FanFare

Wrongly accused of physically abusing a fellow actor, starving thespians Arthur and Maurice find themselves pursued by the law aboard a cruise ship. [more inside]
posted by Eddie Mars on Dec 14, 2022 - 3 comments

The series wraps up with an episode covering the last decades of Joan and Bette's lives, as they face the ends of their careers and declining health. [more inside]
posted by dnash on Apr 24, 2017 - 10 comments

Tensions explode on the set of Hush, Hush Sweet Charlotte. Joan becomes convinced she's being made a fool of by Bette and Bob, and throws one of the greatest diva tantrums of all time, checking herself into a hospital in an attempt to shut down the production. [more inside]
posted by dnash on Apr 17, 2017 - 7 comments

Whatever Happened to Baby Jane? launched a new genre of movies featuring former grand dames of cinema in horrible, degrading roles. Such as Joan Crawford as an ax murderer in Strait-Jacket. Jack Warner, his studio starting to falter and in need of a new hit, brings Bob Aldrich back and tries to get him to reunite Crawford and Davis - all for reduced salaries. Aldrich manages to coax the stars to agree to work together again, but he takes the picture to Warner's nemesis, Darryl Zanuck, instead. [more inside]
posted by dnash on Apr 10, 2017 - 8 comments

As the premiere of Baby Jane approaches, rumors of "flop" are flying around Hollywood. But though critics end up divided about it, the picture becomes a huge hit with the public. The director and stars, though, struggle with how to turn any of that success into future projects. [more inside]
posted by dnash on Mar 27, 2017 - 8 comments

Motherhood is the theme this week, as Joan's disciplinarian approach with her children is contrasted with Bette's attempt to aid her daughter with her first appearance in a movie. [more inside]
posted by dnash on Mar 21, 2017 - 5 comments

Joan manages to get Bette on her side about dismissing a young blond starlet who they're sure will be flirting with the director to enlarge her part. Studio boss Jack Warner urges Aldrich to fan the tension between the two stars to feed the gossip columns for publicity, and the Bette & Joan united front tumbles faster than it started. [more inside]
posted by dnash on Mar 13, 2017 - 6 comments

In 1961, with her career on the skids, aging screen legend Joan Crawford reaches out to her longtime rival Bette Davis to join her in a project she believes can revitalize their careers: a horror picture called Whatever Happened To Baby Jane? [more inside]
posted by dnash on Mar 6, 2017 - 7 comments

In what would cause a fantastic media frenzy, Clifford Irving sells his bogus biography of Howard Hughes to a premiere publishing house in the early 1970s. [more inside]
posted by joseph conrad is fully awesome on Oct 20, 2014 - 17 comments