A second film with Seaton did not do as well, The Proud and Profane (1956), where Holden played the role with a moustache. Hola Elige tu direccin Pelculas y Series de TV. He was a genuine star. Part of the dialogue goes: Fat Man: "Where did you drown? When Peavey heard the moans I am the ghost of William Desmond Taylor. 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. William Haines turned down an offer to appear in the film but attended the Hollywood premiere with Joan Crawford. As DeMille was directing Lamarr at the time in Samson and Delilah (1949), this would have been no problem. When Joe and Betty stroll around the studio back lot they pass through the Washington Square set that was used in The Heiress (1949). Sunset Boulevard English audio 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,. The Paramount logo appears as a transparency over the opening shot. True to character, Von Stroheim refused to leave Paris to attend the Academy Awards ceremony, and declared that his nomination for best supporting actor should've been for best actor. The apartments, and the "Alto Nido" sign out front that is glimpsed briefly in the film, are still there. "[13]:174 The interactions between Bogart, Hepburn and Holden made shooting less than pleasant, as Bogart had wanted his wife, Lauren Bacall, to play Sabrina. Wilder told the actors to kibbutz and let him shuffle. 1751 Vine is still a parking lot across the street from the landmark, Capitol Records building and is the address of both Billy's Wilder's and Barbara Stanwyck's "Hollywood Walk of Fame" stars that were dedicated in 1960. Movie audiences in the nave early days of film sometimes didnt know that somebody had to sit down and write a movie. After living in the home for a year he moved, and the house sat vacant for a little over a decade, earning the moniker "The Phantom House" in the process. Swanson agreed to the audition, and won the role. The older actor prided himself on needling people and he needled the shit out of Holden on the first movie, and the second movie was worse because Holden started dating Audrey Hepburn during filming. . On February 7, 1955, Holden appeared as a guest star on I Love Lucy as himself. 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. For added meta-truthfulness, Wilder wanted to have that film's lead actress, Hedy Lamarr, be there too, so that DeMille could ask her to let Norma sit in her chair (you know, those behind-the-scenes chairs that have the star's name on them). Her character's age was 22 but she was 21 at the time of filming. 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. They reportedly began a two-year affair, which is alleged to have ended due to Holden's alcoholism. 13 Close-Up Facts About Sunset Boulevard - Mental Floss Norma's "gondola bed" was originally white, and was featured in Twentieth Century (1934) with Carole Lombard and John Barrymore. Eventually it wasn't Wilder who shouted "Cut!" It was a the kind of a place crazy movie people built in the crazy 20s. read more: The Big Sleep is Proof That Plot Doesnt Matter. Was the inspiration for Metallica's 1997 song "The Memory Remains". Who didnt then? director of photography Film Editing by Arthur P. Schmidt . is directed toward his associate producer, Henry Wilcoxon, who had starred in his epics Cleopatra (1934), The Crusades (1935) and Unconquered (1947), later moving to a position behind the camera as DeMille's associate, which he held until the older man's death in 1959. Because all three audiences inappropriately found the morgue scene hilarious, the film's release was delayed six months so that a new beginning could be shot. Yes, this is Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles, California. william holden arlene holden - bdcgtoronto.ca Norma telling studio guard Jonesy that without her there would be no Paramount Studios is not a far-fetched notion. When two more test audiences reacted the same way, Wilder cut the scene and the movie was saved. [23][24] Picnic was his last film under the contract with Columbia. Im not giving anything away here. 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. It is because of Sunset Blvd., for certain, that my mind could ever go there. Holden's first film back from the services was Blaze of Noon (1947), an aviator picture at Paramount directed by John Farrow. but at 641 S. Irving Blvd. William Holden movies: 15 greatest films, ranked worst to best, include 'Sunset Boulevard,' 'Network,' 'Stalag 17'. Gloria Swanson and Nancy Olson also co-starred in Airport 1975 together. 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. [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]. Norma Desmond was the greatest of them all. "Waxwork" Buster Keaton was in reality an excellent bridge player, always in demand at Hollywood bridge parties. Von Stroheim didnt know how to drive, and the scene where hes driving the exotic leopard-upholstered Isotta-Fraschini was shot as the car was being towed. I didn't know. Gillis: "Yes I was murdered." Holden himself claimed that he, too, could picture his end. However, DeMille insisted that Lamarr be paid $25,000 for the privilege, so the idea was quickly dropped. The Tragic 1981 Death Of Sunset Boulevard Star William Holden Grunge 2.14M subscribers Subscribe 486 18K views 3 weeks ago #Actor #Hollywood #SunsetBoulevard While Actor William Holden. Their partnership ended in a professional and gentlemanly mannerthere was no airing of any dirty laundrybut it did end.. It was largely from his association with Wilder that Holden would enjoy the greatest acting successes of his career