If you or anyone you know needs help with addiction issues, help is available. This makes her the youngest of the cast members, excluding any extras. However, DeMille insisted that Lamarr be paid $25,000 for the privilege, so the idea was quickly dropped. in West Hollywood. [23][24] Picnic was his last film under the contract with Columbia. "Waxwork" Buster Keaton was in reality an excellent bridge player, always in demand at Hollywood bridge parties. For this Lamarr wanted $25,000 (which would be about $250,000 in 2015 dollars). Norma Desmond returns to the Paramount lot and is overcome with nostalgia. He stayed at Paramount for The Remarkable Andrew (1942) with Brian Donlevy, then made Meet the Stewarts (1943) at Columbia. Born William Beedle Jr. on April 17, 1918, he was 21 when he got his first starring role as the classical fiddle playing boxer in Golden Boy in 1939. "Lonely, alone, without dignity.". "[18] Rumors at the time had it that Hepburn wanted a family, but when Holden told her that he had had a vasectomy and having children was impossible, she moved on. According to reports, Taylor went to the feds for help filing charges against Normands cocaine suppliers. Their partnership ended in a professional and gentlemanly mannerthere was no airing of any dirty laundrybut it did end.. When Joe Gillis and Norma Desmond watch one of Norma's old silent movies, they are watching a scene from Queen Kelly (1932), starring a young Gloria Swanson. The character of Norma Desmond is modeled on the fate of several leading actresses of the silent era. A Western at MGM, Escape from Fort Bravo (1953) did much better, and the all-star Executive Suite (1954) was a notable success. He played Bogarts kid brother in Sabrina, Holdens third film with director Billy Wilder, in 1954. Oh, and while were at it, Wilder didnt submerge any cameras to get that underwater shot. Gloria Swanson almost considered rejecting the role of Norma Desmond after Billy Wilder requested she do a screen test for the role. If anything, its observations on the greedy machinations of Tinseltown are truer now than they were in 1950. The film's narrative structure bears a marked resemblance to that of American Beauty (1999). In fact, such was the buzz about the film during production that the viewing of the dailies became one of the hottest tickets on the lot. Throughout Hollywood history many film stars, and/or single films, were responsible for saving ailing studios. He did another Western at Columbia, Texas (1941) with Glenn Ford, and a musical comedy at Paramount, The Fleet's In (1942) with Eddie Bracken, Dorothy Lamour, and Betty Hutton.[9]. But it wasn't a mistake. "I left countless messages but received no answer." Clift was also wary of appearing in the film because he, like the character of Joe, was having an affair with a wealthy older former actress, Libby Holman. "[13]:174 The interactions between Bogart, Hepburn and Holden made shooting less than pleasant, as Bogart had wanted his wife, Lauren Bacall, to play Sabrina. American actress Gloria Swanson in a promotional portrait for 'Sunset Boulevard', directed by Billy Wilder, 1950. Neither was The Revengers (1972), another Western. "I know how it's going to be," Holden said (per The Huntsville Item). In later interviews, Davis admitted that she thought Swanson's work in the film was absolutely outstanding. Mrs. Getty divorced her millionaire husband and received custody of the house; it was she who rented it to Paramount for the filming. LAS COSAS DEL QUERER", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sunset_Boulevard_(film)&oldid=1142173541, Best Overall New Extra Features Library Release. Both suits were dismissed. Unlike the character she played, Gloria Swanson had accepted the fact that the movies didn't want her anymore and had moved to New York, where she worked on radio and, later, television. Her friend George Cukor, who initially recommended her for the part, told her, "If they want you to do ten screen tests, do ten screen tests. Glenn Close, who portrayed Norma Desmond on stage, also played a character who dramatically cut her wrists over a man she was in love with in the film "Fatal Attraction. In 2007 the American Film Institute ranked this as the #16 Greatest Movie of All Time. Brenda Marshall, Holden's wife since 1941, was visiting the set when Holden and Nancy Olson had their kissing scene. Norma's "gondola bed" was originally white, and was featured in Twentieth Century (1934) with Carole Lombard and John Barrymore. It was George Cukor who suggested Gloria Swanson for the role of Norma Desmond. Taylor had a British accent and the imposter sounded like he came out of Chicagos south side. The death was just one of many infamous Hollywood scandals of the 1920s, which included the Roscoe