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Movie Run Time: 1:50:29

You will need your own copy of the movie to watch along! 😁

What a fantastic, crazy movie! 🥰

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Bartleby

Going by chronological release dates is a good call as you can see the growth and evolution of directors through their filmographies

Bartleby

In many ways, Sunset Boulevard is one of the earliest meta movies. The actress who played Norma Desmond is Gloria Swanson. An actual star of the silent era. And the actor who played her butler is Erich Von Stroheim. He was a renowned director of the silent era. And the scene where Norma is playing cards with some of her peers, those individuals in that scene were all actual stars of the silent era as well. They included Buster Keaton. An iconic silent comedian and contemporary of Charlie Chaplin.

Dean J

$300 in 1950 would be $3,785 today. That's a lot of money to borrow from friends ... or maybe I just have the wrong kind of friends.

Michael Hartsell

Dawn, we guys want you to become Marilyn Monroe for "Some Like it Hot". Stop being so lazy, we want dress up reactions like you use to do, at least now and then. Deal?

Michael Hartsell

The man playing bridge with Norma was Mr. Gower the druggist in "It's a Wonderful Life".

Retro Maven

That's Jack Webb as Artie Green. He would go on to become Police Sgt. Joe Friday in the Dragnet TV show for many, many years!

Jon Freezin-Rain

Just to expand a bit. Jack Webb originated Joe Friday in the Dragnet radio series (1948) that went on to be the TV series.

Daniel Goldberg

A great reaction to go with a great movie. It is unusual, in my experience, for a reactor to react to an old, old movie, so I’m very happy to have found someone who reacts to these movies fairly regularly. I really appreciate what you do.

Hunter DeRensis

In my opinion, this is the greatest movie every made about Hollywood, primarily because it's a tragedy. We're seeing a Norma Desmond (played by Gloria Swanson) that's entitled, egotistical, bitter, nostalgic, and above all, delusional. But it's the industry that drove her into madness. As DeMille said, "A dozen press agents working overtime can do terrible things to the human spirit." This woman reached the peak of stardom, was cozied up to by everyone in the world, and then was discarded like a piece of trash. It's an excellent commentary about how Hollywood views aging actresses that you assumed she must be in her 70s, when in actuality she was only 50 years old but still considered ancient, and well past her expiration date. And to answer your question, William Holden (who played Joe) was 31 when the movie was made. The other aspect which makes this film so impeccable is how enmeshed it is in real Hollywood. Cecil B. DeMille was one of the greatest directors of the era, and his name is synonymous with grand epics after he filmed The Ten Commandments (1956). Norma mentions that the only true actress still around was Greta Garbo, who was universally respected by contemporaries as the greatest star of the 1930s (she'd been retired a decade before Sunset Boulevard, further cementing how out of touch Norma was with the industry). As other commenters have pointed out, Norma was playing cards with other famous figures of the Silent Era, including H.B. Warner and Buster Keaton. And the woman sitting on the bed at the end of the movie reporting events on the phone, was the real Hedda Hopper, the legendary gossip columnist. Sunset Boulevard was meant to seem like a real part of the Hollywood mythos, and all these decades later, it very much is. I don't think any other film has come close to capturing the human wreckage that stardom and adulation can do to a person. It's a word of self-referential art. Side note, you should add Gone with the Wind (1939) to your watch list. The joke that the producer passed on it ("Who wants to see a Civil War picture?") is funny because Gone with the Wind, adjusted for inflation, is the most successful movie in history. The entire world watched it. It's an epic in every sense of the word, and an enticing story that remains captivating for modern audiences. It's long (almost 4 hours) but so, so worth it Dawn!

Simon

I have never seen this so opted for a watch along. I loved it so much. She was obviously so damaged, and it really mirrors the biography of so many Hollywood people. Thanks Dawn, this was awesome.

Grinznmore

The 1962 film 'Whatever Happened to Baby Jane,' starring Betty Davis and Joan Crawford, serves as a bookend to this movie. Directed by Robert Aldrich, it explores the trials of an aging star. It's Black and White with suspense that reminds me of Alfred Hitchcock. The creep factor is over the top.

Bartleby

Though perhaps watching some of the original golden age classics of Bette Davis and Joan Crawford first might make watching Whatever Happened to Baby Jane then after all the more a rewarding and satisfying a viewing experience. Bette Davis and Joan Crawford are both icons of the silver screen after all and certainly worth the exploration.