When Gloria Swanson finished Norma's final scene, the mad staircase descent, she burst into tears and the crew applauded. Gloria Swanson was paid $50,000 plus $5,000 per week for any time over schedule. Mae West rejected the role of Norma Desmond because she felt she was too young to play a silent-film star. Billy Wilder was a friend of the danish silent movie star Asta Nielsen, and based the Norma Desmond caracter on her. [48] He also has a star on the St. Louis Walk of Fame. Words are as good as sex to two writers. Wilder was, well, the wilder of the two, often bawdy and crass, while Brackett was genteel. Brenda Marshall, Holden's wife since 1941, was visiting the set when Holden and Nancy Olson had their kissing scene. She lives in a crumbling old mansion with her butler Max (Erich von Stroheim). Taylor had a British accent and the imposter sounded like he came out of Chicagos south side. Sometimes its interesting to see just how bad, bad writing can be. Norma, the aging silent-movie star who ensnares down-at-the-heels screenwriter Joe Gillis (William Holden), is the vamp become vampire (look at those clawlike hands! Billy Wilder's "Sunset Boulevard" is the portrait of a forgotten silent star, living in exile in her grotesque mansion, screening her old films, dreaming of a comeback. He stayed true to his word. In addition to the famous swimming pool, the studio also built sets to exactly duplicate Schwab's Drug Store in Hollywood and the Los Angeles County Morgue. The forensics team rolled him over and saw he had been shot at least once in the back with a small-caliber pistol. And gossip columnist Hedda Hopper (who appears in the movie as herself) wrote that "Billy Wilder was crazy about Evelyn Waugh's book The Loved One, and the studio wanted to buy it.". 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. Norma is Scorpio, and Mars had been transiting Jupiter for weeks and that was the day of greatest conjunction. The British author's satirical The Loved One was published in 1948, after Waugh had spent time in Hollywood observing the film industry and, of all things, the funeral industry. 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. The exteriors of Norma Desmond's home on Sunset Boulevard were filmed at 641 South Irving Boulevard. And, of course, a pool. She liked Holden and went out of her way to help him succeed, devoting her personal time to coaching and encouraging him, which made them into lifelong friends. He said it was because she was braver than any man. The murder made it to the late editions, radio, and television because one of the biggest old-time stars was involved. Stanwyck went to bat for Holden when he was going to be replaced in Golden Boy (1939) and Wilder's collaboration with Holden in the 50s starting with Sunset Boulevard revitalized his career (including the Best Actor Oscar for Stalag 17 (1953). Oh, and while were at it, Wilder didnt submerge any cameras to get that underwater shot. They reportedly began a two-year affair, which is alleged to have ended due to Holden's alcoholism. Editorial Reviews. Billy Wilder originally wanted another silent star, Pola Negri, to take the part of Norma Desmond. He starred in the 1953 . Billy Wilder and Charles Brackett almost came to blows over the montage depicting Norma's preparations for her comeback. 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? I didn't know. It was widely known as a top Hollywood hangout for many actors, directors, writers and producers. The princess in love with a holy man, she dances the dance of the seven veils. Old whores dont fuck for fun, as the old saying goes. The name "Norma Desmond" was chosen from a combination of silent-film star Norma Talmadge and silent movie director William Desmond Taylor, whose still-unsolved murder is one of the great scandals of Hollywood history. In 1986 Nancy Olson became the last surviving member of the cast. Queen Kelly nearly ruined both of their careers: von Stroheim was replaced as director midway through after complaints from Swanson about the racy material and arguments with the producer (JFK's father!) The Tragic 1981 Death Of Sunset Boulevard Star William Holden. Holden made a fourth and final film for Wilder with Fedora (1978). Idealists can screw for fun and for power, because sex is good for business but love is a luxury Hollywood gals cant live without. Not everyone felt the same way, however. Swanson was told "She can't show herself, Gloria, she's too overcome. Test audiences at the time couldnt let go of the joke, which was why it was re-edited this way. The old movies needed neither color nor dialogue. Gillis: "No, swimming pool." in 1911 when the Nestor Film Company moved from New. 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". Mary Pickford, Pola Negri, and Greta Garbo turned down the role. Fury of the Gods Brings Back the "Shazamily": Inside DC's New Superhero Adventure, Scream 6's Brutal NYC Trip: "You Can't Trust Anyone" This Time, Cocaine Bear Is Not Just About a Killer "Coked-Up" Bear, It's Also an "Underdog Story", How Marvel's Wastelanders Podcast Created an Exciting Story with No Visual Safety Net, Sunset Boulevard: The Original Hollywood Expose. After all, it's about a dethroned queen." (1940) followed by the role of George Gibbs in the film adaptation of Our Town (1940), done for Sol Lesser at United Artists.