Arbuckle bottle rape trial, the death of Olive Thomas, the mysterious death of Thomas H. Ince, and the drug-related deaths of Wallace Reid, Barbara La Marr, and Jeanne Eagels. On the basis of this film and largely due to his continuing association with director Billy Wilder, Holden would reach the zenith of his career from 1950-'57. London Boulevard (2010) was based on the Ken Bruen novel that was inspired by Sunset Boulevard and features the same trope of an aging actress as the stranger caught in her web. William Holden says his birthday is December 21st. They reportedly began a two-year affair, which is alleged to have ended due to Holden's alcoholism. Holden made a fourth and final film for Wilder with Fedora (1978). Director Cecil B. DeMille, silent film actors Buster Keaton, H. B. Warner, and Anna Q. Nilsson played waxy versions of themselves. One of the few showy bits of camerawork in the film is near the beginning, when the corpse floating in Norma Desmond's pool is seen from underneath. Sondheim respectfully stopped work on the project and, on the same grounds, later declined an offer to write the score for a proposed movie remake., Additional Sources: Holden had a supporting role in Ashanti (1979) and was third-billed in another disaster film, When Time Ran Out (1980), which was a flop. Holden met French actress Capucine in the early 1960s. When filming began, William Holden was 31 and Gloria Swanson was 50, the same stated age as her character. It was a gift from her lover, automobile magnate Walter Chrysler. Brackett and Wilder worked together on more than a dozen movies including The Lost Weekend. [39][46] He dictated in his will that the Neptune Society cremate him and scatter his ashes in the Pacific Ocean. In fact,Bob Thomas, Holden's biographer, said that the actor's addiction counselor predicted his demise. It was Erich von Stroheim who suggested the revelation that Max was writing all of Norma's fan mail. The writer was almost all washed up, one step ahead of the finance company, parking his car in a lot behind the shoeshine parlor run by Rudy, a guy who never asked any questions about finances because he could just look at the peoplesr heels and know the score. The film is included on Roger Ebert's "Great Movies" list. "Lux Radio Theater" broadcast a 60-minute radio adaptation of the movie on September 17, 1951, with Gloria Swanson and William Holden reprising their film roles. But it wasn't a bullet from the gun of an aging movie queen that tragically ended his life, but rather, a rug, per The New York Times. Wilder won the argument and privately told friends that he would not be making any more films with Brackett. This film was originally released in the United States as The Christmas Tree and on home video as When Wolves Cry. He followed it with a romantic comedy, Dear Ruth (1947) and he was one of many cameos in Variety Girl (1947). Part of the dialogue goes: Fat Man: "Where did you drown? Other actresses considered for Norma Desmond were Mae West (who wanted to rewrite the dialogue), Mae Murray, and Mary Pickford. She turns out to be a multimillionaire silent screen icon played by the legendary Gloria Swanson and she leaves him all her money, which shes already spent, and face down in a pool. [38], Holden maintained a home in Switzerland and also spent much of his time working for wildlife conservation as a managing partner in an animal preserve in Africa. In the movie, an aide tells Cecil B. DeMille "Gordon Cole has been trying to reach you". [28] Columbia would not meet Holden's asking price of $750,000 and 10% of the gross for The Guns of Navarone (1961); the amount of money Holden asked exceeded the combined salaries of stars Gregory Peck, David Niven, and Anthony Quinn.[29]. 12 Sep. WILLIAM HOLDEN: At some point, "Sunset Boulevard" (1950) played at The Silver Screen. There are several references to Gloria Swanson's actual career in the film. Billy Wilder's 1978 Flop Fedora is less a worthy follow up to Sunset Boulevard than a sorry footnote. . Her Stockholm Syndrome is positively infectious. The four films were released between August 1950 and November 1951. For the record, the other 12 films to achieve a similar feat are Mrs. Miniver (1942), Johnny Belinda (1948), A Streetcar Named Desire (1951), From Here to Eternity (1953), Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? Cecil B. DeMille: at the studio during Norma's visit. A week later she heard the news of Holden's death on her car radio. Holden won the Academy Award for Best Actor for the film Stalag 17 (1953) and the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or Movie for the television miniseries The Blue Knight (1973). He always wished that I would get an Oscar. Old whores dont fuck for fun, as the old saying goes. Erich