Remake Fun: Who Would You Cast In The Remake of "Baby Jane?"

It was announced at Comic-Con two weeks ago that action director Walter Hill would direct a remake of the iconic Robert Aldrich thriller Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?

This is a bad, bad idea for many reasons.  First, the original is a masterpiece, with Bette Davis as the crazed ex-child star Baby Jane Hudson, who tortures her crippled sister Blanche (Joan Crawford).  The 1962 thriller was one of the few horror films to garner Oscar nominations—most notably Davis’s twelfth acting nod.  (She would have won if it wasn’t for Anne Bancroft and The Miracle Worker.)

Director Robert Aldrich was known for his macho action films, such as The Dirty Dozen and The Longest Yard.  But he was also a sensitive director of "women's films," and he brought out great performances in Baby Jane, Hush...Hush Sweet Charlotte, The Killing of Sister George, and others.  Director Walter Hill (48 Hrs., The Warriors) once said, "Every film I've made has been a western."  Walter Hill for Baby Jane?  I don't see it.

And what about the casting?  Even Vanessa and Lynn Redgrave couldn't erase the memory of Davis and Crawford in a lackluster 1991 TV remake.

Some films don't need to be remade.  Baby Jane is certainly one of them.  But as long as Warner's is going to do it, let's throw our two cents in and suggest some casting ideas:

Meryl Streep and Glenn Close:  Who better to play the demented Jane Hudson than our favorite psychopathic bunny boiler Glenn Close?  And wouldn't it be fun to see Streep get the stuffing knocked out of her?

Jessica Lange and Sigourney Weaver:  After her knockout Southern-dipped horror performance in American Horror Story, I could easily see Jessica Lange as Jane.  Weaver would be one of the few actresses who could hold her own with the two-time Oscar winner.

Angelica Huston and Barbara Hershey:  Huston has that classic Gothic look (see: The Addams Family) that would be perfect for this film.  The great Ms. Hershey (Beaches, Once Upon a Time) would be perfect to elicit our sympathy as the trapped Blanche.

So what do you think?  Anyone else pop into mind?  (If Elizabeth Taylor were still alive, I certainly would have put her on the list).  Give me your best ideas.

Comic-Con: Walter Hill Tackles Whatever Happened to Baby Jane Remake: http://www.deadline.com/2012/07/comic-con-walter-hill-tackles-whatever-happened-to-baby-jane-remake/

To purchase the original 1962 classic, click here:

In Appreciation: Sudden Fear (1952)

There was one kind of "film noir": stark black & white images; a man on the run; the girl that got him in trouble; smoke-filled rooms and backroom deals. Sometimes the hero came out of it alright. Sometimes he wound up dead in the last reel.

But there was another element in film noir. Let's call it: The Damsel In Distress. A beautiful woman, in over her head. Frequently, these films were in color, adding to the rich psychological palate of the genre. Sometimes these films veered close to camp, but they all emerged with their thrills and dignity intact. Mildred Pierce is a great example. The film opens up with a murder, and a confession from the leading lady. As the story progresses, we see firsthand how baking a couple of pies could get a dame into trouble.

1952's Sudden Fear is a forgotten example of this kind of film. It uses classic film noir elements to tighten the story's twists. And it has one of the nastiest villains of all time--played to menacing perfection by Jack Palance. Palance made a career out of bad guys (topped by Shane). In Sudden Fear, the way he leers into the camera makes you squirm.

The film was Joan Crawford's next-to-last great film role (Whatever Happened to Baby Jane being the last). In Fear Crawford portrays playwright Myra Hudson, who, at the opening, has just rejected Lester Blaine (Palance) for her latest stage opus. They later meet on a train to San Francisco, and fall in love.

Only after Myra marries Lester does she realize what a rat he is. He's got Irene, a dame on the side, played to icy, greedy perfection by Gloria Grahame (The Big Heat). And Lester and Irene have plans--big plans--for Myra. Unfortunately, all of them involve her death.

But all killers make mistakes. Lester and Irene plot to kill Myra, while Myra's dictation machine records every gruesome word. And the game is on...

One of the great noirish films of the '50s. Nominated for four Academy Awards: Best Actress, Best Supporting Actor, Best B&W Cinematography, Best Costume Design. Crawford knew how to play the successful woman-in-danger role to neurotic perfection.

Click on this link to purchase Sudden Fear on DVD:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00000IPHP/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=reelclas02-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B00000IPHP">Sudden