in the 1950s. William Holden | Biography, Movies, Death, & Facts | Britannica 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. But along with the accolades came a dependence on alcohol that would play a major role in his tragic end. She burst into tears upon completion of the scene. The four films were released between August 1950 and November 1951. And here is how he obtained his new movie tag. The character of Max Von Mayerling as a washed up silent film director was an homage paid by Wilder to Erich von Stroheim, who was an inspiration to Billy in his glory days as a notorious silent film director himself. "Lonely, alone, without dignity.". And, of course, a pool. At Columbia, he starred in film noirs, The Dark Past (1948), The Man from Colorado (1949) and Father Is a Bachelor (1950). The script (which was to be a vehicle for her comeback) was submitted to Cecil B. DeMille who sent it back. 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. Holden had his most widely recognized role as "Commander" Shears in David Lean's The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957) with Alec Guinness,[25] a huge commercial success. 12 Sep. WILLIAM HOLDEN: At some point, "Sunset Boulevard" (1950) played at The Silver Screen. A screenwriter develops a dangerous relationship with a faded film star determined to make a triumphant return. [15] Holden and Hepburn became romantically involved during the filming, unbeknownst to Wilder: "People on the set told me later that Bill and Audrey were having an affair, and everybody knew. Winston was one of those who discovered the Golden Boy newcomer and who renamed himin honor of his former spouse!"[3]. 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. Location scenes at Norma Desmond's mansion were shot not on Sunset Boulevard but on Wilshire Boulevard. It was built in 1924 by William Jenkins, at a cost of $250,000. April 17, 2019 6:00AM. Holden's first starring role was in Golden Boy (1939), costarring Barbara Stanwyck, in which he played a violinist-turned-boxer. 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." Erich von Stroheim could not drive in real life. Hack screenwriter Joe Gillis (William Holden) accidentally falls in with faded screen legend Norma Desmond (Gloria Swanson). [41], Holden was married to actress Brenda Marshall from 1941 until their divorce in 1971. He became bitter about the throwaway roles Hollywood kept giving him. Charles Brackett, Billy Wilder and D. M. Marshman Jr. Online Film & Television Association Awards, "All right, Mr. DeMille, I'm ready for my close-up." In real life, when Swanson and DeMille had worked together, that was what they always called each other. [10] RKO borrowed him for Rachel and the Stranger (1948) with Robert Mitchum and Loretta Young. Glenn Close, who portrayed Norma Desmond on stage, also played a character who dramatically cut her wrists over a man she was in love with in the film "Fatal Attraction. Gloria Swanson and Nancy Olson also appeared in Airport 1975. It would go on to be one of his most successful movies. The producer in the film was originally called Kaufman and was to be played by Joseph Calleia. Prior to joining the Houston Chronicle, Gonzales worked as a night cops reporter at The. Marion Davies owned a famous ocean-front mansion in Santa Monica. Holden made a fourth and final film for Wilder with Fedora (1978). In 1969, Holden made a comeback when he starred in director Sam Peckinpah's graphically violent Western The Wild Bunch,[4] winning much acclaim. In 1972, Holden began a nine-year relationship with actress Stefanie Powers and sparked her interest in animal welfare. He stayed at Paramount for The Remarkable Andrew (1942) with Brian Donlevy, then made Meet the Stewarts (1943) at Columbia. . 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. Sunset Boulevard now begins with police cars racing to Norma Desmond's house, where a dead body is floating in the pool. Holden, who was at this point dependent on alcohol, said, "I really was in love with Audrey, but she wouldn't marry me. Free Postage. She reads everyone and everything in Hollywood, except Joes script. Wilder was, well, the wilder of the two, often bawdy and crass, while Brackett was genteel. 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]. As this film opens, William Holden's character Joe Gillis describes himself as a Hollywood screenwriter "living in an apartment house above Ivar Street." About 28:00 in, when Max is playing the organ, it is the same chords that Captain Nemo (James Mason) plays on his organ aboard the Nautilus in "20,000 Leagues Under The Sea." When she received her Honorary Oscar at the 1982 Academy Award ceremony, Holden had died in an accident just a few months prior. 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. This ushered in the peak years of Holden's stardom. Like most old things in L.A., the house has since been replaced by an office building. 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. Neither was The Revengers (1972), another Western. Forensic evidence recovered at the scene suggested that he was conscious for at least half an hour after the fall. He did another Western at Columbia, Texas (1941) with Glenn Ford, and a musical comedy at Paramount, The Fleet's In (1942) with Eddie Bracken, Dorothy Lamour, and Betty Hutton.[9]. Gordon Cole was a real person in the art department for DeMille's Samson and Delilah (1949) and later in The Ten Commandments (1956). Warner, and Anna Q. Nilsson. Betty is engaged to be married to Jack Webbs character, Arthur Artie Green, who is such a good buddy to Joe that he offers to put him up on the couch for a few weeks. At Paramount, he was in a comedy with Ginger Rogers that was not particularly popular, Forever Female (1953). Peavey died in a San Francisco asylum, where he was being treated for syphilis-related dementia, in 1931. 