how old was william holden in sunset boulevard

The mansion belonged to the second Mrs. Jean Paul Getty, who rented it on condition that if she did not like the swimming pool the studio would have to add for the film, it would cover it over and restore the original landscaping. over the spiraling budget. Included among the American Film Institute's 1998 list of the Top 100 Greatest American Movies. (1950) in Australia? For the record, the other 12 films to achieve a similar feat are Mrs. Miniver (1942), Johnny Belinda (1948), A Streetcar Named Desire (1951), From Here to Eternity (1953), Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? A classic film review of Sunset Boulevard (1950) starring William Holden, Gloria Swanson and Eric Von StroheimDirected by acclaimed film maker Billy Wilder (. Sunset Blvd. Joes voice even starts to take on more and more of her theatrical flourish after too much exposure. When she received her Honorary Oscar at the 1982 Academy Award ceremony, Holden had died in an accident just a few months prior. Someone who said they were a doctor said Taylor died of a stomach hemorrhage and then disappeared. It would go on to be one of his most successful movies. Later in the film Max tells Gillis that he was the silent-movie director who discovered Norma and put her in films. But before that happened, it appeared in Rebel Without a Cause as the abandoned mansion in which the kids hang out. Strange? However, he knew that her arch-rival Hedda Hopper had trained as an actress and would therefore be more convincing onscreen. This was the last major Hollywood feature film to be shot on nitrate stock. Norma Desmond returns to the Paramount lot and is overcome with nostalgia. See, Bettys a message gal, not a virgin, and there are no whores in Hollywood. 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. 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. Mae West rejected the role of Norma Desmond because she felt she was too young to play a silent-film star. Swanson made the transition to talkies with The Trespasser in 1929. The footage we see is from Queen Kelly (1929), which starred Gloria Swanson and was directed by Max himself, Erich von Stroheim. [16] Holden recalls their romance:.mw-parser-output .templatequote{overflow:hidden;margin:1em 0;padding:0 40px}.mw-parser-output .templatequote .templatequotecite{line-height:1.5em;text-align:left;padding-left:1.6em;margin-top:0}, Before I even met her, I had a crush on her, and after I met her, just a day later, I felt as if we were old friends, and I was rather fiercely protective of her, though not in a possessive way. [35] Holden starred in The Earthling,[36] as a loner dying of cancer at the Australian outback and accompanying an orphan boy (Ricky Schroder). Billy Wilder was a friend of the danish silent movie star Asta Nielsen, and based the Norma Desmond caracter on her. When Norma is telling Joe about how rich she is, she mentions a beach house and downtown real estate. The first of four films in which William Holden and Nancy Olson appeared. The movie's line "All right, Mr. DeMille, I'm ready for my close-up." Peavey died in a San Francisco asylum, where he was being treated for syphilis-related dementia, in 1931. [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. As DeMille was directing Lamarr at the time in Samson and Delilah (1949), this would have been no problem. Norma's butler, Max, who used to be one of her directors is played by Erich von Stroheim, who directed Swanson in the movie Queen Kelly (1932), clips from which are used in the scene where Norma and Joe watch one of her old films. The killing and the media circus that followed it hurt the industry. They had to have the ears of the old place, too. Norma Shearer turned down the role of Norma Desmond as she didn't want to come out of retirement and also found the part to be highly distasteful. Winston was one of those who discovered the Golden Boy newcomer and who renamed himin honor of his former spouse!"[3]. The butler stonewalls Joe from the outside world until hes rolling up twenties tight enough snort through to deal with even the shortest withdrawal from the big empty house. It's not possible to shoot through water and get a clear image beyond. 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]. F. Scott Fitzgerald suffered a heart attack while in Schwab's in 1940 (contrary to legend, Lana Turner was not discovered by a talent agent in Schwab's but, rather in a drugstore across from Hollywood High School, about three miles to the east). A screenwriter develops a dangerous relationship with a faded film star determined to make a triumphant return. But who could play the silent film diva? The character of Norma Desmond is modeled on the fate of several leading actresses of the silent era. Taylor had a British accent and the imposter sounded like he came out of Chicagos south side. Sunset Boulevard is a noir film and like many of the post-World War II dark classics, it is covered with a thick sheen of cynicism. ", After serving with the U.S. Army Air Forces in World War II, he returned to Hollywood and in 1950 he got his first substantial role in Billy Wilder's "Sunset Boulevard," per Britannica. William Holden (born William Franklin Beedle Jr.; April 17, 1918 - November 12, 1981) was an American actor and murderer, and one of the biggest box-office draws of the 1950s. 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. Wilder asked how much shed charge just to shoot the chair and Lamarr said $10,000. It was a the kind of a place crazy movie people built in the crazy 20s. So funny that it took away from the rest of the picture. 