how old was william holden in sunset boulevard
White, pink, or maybe bright flaming red. (as Arthur Schmidt) He would slay, "I have no idea! On February 7, 1955, Holden appeared as a guest star on I Love Lucy as himself. A screenwriter develops a dangerous relationship with a faded film star determined to make a triumphant return. . It was a the kind of a place crazy movie people built in the crazy 20s. Her character's age was 22 but she was 21 at the time of filming. When producer Sheldrake offers to turn Gillis' script into a Betty Hutton story, the desperately poor writer inexplicably turns him down. New York-born novelist and screenwriter Brackett was head of the Screen Actors Guild in the late 1930s, and president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences from 1949 to 1955. William Holden | Biography, Movies, Death, & Facts | Britannica The princess in love with a holy man, she dances the dance of the seven veils. [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. At one point, Norma decides the time is right to send Gillis script to DeMille because is a Leo. Costume designer Edith Head found working on the film to be one of her greatest challenges. Neither did Toward the Unknown (1957), the one film Holden produced himself. These towns were favored because they were on the way to Palm Springs where, after collecting the audience reaction cards, studio personnel would then go to relax and determine what changes should be made to the previewed films. SUNSET BOULEVARD: The Making of the Billy Wilder Classic It's the pictures that got small," was voted #24, out of 100. Billy Wilder also used Sheldrake as the last name of Fred MacMurray's character in "The Apartment". Strange? He rejects her. Im not giving anything away here. And, of course, a pool. When Powers returned to California, she went to his penthouse apartment in Santa Monica but couldn't get in. After all, it's about a dethroned queen." This was the last major Hollywood feature film to be shot on nitrate stock. Ironically, the last films that Gloria Swanson made for Paramount were not at this famous facility. The exterior shots were of a house located not on Sunset but Irving Boulevard, near the corner of Wilshire, owned by the J. Paul Getty family. This dynamic served them well for years, each man's extreme tendencies being balanced by the other's, but during Sunset Boulevard it finally became unworkable. 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. Billy Wilder had worked on a script for a Swanson picture years earlier called "Music in the Air (1934)" and had forgotten about it. On the morning of February 1, 1922, Taylor--who had been romantically involved with her-- was shot and killed in his Hollywood bungalow. 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. The whole place seemed to have been stricken with the kind of creeping paralysis, out of beat with the rest of the world, crumbling apart in slow motion. Brackett thought the sequence was cruel in its emphasis on what age had done to the one-time beauty, but Wilder insisted it was essential to show how driven she was in her pursuit of youth. Taylor had a British accent and the imposter sounded like he came out of Chicagos south side. After a private screening for Hollywood dignitaries, Barbara Stanwyck knelt in front of Gloria Swanson and kissed the hem of her skirt. Columbia put Holden in a Western with Jean Arthur, Arizona (1940), then at Paramount he was in a hugely popular war film, I Wanted Wings (1941) with Ray Milland and Veronica Lake. The actor-turned-director-turned-actor-again, who had indeed been one of the great silent-filmmakers, winced at playing a character so self-referential and demeaning, but he needed the money. As DeMille was directing Lamarr at the time in Samson and Delilah (1949), this would have been no problem. When filming began, William Holden was 31 and Gloria Swanson was 50, the same stated age as her character. After Salome, she planned to make another picture and another picture. But when Sondheim pitched the idea to Billy Wilder at a party, Wilder said, "You can't write a musical about Sunset Boulevard. Holden was born William Franklin Beedle, Jr., on April 17, 1918, in O'Fallon, Illinois, son of Mary Blanche Beedle (ne Ball), a schoolteacher, and her husband William Franklin Beedle, an industrial chemist. Sunset Boulevard - Paramount Originals (includes Limited Edition Holden's films continued to struggle at the box office, however: Paris When It Sizzles (1964) with Hepburn was shot in 1962 but given a much delayed release, The 7th Dawn (1964) with Capucine and Susannah York, a romantic adventure set during the Malayan Emergency produced by Charles K. Feldman, Alvarez Kelly (1966), a Western, and The Devil's Brigade (1968). Swanson and von Stroheim are playing themselves in that scene. Stanwyck went to bat for Holden when he was going to be replaced in Golden Boy (1939) and Wilder's collaboration with Holden in the 50s starting with Sunset Boulevard revitalized his career (including the Best Actor Oscar for Stalag 17 (1953). Get the best of Den of Geek delivered right to your inbox! Although Gloria Swanson correctly states he is a Sagittarius, it is actually on the Sagittarius-Capricorn cusp. [22] The golden run at the box office continued with Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing (1955), from a best-selling novel, with Jennifer Jones, and Picnic (1955), as a drifter, in an adaptation of the William Inge play with Kim Novak. In the film Gloria is seen playing cards with three silent film stars: Buster Keaton, H.B. She can be seen talking and giggling on the phone during the party. 