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. In 2007 the American Film Institute ranked this as the #16 Greatest Movie of All Time. For Swanson, whose career was already being threatened by the advent of talkies, Queen Kelly was another blow. Cinematographer John Seitz put a mirror on the bottom of the pool and filmed the reflection. The address of Norma Desmond's house is given as 10086 Sunset Boulevard. (1954). Both Keaton and Hopper died the same day, on February 1, 1966, at the ages of 70 and 80 respectively, both in Los Angeles. The "fee" for renting the Jean Paul Getty mansion was for Paramount to build the swimming pool, which features so memorably. 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. The film and actors was excellent and lived up to our expectations. (1950), as a way of "art imitating life." When producer Sheldrake offers to turn Gillis' script into a Betty Hutton story, the desperately poor writer inexplicably turns him down. 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 latter was shot in Africa and sparked Holden's fascination with the continent that was to last for the rest of his life. Also in 1969, Holden starred in director Terence Young's family film L'Arbre de Nol, co-starring Italian actress Virna Lisi and French actor Bourvil, based on the novel of the same name by Michel Bataille. DeMille." In accordance with his wishes, no funeral or memorial services were conducted. Watch Sunset Boulevard: Centennial Collection, When Norma Desmond says to the guard at the "Paramount Studio" gates, "Without me there wouldn't be any 'Paramount Studio'" the words could apply to, When Max is telling Joe about directing Madam's first pictures, there is a bad dub of the word "sixteen". Erich von Stroheims Max von Mayerling is equally awestruck, still caught in the wake of Normas star dust. 25 on AFI's list of all-time great leading men. 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). Holden was still an unknown actor when he made Golden Boy, while Stanwyck was already a film star. The others were Union Station (1950), Force of Arms (1951), and Submarine Command (1951). Getty always wanted a pool, the poor dope. Included among the 25 films on the American Film Institute's 2005 list of AFI's 100 Years of Film Scores. The body was found by Henry Peavey, who took over for convicted embezzler Edward F. Sands as Taylors valet. Holden starred in the 20th Century Fox film Apartment for Peggy (1948). This page was last edited on 28 February 2023, at 22:44. Make-up designer Wally Westmore found that Gloria Swanson's face belied her age and wanted to make her look older. Or shall I call my servant? At Paramount, he did another Western, Streets of Laredo (1949). Also, the house didn't have a pool, so Paramount paid to have one installed on the condition that if Mrs. Getty didn't like it, they'd remove it after filming was over. Sunset Boulevard's cinematographer, John Seitz, said Wilder "had wanted to do The Loved One, but couldn't obtain the rights." William Holden returns to find that Gloria Swanson has tried to slash her wrists in 'Sunset Boulevard', directed by Billy Wilder. 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. preppy-3 15 March 2008. Since 2006, he has overseen the Bayou City History blog, which covers various aspects of Houston's history. The moment he discovers that life could be beautiful, Norma slits her wrist with Joes razor. One of only 13 films to be nominated for Best Film, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actor, Best Supporting Actress and Best Director. As the band plays 'Diane', we also see Desmond ascending her staircase. Billy Wilder was actually friendlier with the other leading gossip columnist of the day, Louella Parsons. Billy Wilder's 1978 Flop Fedora is less a worthy follow up to Sunset Boulevard than a sorry footnote. Highly unusual at the time, Charles Brackett and Billy Wilder had Joe Gillis narrate, from beyond the grave, the sad tale of the final months of his life, while the film simultaneously depicts the still living Gillis experiencing those events unaware of the fate his dead self already knows. Billy Wilder wanted a fresh face for the part of Betty Schaefer. Norma Desmond returns to the Paramount lot and is overcome with nostalgia. Suratt was reportedly obsessed with the fact that she was the reincarnation of the Virgin Mary, and after her career ended commissioned the leader of the U.S. Reform Bah' Movement to co-write a script on the life of Mary Magdalene. Sad as this may sound, to the day he died, Holden insisted Bogart was a bastard. William Holden 15 greatest films ranked: 'Sunset Boulevard' and more 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). It was a gift from her lover, automobile magnate Walter Chrysler. Bogart was not especially friendly toward Hepburn, who had little Hollywood experience, while Holden's reaction was the opposite, wrote biographer Michelangelo Capua. Billy Wilder and Charles Brackett almost came to blows over the montage depicting Norma's preparations for her comeback. For purposes of authenticity Erich von Stroheim and Nancy Olson wore their own clothes in the film. Sunset Boulevard is also a reflection of Hollywood through a glass, darkly. Holden had another good break when he was cast as Judy Holliday's love interest in the big-screen adaptation of the Broadway hit Born Yesterday (1950). on the corner of Crenshaw and Irving. 