[47], President Ronald Reagan released a statement: "I have a great feeling of grief. This was the actual set of Samson and Delilah (1949), which de Mille was making at the time. That's the end.". As a practical joke, during the scene where William Holden and Nancy Olson kiss for the first time, Billy Wilder let them carry on for minutes without yelling "Cut!" 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. [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". 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. Co-writer D.M. The two actors never worked together in another film. 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. In her private screening room, with butler Max running the projector, Norma cuddles up with Joe to watch one of her own films. In 1954, Holden was featured on the cover of Life. Bogart took the part hoping it would pair him back up with his wife Lauren Bacall. 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. A few years later, Stephen Sondheim became interested in writing a musical version of his own, working with writer Burt Shevelove (with whom he ended up writing A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum). But it's also a love story, and the love keeps it from becoming simply a waxworks or a freak show.
Sunset Blvd. (1950) - Full Cast & Crew - IMDb Holden had a supporting role in Ashanti (1979) and was third-billed in another disaster film, When Time Ran Out (1980), which was a flop. At Columbia, he starred in film noirs, The Dark Past (1948), The Man from Colorado (1949) and Father Is a Bachelor (1950). Sad as this may sound, to the day he died, Holden insisted Bogart was a bastard. In the film Gloria is seen playing cards with three silent film stars: Buster Keaton, H.B. It's the pictures that got small" was #91. Read more of his work here or find him on Twitter @tsokol. ", The scene of Max playing Bach's "Toccata and Fugue in D Minor" at the organ might well have been an inspiration for Lurch at the harpsichord in the TV series "The Addams Family.". There are several references to Gloria Swanson's actual career in the film. He rejects her. 12 Sep. WILLIAM HOLDEN: At some point, "Sunset Boulevard" (1950) played at The Silver Screen. He played Rafts kid brother, who was following in his gangster footsteps and needed to be set straight. The young actor also got to work with George Raft and Humphrey Bogart in the gangsters on parole movie,Invisible Stripes. Well, not a comeback, a return, a return to the millions of people who have never forgiven her for deserting the screen. The killing and the media circus that followed it hurt the industry. Holman was 16 years older than him and was afraid people would think the movie was a parody of their relationship. Since 2006, he has overseen the Bayou City History blog, which covers various aspects of Houston's history. Louis B. Mayer's reaction is well documented but Mae Murray also found the film offensive. It was the same technique he had used to shoot Rudolph Valentino's tango in The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (1921). David Lynch is an avid fan of the movie, having referenced it in films such as Inland Empire (2006), Mulholland Drive (2001)--which has a similar title and theme about the misfortunes of aspiring artists in Hollywood--and the television show Twin Peaks (1990), where Lynch himself played an FBI Bureau Chief named Gordon Cole. Billy Wilder originally approached William Haines to play one of Norma's bridge partners. William Holden, original name William Franklin Beedle, Jr., (born April 17, 1918, O'Fallon, Illinois, U.S.found dead November 16, 1981, Santa Monica, California), American film star who perfected the role of the cynic who acts heroically in spite of his scorn or pessimism.