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. Norma Desmond: I *am* big. She reads everyone and everything in Hollywood, except Joes script. American actress Gloria Swanson in a promotional portrait for 'Sunset Boulevard', directed by Billy Wilder, 1950. The writers feared that Hollywood would react unfavorably to such a damning portrait of the film industry, so the film was code-named "A Can of Beans" while in production. But trophies or not, Sunset Boulevard has stayed near the top of the list of great movies about moviemaking. Was the inspiration for Metallica's 1997 song "The Memory Remains". For the clip of the vintage film that Norma was watching Paramount couldn't find anything suitable so Gloria provided it from her own collection. And what faces. When producer Sheldrake offers to turn Gillis' script into a Betty Hutton story, the desperately poor writer inexplicably turns him down. ), It came out the same year as another behind-the-scenes showbiz classic, All About Eve, which took most of the Oscars. He stayed at Paramount for The Remarkable Andrew (1942) with Brian Donlevy, then made Meet the Stewarts (1943) at Columbia. Microphones would catch the last gurgles, and Technicolor would photograph the red, swollen tongues. It is because of Sunset Blvd., for certain, that my mind could ever go there. 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. She puts on a show playing a Max Sennett bathing girl and Charlie Chaplins Tramp character, though Maxs bad timing is a little too on the nose. )[19], He took third billing for The Country Girl (1954) with Bing Crosby and Grace Kelly, directed by George Seaton from a play by Clifford Odets. Although it can get chilly by the ocean, a light jacket or sweater would be plenty. [23][24] Picnic was his last film under the contract with Columbia. Although Gloria Swanson correctly states he is a Sagittarius, it is actually on the Sagittarius-Capricorn cusp. Billy Wilder and Charles Brackett almost came to blows over the montage depicting Norma's preparations for her comeback. Billy Wilder's Sunset Boulevard took the tinsel out of Tinseltown, the gild off the golden boy, and the cover off a forgotten murder. Billy Wilder's terrifying valentine to Hollywood, Sunset Boulevard (1950), features one of the most indelible of all screen performances: Gloria Swanson as Norma Desmond. 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. These actors were bigger than life. Holden acted in Executive Suite (1954), The Country Girl (1954) with Bing Crosby and Grace Kelly, The Bridges at Toko-Ri (1954), and Picnic (1955). Mary Pickford lived in seclusion, away from the public eye, while both Mae Murray and Clara Bow had well documented struggles with mental illness. (1950), as a way of "art imitating life." In the fall of 1981, the television actor Stefanie Powers, who was dating William Holden, was in Hawaii filming the ABC show "Hart to Hart" when Holden stopped answering his phone. After a private screening for Hollywood dignitaries, Barbara Stanwyck knelt in front of Gloria Swanson and kissed the hem of her skirt. After working on Sunset Boulevard, Swanson remarked, Bill Holden was a man I could have fallen in love with. Billy Wilder wanted Hedy Lamarr to appear in a cameo in the scene where Norma and Joe visit Cecil B. DeMille at Paramount. The moment he discovers that life could be beautiful, Norma slits her wrist with Joes razor. His family moved to South Pasadena when he was three. The other line, "I am big! The next decade saw Holden's career flourish. 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 Even though it wasn't the last scene filmed, Billy Wilder threw a party for her as soon as the shot was finished. In Billy Wilder's film, Erich von Stroheim plays the butler of Gloria Swanson's forgotten silent-film star. He received an eight-month suspended sentence for vehicular manslaughter.[1]. This promised to go the limit. The young actor also got to work with George Raft and Humphrey Bogart in the gangsters on parole movie,Invisible Stripes. Wilder was no fan of improvisation and was very protective of his words. So she lands his head on a golden tray, kissing his cold, dead lips. The film is included on Roger Ebert's "Great Movies" list. He played Bogarts kid brother in Sabrina, Holdens third film with director Billy Wilder, in 1954. Some, including Holden himself and one of his close confidants, could foresee the death (per The Huntsville Item). Holden had another hit with The World of Suzie Wong (1960) with Nancy Kwan, which was shot in Hong Kong. If you or anyone you know needs help with addiction issues, help is available. Everyone had a good laugh, though the record doesn't reflect whether Marshall joined in. Hack screenwriter Joe Gillis (William Holden) accidentally falls in with faded screen legend Norma Desmond (Gloria Swanson). Billy Wilder wanted a fresh face for the part of Betty Schaefer. This page was last edited on 28 February 2023, at 22:44. The Homicide Squad, complete with detectives and newspapermen, are responding to a call about a murder from one of those great big houses in the ten thousand block of Sunset Boulevard, a 22-mile block that stretches from Figueroa Street in downtown LA to the Pacific Ocean. Gillis smokes unfiltered cigarettes in the film. Brackett thought it was too mean while Wilder felt it was necessary. 