This page was last edited on 28 February 2023, at 22:44. Norma is Scorpio, and Mars had been transiting Jupiter for weeks and that was the day of greatest conjunction. Joe Gillis: You're Norma Desmond. His killer was never identified. Sunset Boulevard (DVD, 2017) UK Region 2 release with extras. Upon telephoning her, however, Wilder found that Negri's Polish accent, which had killed her career, was still too thick for such a dialog-heavy film. The movie's line "All right, Mr. DeMille, I'm ready for my close-up" was voted the #7 movie quote by the American Film Institute. A neglected house gets an unhappy look. 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. When Norma Desmond visits her old friend at Paramount, she affectionately calls him "Mr. DeMille" (not Cecil or C.B. DeMille." Sunset Boulevard mixed fiction with the realities of filmmaking. What is the streaming release date of Sunset Blvd. She is ever the star. The killing and the media circus that followed it hurt the industry. At the end of her acceptance speech, she paid him a personal tribute: "I loved him very much, and I miss him. The film was the favorite of Sci-Fi author J.G. 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. Location scenes at Norma Desmond's mansion were shot not on Sunset Boulevard but on Wilshire Boulevard. The structure in the film required a tennis court, or rather the ghost of a tennis court, with faded markings and a sagging net. Sunset Boulevard is a noir film and like many of the post-World War II dark classics, it is covered with a thick sheen of cynicism. Make-up designer Wally Westmore found that Gloria Swanson's face belied her age and wanted to make her look older. It was not particularly successful. Hack screenwriter Joe Gillis (William Holden) accidentally falls in with faded screen legend Norma Desmond (Gloria Swanson). Hedda Hopper: at the top of the stairwell as Norma descends toward the cameras. The movie premiered in the days of restricted language, not so long after Rhett Butler controversially told Scarlett OHara he didnt give a damn what happened to her in Gone With the Wind, a classic Paramount passed on because who wanted to see Civil War picture? But the old guard thought Wilder and his co-writer Charles Brackett fashioned a rope that could strangle this business of show by writing words, words, and more words. She felt that Wilder used her name in a past-tense context, and she was offended. Charles Brackett and Wilder were just as adamant that nothing in their scripts should be changed, and nothing new added. Every time I go to L.A., which isn't too often, I look at these palm-bemused, once smart stucco facades, and wonder if a Norma Desmond from a later era might be hiding from the world inside them, buttressed by cable TV (AMC or TCM, no doubt), a poodle named FiFi or Sir Francis, walk-in closets full of leopard-print Capri pants that haven't fit in decades, and a world class liquor cabinet that has seen heads of state under the table on a good night. Because all three audiences inappropriately found the morgue scene hilarious, the film's release was delayed six months so that a new beginning could be shot. These include Greta Garbo, John Gilbert, Rudolph Valentino, Rod La Rocque, Vilma Bnky, Mabel Normand, Marie Prevost, Pearl White, and Douglas Fairbanks. Holden appeared uncredited in Prison Farm (1939) and Million Dollar Legs (1939) at Paramount. But she fits it like a round peg in a square hole. Wilder used real names like Darryl Zanuck, Tyrone Power, and Alan Ladd. Ready? Still, whatever hard feelings there may have been between Swanson and von Stroheim, they were gone by the time Sunset Boulevard came along. 25 on AFI's list of all-time great leading men. Sunset Boulevard DVD (2007) William Holden, Wilder (DIR) cert PG Amazing Value. The pool was used in its empty condition in Rebel Without a Cause (1955). There are several references to Gloria Swanson's actual career in the film. taste bar and kitchen missouri city. See production, box office & company info. While in Italy in 1966, Holden was responsible for the death of another driver in a drunk-driving incident near Pisa. This is an old film which has been made into a musical. The studio needed an actor who the audience could believe wrote a story about Okies in the Dust Bowl that played on a torpedo boat by the time it hit the screen. Westmore and director Billy Wilder agreed with this so William Holden was made up to look younger than he was. At the time this movie was made, the incident was still quite recent. She burst into tears upon completion of the scene. [42][citation needed]. Buscar