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." Although it can get chilly by the ocean, a light jacket or sweater would be plenty. They swore each other off over the montage where Norma struggles to lose weight for her comeback. Watch Sunset Boulevard: Centennial Collection, When Norma Desmond says to the guard at the "Paramount Studio" gates, "Without me there wouldn't be any 'Paramount Studio'" the words could apply to, When Max is telling Joe about directing Madam's first pictures, there is a bad dub of the word "sixteen". This makes her the youngest of the cast members, excluding any extras. [15] Holden and Hepburn became romantically involved during the filming, unbeknownst to Wilder: "People on the set told me later that Bill and Audrey were having an affair, and everybody knew. Well, not a comeback, a return, a return to the millions of people who have never forgiven her for deserting the screen. She offered Peavey 10 dollars to identify Taylors grave in the Hollywood Park Cemetery and had someone wait there in a white sheet to scare it out of him. Holden's first film back from the services was Blaze of Noon (1947), an aviator picture at Paramount directed by John Farrow. He did another Western at Columbia, Texas (1941) with Glenn Ford, and a musical comedy at Paramount, The Fleet's In (1942) with Eddie Bracken, Dorothy Lamour, and Betty Hutton.[9]. 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. Highly unusual at the time, Charles Brackett and Billy Wilder had Joe Gillis narrate, from beyond the grave, the sad tale of the final months of his life, while the film simultaneously depicts the still living Gillis experiencing those events unaware of the fate his dead self already knows. 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. He always wished that I would get an Oscar. He was also one of many stars in Feldman's Casino Royale (1967). When he appeared in the innovative Hollywood director Rouben Mamoulian's Golden Boy (1939), he was hailed as exactly that, but had seen his stock fall, largely through his problems with alcohol and a string of unmemorable films in the 1940s. This indicates that he is smoking filterless cigarettes, which was the norm for that era until filters became the standard after the mid-'50s. On the Columbia lot is an assistant director and scout named Harold Winston. The footage we see is from Queen Kelly (1929), which starred Gloria Swanson and was directed by Max himself, Erich von Stroheim. He made two more films with Olson: Force of Arms (1951) at Warner Bros. and Submarine Command (1951) at Paramount. Brackett was also a frequent collaborator with Billy Wilder, co-writing and producing a dozen movies with him (including The Lost Weekend) before Sunset Boulevard proved to be their last. (1954). As far as being a forgotten star, past her prime, Norma is only 50 in the movie, Swanson was 53 when she made it and was herself very busy on the then-new medium of television. A second film with Seaton did not do as well, The Proud and Profane (1956), where Holden played the role with a moustache. Gloria Swanson brings sunshine into every room as silent screen idol Norma Desmond. Buscar Amazon.com.mx. Warner took the part. Salome was a wonderful part for Norma Desmonds celluloid comeback. 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. Make-up designer Wally Westmore found that Gloria Swanson's face belied her age and wanted to make her look older. What is the streaming release date of Sunset Blvd. In accordance with his wishes, no funeral or memorial services were conducted. The car William Holden drives is a P15 Plymouth Special DeLuxe convertible, a model that was produced from 1945-49. 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. (1950), Cecil B. DeMille, who plays himself in the film, directed H.B. I didn't know. Sondheim respectfully stopped work on the project and, on the same grounds, later declined an offer to write the score for a proposed movie remake., Additional Sources: There were no shortage of suspects. The ocean?' Billy Wilder was actually friendlier with the other leading gossip columnist of the day, Louella Parsons. Brenda Marshall, Holden's wife since 1941, was visiting the set when Holden and Nancy Olson had their kissing scene. The photos of the young Norma Desmond that decorate the house are all genuine publicity photos from Gloria Swanson's heyday. She is still waving proudly to a parade which had long since passed her by. Holman was reportedly worried the film would parody their relationship and told Clift she would commit suicide if he played the role. The home was built in 1923 for businessman William O. Jenkins. and Crescent Heights Blvd. The film originally opened and closed the story at the Los Angeles County Morgue. 