Halloween Viewing Recommendation: Hush..Hush, Sweet Charlotte

Bette Davis and Joan Crawford surprised a number of film goers in 1962 when the two costarred in the horror film Whatever Happened to Baby Jane? The two former leading ladies of Hollywood's Golden Age chose to act in a genre that normally featured actresses of lesser stature. In addition, the two stars allowed themselves to look unflattering. In Bette's case, she allowed herself to be down right ugly. However, this movie became a big hit. Davis received her tenth Academy Award nomination for Best Actress. It also opened the door for parts like Baby Jane to be more acceptable leading roles. After all, does Kathy Bates win the 1990 Oscar for Best Actress in Misery if Bette Davis did not introduce such a role to mainstream audiences?

The success of Whatever Happened to Baby Jane? led producer/director Robert Aldrich to re-team the stars in another film. The film was 1964's Hush..Hush, Sweet Charlotte. Bette was to play the title role while Joan would play her sophisticated cousin Miriam. Unfortunately, there was a great deal of drama that ensued between Davis and Crawford during the first film and after its release. Crawford was particularly angered by the fact that only Davis was nominated for an Oscar. According to Bette and Joan: The Divine Feud by Shaun Considine, Crawford contacted three of Davis' fellow nominees who were going to be on the East Coast during the Academy Awards ceremony. She offered to accept the Best Actress Oscar on behalf of each woman in case she won and could not attend the ceremony. As fate would have it, Anne Bancroft won the Oscar for The Miracle Worker and she was one of the three who agreed to let Crawford accept the award on her behalf. Supposedly, Crawford pushed past Davis back stage to go get the Oscar for Bancroft.

This story is significant because it led Bette Davis to sabotage Crawford on the set of Hush..Hush, Sweet Charlotte. According to Considine, Davis excluded Crawford from cast gatherings and critiqued her work within earshot of cast and crew. Apparently, as tough as Joan was, Bette was tougher. Crawford had to quit the film. In my opinion, this ultimately led to better casting. Joan was replaced by Davis' friend Olivia DeHavilland. I certainly can not excuse Bette's bad behavior. However, I don't think I would have enjoyed this movie as much without Olivia DeHaviland's excellent performance.

I love that this movie was filmed in black and white. I believe this communicates to the viewer that Charlotte is a woman who essentially still lives in the past. In addition, Aldrich does an excellent job creating a gothic atmosphere by effectively using shadows in many key scenes. I also loved the use of harpsichord music in setting the gothic mood. To me, many films of the 1960's are horribly dated because their "mod" look and music used. This movie avoids those pitfalls by using black and white film as well as classic movie scoring.

The film opens in 1927 at a party at the mansion of Big Sam Hollis (Victor Buono). In his private office, Sam is confronting the married John Mayhew (Bruce Dern) about his affair with Sam's daughter Charlotte. Apparently, John's wife Jewel went to Sam and told him about the affair. John is clearly intimidated by Big Sam and agrees to end the affair. Charlotte secretly meets John as planned at the summerhouse on the Hollis plantation. As promised, John tells Charlotte it's over. A VERY angry Charlotte tells John she could just kill him. A few moments later, John is still upset over what he has done. He hears someone enter the summerhouse. He thinks it's Charlotte. All the audience can see is a cleaver as it chops off John's hand and head. Back at the mansion, Charlotte enters the party and her dress is covered in blood. This is a cleverly filmed scene. The shadow falls over Charlotte's face so the viewer can't see the face. However, it is Bette's voice which is heard.

The film then fast forwards to modern day 1964. Charlotte has become known as the crazy woman who got away with murder. She is losing the family property to eminent domain. Charlotte can not accept the ruling and keeps shooting at the construction crews who are trying to build a highway through Hollis land. Charlotte has contacted her cousin Miriam Deering,who works in public relations, to come to Louisiana. Charlotte thinks Miriam can convince the politicians in Baton Rouge to call off the construction.

Miriam (Olivia DeHavilland) arrives at the Hollis mansion. She discovers that the only two people Charlotte interacts with are her maid, Velma (Agnes Moorehead) and her doctor, Drew Bayliss (Joseph Cotten). Over dinner that evening, we discover that Drew is a longtime family friend and Miriam's former boyfriend. Miriam and Drew both tell Charlotte that she can not stop progress; she needs to pack up and move out of the mansion. This is an excellent scene where the supposedly crazy and "out of it" Charlotte calls both of her "allies" out. She tells Drew he only stops by to make sure she's not dead or when he feels like it. Miriam is told that she's been living elsewhere for years and that public relations sounds like something dirty. The conversation takes a nastier turn when Charlotte reveals that she knows it was Miriam who told Jewel Mayhew about the affair in the first place. Miriam admits that she told Jewl but had no idea it would lead to John's murder. Charlotte admits that Miriam suffered too. Apparently, Drew broke off the relationship with Mriam out of respect for his family's name and reputation. It is a wonderfully acted scene that lets us understand how deeply the tragedy affected many lives.