Amazon.com.mx. After graduating from South Pasadena High School, Holden attended Pasadena Junior College, where he became involved in local radio plays. Billy Wilder's sixth film in a row for Paramount Pictures. Wilder won the argument and privately told friends that he would not be making any more films with Brackett. Eventually it wasn't Wilder who shouted "Cut!" He would slay, "I have no idea! 10 films that began filming without a finished script, Donald Trumps Bad Romance with Hollywood Began Before Parasite, Shazam! That's a reference to the traditional grey morning suit worn by the groom at a formal wedding. It's the *pictures* that got small. An out of work writer in Hollywood (Holden) randomly pulls into the driveway of a silent film star (Swanson) who can use the assistance of his writing talent. Holden, just 63 when he died, had most recently appeared in the Blake Edwards' film "S.O.B." With the help of his partners, he created the Mount Kenya Game Ranch and inspired the creation of the William Holden Wildlife Foundation. Norma telling studio guard Jonesy that without her there would be no Paramount Studios is not a far-fetched notion. . He had made Swanson a star by. [15] Holden and Hepburn became romantically involved during the filming, unbeknownst to Wilder: "People on the set told me later that Bill and Audrey were having an affair, and everybody knew. Her character's age was 22 but she was 21 at the time of filming. Holden acted in Executive Suite (1954), The Country Girl (1954) with Bing Crosby and Grace Kelly, The Bridges at Toko-Ri (1954), and Picnic (1955). Paramount reunited him with Nancy Olson, one of his Sunset Boulevard costars, in Union Station (1950). Prior to joining the Houston Chronicle, Gonzales worked as a night cops reporter at The. He played an older version of Joe in Sidney Lumets classic Network (1976), written by the cynical Paddy Chayefsky. And, of course, a pool. Holden was born William Franklin Beedle, Jr., on April 17, 1918, in O'Fallon, Illinois, son of Mary Blanche Beedle (ne Ball), a schoolteacher, and her husband William Franklin Beedle, an industrial chemist. Sunset Blvd. This makes her the youngest of the cast members, excluding any extras. Since 2006, he has overseen the Bayou City History blog, which covers various aspects of Houston's history. 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. [2] He had two younger brothers, Robert Westfield Beedle and Richard Porter Beedle. Hola, identifcate . 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. (1966), Bonnie and Clyde (1967), Guess Who's Coming to Dinner (1967), Network (1976), Coming Home (1978), Reds (1981), Silver Linings Playbook (2012) and American Hustle (2013). Saltar al contenido principal.com.mx. But Hollywood press has always had clout. 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. Co-writer D.M. [7], Back at Paramount, he starred with Bonita Granville in Those Were the Days! Yes, this is Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles, California. You see, this is my life, she promised. This was the last major Hollywood feature film to be shot on nitrate stock. When Joe tells Betty that next time he will write "The Naked and the Dead", he is referring to the best-seller written by Norman Mailer and published in 1948. Sunset Boulevards cinematographer John Seitz said Wilder had wanted to do The Loved One, but couldnt obtain the rights. British author Evelyn Waughs satirical 1948 novel was about a failed screenwriter who lives with a silent film star and works in a cemetery. This inter-positive was scanned at 2,000 lines of resolution and electronically restored for the 2002 DVD reissue. Wilder changed the scene so that DeMille offered Lamarr's chair to Norma without Lamarr being present. Sad as this may sound, to the day he died, Holden insisted Bogart was a bastard. [12] Swanson later said, "Bill Holden was a man I could have fallen in love with. (1954). 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. The princess in love with a holy man, she dances the dance of the seven veils. Billy Wilder and Charles Brackett met with Greta Garbo and tried to convince her to make a comeback in the role of Norma Desmond. In addition to starring in "Queen Kelly", Swanson also produced it, and fired von Stroheim when he had already gone over the budget by more than double, and with no end to filming in sight. "Lonely, alone, without dignity.". Norma's buying Joe a fine woolen topcoat would be mostly an affectation in sunny Los Angeles. The car with the massive chrome grill that the repo men drive is a 1948 DeSoto Custom Club Coupe. If Gillis is accurate in stating