how old was william holden in sunset boulevard

Art director John Meehan experimented until he came up with the idea to shoot the scene through a mirror at the bottom of the studio water tank. It's not possible to shoot through water and get a clear image beyond. 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.". When Norma Desmond visits her old friend at Paramount, she affectionately calls him "Mr. DeMille" (not Cecil or C.B. [10] RKO borrowed him for Rachel and the Stranger (1948) with Robert Mitchum and Loretta Young. However, he knew that her arch-rival Hedda Hopper had trained as an actress and would therefore be more convincing onscreen. Darryl F. Zanuck, Olivia de Havilland, Tyrone Power and Samuel Goldwyn all refused to allow their names to be used in the film, but Billy Wilder decided to use Zanuck's and Power's names anyway. The first-floor set of Norma Desmond's mansion was also used in the western comedy Fancy Pants (1950) starring Bob Hope and Lucille Ball, giving fans a chance to see it in full color. We had faces" was #13. 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. on the corner of Crenshaw and Irving. Holden's first film back from the services was Blaze of Noon (1947), an aviator picture at Paramount directed by John Farrow. Test audiences at the time couldnt let go of the joke, which was why it was re-edited this way. or "Boulevard"? Without Norma Desmond, there wouldnt be any Paramount Pictures. "Waxwork" Buster Keaton was in reality an excellent bridge player, always in demand at Hollywood bridge parties. 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. Marshman Jr. was hired to help batten down a script that was giving Billy Wilder and Charles Brackett great difficulty. read more: The Big Sleep is Proof That Plot Doesnt Matter. Sunset Boulevard's cinematographer, John Seitz, said Wilder "had wanted to do The Loved One, but couldn't obtain the rights." in 1911 when the Nestor Film Company moved from New. 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. Words are as good as sex to two writers. 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. Well, they kissed, and kissed, and kept kissing, and the crew began to snicker, and finally Marshall's voice rang out: "Cut, dammit!" About 10 minutes later, Holden passed out and died from blood loss. Holden paid it forward, becoming Hepburns guardian angel.. Some, including Holden himself and one of his close confidants, could foresee the death (per The Huntsville Item). At the end, they stood and cheered for Gloria Swanson's return. The movie's line "All right, Mr. DeMille, I'm ready for my close-up." It was this astonishing footage that rekindled interest in the film. "Sometimes he'd just get in his car and drive," the director told the AP. Minters mother Charlotte Shelby was a manipulative stage mother who owned a rare .38 caliber pistol that fired unusual bullets very similar to ones found inside Taylor. 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. The only Best Picture Oscar nominee of the year to be also nominated for Original Screenplay. Both Keaton and Hopper died the same day, on February 1, 1966, at the ages of 70 and 80 respectively, both in Los Angeles. taste bar and kitchen missouri city. 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. There are several references to Gloria Swanson's actual career in the film. (A few months later, Hepburn met Mel Ferrer, whom she later married and with whom she had a son Sean Hepburn Ferrer. A week later she heard the news of Holden's death on her car radio. Idealists can screw for fun and for power, because sex is good for business but love is a luxury Hollywood gals cant live without. Rudy's shoeshine stand at the parking lot where Gillis hides his car from the creditors was inspired by Oscar Smith's shoeshine stand located just inside the Bronson Gate at the old Paramount Studios, which was a popular hangout for gossip and socializing while Billy Wilder was building his career there. (1950) Full Cast & Crew See agents for this cast & crew on IMDbPro Directed by Billy Wilder Writing Credits Cast (in credits order) verified as complete Produced by Charles Brackett . preppy-3 15 March 2008. [40], Holden had a daughter born in 1937 from his relationship with actress Eva May Hoffman. As day breaks. Included among the "1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die," edited by Steven Schneider. [14], Holden made a third film with Wilder, Sabrina (1954), billed beneath Audrey Hepburn and Humphrey Bogart. Billy Wilder wanted Hedy Lamarr to appear in a cameo in the scene where Norma and Joe visit Cecil B. DeMille at Paramount. Since her part required her to gaze at the newsreel cameramen and "fans" (the waiting police) gathered in the foyer below, she couldn't watch where she placed her feet. What is the streaming release date of Sunset Blvd. words "Sunset Blvd." Throughout Hollywood history many film stars, and/or single films, were responsible for saving ailing studios. . A screenwriter develops a dangerous relationship with a faded film star determined to make a triumphant return. 