how old was william holden in sunset boulevard how old was william holden in sunset boulevard

The musical version of the movie opened in London on July 12, 1993, and ran 1529 performances. This one had it in spades. 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. Ballard, who used to impersonate Norma descending the stairs. The movie opens with a shot of a dead guy floating face down in a pool, and the dead man himself tells us that its Joe Gillis getting bloated in the chlorine. in 1911 when the Nestor Film Company moved from New. He rejects her. Billy Wilder originally wanted another silent star, Pola Negri, to take the part of Norma Desmond. [48] He also has a star on the St. Louis Walk of Fame. Holden starred in the 20th Century Fox film Apartment for Peggy (1948). Billy Wilder also used Sheldrake as the last name of Fred MacMurray's character in "The Apartment". Who didnt then? Mrs. Getty divorced her millionaire husband and received custody of the house; it was she who rented it to Paramount for the filming. His co-star Barbara Stanwyck, a screen. William Holden says his birthday is December 21st. ", After serving with the U.S. Army Air Forces in World War II, he returned to Hollywood and in 1950 he got his first substantial role in Billy Wilder's "Sunset Boulevard," per Britannica. Holden, who was at this point dependent on alcohol, said, "I really was in love with Audrey, but she wouldn't marry me. [45], According to the Los Angeles County Coroner's autopsy report, Holden bled to death in his apartment in Santa Monica, California, on November 12, 1981, after lacerating his forehead from slipping on a rug while intoxicated and hitting a bedside table. Wilder wanted Hedy Lamarr to sit in for a cameo, but she wanted $25,000. Being born on 17 April 1918, William Holden was 63 years old at the time of his death. But in 1957, Paramount formally asked Desmond to stop, the studio bosses having decided not to grant permission after all. There were three young directors who showed promise in those early days of silent film, D.W. Griffith, Cecil B. [5][6], Next he starred with George Raft and Humphrey Bogart in the Warner Bros. gangster epic Invisible Stripes (1939), billed below Raft and above Bogart. Mary Pickford, Pola Negri, and Greta Garbo turned down the role. It was Erich von Stroheim who suggested the revelation that Max was writing all of Norma's fan mail. (1954). Although Gloria Swanson correctly states he is a Sagittarius, it is actually on the Sagittarius-Capricorn cusp. Well, not a comeback, a return, a return to the millions of people who have never forgiven her for deserting the screen. This was the actual set of Samson and Delilah (1949), which de Mille was making at the time. The stars read the stars. Get the best of Den of Geek delivered right to your inbox! Features the only Oscar-nominated performances of Erich von Stroheim and Nancy Olson. Prior to joining the Houston Chronicle, Gonzales worked as a night cops reporter at The. At one point, Norma decides the time is right to send Gillis script to DeMille because is a Leo. As day breaks. is a 1950 American black comedy [1] [2] film noir [3] directed and co-written by Billy Wilder, and produced and co-written by Charles Brackett. 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". Location scenes at Norma Desmond's mansion were shot not on Sunset Boulevard but on Wilshire Boulevard. William Holden had a similar trajectory as a young artist in Hollywood. Gloria Swanson was paid $50,000 plus $5,000 per week for any time over schedule. taste bar and kitchen missouri city. The magnifying glass in Normas beauty makeover scene shows the skin of a young ingnue, not an aging crone. 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." 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 Gloria Swanson herself, as she was the studio's top star for six years running. Columbia teamed him with Lucille Ball for Miss Grant Takes Richmond (1949), and the sequel to Dear Ruth, Dear Wife (1949). A modern-girl Jiminy Cricket, Betty asks, Dont you sometimes hate yourself? and Joe corrects her, Constantly.. [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. 