Blanche Hudson
Encyclopedia
Blanche Hudson is a fictional character
in the thriller novel What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?
by Henry Farrell
and in two films which are based on it. The role has been interpreted by three actors: Joan Crawford
in the 1962
film directed by Robert Aldrich
, Gina Gillespie
in same movie as young Blanche Hudson and Vanessa Redgrave
in the 1991 TV remake.
, a successful vaudeville
star known as "Baby Jane Hudson". Their father evidently favors Jane and builds a popular vaudeville
act around her "Baby Jane" persona, whilst Blanche is forced to look on from the wings. The sisters' mother, however, promises Blanche her day will come.
When the sisters grow up fate reverses their roles: Blanche becomes a beautiful and respected actress, whilst Jane degenerates into an alcoholic
has-been who is given roles only because Blanche's studio contract demands that her sister be kept on the books. Jane quickly grows to despise Blanche, whom she holds responsible for the ruin of her career.
A mysterious car accident at the gate of the mansion
they share leaves Blanche paralyzed from the waist down
, and completely dependent on Jane for her care. Jane, blamed for the accident, slides deeper into alcoholism and mental illness
.
A television
revival of Blanche's films triggers a sharp decline in Jane's stability. She keeps her sister a prisoner in the house, subjecting her to such tortures as killing her pets and serving them to her, and then severely beats her and ties her up. When the housekeeper discovers Blanche, Jane kills her with a hammer
. Jane takes the weakened Blanche on the lam with her. With her dying breath, Blanche confesses that she was at fault in the incident that crippled her; she had been trying to run over Jane, who saw the oncoming car, moved out the way and the car slammed into the metal
gates
resulting in Blanche snapping her spine and accidentally crippling herself. Jane had been too drunk to remember the truth. Jane's response to this is: "You mean, all this time, we could have been friends?"
The success of the movie led to the director's undertaking a film using similar themes and characters, Hush... Hush, Sweet Charlotte, which was supposed to reteam Bette Davis
and Joan Crawford
. Crawford became ill during shooting and was replaced by Olivia De Havilland
.
Blanche Hudson is referenced as a character in the short story "The Other Side of Midnight" which is part of the Anno Dracula series by Kim Newman
.
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
in the thriller novel What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?
What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?
What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? is a suspense novel by author Henry Farrell published in 1960 by Rinehart & Company. The novel has earned a cult following and has been made into several movies.-Plot summary:...
by Henry Farrell
Henry Farrell
Henry Farrell was an American novelist and screenwriter, best known as the author of the renowned gothic horror story What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?, which was made into a film starring Bette Davis and Joan Crawford.-Life and work:He was born Charles Farrell Myers in California, and grew up in...
and in two films which are based on it. The role has been interpreted by three actors: Joan Crawford
Joan Crawford
Joan Crawford , born Lucille Fay LeSueur, was an American actress in film, television and theatre....
in the 1962
What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (film)
What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? is a 1962 American psychological thriller film produced and directed by Robert Aldrich, starring Bette Davis and Joan Crawford. The screenplay by Lukas Heller is based on the novel of the same name by Henry Farrell...
film directed by Robert Aldrich
Robert Aldrich
Robert Aldrich was an American film director, writer and producer, notable for such films as Kiss Me Deadly , The Big Knife , What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? , Hush… Hush, Sweet Charlotte , The Flight of the Phoenix , The Dirty Dozen , and The Longest Yard .-Biography:Robert...
, Gina Gillespie
Gina Gillespie
Gina Gillespie is a former American actress who had a brief but extensive career in television and film during her childhood and youth.- Early life :...
in same movie as young Blanche Hudson and Vanessa Redgrave
Vanessa Redgrave
Vanessa Redgrave, CBE is an English actress of stage, screen and television, as well as a political activist.She rose to prominence in 1961 playing Rosalind in As You Like It with the Royal Shakespeare Company and has since made more than 35 appearances on London's West End and Broadway, winning...
in the 1991 TV remake.
Character biography
As a child, Blanche lived in the shadow of younger sister JaneBaby Jane Hudson
Baby Jane Hudson is a fictional character and the antagonist of Henry Farrell's 1960 novel What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? She was portrayed by Bette Davis in the 1962 film adaptation and by Lynn Redgrave in the 1991 made for TV remake...
, a successful vaudeville
Vaudeville
Vaudeville was a theatrical genre of variety entertainment in the United States and Canada from the early 1880s until the early 1930s. Each performance was made up of a series of separate, unrelated acts grouped together on a common bill...
star known as "Baby Jane Hudson". Their father evidently favors Jane and builds a popular vaudeville
Vaudeville
Vaudeville was a theatrical genre of variety entertainment in the United States and Canada from the early 1880s until the early 1930s. Each performance was made up of a series of separate, unrelated acts grouped together on a common bill...
act around her "Baby Jane" persona, whilst Blanche is forced to look on from the wings. The sisters' mother, however, promises Blanche her day will come.
When the sisters grow up fate reverses their roles: Blanche becomes a beautiful and respected actress, whilst Jane degenerates into an alcoholic
Alcoholism
Alcoholism is a broad term for problems with alcohol, and is generally used to mean compulsive and uncontrolled consumption of alcoholic beverages, usually to the detriment of the drinker's health, personal relationships, and social standing...
has-been who is given roles only because Blanche's studio contract demands that her sister be kept on the books. Jane quickly grows to despise Blanche, whom she holds responsible for the ruin of her career.
