Gordon Cole was a real person in the art department for DeMille's Samson and Delilah (1949) and later in The Ten Commandments (1956). 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. 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. Erich von Stroheim, who directed Swanson in Queen Kelly (1932), plays Max the butler, who serves as the projectionist in the scene. 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. Forensic evidence recovered at the scene suggested that he was conscious for at least half an hour after the fall. That's a reference to the traditional grey morning suit worn by the groom at a formal wedding. Haines, whose career had ended because of his homosexual off-screen life, was too happy in his new profession as an interior decorator to want to call attention to his past as an actor. On the morning of February 1, 1922, Taylor--who had been romantically involved with her-- was shot and killed in his Hollywood bungalow. . In his place, Wilder hired Buster Keaton. "[4], For his contribution to the film industry, Holden has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame located at 1651 Vine Street. but Holden's wife, Ardis (Brenda Marshall), who happened to be on set that day. The musical version of the movie opened in London on July 12, 1993, and ran 1529 performances. You used to be in silent pictures. Westmore and director Billy Wilder agreed with this so William Holden was made up to look younger than he was. Their partnership ended in a professional and gentlemanly mannerthere was no airing of any dirty laundrybut it did end.. Sunset Boulevard is no has-been, though. It was George Cukor who suggested Gloria Swanson for the role of Norma Desmond. Editorial Reviews. It was named after a major street that runs through Hollywood, the center of the American film industry . The pool was used in its empty condition in Rebel Without a Cause (1955). Since he had classic good looks, an expressive voice, and was an excelle This was the actual set of Samson and Delilah (1949), which de Mille was making at the time. The actor's second major breakthrough occurred when Wilder cast him in the lead of the. 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). William Haines turned down an offer to appear in the film but attended the Hollywood premiere with Joan Crawford. Sometimes hetinkles the wheezing gothic ivories like Lurch in the original TV series The Addams Family, playing the recognizable strains of The Phantom of the Opera. Boulevard du crpuscule : Amazon.com.mx: Pelculas y Series de TV. Since her part required her to gaze at the newsreel cameramen and "fans" (the waiting police) gathered in the foyer below, she couldn't watch where she placed her feet. It was a big hit, as was The Bridges at Toko-Ri (1954), a Korean War drama with Kelly.[20][21]. Now I had two favorite movies - aside from "Gone With The Wind" of course - both from 1950, "Sunset Boulevard" and "All . [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. Holden was reunited with Wilder in Stalag 17 (1953), for which Holden won the Academy Award for Best Actor. preppy-3 15 March 2008. [39][46] He dictated in his will that the Neptune Society cremate him and scatter his ashes in the Pacific Ocean. Wilder's version is the one they went with (he was the director, after all), but the argument marked a turning point for him, and he decided never to work with Brackett again. Director Cecil B. DeMille, silent film actors Buster Keaton, H. B. Warner, and Anna Q. Nilsson played waxy versions of themselves. [10] RKO borrowed him for Rachel and the Stranger (1948) with Robert Mitchum and Loretta Young. The last name of the studio executive played by Fred Clark is Sheldrake. Only 950 were made from 1924 to 1931. This film was originally released in the United States as The Christmas Tree and on home video as When Wolves Cry. 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. Brackett and Wilder worked together on more than a dozen movies including The Lost Weekend. There's a little dig in the scene when Cecil B. DeMille finds out that Paramount has been calling Norma Desmond because it wants to rent her car for "the Crosby picture." 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. . It opened on Broadway at the Minskoff Theater on November 17, 1994, ran for 977 performances and won the 1995 Tony Awards for Best Musical, Book and Score. At one point Norma mistakes Joe for a funeral director and asks for her coffin to be white, as well as specially lined with satin. If it were to come to auction in 2021, it would be valued at well over $1M. After the completion of his film, Wilder shocked his longtime collaborator by announcing that he wished to dissolve their partnership; this was the result of a fierce quarrel over a montage scene in the film. 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. It is one of the most indelible films you will ever see. Ballard, who used to impersonate Norma descending the stairs. Mary Pickford, Pola Negri, and Greta Garbo turned down the role. 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. This car has been on display at the National Automobile Museum in Turin, Italy since 1972. Eugene Walter was a prolific Hollywood screenwriter of the 1920s and 1930s. The four films were released between August 1950 and November 1951. This page was last edited on 28 February 2023, at 22:44. Well, they kissed, and kissed, and kept kissing, and the crew began to snicker, and finally Marshall's voice rang out: "Cut, dammit!" Sunset Boulevard (DVD, 2017) UK Region 2 release with extras. Swanson made the transition to talkies with The Trespasser in 1929. The two starred in the films The Lion (1962) and The 7th Dawn (1964). 