William Holden Net Worth 2023: Age, Height, Weight, Wife, Kids, Bio "[13] Paramount reunited him with Nancy Olson, one of his Sunset Boulevard costars, in Union Station (1950). Norma Desmond: Get out! Queen Kelly nearly ruined both of their careers after Joe Kennedy, JFKs dad who produced the film, replaced von Stroheim as director because Swanson complained about the racy material. We'll hear two of his visits to Suspense, beginning with the New Orleans jazz . Swanson was told "She can't show herself, Gloria, she's too overcome. The plot element of Norma Desmond's obsession with writing a screenplay based on Salome as a vehicle for her comeback was obviously influenced by eccentric, aging actress Valeska Suratt, who had a brief film career (1915-1917) playing mostly vamp roles. In the movie, an aide tells Cecil B. DeMille "Gordon Cole has been trying to reach you". Swanson herself reportedly asked him to do it. These include Greta Garbo, John Gilbert, Rudolph Valentino, Rod La Rocque, Vilma Bnky, Mabel Normand, Marie Prevost, Pearl White, and Douglas Fairbanks. The "fee" for renting the Jean Paul Getty mansion was for Paramount to build the swimming pool, which features so memorably. It was George Cukor who suggested Gloria Swanson for the role of Norma Desmond. At Cecil B. DeMille's first appearance, his on-set cry of "Wilcoxon!" "Sometimes he'd just get in his car and drive," the director told the AP. When filming began, William Holden was 31 and Gloria Swanson was 50, the same stated age as her character. "Variety" ran a front-page review, and this led to a belated release of Swanson's version in 1957 (the year of Stroheim's death). ), It came out the same year as another behind-the-scenes showbiz classic, All About Eve, which took most of the Oscars. [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]. . Now that we are getting closer to Awards Season in here in Hollywood, Im getting more and more interest from nominees and prospective nominees who want to know in advance if they are going home with the gold, Marie Bargas, known for years as the Hollywood Witch, told Den of Geek. (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 . Holden's films continued to struggle at the box office, however: Paris When It Sizzles (1964) with Hepburn was shot in 1962 but given a much delayed release, The 7th Dawn (1964) with Capucine and Susannah York, a romantic adventure set during the Malayan Emergency produced by Charles K. Feldman, Alvarez Kelly (1966), a Western, and The Devil's Brigade (1968). Features the only Oscar-nominated performances of Erich von Stroheim and Nancy Olson. Marshman was a journalist but both Wilder and Brackett had been impressed by the critique he had given of their earlier film, The Emperor Waltz (1948). Since he had classic good looks, an expressive voice, and was an excelle Now I had two favorite movies - aside from "Gone With The Wind" of course - both from 1950, "Sunset Boulevard" and "All . She refuses to believe that she's no longer remembered and will never make another movie. Around this time he also appeared in 21 Hours at Munich (1976). Wilder and his co-writers reversed several elements, and there was no official connection between the movie and Waugh's book. Brackett thought it was too mean while Wilder felt it was necessary. 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 was best man at the wedding of his friend Ronald Reagan to actress Nancy Davis in 1952. Billy Wilder wanted a fresh face for the part of Betty Schaefer. [43] Capucine and Holden remained friends until his death in 1981.
William Holden - Wikipedia In Billy Wilder's film, Erich von Stroheim plays the butler of Gloria Swanson's forgotten silent-film star. The role of Norma Desmond was initially offered to Mae West (who rejected the part), Mary Pickford (Billy Wilder and Charles Brackett realized when talking to her that her image as "America's Sweetheart" made her unsuitable for the part), and Pola Negri (Billy Wilder rejected her as her thick accent would cause too many problems) before being accepted by Gloria Swanson. In accordance with his wishes, no funeral or memorial services were conducted. But even to show a chair with her name on it, Lamarr wanted $10,000. (1949), and "Father Is a Bachelor" (1950). The address of Norma Desmond's house is given as 10086 Sunset Boulevard. He would slay, "I have no idea! Next image (0) (0) To shoot Joe and Norma dancing together at her New Year's Eve party, cameraman John F. Seitz used a dance dolly---a wheeled platform attached to the camera. 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.