von Stroheims Max von Mayerling is equally awestruck, still caught in the wake of Normas star dust. But before that happened, it appeared in Rebel Without a Cause as the abandoned mansion in which the kids hang out. He had made Swanson a star by. X. About 28:00 in, when Max is playing the organ, it is the same chords that Captain Nemo (James Mason) plays on his organ aboard the Nautilus in "20,000 Leagues Under The Sea." His height was 1.8 m tall and weighed 89 kg. Gillis smokes unfiltered cigarettes in the film. At the end, they stood and cheered for Gloria Swanson's return. Sunset Blvd. His body was found four days later. He made two more films with Olson: Force of Arms (1951) at Warner Bros. and Submarine Command (1951) at Paramount. And if you find it a little odd to hear dead men telling their own tales via narration, it is less strange than hearing it from a bunch of corpses with toe-tags talking it over in the LA county morgue, which was the way the movie was originally shot. He was a genuine star. Sunset Boulevard's cinematographer, John Seitz, said Wilder "had wanted to do The Loved One, but couldn't obtain the rights." Sunset Boulevard (styled in the main title on-screen as SUNSET BLVD.) [41], Holden was married to actress Brenda Marshall from 1941 until their divorce in 1971. Test audiences at the time couldnt let go of the joke, which was why it was re-edited this way. The larger version is seen at the temple that Samson brings down in the movie Samson and Delilah (1949), which Cecil B. DeMille was shooting when Norma visits him at Paramount. Hola Elige tu direccin Pelculas y Series de TV. Seitz had used a similar technique on Double Indemnity (1944). Norma telling studio guard Jonesy that without her there would be no Paramount Studios is not a far-fetched notion. It made him a true front ranked star after years of being an actor slogging through a series of largely forgottable films (and performances). Reluctantly, Wilder met with William Holden, who hadn't done much after the great Hollywood innovator Rouben Mamoulian's Golden Boy (1939). The movie was previewed with this opening, in Illinois, Long Island (NY) and Poughkeepsie (NY). This car has been on display at the National Automobile Museum in Turin, Italy since 1972. Neither did Toward the Unknown (1957), the one film Holden produced himself. They had to have the ears of the old place, too. The original nitrate negatives for the film have long disappeared. Marshman Jr. Stars William Holden Gloria Swanson Erich von Stroheim See production, box office & company info Add to Watchlist 701 User reviews 196 Critic reviews The directions given by the Paramount guard for Norma and Joe to go meet Cecil B. DeMille on "Stage 18" is accurate: this stage, one of the largest on the Paramount lot, was known for years as "The DeMille Stage" and now is called "The Star Trek Stage", as all the "Trek" movies and some scenes from the TV shows have been shot there (the TV series, from Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987) onward, had its main sets right across the studio street on Stages 8 and 9, which are right below the second-floor office occupied by Betty Schaefer in this film. Culture Editor Tony Sokol cut his teeth on the wire services and also wrote and produced New York CitysVampyr Theatreand the rock operaAssassiNation: We Killed JFK. For scenes in which he drove, the car was towed by another car. She produced and starred in Sadie Thompson and The Love of Sunya. The two stars had never expressed any hostility towards each other over the failure of Cecil B. DeMille and Stroheim made many recommendations to Wilder during the making of the film, including having his character write all of Norma Desmond's fan mail, and, more importantly, to use footage from "Queen Kelly" as an excerpt from one of Desmond's great silent films. This is absolutely true, Nancy Reagan continued consulting her astrologer long after she stopped parking at studio lots. but Holden's wife, Ardis (Brenda Marshall), who happened to be on set that day. Norma's buying Joe a fine woolen topcoat would be mostly an affectation in sunny Los Angeles. Saltar al contenido principal.com.mx. Ready? The address of Norma Desmond's house is given as 10086 Sunset Boulevard. Originally Billy Wilder wanted both of Hollywood's top gossip columnists--Hedda Hopper and Louella Parsons--reporting from Norma's mansion at the end and fighting over the phone. Holden was best man at the wedding of his friend Ronald Reagan to actress Nancy Davis in 1952. Costume designer Edith Head found working on the film to be one of her greatest challenges. Both Keaton and Hopper died the same day, on February 1, 1966, at the ages of 70 and 80 respectively, both in Los Angeles. Montgomery Clift was originally cast as the writer