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.". Wilder changed the scene so that DeMille offered Lamarr's chair to Norma without Lamarr being present. A disagreement over the montage where Norma puts herself through hell getting thinner and younger for her comeback nearly resulted in physical violence: Brackett thought it was too mean, while Wilder felt it was necessary to show what lengths a desperate actor would go to in Hollywood. Billy Wilder also used Sheldrake as the last name of Fred MacMurray's character in "The Apartment". The finest things in the world have been written on an empty stomach, and Wilder and Brackett rewrote the story as adrama. With the help of his partners, he created the Mount Kenya Game Ranch and inspired the creation of the William Holden Wildlife Foundation. Holden met French actress Capucine in the early 1960s. Holden starred in the 20th Century Fox film Apartment for Peggy (1948). Betty is an idealist, more closely resembling Normas rose-colored outlook, but with darker shades she wants to bring to light. Costume designer Edith Head found working on the film to be one of her greatest challenges. preppy-3 15 March 2008. is a 1950 American black comedy [1] [2] film noir [3] directed and co-written by Billy Wilder, and produced and co-written by Charles Brackett. At Paramount, he did another Western, Streets of Laredo (1949). But like so many of the female actors of the era, Holden soon realized it was his physical attributes and not his acting ability that the studio cared about. 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. DeMille." Filtered cigarette packs always open at the filtered end, which meant he would've been lighting the filter otherwise. William Holden had a similar trajectory as a young artist in Hollywood. was voted #6 of "The 100 Greatest Movie Lines" by "Premiere" magazine in 2007. [2] His brother Robert ("Bobbie") became a U.S. Navy fighter pilot and was killed in action in World War II, over New Ireland, a Japanese-occupied island in the South Pacific. Hola, identifcate . 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. When Joe Gillis says, "They'll love it in Pomona," most people assume (correctly) that Pomona is intended to be representative of just about any average American town. 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. (1966), Bonnie and Clyde (1967), Guess Who's Coming to Dinner (1967), Network (1976), Coming Home (1978), Reds (1981), Silver Linings Playbook (2012) and American Hustle (2013). 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. De Mille at Paramount, the director is shooting the film Samson and Delilah, which he was actually shooting at the time. 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. White, pink, or maybe bright flaming red. Upon telephoning her, however, Wilder found that Negri's Polish accent, which had killed her career, was still too thick for such a dialog-heavy film. Holden earned his first Best Actor Oscar nomination for the role.[11]. The actor's second major breakthrough occurred when Wilder cast him in the lead of the. Swanson herself reportedly asked him to do it. Men bribed her hairdresser to get a lock of her hair. 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. #7. The latter was shot in Africa and sparked Holden's fascination with the continent that was to last for the rest of his life. The studio needed an actor who the audience could believe wrote a story about Okies in the Dust Bowl that played on a torpedo boat by the time it hit the screen. But when Sondheim pitched the idea to Billy Wilder at a party, Wilder said, "You can't write a musical about Sunset Boulevard. Swanson agreed to the audition, and won the role. Sunset Boulevard is no has-been, though. About 10 minutes later, Holden passed out and died from blood loss. Holdens last movie, Blake Edwardss S.O.B., was another masterpiece of Hollywood cynicism. Wilder told the actors to kibbutz and let him shuffle. Normas waxworks card sharps were Swedish-born Anna Q. Nilsson, H. B. Warner and Buster Keaton. 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. 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. Suratt believed that DeMille's epic, "The King of Kings" (released in 1927) was based on her screenplay and filed a $1,000,000 plagiarism suit which was settled out of court in 1930. She worked closely with Gloria Swanson on Norma Desmond's wardrobe, as she figured Swanson would have had a better idea of what women of that time would have worn and what they would be wearing now. In one week, she received 17,000 fan letters. Wilder and his co-writers reversed several elements, and there was no official connection between the movie and Waugh's book. Billy Wilder's 1978 Flop Fedora is less a worthy follow up to Sunset Boulevard than a sorry footnote. April 17 marks the 100th birthday of William Holden, who is ranked No. Getty always wanted a pool, the poor dope. De Mille, and Max von Mayerling. cynical Hollywood survivor played by William Holden. Ironically, the last films that Gloria Swanson made for Paramount were not at this famous facility. Their relationship makes the film as much a love story as it is a noir film, because if ever there is a femme fatale, it is Norma Desmond. His characters were always angling for something, whether it was silk stockings in a POW Camp in Stalag 17 from 1953, which won him a Best Actor Oscar, or to clear impersonation charges in in The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957) with Alec Guinness. It is one of the most indelible films you will ever see. Erich von Stroheim dismissed his participation in this film, referring to it as "that butler role.". [10] RKO borrowed him for Rachel and the Stranger (1948) with Robert Mitchum and Loretta Young. In 1972, Holden began a nine-year relationship with actress Stefanie Powers and sparked her interest in animal welfare. In 1998 the American Film Institute selected this as the 12th greatest film of the 100 Greatest American Movies of All Time. According to the DVD commentary by Wilder biographer Ed Sikov, this story was most likely invented/exaggerated by Billy Wilder. . 