 years, Bette.
0:40:19 > 0:40:21I don't know how to be alone.
0:40:21 > 0:40:23We'll be alone together.
0:40:28 > 0:40:29Come on.
0:41:01 > 0:41:04Well, perhaps our driver is waiting for us
0:41:04 > 0:41:06at the baggage claim.
0:41:16 > 0:41:18We are checking in.
0:41:18 > 0:41:21Oh, I'm sorry, we're all full up.
0:41:21 > 0:41:22They're shooting a movie.
0:41:22 > 0:41:24We are part of this movie.
0:41:24 > 0:41:27- Joan.- Bette.
0:41:27 > 0:41:29Finally, a friendly face.
0:41:29 > 0:41:30When did you get in?
0:41:30 > 0:41:33Well, hours ago, but there was no-one at the airport to greet us.
0:41:33 > 0:41:35Oh, no.
0:41:35 > 0:41:37But you made it. What a trouper.
0:41:40 > 0:41:42And now she's saying there's no room here for us.
0:41:42 > 0:41:44Nonsense, Frannie.
0:41:44 > 0:41:47Miss Crawford has a reservation for a suite.
0:41:47 > 0:41:49She's part of the production.
0:41:49 > 0:41:51Well, of course, Miss Davis. You just have a seat.
0:41:51 > 0:41:54We're going to get that ready for you. Won't take but an hour.
0:41:54 > 0:41:56- An hour?- Oh, relax, Joan.
0:41:56 > 0:41:59This is Baton Rouge, not Beverly Hills.
0:41:59 > 0:42:01Oh, my ice is melting.
0:42:01 > 0:42:04See you on the set.
0:42:04 > 0:42:06She is enjoying this.
0:42:10 > 0:42:12You would think there would at least be
0:42:12 > 0:42:14a complimentary gift basket waiting for you.
0:42:14 > 0:42:17Well, we're here now, and it's not so terribly bad, is it?
0:42:17 > 0:42:20It stinks! They have put us next to the garbage.
0:42:20 > 0:42:24It's Louisiana. Everything has the sweet smell of rot.
0:42:26 > 0:42:29I've made a decision, Mamacita.
0:42:29 > 0:42:32We are going to put this dreadful day behind us
0:42:32 > 0:42:35and I'm determined to enter into this project
0:42:35 > 0:42:38with the proper spirit.
0:42:38 > 0:42:41In fact, I think I'll call Mr Aldrich now,
0:42:41 > 0:42:43tell him we've arrived safely,
0:42:43 > 0:42:45and perhaps give him a couple of the notes
0:42:45 > 0:42:47that I made on the plane.
0:42:51 > 0:42:54Yes, hello, this is Joan Crawford.
0:42:54 > 0:42:58Could you connect me with Bob Aldrich's suite, please?
0:43:00 > 0:43:01Hello?
0:43:01 > 0:43:05Mm. Bob? It's Joan.
0:43:05 > 0:43:09I just wanted to let you know that we have arrived
0:43:09 > 0:43:11and we're tucked away snuggly in our little bungalow.
0:43:11 > 0:43:13A bit of a snafu at the airport,
0:43:13 > 0:43:17but we're here and I am raring to go.
0:43:17 > 0:43:19- BETTE:- Bob, hang up!
0:43:19 > 0:43:21The champagne's going flat!
0:43:21 > 0:43:23Well, that's great, Joan.
0:43:23 > 0:43:24You get some rest.
0:43:24 > 0:43:27We'll see you tomorrow on set. Bye-bye.
0:43:27 > 0:43:29HE HANGS UP