but dropped out two weeks before the shoot. The actor-turned-director bitched about that goddamned butler role for the rest his life. Peavey reportedly wore flashy golf clothes but didnt own golf clubs and had been arrested for social vagrancy and booked on lewd and dissolute charges just a few nights before the murder. in 1911 when the Nestor Film Company moved from New. [4] He made a sex comedy with David Niven for Otto Preminger, The Moon Is Blue (1953), which was a huge hit, in part due to controversy over its content. He is the TV Editor at Entertainment. However, he knew that her arch-rival Hedda Hopper had trained as an actress and would therefore be more convincing onscreen. It was like that old woman in Great Expectations, Miss Havisham in her rotting wedding dress and her torn veil, taking it out on the world because shed been given the go-by. The whole place seemed to have been stricken with the kind of creeping paralysis, out of beat with the rest of the world, crumbling apart in slow motion. In those days there were no buttons on formal shirts. Boulevard du crpuscule : Amazon.com.mx: Pelculas y Series de TV. New York-born novelist and screenwriter Brackett was head of the Screen Actors Guild in the late 1930s, and president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences from 1949 to 1955. Gossip columnist Hedda Hopper, who plays herself in the movie, wrote that Billy Wilder was crazy about Evelyn Waughs book The Loved One, and the studio wanted to buy it.. The Tragic 1981 Death Of Sunset Boulevard Star William Holden. (She liked it.). She reportedly told Clift shed kill herself if he made the movie. Dont bother with a rewrite, man, take it direct! The actor-turned-director-turned-actor-again, who had indeed been one of the great silent-filmmakers, winced at playing a character so self-referential and demeaning, but he needed the money. [47], President Ronald Reagan released a statement: "I have a great feeling of grief. She was disappointed to see that all the parts she was offered subsequently were watered-down versions of Norma Desmond. The character of Joe Gillis was very much in tune with William Holden's standing at the time. Billy Wilder also used Sheldrake as the last name of Fred MacMurray's character in "The Apartment". Wilder, ever the merry prankster, told Holden and Olson to keep kissing until he called "cut": he was going to fade out at the end of the scene, and he needed to make sure the kiss didn't end prematurely. There were three young directors who showed promise in those early days of silent film, D.W. Griffith, Cecil B. It is because of Sunset Blvd., for certain, that my mind could ever go there. As day breaks. Norma wound up sitting in Mr. DeMilles chair. In accordance with his wishes, no funeral or memorial services were conducted. The role of Norma Desmond was initially offered to Mae West (who rejected the part), Mary Pickford (Billy Wilder and Charles Brackett realized when talking to her that her image as "America's Sweetheart" made her unsuitable for the part), and Pola Negri (Billy Wilder rejected her as her thick accent would cause too many problems) before being accepted by Gloria Swanson. Gloria Swanson and Nancy Olson also appeared in Airport 1975. But when Sondheim pitched the idea to Billy Wilder at a party, Wilder said, "You can't write a musical about Sunset Boulevard. But it's also a love story, and the love keeps it from becoming simply a waxworks or a freak show. Editorial Reviews. Salome was a wonderful part for Norma Desmonds celluloid comeback. Vega subsequently confirmed that this was a reference to Holden.[50]. A classic film review of Sunset Boulevard (1950) starring William Holden, Gloria Swanson and Eric Von StroheimDirected by acclaimed film maker Billy Wilder (. But also much funnier. Highly unusual at the time, Charles Brackett and Billy Wilder had Joe Gillis narrate, from beyond the grave, the sad tale of the final months of his life, while the film simultaneously depicts the still living Gillis experiencing those events unaware of the fate his dead self already knows. If it were to come to auction in 2021, it would be valued at well over $1M. He received an eight-month suspended sentence for vehicular manslaughter. Norma is at the edge of insanity through the whole movie, but that doesnt mean shes not fun. He became bitter about the throwaway roles Hollywood kept giving him. When Norma Desmond says to the guard at the "Paramount Studio" gates, "Without me there wouldn't be any 'Paramount Studio'" the words could apply to Gloria Swanson herself, as she was the studio's top star for six years running. Although she had long before ruled out the possibility of a movie comeback, she was nevertheless highly intrigued when she got the offer to play the