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". So she lands his head on a golden tray, kissing his cold, dead lips. An inventory of his prospects added up to exactly zero. ", 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.". Besides Tyrone Power, other stars mentioned when Joe Gillis is pitching his "baseball" picture to the producer are Alan Ladd, William Demarest and Betty Hutton. The mansion was torn down in 1957, and a large office building for Getty Oil built on the site still stands on the spot. 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!) Sunset Boulevard is no. 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. All of the silent film stars mentioned by Norma, Joe, Betty and Max were either dead or no longer active in films by 1950. It's probably just as well, since the darker, more nuanced story that eventually emerged was quite different from West's wheelhouse anyway. There are several references to Gloria Swanson's actual career in the film. According to Billy Wilder, it was von Stroheim's idea to use a clip from Queen Kelly (1932) in Sunset Blvd. Both suits were dismissed. While in Italy in 1966, Holden was responsible for the death of another driver in a drunk-driving incident near Pisa. This was the last major Hollywood feature film to be shot on nitrate stock. Normands career never recovered after word of her addiction leaked out and she died of tuberculosis on Feb. 23, 1930. . Charles Brackett and Wilder were just as adamant that nothing in their scripts should be changed, and nothing new added. In Billy Wilder's film, Erich von Stroheim plays the butler of Gloria Swanson's forgotten silent-film star. Gillis: "Well, I had a few extra holes in me, two in the chest and one in the stomach." So speaking of funerals, heres the great real life murder mystery we teased in the opening. This inter-positive was scanned at 2,000 lines of resolution and electronically restored for the 2002 DVD reissue. Holden starred in some of Hollywood's most popular and critically acclaimed films, including Sunset Boulevard (1950), Sabrina (1954), Picnic (1955), The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957), The Wild Bunch (1969) and Network (1976). 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. [14], Holden made a third film with Wilder, Sabrina (1954), billed beneath Audrey Hepburn and Humphrey Bogart. Cecil B. DeMille: at the studio during Norma's visit. When Norma Desmond visits her old friend at Paramount, she affectionately calls him "Mr. DeMille" (not Cecil or C.B. When Max picks up the discarded headpiece during the tango scene, his expression hints at concern for the mental issues Norma suffers from. Although a registered Republican, he never involved himself in politics. When Gloria Swanson finished Norma's final scene, the mad staircase descent, she burst into tears and the crew applauded. She changed her professional name to Patricia Palmer and was working with Famous Players-Lasky, Taylors studio at the time of his death. The car William Holden drives is a P15 Plymouth Special DeLuxe convertible, a model that was produced from 1945-49. Among the many past associations embedded in Sunset Blvd. The film was the favorite of Sci-Fi author J.G. Norma's buying Joe a fine woolen topcoat would be mostly an affectation in sunny Los Angeles. The house was owned by the J. Paul Getty family. But it originally began in the L.A. county morgue, with toe-tagged corpsesincluding Joe'sspeaking to each other (in voiceover) about how they died. Read more of his work here or find him on Twitter @tsokol. 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. Buster Keaton appears only in the bridge party scene and utters the word "Pass" twice. His height was 1.8 m tall and weighed 89 kg. are shown stenciled on the curb of that street. Filtered cigarette packs always open at the filtered end, which meant he would've been lighting the filter otherwise. Norma is Scorpio, and Mars had been transiting Jupiter for weeks and that was the day of greatest conjunction. As day breaks. 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. American actress Gloria Swanson in a promotional portrait for 'Sunset Boulevard', directed by Billy Wilder, 1950. read file from blob storage c#; ted dwane and isabel soden; best seats at belk theater charlotte; my rabbit ate ibuprofen in 1911 when the Nestor Film Company moved from New. 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. in West Hollywood. In reality, Gloria Swanson never worked with Normand and worked only once with Prevost in a 1916 short. A screenwriter develops a dangerous relationship with a faded film star determined to make a triumphant return. He said it was because she was braver than any man. Billy Wilder's Sunset Boulevard is one of his three or four masterpieces, a seminal Hollywood black comedy-satire, which unlike most films keeps improving with the passage of time.. Benfiting from a glorious and iconic cast, the film concerns a faded silent film star, played by Gloria Swanson (in a variation of her own onscreen persona), who lives in the past with her butler (and former . Sunset Boulevard (DVD, 2017) UK Region 2 release with extras. 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. [38], Holden maintained a home in Switzerland and also spent much of his time working for wildlife conservation as a managing partner in an animal preserve in Africa. So they opened their big mouths and out came talk.



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