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. But attempts to turn the movie into a stage musical began almost immediately, spearheaded by none other than Gloria Swanson. William Holden returns to find that Gloria Swanson has tried to slash her wrists in 'Sunset Boulevard', directed by Billy Wilder. 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. While in Italy in 1966, Holden was responsible for the death of another driver in a drunk-driving incident near Pisa. William Holden (born William Franklin Beedle Jr.; April 17, 1918 November 12, 1981) was an American actor and one of the biggest box-office draws of the 1950s. Joe could have slept with Norma and loved Betty, and owned the pool that would be his final resting place. Mae West rejected the role of Norma Desmond because she felt she was too young to play a silent-film star. Norma is at the edge of insanity through the whole movie, but that doesnt mean shes not fun. At the time this movie was made, the incident was still quite recent. In the opening scene of the 1950 film "Sunset Boulevard," the cynical screenwriter turned gigolo Joe Gillis lies floating in a swimming pool, blood seeping from his lifeless body. Sunset Boulevard (1950) 1950, 1h 50min - Drama Gloria Swanson, as Norma Desmond, an aging silent-film queen, and William Holden, as the struggling young screenwriter who is held in thrall by her madness, created two of the screen's most memorable characters in "Sunset Boulevard." Sometimes its interesting to see just how bad, bad writing can be. Norma wound up sitting in Mr. DeMilles chair. But it could just as well have been Joes headquarters, Schwabs Drug Store, a kind of combination office, coffee clutch, and waiting room where actors and writers wait for the gravy train. Sunset Boulevard now begins with police cars racing to Norma Desmond's house, where a dead body is floating in the pool. There's a little dig in the scene when Cecil B. DeMille finds out that Paramount has been calling Norma Desmond because it wants to rent her car for "the Crosby picture." The moment he discovers that life could be beautiful, Norma slits her wrist with Joes razor. Mary Pickford, Pola Negri, and Greta Garbo turned down the role. This is a reference to the now-mad Norma's final possession by the character of Salome, with whom she'd been so obsessed. This dynamic served them well for years, each man's extreme tendencies being balanced by the other's, but during Sunset Boulevard it finally became unworkable. The Academy Award-winning actor William Holden, born William Beedle Jr., on April 17, 1918, in O'Fallon, Illinois, began his career with 1939s "Golden Boy," per Britannica. Someone who said they were a doctor said Taylor died of a stomach hemorrhage and then disappeared. That movie, however, departs from the trope by making both actress and stranger much younger. (he'd already gotten the shot he needed on the first take). As the band plays 'Diane', we also see Desmond ascending her staircase. The apartments, and the "Alto Nido" sign out front that is glimpsed briefly in the film, are still there. 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. Every character is jaded, except the oldest players. Not everyone felt the same way, however. 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. Louis B. Mayer's reaction is well documented but Mae Murray also found the film offensive. Paramount reunited him with Nancy Olson, one of his Sunset Boulevard costars, in Union Station (1950). In 2007 the American Film Institute ranked this as the #16 Greatest Movie of All Time. "I am big. William Holden movies: 15 greatest films, ranked worst to best, include 'Sunset Boulevard,' 'Network,' 'Stalag 17'. Montgomery Clift was originally cast as the writer but dropped out two weeks before the shoot. 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. Less popular was Satan Never Sleeps (1961), the last film of Clifton Webb and Leo McCarey; The Counterfeit Traitor (1962), his third film with Seaton; or The Lion (1962), with Trevor Howard and Capucine. The body was found by Henry Peavey, who took over for convicted embezzler Edward F. Sands as Taylors valet. read file from blob storage c#; ted dwane and isabel soden; best seats at belk theater charlotte; my rabbit ate ibuprofen Her character's age was 22 but she was 21 at the time of filming. And what faces. He contributed to Altvariety, Chiseler, Smashpipe, and other magazines. Gloria Swanson and Nancy Olson also appeared in Airport 1975. De Mille, and Max von Mayerling. The film and actors was excellent and lived up to our expectations. 