lead. Just us and the cameras, and those wonderful people out there in the dark! Norma Desmond didnt need dialogue, she can say whatever she wants with her eyes. 1751 Vine is still a parking lot across the street from the landmark, Capitol Records building and is the address of both Billy's Wilder's and Barbara Stanwyck's "Hollywood Walk of Fame" stars that were dedicated in 1960. When Norma visits Cecil B. [43] Capucine and Holden remained friends until his death in 1981. "Twin Peaks" also features characters named Chester Desmond and Norma Jennings, in reference to Norma Desmond. Normand made movies with the likes of Charlie Chaplin and Roscoe Fatty Arbuckle, and lived like life was one Wild Party. The apartments, and the "Alto Nido" sign out front that is glimpsed briefly in the film, are still there. This still goes on today. A second film with Seaton did not do as well, The Proud and Profane (1956), where Holden played the role with a moustache. Both Mary Astor and Miriam Hopkins starred in TV versions of the film in 1955 and 1956, respectively. In July 1941, he married 25-year old actress Brenda Marshall, who commanded five times his income. ), and he calls her "young fellow." She puts on a show playing a Max Sennett bathing girl and Charlie Chaplins Tramp character, though Maxs bad timing is a little too on the nose. For Swanson, whose career was already being threatened by the advent of talkies, Queen Kelly was another blow. We all are." In fact, Billy Wilder and Charles Brackett even went to Pickfair to pitch the story to Pickford, but her horrified reaction as the story progressed made them stop halfway through and apologize to her. And what faces. The interiors of Norma's decaying mansion were actually a set at Paramount Studios. Gillis: "No, swimming pool." On the advice of Libby Holman, Montgomery Clift, who had signed to play the part of Joe Gillis, broke his contract just two weeks prior to the start of shooting. Swanson and von Stroheim are playing themselves in that scene. Norma Desmond: I *am* big. The forensics team rolled him over and saw he had been shot at least once in the back with a small-caliber pistol. William Holden, original name William Franklin Beedle, Jr., (born April 17, 1918, O'Fallon, Illinois, U.S.found dead November 16, 1981, Santa Monica, California), American film star who perfected the role of the cynic who acts heroically in spite of his scorn or pessimism. Now I had two favorite movies - aside from "Gone With The Wind" of course - both from 1950, "Sunset Boulevard" and "All . Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor, Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or Movie, Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie, New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actor, Venice Film Festival Special Award for Ensemble Acting, Laurel Award for Top Male Dramatic Performance, BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role, National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Actor, Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie, "When Alcoholics drink themselves to death", "William Holden Dead at 63; Won Oscar for 'Stalag 17', "Barbara Stanwyck's Honorary Award: 1982 Oscars", "The Screen Strand Shows 'Invisible Stripes', "30 Days, 30 Classics Day 17: Sabrina (1954) starring Audrey Hepburn, William Holden and Humphrey Bogart", "Screen: Crosby Acts in 'Country Girl'; Film Based on Odets Drama Makes Bow", "The Screen in Review; 'Bridges at Toko-ri' Is Fine Film of War", "Han Suyin dies at 95; wrote 'Many-Splendored Thing', "13 Fascinating Facts About 'The Bridge on the River Kwai', "Columbia Earns as It Holds Coin Due Bill Holden on 10% of 'Kwai', "The Towering Inferno Movie Review (1974)", "Network Movie Review & Film Summary (1976)", "William Holden Gave His All Even "When Time Ran Out", "William Holden's Unscripted Fall From Grace", The William Holden Wildlife Education Center, "West Holden: More than just the son of William Holden", Image of William Holden and Brenda Marshall, Academy Awards, Los Angeles, 1951, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=William_Holden&oldid=1142631715, Outstanding Performance by a Lead Actor in a Miniseries or Movie Primetime Emmy Award winners, United Service Organizations entertainers, Articles with dead external links from December 2019, Short description is different from Wikidata, All Wikipedia articles written in American English, Pages using infobox person with multiple partners, Articles with unsourced statements from September 2022, TCMDb name template using numeric ID from Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, episode: "William Holden/Frances Bergen Show", This page was last edited on 3 March 2023, at 14:28.
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