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. . In those days there were no buttons on formal shirts. So speaking of funerals, heres the great real life murder mystery we teased in the opening. On the basis of this film and largely due to his continuing association with director Billy Wilder, Holden would reach the zenith of his career from 1950-'57. 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. Like most old things in L.A., the house has since been replaced by an office building. When Joe and Norma sit down to watch one of her old movies, Joe pulls out a cigarette and places the bottom end in his mouth. on the corner of Crenshaw and Irving. The address of Norma Desmond's house is given as 10086 Sunset Boulevard. 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. Gloria Swanson, meanwhile, was born on March 27, 1899. Holden made a fourth and final film for Wilder with Fedora (1978). An iconic sequence in that earlier film sees the character of Diane ascending a long staircase to a seventh-story apartment (hence the film's title). But Hollywood press has always had clout. 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. At the end, they stood and cheered for Gloria Swanson's return. Or shall I call my servant? The investigation found that in the weeks just prior to his death, Taylor had been making some pretty delusional statements about his place in the world and some of his friends thought he had recently gone insane. According to Billy Wilder, it was von Stroheim's idea to use a clip from Queen Kelly (1932) in Sunset Blvd. Included among the 25 films on the American Film Institute's 2005 list of AFI's 100 Years of Film Scores. The name was then changed to Millman and finally to Sheldrake and was played by Fred Clark. He had made Swanson a star by. Youre killing yourself for an empty house. This car has been on display at the National Automobile Museum in Turin, Italy since 1972. He starred in the 1953 . She is ever the star. And here is how he obtained his new movie tag. [30] Holden made a Western with Ryan O'Neal and Blake Edwards, Wild Rovers (1971). Universal bought it on her death in 1920 and it was used in several movies, most notably in The Phantom of the Opera (1925). In accordance with his wishes, no funeral or memorial services were conducted. However, DeMille insisted that Lamarr be paid $25,000 for the privilege, so the idea was quickly dropped. Sunset Boulevard mixed fiction with the realities of filmmaking. Norma wound up sitting in Mr. DeMilles chair. West wanted to rewrite her dialogue. Editorial Reviews. 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." Norma, the aging silent-movie star who ensnares down-at-the-heels screenwriter Joe Gillis (William Holden), is the vamp become vampire (look at those clawlike hands! He contributed to Altvariety, Chiseler, Smashpipe, and other magazines. Holman was 16 years older than him and was afraid people would think the movie was a parody of their relationship. Film News. "I know how it's going to be," Holden said (per The Huntsville Item). The forensics team rolled him over and saw he had been shot at least once in the back with a small-caliber pistol. Jay Livingston, Ray Evans: The Paramount songwriting duo is seen at the piano at Artie Green's New Year's Eve party. Ballard, who used to impersonate Norma descending the stairs. He said it was because she was braver than any man. Before he became a kept man for Norma Desmond, he was thinking of wrapping up the whole Hollywood deal and trying to get his old job back as a newspaperman in Dayton, Ohio. The old movies needed neither color nor dialogue. See production, box office & company info. So they opened their big mouths and out came talk. He loves Norma so much, he even forges thousands of pages of fan mail, just to feed her delusion. ), a woman who trades on charms that have . 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. After all, it's about a dethroned queen." Who didnt then? taste bar and kitchen missouri city. To help promote the film, Gloria Swanson did a three-month tour of 36 cities in America and Canada. One of only 13 films to be nominated for Best Film, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actor, Best Supporting Actress and Best Director. Culture Editor Tony Sokol cut his teeth on the wire services and also wrote and produced New York CitysVampyr Theatreand the rock operaAssassiNation: We Killed JFK. Its second owner was Jean Paul Getty, who purchased it for his second wife. and was "a loner," according to Edwards, who wasn't surprised that Holden's body went so long without being discovered. Director Cecil B. DeMille, silent film actors Buster Keaton, H. B. Warner, and Anna Q. Nilsson played waxy versions of themselves. Norma telling studio guard Jonesy that without her there would be no Paramount Studios is not a far-fetched notion. Sunset Boulevard is also a reflection of Hollywood through a glass, darkly. He was perfection on and off-screen. Holden was a bit of an anti-hero, or at least a very flawed hero.

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