Billy Wilder's 1978 Flop Fedora Is a Sorry Footnote to Sunset Boulevard After all, it's about a dethroned queen." Wilder asked how much shed charge just to shoot the chair and Lamarr said $10,000. The silent comedian had a reputation as one of Hollywoods best bridge players. The movie featured the famed director Erich von Stroheim, who made photographs of Gloria Swanson move so beautifully the world was enthralled, as Max Von Mayerling, the director who made, married, and divorced the enthralling Norma Desmondand then gave up his career in film to be her slave in butlers clothing. 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. She was disappointed to see that all the parts she was offered subsequently were watered-down versions of Norma Desmond. In reality, Gloria Swanson never worked with Normand and worked only once with Prevost in a 1916 short. Gillis: "No, swimming pool." [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. She reads everyone and everything in Hollywood, except Joes script. Other actresses considered for Norma Desmond were Mae West (who wanted to rewrite the dialogue), Mae Murray, and Mary Pickford. But as commentator Steve Sailer points out, more than one contemporary source mentions it as an inspiration. "I knew he was off the wagon," she recalled in her memoir "One from the Hart." Norma goes to visit Cecil B. DeMille, several of whose films Swanson had starred in. The first of four films in which William Holden and Nancy Olson appeared. . But along with the accolades came a dependence on alcohol that would play a major role in his tragic end. But before that happened, it appeared in Rebel Without a Cause as the abandoned mansion in which the kids hang out. At one point Norma mentions working with Mabel Normand and Marie Prevost. Holden was reunited with Wilder in Stalag 17 (1953), for which Holden won the Academy Award for Best Actor. There was a maharajah who came all the way from India to beg one of her silk stockings. Holden turned the tables on Lucille Ball when he appeared as a guest star on I Love Lucy at The Brown Derby. William Haines turned down an offer to appear in the film but attended the Hollywood premiere with Joan Crawford. Reluctantly, Wilder met with William Holden, who hadn't done much after the great Hollywood innovator Rouben Mamoulian's Golden Boy (1939). Normand was the last person known to have seen Taylor alive and she was grilled by the Los Angeles Police Department as a result. Gloria Swanson became so identified with the demanding, irascible Norma that later generations of fans were startled to discover her serene, easy-going, naturalist personality in real life. DeMille."
Sunset Boulevard DVD Special Collector's Edition William Holden Gloria Norma's bed originally belonged to French actress/singer Gaby Deslys. The part was only Nancy Olson's third film appearance. During the shopping excursion, Norma remarks that if Joe is not careful, he'll need a cutaway. A screenwriter develops a dangerous relationship with a faded film star determined to make a triumphant return. 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. And what faces. According to the DVD commentary by Wilder biographer Ed Sikov, this story was most likely invented/exaggerated by Billy Wilder. The clips in Sunset Boulevard were the first American audiences had seen of it. Buscar Amazon.com.mx. 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. 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. 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]. Previous image. Included among the 25 films on the American Film Institute's 2005 list of AFI's 100 Years of Film Scores. Marshman Jr. Stars William Holden Gloria Swanson Erich von Stroheim See production, box office & company info Add to Watchlist 701 User reviews 196 Critic reviews Realizing that former actress Hopper would easily dominate the scene, Parsons declined, even though she and Wilder were friends. 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. Fat Man: "A husky fellow like you?" The first name of the Joe Gillis character was Dan in an early draft of the screenplay, then altered to Dick, and finally to Joe just before filming began. 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). Neither was The Revengers (1972), another Western. Despite that, von Stroheim "still managed to hit the gates, he had no co-ordination", said Billy Wilder in an interview for the book "Sunset Boulevard: From Movie to Musical". It was not particularly successful. on the corner of Crenshaw and Irving. (as Arthur Schmidt) Idealists can screw for fun and for power, because sex is good for business but love is a luxury Hollywood gals cant live without.