that his meeting with Norma occurred some six months prior, the action of the film takes place between mid-November 1948 and mid- May 1949. Warner (one of the four "Waxworks" at the bridge party) in The King of Kings (1927). The audience left 20 years ago. Norma is at the edge of insanity through the whole movie, but that doesnt mean shes not fun. A Western at MGM, Escape from Fort Bravo (1953) did much better, and the all-star Executive Suite (1954) was a notable success. or "Boulevard"? [40], Holden had a daughter born in 1937 from his relationship with actress Eva May Hoffman. Holden continued to work steadily for the next decade, but Hollywood often had no idea what to do with him. It was only natural that he should film several sequences on the studio's backlots. Salome was a wonderful part for Norma Desmonds celluloid comeback. The two actors never worked together in another film. They had paired up in pictures since 1938. [17], Their relationship did not last much beyond the completion of the film. His co-star Barbara Stanwyck, a screen veteran and one of the greatest actors of all time, coached and promoted Holden personally. In July 1941, he married 25-year old actress Brenda Marshall, who commanded five times his income. In the penultimate scene, as Max tells Norma that "the cameras have arrived," the high strings in composer Franz Waxman's Oscar-winning score quote a chord from Richard Strauss's "The Dance of the Seven Veils" from his opera "Salome". She was nominated for the first Academy Award in the Best Actress category. But along with the accolades came a dependence on alcohol that would play a major role in his tragic end. 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. The apartments, and the "Alto Nido" sign out front that is glimpsed briefly in the film, are still there. Billy Wilder originally approached William Haines to play one of Norma's bridge partners. For some scenes, cinematographer John F. Seitz would sprinkle dust into the air so it could be caught by the lights and create a moody effect. Holden starred in some of Hollywood's most popular and critically acclaimed films, including Sunset Boulevard (1950), Sabrina (1954), Picnic (1955), The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957), The Wild Bunch (1969) and Network (1976). Gillis: "Yes I was murdered." Gloria Swanson and Nancy Olson also co-starred in Airport 1975 together. A screenwriter develops a dangerous relationship with a faded film star determined to make a triumphant return.A screenwriter develops a dangerous relationship with a faded film star determined to make a triumphant return.A screenwriter develops a dangerous relationship with a faded film star determined to make a triumphant return. The 49-year-old film directors body was found on the morning of Feb. 2, 1922, inside his bungalow at the Alvarado Court Apartments in Westlake, Los Angeles. 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. According to Cameron Crowe, who shadowed Billy Wilder in his twilight years, a typical day in his office would consist of him answering numerous phone calls from people requesting to remake this film, and he would inform them that he didn't own the rights and promptly hang up. So in that scene, William Holden is driving over the future locations of Walk of Fame stars dedicated to the two people arguably most responsible for his success in Hollywood. Gillis: "No, swimming pool." You probably know about the Andrew Lloyd Webber version of Sunset Boulevard that premiered in London in 1993 and headed to Broadway in 1994 with Glenn Close in the lead role. A screenwriter develops a dangerous relationship with a faded film star determined to make a triumphant return. Gloria Swanson and Nancy Olson also appeared in Airport 1975. On the last day of shooting, Swanson drove back to the house she, her mother and daughter shared during production, announcing "there were only three of us in it now, meaning that Norma Desmond had taken her leave.". His deal was considered one of the best ever for an actor at the time, with him receiving 10% of the gross, which earned him over $2.5 million, however, Holden stipulated that he should only receive a maximum of $50,000 per year from the film. While Hollywood Blvd. Her Stockholm Syndrome is positively infectious. In the movie, an aide tells Cecil B. DeMille "Gordon Cole has been trying to reach you". Director Cecil B. DeMille, silent film actors Buster Keaton, H. B. Warner, and Anna Q. Nilsson played waxy versions of themselves. was better known as the seat of the film industry in 1950, the Los Angeles film industry actually began on Sunset Blvd. Taylor