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. The character of Max Von Mayerling as a washed up silent film director was an homage paid by Wilder to Erich von Stroheim, who was an inspiration to Billy in his glory days as a notorious silent film director himself. The clips in Sunset Boulevard were the first American audiences had seen of it. And, of course, a pool. Billy Wilder originally approached William Haines to play one of Norma's bridge partners. Salome was a wonderful part for Norma Desmonds celluloid comeback. This is an old film which has been made into a musical. Hola Elige tu direccin Pelculas y Series de TV. At the end of her acceptance speech, she paid him a personal tribute: "I loved him very much, and I miss him. The latter was shot in Africa and sparked Holden's fascination with the continent that was to last for the rest of his life. The mansion belonged to the second Mrs. Jean Paul Getty, who rented it on condition that if she did not like the swimming pool the studio would have to add for the film, it would cover it over and restore the original landscaping. We had faces" was #13. But when Sondheim pitched the idea to Billy Wilder at a party, Wilder said, "You can't write a musical about Sunset Boulevard. This film was originally released in the United States as The Christmas Tree and on home video as When Wolves Cry. Although it can get chilly by the ocean, a light jacket or sweater would be plenty. She reads everyone and everything in Hollywood, except Joes script. Test audiences at the time couldnt let go of the joke, which was why it was re-edited this way. Joe insists hes not a Hollywood whore, but he accepts Normas gifts, gold cigarette cases, a platinum watch, suits, shirts, and shoes that would impress Rudy. In fact, Billy Wilder and Charles Brackett even went to Pickfair to pitch the story to Pickford, but her horrified reaction as the story progressed made them stop halfway through and apologize to her. Make-up designer Wally Westmore found that Gloria Swanson's face belied her age and wanted to make her look older. Gordon Cole was a real person in the art department for DeMille's Samson and Delilah (1949) and later in The Ten Commandments (1956). Taylor had $78 in his wallet, a silver cigarette case, a Waltham pocket watch, and a two-carat diamond ring on his finger when his body was found, so cops quickly ruled out robbery as the motive. For television roles in 1974, Holden won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie for his portrayal of a cynical, tough veteran LAPD street cop in the television film The Blue Knight, based upon the best-selling Joseph Wambaugh novel of the same name.[31][4]. It's the *pictures* that got small. Perhaps one of the reasons Swanson got the job was because director George Cukor mentioned that the actress once lived in a mansion on Sunset Boulevard. 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. [42][citation needed]. Norma's butler, Max, who used to be one of her directors is played by Erich von Stroheim, who directed Swanson in the movie Queen Kelly (1932), clips from which are used in the scene where Norma and Joe watch one of her old films. The movie featured the famed director Erich von Stroheim, who made photographs of Gloria Swanson move so beautifully the world was enthralled, as Max Von Mayerling, the director who made, married, and divorced the enthralling Norma Desmondand then gave up his career in film to be her slave in butlers clothing. Still, whatever hard feelings there may have been between Swanson and von Stroheim, they were gone by the time Sunset Boulevard came along. The exteriors of Norma Desmond's home on Sunset Boulevard were filmed at 641 South Irving Boulevard. The only addition was the swimming pool, which wasn't equipped with a means of circulating the water so it was useless after filming. Every character is jaded, except the oldest players. 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. She refuses to believe that she's no longer remembered and will never make another movie. If anything, its observations on the greedy machinations of Tinseltown are truer now than they were in 1950. The look of pain sustained two fine films 'The Wild Bunch' and 'Network' so that we rubbed our eyes to recall the fresh-faced enthusiast from Golden Boy. Everyone had a good laugh, though the record doesn't reflect whether Marshall joined in. Microphones would catch the last gurgles, and Technicolor would photograph the red, swollen tongues. Holden's first starring role was in Golden Boy (1939), costarring Barbara Stanwyck, in which he played a violinist-turned-boxer. 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. She is ever the star. A neglected house gets an unhappy look. All of the silent film stars mentioned by Norma, Joe, Betty and Max were either dead or no longer active in films by 1950. While in Italy in 1966, Holden was responsible for the death of another driver in a drunk-driving incident near Pisa. Sunset Boulevard DVD (2007) William Holden, Wilder (DIR) cert PG Amazing Value. Confess, Peavey, he laughed in the ghosts face. [30] Holden made a Western with Ryan O'Neal and Blake Edwards, Wild Rovers (1971). [4] The film was made for Columbia, which negotiated a sharing agreement with Paramount for Holden's services. Holden did a sports film at Columbia, Boots Malone (1952), then returned to Paramount for The Turning Point (1952). He was just a movie writer with a couple of B-pictures to his credit. Holden met French actress Capucine in the early 1960s. Forensic evidence recovered at the scene