Sunset Boulevard: The Original Hollywood Expose | Den of Geek Wilder and Brackett told everyone at Paramount and the Production code that the screenplay was based on the story A Can of Beans by Wilder, Brackett, and D.M. She offered Peavey 10 dollars to identify Taylors grave in the Hollywood Park Cemetery and had someone wait there in a white sheet to scare it out of him. It's not possible to shoot through water and get a clear image beyond. Brenda Marshall, Holden's wife since 1941, was visiting the set when Holden and Nancy Olson had their kissing scene. Joe Gillis' typewriter is a portable manual Remington Rand Noiseless Model 7. Joe insists hes not a Hollywood whore, but he accepts Normas gifts, gold cigarette cases, a platinum watch, suits, shirts, and shoes that would impress Rudy. But before you hear it all distorted and blown out of proportion, before those Hollywood columnists get their hands on it, maybe youd like to hear the facts, the whole truth. They had to have the ears of the old place, too. [4] They had two sons, Peter and Scott. Eugene Walter was a prolific Hollywood screenwriter of the 1920s and 1930s.
Sunset Boulevard Ending Explained: Hollywood Is Always Hungry For The When Norma is telling Joe about how rich she is, she mentions a beach house and downtown real estate. Free shipping for many products! Holden, just 63 when he died, had most recently appeared in the Blake Edwards' film "S.O.B." That movie, however, departs from the trope by making both actress and stranger much younger. "No, don't let it be true. So speaking of funerals, heres the great real life murder mystery we teased in the opening. 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. Billy Wilder also used Sheldrake as the last name of Fred MacMurray's character in "The Apartment". Oh, wake up, Norma.
Among the many past associations embedded in Sunset Blvd. ), a woman who trades on charms that have . 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.
After working on Sunset Boulevard, Swanson remarked, Bill Holden was a man I could have fallen in love with. He was Judy Hollidays tutor in Born Yesterday (1950) and played a war correspondent in Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing (1955). The two men never worked together again. He starred in the 1953 . 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). (he'd already gotten the shot he needed on the first take). 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. It's the pictures that got small," was voted #24, out of 100. He loves Norma so much, he even forges thousands of pages of fan mail, just to feed her delusion. Billy Wilder was actually friendlier with the other leading gossip columnist of the day, Louella Parsons. [42][citation needed]. They had paired up in pictures since 1938. Paramount always labeled that studio as its Long Island Studios.
William Holden: Golden Boy of Hollywood Starred in 'Sunset Boulevard Jay Livingston, Ray Evans: The Paramount songwriting duo is seen at the piano at Artie Green's New Year's Eve party. Sunset Boulevard is also a reflection of Hollywood through a glass, darkly. William Holden movies: 15 greatest films, ranked worst to best, include 'Sunset Boulevard,' 'Network,' 'Stalag 17'. "I left countless messages but received no answer." Ultimately she retired completely from films, making only sporadic appearances, notably in Airport 1975 (1974). Seleccionar el departamento en el que deseas buscar.
Sunset Boulevard - Paramount Originals (includes Limited Edition After returning from France, she shot her last Paramount films--Stage Struck (1925), The Untamed Lady (1926) and Fine Manners (1926)--at the studio's lot in Astoria, Queens, NY. Norma is Scorpio, and Mars had been transiting Jupiter for weeks and that was the day of greatest conjunction. She declined the offer. Gillis: "Well, I had a few extra holes in me, two in the chest and one in the stomach." Gloria Swanson, meanwhile, was born on March 27, 1899. or "Boulevard"? 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. The actor-turned-director bitched about that goddamned butler role for the rest his life. #7. [7], Back at Paramount, he starred with Bonita Granville in Those Were the Days! But Joe wouldnt have fallen so hard if he werent so shackled. Such extravagances were so commonplace that when Wilder was planning to shoot the funeral of Normas chimpanzee, the director told the crew to just set-up the usual monkey-funeral sequence.. Norma is perceived as the evil force, even if she uses a white phone while Betty is relegated to a poor black phone. For the cover photo of the very first issue, in April 1951, of what many consider the most important film magazine of all time, the Paris-based "Cahiers du Cinema, " the editors chose the image of Gloria Swanson and William Holden in her screening room. Or shall I call my servant? Norma Desmond says that she paid $28,000 for the Isotta-Fraschini car in 1929. The film's narrative structure bears a marked resemblance to that of American Beauty (1999). Ready? 