[8]. On the Columbia lot is an assistant director and scout named Harold Winston. You used to be big. See, Bettys a message gal, not a virgin, and there are no whores in Hollywood. For television roles in 1974, Holden won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie for his portrayal of a cynical, tough veteran LAPD street cop in the television film The Blue Knight, based upon the best-selling Joseph Wambaugh novel of the same name.[31][4]. In fact, a pivotal plot point in the Showtime limited series of Twin Peaks (2017) includes a scene from "Sunset Boulevard" in which the character's name is mentioned. 3.48. While in Italy in 1966, Holden was responsible for the death of another driver in a drunk-driving incident near Pisa. A screenwriter develops a dangerous relationship with a faded film star determined to make a triumphant return. Taylor had $78 in his wallet, a silver cigarette case, a Waltham pocket watch, and a two-carat diamond ring on his finger when his body was found, so cops quickly ruled out robbery as the motive. In the movie when a cop tries to call in to the coroners office, he cant get an open line because Hedda Hopper is on the phone in Normas room, talking to the Times City Desk and that is more important. Holden turned the tables on Lucille Ball when he appeared as a guest star on I Love Lucy at The Brown Derby. 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). Included among the American Film Institute's 1998 list of the Top 100 Greatest American Movies. Normand was the last person known to have seen Taylor alive and she was grilled by the Los Angeles Police Department as a result. Read and download theDen of Geek SDCC 2019 Special Edition Magazineright here! The writers feared that Hollywood would react unfavorably to such a damning portrait of the film industry, so the film was code-named "A Can of Beans" while in production. Thirty-one years later, the actor who played Gillis, William Holden, met his end. He directed classic films like Double Indemnity, Ace in the Hole, The Apartment, The Lost Weekend, Stalag 17, Witness for the Prosecution, Sabrina, and Some Like It Hot. Wilder told the actors to kibbutz and let him shuffle. He earned an Oscar nomination for "Sunset Boulevard" and won an Academy Award for Best Actor in 1954 for his role in "Stalag 17," per IMDb. This promised to go the limit. Gloria Swanson and Nancy Olson also appeared in Airport 1975. (1949), and "Father Is a Bachelor" (1950). He loves Norma so much, he even forges thousands of pages of fan mail, just to feed her delusion. When he drives Norma to Paramount Pictures at the studio gates, the car was pulled with a rope by off-camera grips. So speaking of funerals, heres the great real life murder mystery we teased in the opening. A screenwriter develops a dangerous relationship with a faded film star determined to make a triumphant return. Wilder changed the scene so that DeMille offered Lamarr's chair to Norma without Lamarr being present. See production, box office & company info. 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. 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.". De Mille at Paramount, the director is shooting the film Samson and Delilah, which he was actually shooting at the time. [43] Capucine and Holden remained friends until his death in 1981. The name Norma Desmond was a combination of early Hollywoods comedy star Mabel Normand and her lover, silent film director William Desmond Taylor. [2] His brother Robert ("Bobbie") became a U.S. Navy fighter pilot and was killed in action in World War II, over New Ireland, a Japanese-occupied island in the South Pacific. Universal bought it on her death in 1920 and it was used in several movies, most notably in The Phantom of the Opera (1925). In later interviews, Davis admitted that she thought Swanson's work in the film was absolutely outstanding. The character of Norma Desmond is modeled on the fate of several leading actresses of the silent era. As day breaks. He walked into his bedroom and tripped over a throw rug and slammed his head so hard into the corner of a teak nightstand, the piece of furniture flew into the wall causing an indentation, per "William Holden." In those days there were no buttons on formal shirts. During the shopping excursion, Norma remarks that if Joe is not careful, he'll need a cutaway. And like the title, Holden seemed to have the looks and muscular build Hollywood craved. The first draft of the film was a straightforward comedy about a has-been actress making a comeback, and Wilder saw Mae West in the role. At Cecil B. DeMille's first appearance, his on-set cry of "Wilcoxon!" This page was last edited on 28 February 2023, at 22:44. For scenes in which he drove, the car was towed by another car. They are singing a parody of their song "Buttons and Bows," from The Paleface (1948), for which they won an Oscar in 1949, the year this film was made. It was George Cukor who suggested Gloria Swanson for the role of Norma Desmond. She was nominated for the first Academy Award in the Best Actress category. 