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. William Haines, along with fellow silent screen veterans Buster Keaton and Anna Q. Nilsson, was approached to play one of Gloria Swanson's bridge partners. Paramount always labeled that studio as its Long Island Studios. 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. To help promote the film, Gloria Swanson did a three-month tour of 36 cities in America and Canada. and was "a loner," according to Edwards, who wasn't surprised that Holden's body went so long without being discovered. The silent comedian had a reputation as one of Hollywoods best bridge players. She hates all of Joes writing except for about six pages. Norma's buying Joe a fine woolen topcoat would be mostly an affectation in sunny Los Angeles. The name Norma Desmond was a combination of early Hollywoods comedy star Mabel Normand and her lover, silent film director William Desmond Taylor. 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. Swanson agreed to the audition, and won the role. H.B. Universal bought it on her death in 1920 and it was used in several movies, most notably in The Phantom of the Opera (1925). It's the pictures that got small" was #91. Even though it wasn't the last scene filmed, Billy Wilder threw a party for her as soon as the shot was finished. Clift's biographers say it was because he had a strong following among older women, who wrote him letters describing how they'd like to mother him, and he didn't want to encourage such behavior. Unsurprisingly, he was largely self taught, spending countless hours with instruction manuals and newspaper clips, playing all four hands simultaneously until he became an expert. He stayed true to his word. The one on the Paramount studio soundstage; the one whose driveway William Holden ducks into at 10060 Sunset Blvd; and the one used for the exteriors, which is the one shown here. When Norma is telling Joe about how rich she is, she mentions a beach house and downtown real estate. Well, not everybody! But even to show a chair with her name on it, Lamarr wanted $10,000. Betty and Joe fall in love after they sneak off to the studio backlot by moonlight to collaborate on a screenplay. [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]. He would slay, "I have no idea! You used to be in silent pictures. The Tragic 1981 Death Of Sunset Boulevard Star William Holden. In his place, Wilder hired Buster Keaton. 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.. Co-writer D.M. Mary Pickford lived in seclusion, away from the public eye, while both Mae Murray and Clara Bow had well documented struggles with mental illness. Director Cecil B. DeMille, a pioneer of silent Hollywood who was still a top director when "Sunset Boulevard" was shot in 1949, also famously played himself. About Press Copyright Contact us Creators Advertise Developers Terms Privacy Policy & Safety How YouTube works Test new features NFL Sunday Ticket Press Copyright . 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. 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. It was meant to be slightly humorous in a morbid way, but the audience at the first test screening found it flat-out hysterical, setting the wrong mood for the rest of the picture. The film was the favorite of Sci-Fi author J.G. [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. The home was built in 1923 for businessman William O. Jenkins. After his final film S.O.B., Holden declined to star in Jason Miller's film That Championship Season.[37]. Columbia teamed him with Lucille Ball for Miss Grant Takes Richmond (1949), and the sequel to Dear Ruth, Dear Wife (1949). It is one of the most indelible films you will ever see. The original nitrate negatives for the film have long disappeared. 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. It was built in 1924 by William Jenkins, at a cost of $250,000. 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. LAS COSAS DEL QUERER", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sunset_Boulevard_(film)&oldid=1142173541, Best Overall New Extra Features Library Release. 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. Peavey died in a San Francisco asylum, where he was being treated for syphilis-related dementia, in 1931. 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. Billy Wilder was actually friendlier with the other leading gossip columnist of the day, Louella Parsons. She refuses to believe that she's no longer remembered and will never make another movie. In the scene where Norma is showing Joe her silent movies, one of them is Queen Kelly (1932), which was filmed at Paramount's Astoria Studios in Astoria, Queens, NY. According to Gloria Swanson's daughter, Michelle Amon, her mother stayed in character throughout the entire shoot, even speaking like Norma Desmond when she arrived home in the evening after filming.

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