Hush… Hush, Sweet Charlotte ***** (1964, Bette Davis, Olivia de Havilland, Joseph Cotten, Agnes Moorehead, Mary Astor, Victor Buono, Cecil Kellaway, Wesley Addy) – Classic Movie Review 737

The 1964 follow-up movie Hush… Hush, Sweet Charlotte is less iconic but perhaps an even smarter mystery horror thriller film, with Bette Davis returning triumphantly from What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? 

Director Robert Aldrich’s 1964 southern gothic crime drama mystery movie Hush… Hush, Sweet Charlotte is perhaps an even smarter, though admittedly perhaps not quite as entertaining or iconic, mystery horror thriller, reuniting him with the great Bette Davis, his star on 1962’s What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?

It was supposed to have been a reunion of both of that film’s stars too, but Joan Crawford dropped out, apparently sick, to be replaced, much to Davis’s delight, by Olivia de Havilland, Davis’s Thirties chum at the Warner Bros studio, where they both worked.

Davis plays Charlotte Hollis, an old, reclusive Southern belle, living in a secluded house where, 37 years earlier, John Mayhew (Bruce Dern), her married lover, was beheaded and mutilated by an unknown assailant.

Now she is tormented into a state of dementia by terrible delusions that she murdered her lover back then, as memories mix with hallucinations. And now also, evil cousin Miriam Deering (de Havilland) and Dr Drew Bayliss (Joseph Cotten) plan to send poor Charlotte round the bend and then get their hands on her wealth.

Davis and de Havilland take your breath away as they spit out the acid dialogue in Henry Farrell and Lukas Heller’s screenplay, based on Farrell’s novel Whatever Happened to Cousin Charlotte?

De Havilland is chillingly spiteful (like Davis was in Baby Jane) and Davis is very touching like Crawford was in Baby Jane. Aldrich shows just that little bit more flair with the direction this time, no doubt boosted by confidence after his previous hit, and he pushes the material even harder and further.

There is just a little space left over for two other all-time greats, Agnes Moorehead (as Velma) and Mary Astor (as Jewel), too, though it is a pity that they couldn’t have had some more screen time. Baby Jane’s Victor Buono is also on hand as Big Sam, and Cecil Kellaway, Wesley Addy, William Campbell, Frank Ferguson and George Kennedy co-star.

The movie is topped off with Joseph F Biroc’s brilliant black and white cinematography, Frank De Vol’s great score (he also worked on Baby Jane) and William Glasgow’s superb set designs.

It was nominated for seven Oscars and failed to win any. Agnes Moorehead did win the Golden Globe as the Best Supporting Actress.

The UK cinema version was cut by the BBFC to edit the opening cleaver murder, and cut prints have been shown on British TV.

Also in the cast are Dave Willock, Michel Petit, John Megna, Kelly Flynn, Percy Helton, Carol Delay, Ellen Corby, Marianne Stewart, Helen Kleeb, Alida Aldrich, Kelly Aldrich and William Aldrich.

Hush… Hush Sweet Charlotte is directed by Robert Aldrich, runs 133 minutes, is made by The Associates & Aldrich Company, is released by 20th Century Fox, is written by Henry Farrell and Lukas Heller, based on Henry Farrell’s novel Whatever Happened to Cousin Charlotte?, is shot in black and white by Joseph F Biroc, is produced by Robert Aldrich and Walter Blake, is scored by Frank De Vol and is designed by William Glasgow.

© Derek Winnert 2014 Classic Movie Review 737

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Agnes Moorehead won the Golden Globe as the Best Supporting Actress.

Movie Queens: Bette (2015) by Graeme Jukes.