Hush . . . Hush, Sweet Charlotte - 1964

<p>Cindy and Marty discuss a 37-year-unsolved decapitation, a decaying Louisiana mansion, and an aging recluse who may — or may not — be losing her grip on reality: Robert Aldrich&#39;s follow-up to <em>Baby Jane</em> pits Bette Davis against phantom harpsichords, a scheming cousin, and a plot to have her committed.</p><p><br></p><p><strong>Essential Elements</strong></p><p>Director/Producer: Robert Aldrich<br>Stars: Bette Davis, Olivia de Havilland, Joseph Cotten; with Agnes Moorehead, Mary Astor, Victor Buono, Bruce Dern<br>Screenplay: Henry Farrell &amp; Lukas Heller<br>Release: December 16, 1964 | Running Time: 133 min | Black-and-white<br>Awards: 7 Academy Award nominations — a horror-genre record at the time — including Best Supporting Actress for Agnes Moorehead, who won the Golden Globe</p><p><strong>Trivia</strong></p><ul><li>Director Robert Aldrich took three planes, a train, and a mountain taxi to reach Olivia de Havilland in Switzerland, needing four days to talk her into replacing an ailing Joan Crawford.</li><li>Barbara Stanwyck and Loretta Young both turned the role down; Young said her horror-for-women objection wouldn&#39;t change even if she were starving.</li><li>Davis leaked de Havilland&#39;s casting to the press before Aldrich could formally notify Crawford, who heard the news over the radio.</li><li>Davis installed Coca-Cola vending machines on set purely to needle Crawford, a longtime Pepsi board member — then had a Coke delivery truck driven through a shot for good measure.</li><li>On Crawford&#39;s last day of filming, the crew reportedly packed up and left her at the location with no ride back to her motel.</li><li>A $200,000 replica of the Hollis mansion was built on a Fox soundstage; exteriors were shot at Houmas House Plantation outside Baton Rouge, where tour guides still point out Davis&#39;s bedroom.</li><li>With no time to alter her wardrobe, several of de Havilland&#39;s costumes — including a Christian Dior gown — came straight from her own closet.</li><li>Crawford&#39;s brief cameo survives anyway: she&#39;s glimpsed for two seconds in a taxi&#39;s back seat before the footage cuts to de Havilland.</li><li>The title came from the theme song&#39;s lyrics after Davis vetoed the original title for sounding too close to <em>Baby Jane</em>; Patti Page&#39;s recording became a million-selling top-10 hit.</li><li>Joseph Cotten&#39;s character&#39;s plot to convince Charlotte she&#39;s insane is now pop-culture shorthand for &quot;gaslighting&quot; — a term that traces back to another Cotten film, <em>Gaslight</em> (1944).</li></ul><p><br></p><p>Thank you for watching Fade to Chat: Golden Age Cinema!<br>Contact us: <a href="mailto:ThePodTalkNetwork@gmail.com" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">ThePodTalkNetwork@gmail.com</a>Visit the network: ThePodTalk.NetSpread the word to other Golden Age cinema lovers!</p><p><br></p><p><br></p>