had a British accent and the imposter sounded like he came out of Chicagos south side. Everyone had a good laugh, though the record doesn't reflect whether Marshall joined in. "[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. Gloria Swanson played her final descent on the staircase barefoot, as she was terrified of tripping in high heels. The moment he discovers that life could be beautiful, Norma slits her wrist with Joes razor. We all are." Joe could have slept with Norma and loved Betty, and owned the pool that would be his final resting place. It is also one of the most frequently misquoted movie lines, usually given as, "I'm ready for my close-up, Mr. The old movies needed neither color nor dialogue. Suratt believed that DeMille's epic, "The King of Kings" (released in 1927) was based on her screenplay and filed a $1,000,000 plagiarism suit which was settled out of court in 1930. The great big white elephant of a mansion on Sunset Boulevard was actually on Wilshire Boulevard and would be used again as the abandoned mansion in the film Rebel Without a Cause. A version of how he obtained his stage name "Holden" is based on a statement by George Ross of Billboard: "William Holden, the lad just signed for the coveted lead in Golden Boy, used to be Bill Beadle [sic]. After Salome, she planned to make another picture and another picture. The only addition was the swimming pool, which wasn't equipped with a means of circulating the water so it was useless after filming. Holden served as a second and then a first lieutenant in the United States Army Air Force during World War II, where he acted in training films for the First Motion Picture Unit, including Reconnaissance Pilot (1943). He was perfection on and off-screen. Holden was a bit of an anti-hero, or at least a very flawed hero. If you or anyone you know needs help with addiction issues, help is available. In the film Gloria is seen playing cards with three silent film stars: Buster Keaton, H.B. Norma is perceived as the evil force, even if she uses a white phone while Betty is relegated to a poor black phone. But who could play the silent film diva? [46] Rumors existed that he was suffering from lung cancer, which Holden had denied at a 1980 press conference. William Holden returns to find that Gloria Swanson has tried to slash her wrists in 'Sunset Boulevard', directed by Billy Wilder. It was largely from his association with Wilder that Holden would enjoy the greatest acting successes of his career in the 1950s. But attempts to turn the movie into a stage musical began almost immediately, spearheaded by none other than Gloria Swanson. Well, in the end, he got himself a poolonly the price turned out to be a little high, so Paramount paid to have one installed on the condition that if Mrs. Getty didnt like it, theyd remove it after filming was over. Visit the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration website or contact SAMHSA's National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357). That's the end.". A disagreement over the montage where Norma puts herself through hell getting thinner and younger for her comeback nearly resulted in physical violence: Brackett thought it was too mean, while Wilder felt it was necessary to show what lengths a desperate actor would go to in Hollywood. When Norma visits Cecil B. Before he became a kept man for Norma Desmond, he was thinking of wrapping up the whole Hollywood deal and trying to get his old job back as a newspaperman in Dayton, Ohio. Norma Desmond was the greatest of them all. True to character, Von Stroheim refused to leave Paris to attend the Academy Awards ceremony, and declared that his nomination for best supporting actor should've been for best actor. Sunset Boulevard told an old familiar story. and Crescent Heights Blvd. Strange? Billy Wilder was frustrated with people assuming that the ending was meant to be ambiguous and asking him what happens to Norma after the final dissolve. Normands career never recovered after word of her addiction leaked out and she died of tuberculosis on Feb. 23, 1930. He is the TV Editor at Entertainment. At one point Norma mistakes Joe for a funeral director and asks for her coffin to be white, as well as specially lined with satin. But she wanted to rewrite her dialogue (as was her custom)a nonstarter for Wilder, who seldom let his actors change their lines even slightly from what was on the page. [48] He also has a star on the St. Louis Walk of Fame. (The book is about a failed screenwriter who works for a cemetery and lives with a forgotten silent-film star.)
how old was william holden in sunset boulevard
