Hush...Hush, Sweet Charlotte (1964)

The second of a trilogy of similar horror films featuring psychotic women either directed and/or produced by Robert Aldrich, Hush...Hush, Sweet Charlotte like Whatever Happened to Baby Jane? is over the top but this time has scenes that were beautifully shot. I remember being impressed by the dream sequence when Charlotte opens the door to the ballroom and begins to dance with her murdered lover John Mayhew. It was very ahead of it's time, the other dancers in their white masks were eerily mesmerizing. Although the her performance was not as Oscar worthy as it was in Whatever Happened to Baby Jane? Bette Davis' character is nonetheless eccentric and worthy of the pity you feel for her despite her being a curmudgeon . Again, made out to look old and haggard, this time compared to Olivia de Havilland's serene reserve, I have to respect Bette's lack of ego when it comes to her characters in later films. Besides Bette Davis and Olvia de Havilland, this film is packed with a few more stars including Mary Astor, Agnes Moorehead, Joseph Cotten and George Kennedy.

Synopsis: Charlotte Hollis, an aging recluse deluded into a state of dementia by horrible memories and hallucinations, lives in a secluded house where, thirty-seven years before, John Mayhew her married lover, was beheaded and mutilated by an unknown assailant.- IMDb

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Tonight on TCM:

In The Heat Of The Night (1967) A black police detective from the North forces a bigoted Southern sheriff to accept his help with a murder investigation.Cast: Sidney Poitier, Rod Steiger, Warren Oates, Lee Grant Dir: Norman Jewison ***

"They call me MISTER Tibbs!"

What Ever Happened To Baby Jane? (1962)

The first of a trilogy of similar horror films featuring psychotic women either directed and/or produced by Robert Aldrich, Whatever Happened to Baby Jane? holds a special place in that it features two onscreen, perhaps off screen rivals, Bette Davis and Joan Crawford. Though both give a wonderful performance, Bette Davis certainly deserved her Oscar nod for this piece. Some said it was easier for her given that she was allowed free reign to run through all the stages of oncoming insanity whereas Joan Crawford was religated to a wheelchair and a fortress of steely reserve. However, one must consider that Bette probably came up with her own brand of crazy. She acted out those stages magnificently, right down to the hideous laugh and outbursts of the song, "I've written a Letter to Daddy". And you have to commend Bette Davis, she simply did not give a damn how she looked onscreen whereas you can see Joan still clinging to her dignity. I read somewhere that Bette Davis was one of the first actresses that allowed herself to age in a movie, prime example, Mr. Skeffington. This apparently helped her ease into more matronly roles as her career continued beyond the 40's.

Synopsis: Two aging film actresses live as virtual recluses in an old Hollywood mansion. Jane Hudson, a successful child star, cares for her crippled sister Blanche, who's career in later years eclipsed that of Jane. Now the two live together, their relationship affected by simmering subconscious thoughts of mutual envy, hate and revenge. -IMDb

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Tonight on TCM!

The Devil and Daniel Webster (1941) A farmer sells his soul for seven years of good crops.Cast: Edward Arnold, Walter Huston, Jane Darwell, Simone Simon Dir: William Dieterle