Whatever Happened to Baby Jane? was a psychological thriller released in 1962 starring industry veterans Bette Davis and Joan Crawford as tortured, ageing sisters. While the film was immediately regarded as a classic horror story, thanks largely to their performances as well as a number of unforgettably twisted scenes, it was the off-screen drama between Bette and Joan that really engaged viewers. As long time, real life rivals, the two surprisingly agreed to co-star in Whatever Happened to Baby Jane? and reportedly spent much of the filming engaged in petty quarrels and, at times physical, fights. Legend has it that both women called director Robert Aldrich nightly to complain about the other. Then, when Bette Davis was nominated for an Oscar instead of Joan Crawford, things turned really ugly. Basically the war between the two was as captivating as anything that could happen on screen.
In early March, Feud, a new show directed by Ryan Murphy (of American Horror Story and Scream Queens fame), based on the pair’s strained relationship, will premiere on FX. With Susan Sarandon as Joan and Jessica Lange as Bette, Feud will explore the jealous rivalry that existed between the glamorous colleagues for decades. Let the games begin.
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Text Briony Wright