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. Marion Davies owned a famous ocean-front mansion in Santa Monica. Fred MacMurray and Gene Kelly both turned down the role of Joe Gillis. The film was the favorite of Sci-Fi author J.G. According to reports, Taylor went to the feds for help filing charges against Normands cocaine suppliers. On Joe's and Betty's night walk through the Paramount backlot, his calling the false building fronts "Washington Square" would be an accurate reference, as that neighborhood in New York was full of brownstone houses, apartments, and other turn-of-the-century architecture. 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. +10 More . Microphones would catch the last gurgles, and Technicolor would photograph the red, swollen tongues. Erich von Stroheims Max von Mayerling is equally awestruck, still caught in the wake of Normas star dust. She is ever the star. Normands career never recovered after word of her addiction leaked out and she died of tuberculosis on Feb. 23, 1930. He worked on dramas like The Key (1958), Westerns like John Fords The Horse Soldiers (1959) opposite John Wayne, and comedies like The Moon is Blue which so famously challenged the Production Code in 1953 that Hawkeye and BJ insisted it get shown at M*A*S*H 4077 to break the monotony of the Korean War. He followed it with Damien: Omen II (1978) and had a cameo in Escape to Athena (1978), which co-starred his real-life love interest Stefanie Powers. was better known as the seat of the film industry in 1950, the Los Angeles film industry actually began on Sunset Blvd. Joe Gillis: You're Norma Desmond. He said it was because she was braver than any man. In a case of life mirroring art, she outlived him. The clips in Sunset Boulevard were the first time American audiences saw it. 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. The 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. (1940) followed by the role of George Gibbs in the film adaptation of Our Town (1940), done for Sol Lesser at United Artists.[8]. An inventory of his prospects added up to exactly zero. This page was last edited on 28 February 2023, at 22:44. Schwab's was torn down in 1988 to make way for a movie theater and a shopping center. No one wants to get caught by surprise anymore. The only Best Picture Oscar nominee of the year to be also nominated for Original Screenplay. April 17, 2019 6:00AM. A classic film review of Sunset Boulevard (1950) starring William Holden, Gloria Swanson and Eric Von StroheimDirected by acclaimed film maker Billy Wilder (. Well, not everybody! Haines, whose career had ended because of his homosexual off-screen life, was too happy in his new profession as an interior decorator to want to call attention to his past as an actor. Throughout Hollywood history many film stars, and/or single films, were responsible for saving ailing studios. It is also one of the most frequently misquoted movie lines, usually given as, "I'm ready for my close-up, Mr. This was the last major Hollywood feature film to be shot on nitrate stock. Gillis smokes unfiltered cigarettes in the film. The same musical quote from "Salome" is used again as she descends the stairs, where Waxman segues into his own original musical statement of "The Dance of the Seven Veils". They reportedly began a two-year affair, which is alleged to have ended due to Holden's alcoholism. In subsequent years, two lawsuits have been filed against Billy Wilder and Charles Brackett, claiming that Sunset Blvd. Wilder changed the scene so that DeMille offered Lamarr's chair to Norma without Lamarr being present. In real life, when Swanson and DeMille had worked together, that was what they always called each other. Test audiences at the time couldnt let go of the joke, which was why it was re-edited this way. The film originally opened and closed the story at the Los Angeles County Morgue.
William Holden: The Golden Boy of Vintage Hollywood - Variety For the first industry screening, Paramount executives invited several silent-film stars. He received an eight-month suspended sentence for vehicular manslaughter. When two more test audiences reacted the same way, Wilder cut the scene and the movie was saved. It is because of Sunset Blvd., for certain, that my mind could ever go there. Gordon Cole was a real person in the art department for DeMille's Samson and Delilah (1949) and later in The Ten Commandments (1956). Thirty-one years later, the actor who played Gillis, William Holden, met his end.