A mysterious car accident at the gate of the mansion
Mansion
A mansion is a very large dwelling house. U.S. real estate brokers define a mansion as a dwelling of over . A traditional European mansion was defined as a house which contained a ballroom and tens of bedrooms...
they share leaves Blanche paralyzed from the waist down
Paraplegia
Paraplegia is an impairment in motor or sensory function of the lower extremities. The word comes from Ionic Greek: παραπληγίη "half-striking". It is usually the result of spinal cord injury or a congenital condition such as spina bifida that affects the neural elements of the spinal canal...
, and completely dependent on Jane for her care. Jane, blamed for the accident, slides deeper into alcoholism and mental illness
Mental illness
A mental disorder or mental illness is a psychological or behavioral pattern generally associated with subjective distress or disability that occurs in an individual, and which is not a part of normal development or culture. Such a disorder may consist of a combination of affective, behavioural,...
.
A television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
revival of Blanche's films triggers a sharp decline in Jane's stability. She keeps her sister a prisoner in the house, subjecting her to such tortures as killing her pets and serving them to her, and then severely beats her and ties her up. When the housekeeper discovers Blanche, Jane kills her with a hammer
Hammer
A hammer is a tool meant to deliver an impact to an object. The most common uses are for driving nails, fitting parts, forging metal and breaking up objects. Hammers are often designed for a specific purpose, and vary widely in their shape and structure. The usual features are a handle and a head,...
. Jane takes the weakened Blanche on the lam with her. With her dying breath, Blanche confesses that she was at fault in the incident that crippled her; she had been trying to run over Jane, who saw the oncoming car, moved out the way and the car slammed into the metal
Metal
A metal , is an element, compound, or alloy that is a good conductor of both electricity and heat. Metals are usually malleable and shiny, that is they reflect most of incident light...
gates
Gates
-Places:*Gates, British Columbia, a rural community in British Columbia, Canada**Gates River, a river in British Columbia, Canada**Gates Valley, a valley in British Columbia, Canada*Gates, New York, a US town in Monroe County, New York...
resulting in Blanche snapping her spine and accidentally crippling herself. Jane had been too drunk to remember the truth. Jane's response to this is: "You mean, all this time, we could have been friends?"
The success of the movie led to the director's undertaking a film using similar themes and characters, Hush... Hush, Sweet Charlotte, which was supposed to reteam Bette Davis
Bette Davis
Ruth Elizabeth "Bette" Davis was an American actress of film, television and theater. Noted for her willingness to play unsympathetic characters, she was highly regarded for her performances in a range of film genres, from contemporary crime melodramas to historical and period films and occasional...
and Joan Crawford
Joan Crawford
Joan Crawford , born Lucille Fay LeSueur, was an American actress in film, television and theatre....
. Crawford became ill during shooting and was replaced by Olivia De Havilland
Olivia de Havilland
Olivia Mary de Havilland is a British American film and stage actress. She won the Academy Award for Best Actress in 1946 and 1949. She is the elder sister of actress Joan Fontaine. The sisters are among the last surviving leading ladies from Hollywood of the 1930s.-Early life:Olivia de Havilland...
.
Blanche Hudson is referenced as a character in the short story "The Other Side of Midnight" which is part of the Anno Dracula series by Kim Newman
Kim Newman
Kim Newman is an English journalist, film critic, and fiction writer. Recurring interests visible in his work include film history and horror fiction—both of which he attributes to seeing Tod Browning's Dracula at the age of eleven—and alternate fictional versions of history...
.
See also
- Baby Jane HudsonBaby Jane HudsonBaby Jane Hudson is a fictional character and the antagonist of Henry Farrell's 1960 novel What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? She was portrayed by Bette Davis in the 1962 film adaptation and by Lynn Redgrave in the 1991 made for TV remake...
- What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? is a suspense novel by author Henry Farrell published in 1960 by Rinehart & Company. The novel has earned a cult following and has been made into several movies.-Plot summary:...
- What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (film)What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (film)What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? is a 1962 American psychological thriller film produced and directed by Robert Aldrich, starring Bette Davis and Joan Crawford. The screenplay by Lukas Heller is based on the novel of the same name by Henry Farrell...
- What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (1991 film)
- Joan CrawfordJoan CrawfordJoan Crawford , born Lucille Fay LeSueur, was an American actress in film, television and theatre....
- Gina GillespieGina GillespieGina Gillespie is a former American actress who had a brief but extensive career in television and film during her childhood and youth.- Early life :...
- Lynn RedgraveLynn RedgraveLynn Rachel Redgrave, OBE was an English actress.A member of the well-known British family of actors, Redgrave trained in London before making her theatrical debut in 1962...
- Vanessa RedgraveVanessa RedgraveVanessa Redgrave, CBE is an English actress of stage, screen and television, as well as a political activist.She rose to prominence in 1961 playing Rosalind in As You Like It with the Royal Shakespeare Company and has since made more than 35 appearances on London's West End and Broadway, winning...