Not everyone is pleased to Miriam is back in town. Velma believes that Miriam is a selfish woman who wants something. Velma does not think for one moment Miriam wants to help Charlotte pack up and move into a new home. Jewel Mayhew (Mary Astor) meets Miriam in town and tells her she never wants to see her again. It is obvious Jewel did not appreciate Miriam's "helpfulness"  years earlier. Watch and listen to the  exchange between DeHavilland and Astor carefully. It is brilliantly played by both women and reveals quite bit more than the viewer realizes initially. This scene is one that highlights why Olivia DeHavilland was the better choice for Miriam over Joan Crawford.

Meanwhile, a stranger has arrived in town. Harry Willis (Cecil Kellaway) is an insurance investigator. He is still fascinated by the John Mayhew case. Apparently, John Mayhew had a large insurance policy with Lloyd's of London and yet no one ever filed a claim. Harry is trying to find out why the policy was never claimed. While the sheriff knows who Willis is, Harry decides to pose as a journalist with everyone else. In this way, Willis can ask questions and his true reason for the investigation will not be known. Kellaway is outstanding in the role. Kellaway makes Harry a decent and likable man who can judge the facts objectively.

Harry succeeds in doing what others have failed to do. He speaks with the two women in John's life at the time of his death. Kellaway gives Willis a sincerity and gentleness which makes the audience trust him fully. For that reason, the audience believes that Jewel and Charlotte would also trust him. He speaks with Jewel first. He discovers that she has been very sick and gone through her money. He "innocently" remarks that he heard John had a large policy with Lloyd's of  London. Jewel said that it was too late now to start processing the claim. She admits that she would be dead before the claim could be paid out. Jewel surprises Harry by asking him for a favor. She needs someone to hold onto a letter for her. The letter is not to be opened until her death. She senses Harry will know what to do with it when the time comes.

Next, Harry is able to speak with the reclusive Charlotte. He conveys a genuine concern for her and she responds to his kindness. Velma notices that Charlotte is at ease with Willis. Agnes Moorehead is able to beautifully convey without words Velma's happiness that her employer finally has another friend. Charlotte confides in Harry that she never thought she was crazy until recently. Willis is nonjudgemental and the type of person Charlotte has needed as a friend. In fact, Velma trusts Willis when she how well Charlotte takes to him. Velma goes to Harry and tells him that she is suspicious of Miriam and Drew's intentions. Willis does not think he can help. However, Velma tells him that she thinks Charlotte will believe him if he warns her about Miriam and Drew.


Unfortunately, Velma is correct. Drew and Miriam are drugging Charlotte so that she has hallucinations. Velma is truly worried  about Charlotte's well being and does not wait for Willis to speak to Charlotte. Instead, Velma tries to rescue Charlotte herself. Velma manages to get to Charlotte's room and finds a drug vial on the nightstand. Velma grabs it but has to hid when Miriam returns to check on Charlotte. Miriam notices the drug vial is gone. Miriam appears to leave but when Velma reveals herself, Miriam reappears. There is a confrontation between the two women. Velma tells Miriam she has the proof she needs to go to the police. As Velma is heading down the staircase, Miriam hits her over the head with  a chair. Velma goes head first down the stairs and breaks her neck. Miriam gets Drew to help her get Velma's body out of the house. Drew takes Velma's body to her own house and stages an "accident." As the town doctor, he certifies Velma's death as an accident.

Velma's "accident" makes Harry Willis very suspicious of what's going on at the Hollis estate. Will Harry be able to help Charlotte? How far are Drew and Miriam willing to go to get Charlotte's money? And what's in that letter that Jewel Mayhew gave Harry? These questions can be answered by watching Hush...Hush, Sweet Charlotte.

To me, this film is more than a horror movie. The cast is so strong and well directed that there is little or no campiness in my opinion. This film is a drama with horror elements. In particular, the performances of Agnes Moorehead and Cecil Kellaway truly are key to the success of the film. Their characters are asking all the questions we the viewers want answered. In addition, the audience must relate to those two characters because they are the only ones who believe there is a logical explanation for Charlotte's behavior. In order to accept the final revelations, it is important that the audience realizes Charlotte is not a lunatic. It is through Velma and Harry that the audience sees Charlotte as a flawed individual who has not "gotten away with murder" but has suffered deeply for 37 years.

Watch Hush...Hush, Sweet Charlotte and decide for yourself if this movie is worth viewing an annual viewing at Halloween or not. You may even decide to view it more often.