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. Getting the role was a lucky break for Holden, as Montgomery Clift was initially cast but backed out of his contract. [12] Swanson later said, "Bill Holden was a man I could have fallen in love with. In their scene together in Artie's bathroom Gillis mentions to Betty in his dramatic flirtation about having spent "12 years in the Burmese jungle", when coincidentally, just a few years later his character, Shears, finds himself lost there in David Lean's The Bridge on the River Kwai. Every character is jaded, except the oldest players. About 10 minutes later, Holden passed out and died from blood loss. (1950) in Australia? But when Sondheim pitched the idea to Billy Wilder at a party, Wilder said, "You can't write a musical about Sunset Boulevard. You used to be big. Both Keaton and Hopper died the same day, on February 1, 1966, at the ages of 70 and 80 respectively, both in Los Angeles. DeMille." Warner, who appears as one of "The Waxworks", had been Gloria Swanson's leading man in Zaza (1923). Billy Wilder also used Sheldrake as the last name of Fred MacMurray's character in "The Apartment". Sad as this may sound, to the day he died, Holden insisted Bogart was a bastard. She said it was a blackmail scheme gone wrong. Wilder wanted Hedy Lamarr to sit in for a cameo, but she wanted $25,000. He was also one of many stars in Feldman's Casino Royale (1967). The exteriors of Norma Desmond's home on Sunset Boulevard were filmed at 641 South Irving Boulevard. William Haines, along with fellow silent screen veterans Buster Keaton and Anna Q. Nilsson, was approached to play one of Gloria Swanson's bridge partners. Gillis: "Well, I had a few extra holes in me, two in the chest and one in the stomach." [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. )[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. In 1972, Holden began a nine-year relationship with actress Stefanie Powers and sparked her interest in animal welfare. At one point Norma mentions working with Mabel Normand and Marie Prevost. Please, don't let it be true, it must be some mistake," per her memoir. The first name of the Joe Gillis character was Dan in an early draft of the screenplay, then altered to Dick, and finally to Joe just before filming began. Cecil B. DeMille: at the studio during Norma's visit. But it wasn't a bullet from the gun of an aging movie queen that tragically ended his life, but rather, a rug, per The New York Times. and Crescent Heights Blvd. Norma's buying Joe a fine woolen topcoat would be mostly an affectation in sunny Los Angeles. A week later she heard the news of Holden's death on her car radio. Billy Wilder and Charles Brackett almost came to blows over the montage depicting Norma's preparations for her comeback. His Mount Kenya Safari Club in Nanyuki (founded 1959) was popular with the international jet set. Some, including Holden himself and one of his close confidants, could foresee the death (per The Huntsville Item). Billy Wilder had worked on a script for a Swanson picture years earlier called "Music in the Air (1934)" and had forgotten about it. For a number of years, exhibitors voted Holden among the most popular stars in the country: On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Set designer Hans Dreier had in fact been the interior designer for the homes of former silent stars Bebe Daniels, Norma Shearer and Pola Negri. Sunset Boulevard (styled in the main title on-screen as SUNSET BLVD.) The body was found by Henry Peavey, who took over for convicted embezzler Edward F. Sands as Taylors valet. Features the only Oscar-nominated performances of Erich von Stroheim and Nancy Olson. 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. Zach Laws, Chris Beachum. 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. "I know how it's going to be," Holden said (per The Huntsville Item). When he drives Norma to Paramount Pictures at the studio gates, the car was pulled with a rope by off-camera grips. They reportedly began a two-year affair, which is alleged to have ended due to Holden's alcoholism. Other actresses considered for Norma Desmond were Mae West (who wanted to rewrite the dialogue), Mae Murray, and Mary Pickford. Norma Desmond promised she would never desert her audience again. About Press Copyright Contact us Creators Advertise Developers Terms Privacy Policy & Safety How YouTube works Test new features NFL Sunday Ticket Press Copyright . Holden was best man at the wedding of his friend Ronald Reagan to actress Nancy Davis in 1952. De Mille, and Max von Mayerling. If you don't, I will personally shoot you." Billy Wilder originally wanted another silent star, Pola Negri, to take the part of Norma Desmond. Neither did Toward the Unknown (1957), the one film Holden produced himself. Darryl F. Zanuck, Olivia de Havilland, Tyrone Power and Samuel Goldwyn all refused to allow their names to be used in the film, but Billy Wilder decided to use Zanuck's and Power's names anyway. Holden never lost his stride as cinema changed. Yeah. Holman was reportedly worried the film would parody their relationship and told Clift she would commit suicide if he played the role. But who could play the silent film diva? Norma's "gondola bed" was originally white, and was featured in Twentieth Century (1934) with Carole Lombard and John Barrymore.