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). Saltar al contenido principal.com.mx. [49], His death was noted by singer-songwriter Suzanne Vega, whose 1987 song "Tom's Diner", about a sequence of events one morning in 1981, included a mention of reading a newspaper article about "an actor who had died while he was drinking". The 2014 book by William J. Mann, Tinseltown: Murder, Morphine, and Madness at the Dawn of Hollywood, names Ross Blackie Madsen Sheridan as the killer, based on a death bed confession from actress Margaret Gibson, who beat a 1917 rap on prostitution and opium dealing. He said hed already played a young kept man in the film The Heiresswith Olivia De Havilland, and in real life with his relationship with older singer Libby Holman. Sunset Blvd. The apartments, and the "Alto Nido" sign out front that is glimpsed briefly in the film, are still there. Paramount was more than happy to be the subject of the film, and didn't ask for the studio to be disguised. This is a reference to the now-mad Norma's final possession by the character of Salome, with whom she'd been so obsessed. Joe Gillis: Wait a minute, haven't I seen you before? Gloria Swanson played her final descent on the staircase barefoot, as she was terrified of tripping in high heels. Holden, just 63 when he died, had most recently appeared in the Blake Edwards' film "S.O.B." It opened on Broadway at the Minskoff Theater on November 17, 1994, ran for 977 performances and won the 1995 Tony Awards for Best Musical, Book and Score. Zach Laws, Chris Beachum. Co-writer D.M. He contributed to Altvariety, Chiseler, Smashpipe, and other magazines. Their relationship makes the film as much a love story as it is a noir film, because if ever there is a femme fatale, it is Norma Desmond. 12 Sep. WILLIAM HOLDEN: At some point, "Sunset Boulevard" (1950) played at The Silver Screen. 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. Boulevard du crpuscule : Amazon.com.mx: Pelculas y Series de TV. I instantly fell in love - both with the movie itself and with its handsome 32-year old male lead, William Holden. Mary Pickford lived in seclusion, away from the public eye, while both Mae Murray and Clara Bow had well documented struggles with mental illness. Wilder won the argument and privately told friends that he would not be making any more films with Brackett. Holden was still an unknown actor when he made Golden Boy, while Stanwyck was already a film star. The next decade saw Holden's career flourish. But even to show a chair with her name on it, Lamarr wanted $10,000. And what faces. 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. Billy Wilder went into production with only 61 pages of script finished, so he had to shoot more or less in chronological order. a mean old woman who looks and acts a little like Ma Bates if she'd been dead for several years but was somehow still just as talkative and feisty. The magnifying glass in Normas beauty makeover scene shows the skin of a young ingnue, not an aging crone. That movie, however, departs from the trope by making both actress and stranger much younger. (1950) was plagiarized from other scripts. According to both versions of the morgue prologue script, Gillis' body is admitted on 5/17/49 (as indicated by a toe tag). [45], According to the Los Angeles County Coroner's autopsy report, Holden bled to death in his apartment in Santa Monica, California, on November 12, 1981, after lacerating his forehead from slipping on a rug while intoxicated and hitting a bedside table. Joe Gillis' typewriter is a portable manual Remington Rand Noiseless Model 7. The young actor also got to work with George Raft and Humphrey Bogart in the gangsters on parole movie,Invisible Stripes. There once was a time in this business when they had the eyes of the whole world. In Billy Wilder's film, Erich von Stroheim plays the butler of Gloria Swanson's forgotten silent-film star. It's probably just as well, since the darker, more nuanced story that eventually emerged was quite different from West's wheelhouse anyway. He called it "that goddamned butler role" for the remaining seven years of his life. Sunset Boulevard, the 1950 film noir classic directed and co-written by Billy Wilder, did a lot to change that and other myths of old Hollywoodlike the real-life murder at the heart of the story. Gene Kelly was then approached, but MGM refused to loan him out. Sad as this may sound, to the day he died, Holden insisted Bogart was a bastard. She refuses to believe that she's no longer remembered and will never make another movie. 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.. Set non-holiday all-time house record of $166,000 at New York's Radio City Music Hall when it opened. Sometimes hetinkles the wheezing gothic ivories like Lurch in the original TV series The Addams Family, playing the recognizable strains of The Phantom of the Opera. As the band plays 'Diane', we also see Desmond ascending her staircase. Here's some backstage information to enhance your experience the next time you visit the Paramount lot.. But in 1957, Paramount formally asked Desmond to stop, the studio bosses having decided not to grant permission after all. The film originally opened and closed the story at the Los Angeles County Morgue. That's a reference to the traditional grey morning suit worn by the groom at a formal wedding. This is a nod to retired silent-movie star Clara Bow, whose husband Rex Bell, a former star of "B" westerns, was the president of the Nevada Chamber of Commerce, and later Lieutenant Governor of Nevada. Gordon Cole was a real person in the art department for DeMille's Samson and Delilah (1949) and later in The Ten Commandments (1956).
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