"Hush, Hush Sweet Charlotte" was intended as a follow-up to the highly successful Bette Davis/Joan Crawford/Robert Aldrich success, "Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?" (1962). However, after filming had begun, Crawford began causing lengthy delays through her frequent "illnesses" and hissy fits. She was subsequently removed from the project and replaced by Olivia DeHavilland.
The story opens in a 1927 prologue where rich and powerful southerner Big Sam Hollis (Victor Buono) is confronting his daughter Charlotte's illicit lover, the married John Mayhew (Bruce Dern). He cajoles the man into breaking up the affair just as the couple were about to run off together. That same evening, Mayhew is brutally murdered and Charlotte is assumed to have committed the act.
Fast forward to 1964 where we find Charlotte (Bette Davis) living as a recluse in the Hollis mansion with her creepy servant Velma (Agnes Moorehead, Big Sam having died several years earlier. The mansion however, is slated for demolition and Charlotte is being forced to abandon her home. In the meantime she is being comforted by Dr. Drew Bayliss (Joseph Cotton) her family doctor. Charlotte sends for her cousin Miriam (De-Havilland) to help her face this crisis.
A British journalist, Harry Willis (Cecil Kellaway) arrives on the scene to investigate the original unsolved crime of 37 years earlier. He interviews the murdered man's widow Jewel Mayhew (Mary Astor) who provides some insight. She gives him an envelope to be opened only upon her death.
Meanwhile back at the mansion, we learn of a plot between Dr. Drew and Miriam to drive Charlotte insane in order to get their hands on Charlotte's considerable fortune. As they proceed with their plans, things go awry and.............................................
Bette Davis was becoming adept at playing slightly off their rocker middle aged ladies. Charlotte was no exception. She moves from sanity to unstable moments quite convincingly. The moment that she finally literally scared out of her wits is mesmerizing. DeHavilland, still showing bits of her "Melanie Wilkes" character form "Gone With the Wind", makes her nasty side seem more believable. Cotton as always, is excellent as the two faced doctor.
Victor Buono, who is billed as a guest star, impresses as Big Sam. Buono, who never got the recognition he deserved, was only 26 years old at the time of this film. Agnes Moorehead almost steals the film as the mysterious housekeeper. Also in the cast are George Kennedy as the demolition foreman, William Campbell as a reporter for a crime magazine, Frank Ferguson as the newspaper editor and Dave Willock as a taxi driver.
I wonder how the film would have been received had Joan Crawford not been fired?
The story opens in a 1927 prologue where rich and powerful southerner Big Sam Hollis (Victor Buono) is confronting his daughter Charlotte's illicit lover, the married John Mayhew (Bruce Dern). He cajoles the man into breaking up the affair just as the couple were about to run off together. That same evening, Mayhew is brutally murdered and Charlotte is assumed to have committed the act.
Fast forward to 1964 where we find Charlotte (Bette Davis) living as a recluse in the Hollis mansion with her creepy servant Velma (Agnes Moorehead, Big Sam having died several years earlier. The mansion however, is slated for demolition and Charlotte is being forced to abandon her home. In the meantime she is being comforted by Dr. Drew Bayliss (Joseph Cotton) her family doctor. Charlotte sends for her cousin Miriam (De-Havilland) to help her face this crisis.
A British journalist, Harry Willis (Cecil Kellaway) arrives on the scene to investigate the original unsolved crime of 37 years earlier. He interviews the murdered man's widow Jewel Mayhew (Mary Astor) who provides some insight. She gives him an envelope to be opened only upon her death.
Meanwhile back at the mansion, we learn of a plot between Dr. Drew and Miriam to drive Charlotte insane in order to get their hands on Charlotte's considerable fortune. As they proceed with their plans, things go awry and.............................................
Bette Davis was becoming adept at playing slightly off their rocker middle aged ladies. Charlotte was no exception. She moves from sanity to unstable moments quite convincingly. The moment that she finally literally scared out of her wits is mesmerizing. DeHavilland, still showing bits of her "Melanie Wilkes" character form "Gone With the Wind", makes her nasty side seem more believable. Cotton as always, is excellent as the two faced doctor.
Victor Buono, who is billed as a guest star, impresses as Big Sam. Buono, who never got the recognition he deserved, was only 26 years old at the time of this film. Agnes Moorehead almost steals the film as the mysterious housekeeper. Also in the cast are George Kennedy as the demolition foreman, William Campbell as a reporter for a crime magazine, Frank Ferguson as the newspaper editor and Dave Willock as a taxi driver.
I wonder how the film would have been received had Joan Crawford not been fired?