FanFare

"It’s all about men!" A happily married woman lets her catty friends talk her into divorce when her husband strays.
posted by Ten Cold Hot Dogs on May 28, 2024 - 11 comments

[TRAILER] At a luxurious Berlin hotel between the wars, the once-wealthy Baron Felix von Gaigern (John Barrymore) supports himself as a thief and gambler. In this lavish adaptation of the successful Broadway play, the baron romances one of his marks, the aging ballerina Grusinskaya (Greta Garbo), and teams with dying accountant Otto Kringelein (Lionel Barrymore) against his former boss, crooked industrialist Preysing (Wallace Beery), and his ambitious stenographer, Flaemmchen (Joan Crawford). [more inside]
posted by DirtyOldTown on Nov 29, 2022 - 4 comments

A former child star torments her paraplegic sister in their decaying Hollywood mansion. [more inside]
posted by MoonOrb on Jun 7, 2018 - 6 comments

On the outskirts of town, the hard-nosed Vienna owns a saloon frequented by the undesirables of the region, including Dancin' Kid and his gang. Another patron of Vienna's establishment is Johnny Guitar, a former gunslinger and her lover. When a heist is pulled in town that results in a man's death, Emma Small, Vienna's rival, rallies the townsfolk to take revenge on Vienna's saloon – even without proof of her wrongdoing.
posted by frimble on Jun 9, 2017 - 5 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

With the Oscars approaching, and Bette considered a favorite with a chance to make history as the first actress with three Oscars, Joan and Hedda set out to undermine her chances. [more inside]
posted by dnash on Apr 4, 2017 - 11 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