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. Montgomery Clift was originally cast as the writer but dropped out two weeks before the shoot. Holden appeared uncredited in Prison Farm (1939) and Million Dollar Legs (1939) at Paramount. It's probably just as well, since the darker, more nuanced story that eventually emerged was quite different from West's wheelhouse anyway. ), and he calls her "young fellow." Gloria Swanson and Nancy Olson also co-starred in Airport 1975 together. 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 along with the accolades came a dependence on alcohol that would play a major role in his tragic end. About 28:00 in, when Max is playing the organ, it is the same chords that Captain Nemo (James Mason) plays on his organ aboard the Nautilus in "20,000 Leagues Under The Sea." Erich von Stroheim, who made the masterpiece Greed in 1924, directed Swanson in Queen Kelly (1928), the flick Holdens character cuddles up with Norma to watch in the dark screening room of the dark mansion. "I knew he was off the wagon," she recalled in her memoir "One from the Hart." Also, the house didn't have a pool, so Paramount paid to have one installed on the condition that if Mrs. Getty didn't like it, they'd remove it after filming was over. This is absolutely true, Nancy Reagan continued consulting her astrologer long after she stopped parking at studio lots. These actors were bigger than life. I instantly fell in love - both with the movie itself and with its handsome 32-year old male lead, William Holden. William Holden Net Worth 2023: Age, Height, Weight, Wife, Kids, Bio Both Mary Astor and Miriam Hopkins starred in TV versions of the film in 1955 and 1956, respectively. Sunset Boulevard, one of Hollywood's most cruelly accurate depictions of itself, is now 65 years oldolder, even, than its main character, who's washed up at 50. Ballard, who used to impersonate Norma descending the stairs. This is an old film which has been made into a musical. Getting the role was a lucky break for Holden, as Montgomery Clift was initially cast but backed out of his contract. Co-writer D.M. His height was 1.8 m tall and weighed 89 kg. Holden did a sports film at Columbia, Boots Malone (1952), then returned to Paramount for The Turning Point (1952). That should make the young blond Paramount actress-turned-script reader Betty Schaefer (Nancy Olson) the virgin in the virgin/whore dynamic that film noir so often (and happily) deals in. 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. To help promote the film, Gloria Swanson did a three-month tour of 36 cities in America and Canada. For purposes of authenticity Erich von Stroheim and Nancy Olson wore their own clothes in the film. Norma Desmond returns to the Paramount lot and is overcome with nostalgia. Holden, just 63 when he died, had most recently appeared in the Blake Edwards' film "S.O.B." Since he had classic good looks, an expressive voice, and was an excelle Sunset Boulevard - General Discussions - TCM Message Boards His co-star Barbara Stanwyck, a screen. Included among the 25 films on the American Film Institute's 2005 list of AFI's 100 Years of Film Scores. Joe Gillis is seen reading the book "The Young Lions" by Irwin Shaw, a best-selling World War Two novel of the time, Montgomery Clift, who was originally offered the part of Joe Gillis, later played one of the leads in the film adaptation of that book The Young Lions (1958), though it was not directed by Billy Wilder. Vega subsequently confirmed that this was a reference to Holden.[50]. All I know is that she's meshuggah, that's all. Just us and the cameras, and those wonderful people out there in the dark! Norma Desmond didnt need dialogue, she can say whatever she wants with her eyes. [49], His death was noted by singer-songwriter Suzanne Vega, whose 1987 song "Tom's Diner", about a sequence of events one morning in 1981, included a mention of reading a newspaper article about "an actor who had died while he was drinking". Next image (0) (0) Everyone had a good laugh, though the record doesn't reflect whether Marshall joined in. Her friend George Cukor, who initially recommended her for the part, told her, "If they want you to do ten screen tests, do ten screen tests. Joe Gillis: Wait a minute, haven't I seen you before? The actor-turned-director bitched about that goddamned butler role for the rest his life. Getty always wanted a pool, the poor dope. Oddly enough, the reclusive Greta Garbo granted permission to use her name, though when she saw the film itself she was sorry she had done so. But she fits it like a round peg in a square hole. The After the. The moment he discovers that life could be beautiful, Norma slits her wrist with Joes razor. In reality, Gloria Swanson never worked with Normand and worked only once with Prevost in a 1916 short. 