Daily Dialogue — October 27, 2012

BLANCHE: Oh, Jane, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to ring for my breakfast. I was just wondering who all those people were at the back door.
JANE: Wasn’t anything. Just that nosey Mrs. Bates going on about your picture last night.
BLANCHE: Oh, really? Did she like it?
JANE: “Oh, really? Did she like it?” She liked it.
BLANCHE: I remember, when it first came out it had a tremendous reception. The critics described it as brilliant!
JANE: Do you remember what year you made that picture?
BLANCHE: Well, of course, you must, too. It was right after I did “Moonglow.”
JANE: I made a picture that year, too!
BLANCHE: Oh, yes, it was that comedy directed by Lloyd, wasn’t it?
JANE: No, it wasn’t. It was a love story. “The Longest Night.” Marty McDonald said it was the best thing I ever did! They never even released it in the United States!
BLANCHE: Feldman was very upset. He told me the company had a very bad year and they couldn’t afford…
JANE: No, they didn’t! They had a great year! They didn’t want to show my films. They were too busy giving a “big build-up” to that crap you were turning out. I’ll clean the cage.
BLANCHE: Oh, that would be Elvira.

— Jane (Bette Davis), Blanche (Joan Crawford), What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962), screenplay by Lukas Heller, novel by Henry Farrell

The Daily Dialogue theme for the week is sibling rivalry, suggested by Traci Nell Peterson who also suggested by What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?

Trivia: In 1962, this film was a smash hit, grossing nine million dollars initially. In 2009 dollars, this amount would adjust to approximately $64,279,370.86.

Dialogue On Dialogue: Commentary by Traci: “The sister’s rivalry and personalities are established pretty early in the script. Jane is aggressive, petty, and crass compared to the calm, refined, silent-suffering of her more elegant sister. This scene leads the audience into despising Jane but then complete sympathy for Blanche and we stay there…until the very end.”