10 films that began filming without a finished script, Donald Trumps Bad Romance with Hollywood Began Before Parasite, Shazam! (Gloria Swanson's TV star - she has one for TV and one for film - is very near by at 6301 Hollywood Blvd). In an interview Wilder gave in 1996 he claimed that the film which eventually became SUNSET BOULEVARD began as a comedy for Mae West and Marlon Brando. The mundane accident that took the Hollywood actor's life was made even worse by the fact that nobody found his body for a week afterward, according to the Associated Press. Among the many past associations embedded in Sunset Blvd. Holden had a supporting role in Ashanti (1979) and was third-billed in another disaster film, When Time Ran Out (1980), which was a flop. The magnifying glass in Normas beauty makeover scene shows the skin of a young ingnue, not an aging crone. Billy Wilder originally wanted another silent star, Pola Negri, to take the part of Norma Desmond. American actress Gloria Swanson in a promotional portrait for 'Sunset Boulevard', directed by Billy Wilder, 1950. Wilder almost hired Broadway star Marlon Brando, who would make his screen debut in The Men in 1950. But she wanted to rewrite her dialogue (as was her custom)a nonstarter for Wilder, who seldom let his actors change their lines even slightly from what was on the page. Billy Wilder and Charles Brackett almost came to blows over the montage depicting Norma's preparations for her comeback. American Beauty screenwriter Alan Ball has acknowledged that another Billy Wilder film, The Apartment (1960), influenced that screenplay. Erich von Stroheim dismissed his participation in this film, referring to it as "that butler role.". Or shall I call my servant? Was the inspiration for Metallica's 1997 song "The Memory Remains". The exteriors of Norma Desmond's home on Sunset Boulevard were filmed at 641 South Irving Boulevard. 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. "Waxwork" Buster Keaton was in reality an excellent bridge player, always in demand at Hollywood bridge parties. The veteran actress particularly wanted to see what Mary Pickford felt and was disappointed to see that she had left. He received an eight-month suspended sentence for vehicular manslaughter.[1]. While talking with Betty and Artie in Schwab's, Artie points out the studs in Joe's tuxedo. The drugstore where Joe Gillis meets up with his old movie industry friends is Schwab's Pharmacy, then a real pharmacy/soda fountain at the intersection of Sunset Blvd. Throughout Hollywood history many film stars, and/or single films, were responsible for saving ailing studios. 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. Test audiences at the time couldnt let go of the joke, which was why it was re-edited this way. Some, including Holden himself and one of his close confidants, could foresee the death (per The Huntsville Item). David Lynch is an avid fan of the movie, having referenced it in films such as Inland Empire (2006), Mulholland Drive (2001)--which has a similar title and theme about the misfortunes of aspiring artists in Hollywood--and the television show Twin Peaks (1990), where Lynch himself played an FBI Bureau Chief named Gordon Cole. Holden starred in some of Hollywood's most popular and critically acclaimed films, including Sunset Boulevard (1950), Sabrina (1954), Picnic (1955), The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957), The Wild Bunch (1969) and Network (1976). Sunset Blvd. (1950) - Photo Gallery - IMDb Sunset Blvd. (1950) - IMDb According to Gloria Swanson's daughter, Michelle Amon, her mother stayed in character throughout the entire shoot, even speaking like Norma Desmond when she arrived home in the evening after filming. In 1973, Holden starred with Kay Lenz in a movie directed by Clint Eastwood called Breezy, which was considered a box-office flop. The only addition was the swimming pool, which wasn't equipped with a means of circulating the water so it was useless after filming. The two actors never worked together in another film. GLAMOROUS MEN: WILLIAM HOLDEN: At some point, "Sunset Boulevard" While in Italy in 1966, Holden was responsible for the death of another driver in a drunk-driving incident near Pisa. Unlike the character she played, Gloria Swanson had accepted the fact that the movies didn't want her anymore and had moved to New York, where she worked on radio and, later, television. [48] He also has a star on the St. Louis Walk of Fame. Visit the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration website or contact SAMHSA's National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357). It's the pictures that got small" was #91. When filming began, William Holden was 31 and Gloria Swanson was 50, the same stated age as her character. Billy Wilder wanted a fresh face for the part of Betty Schaefer. This film is in the Official Top 250 Narrative Feature Films on Letterboxd. Men bribed her hairdresser to get a lock of her hair. There were three young directors who showed promise in those early days of silent film, D.W. Griffith, Cecil B. Film debut (uncredited) of Yvette Vickers. While Hollywood Blvd. The house was owned by the J. Paul Getty family. When the movie first dropped, Louis B. Mayer, the Mayer in Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, told everyone who would listen that Wilder disgraced the industry that made him and fed him, and urged that he be tarred and feathered, and run out of Hollywood. Wilder, who had been feeding himself for quite some time, told Meyer to go fuck himself.
how old was william holden in sunset boulevard