suggested that he was conscious for at least half an hour after the fall. The movie was previewed with this opening, in Illinois, Long Island (NY) and Poughkeepsie (NY). While in Italy in 1966, Holden was responsible for the death of another driver in a drunk-driving incident near Pisa. On the advice of Libby Holman, Montgomery Clift, who had signed to play the part of Joe Gillis, broke his contract just two weeks prior to the start of shooting. The studio needed an actor who the audience could believe wrote a story about Okies in the Dust Bowl that played on a torpedo boat by the time it hit the screen. But before that happened, it appeared in Rebel Without a Cause as the abandoned mansion in which the kids hang out. The "Desmond mansion" was located not on Sunset Blvd. A disagreement over the montage where Norma puts herself through hell getting thinner and younger for her comeback nearly resulted in physical violence: Brackett thought it was too mean, while Wilder felt it was necessary to show what lengths a desperate actor would go to in Hollywood. Vega subsequently confirmed that this was a reference to Holden.[50]. and was "a loner," according to Edwards, who wasn't surprised that Holden's body went so long without being discovered. Holden's first film back from the services was Blaze of Noon (1947), an aviator picture at Paramount directed by John Farrow. Norma Desmond says that she paid $28,000 for the Isotta-Fraschini car in 1929. (1950) in my head, and I'd always sort of related to that character floating in . The pool was used in its empty condition in Rebel Without a Cause (1955). Talk! Charles Brackett and Billy Wilder retained the term of endearment for the scene in which DeMille greets Norma Desmond at the door of the sound stage. She said it was a blackmail scheme gone wrong. His characters were always angling for something, whether it was silk stockings in a POW Camp in Stalag 17 from 1953, which won him a Best Actor Oscar, or to clear impersonation charges in in The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957) with Alec Guinness. Cecil B. DeMille appears in the film on a studio set. Sunset Boulevard is no has-been, though. Warner (one of the four "Waxworks" at the bridge party) in The King of Kings (1927). Despite the 19 year gap in their ages, Holden and Swanson died just 2 years apart from each other- Holden in 1981 at age 63 and Swanson in 1983 at age 84. The actor's second major breakthrough occurred when Wilder cast him in the lead of the. 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. Brackett thought it was too mean while Wilder felt it was necessary. This was a first for Gloria Swanson, but proved a big boon in helping her develop her character's descent into madness. [44] After his death, Powers set up the William Holden Wildlife Foundation at Holden's Mount Kenya Game Ranch. The name was then changed to Millman and finally to Sheldrake and was played by Fred Clark. He loves Norma so much, he even forges thousands of pages of fan mail, just to feed her delusion. He starred in the 1953 . There once was a time in this business when they had the eyes of the whole world. Sands had forged Taylors name on checks and wrecked his car the summer before and left footprints on Taylors bed after a burglary. Holden's career took off again in 1950 when Billy Wilder tapped him to play a down-at-heel screenwriter taken in by a faded silent film actress (Gloria Swanson) in Sunset Boulevard. At the time this movie was made, the incident was still quite recent. She changed her professional name to Patricia Palmer and was working with Famous Players-Lasky, Taylors studio at the time of his death. [4] He made a sex comedy with David Niven for Otto Preminger, The Moon Is Blue (1953), which was a huge hit, in part due to controversy over its content. Holden himself claimed that he, too, could picture his end. Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor, Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or Movie, Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie, New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actor, Venice Film Festival Special Award for Ensemble Acting, Laurel Award for Top Male Dramatic Performance, BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role, National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Actor, Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie, "When Alcoholics drink themselves to death", "William Holden Dead at 63; Won Oscar for 'Stalag 17', "Barbara Stanwyck's Honorary Award: 1982 Oscars", "The Screen Strand Shows 'Invisible Stripes', "30 Days, 30 Classics Day 17: Sabrina (1954) starring Audrey Hepburn, William Holden and Humphrey Bogart", "Screen: Crosby Acts in 'Country Girl'; Film Based on Odets Drama Makes Bow", "The Screen in Review; 'Bridges at Toko-ri' Is Fine Film of War", "Han Suyin dies at 95; wrote 'Many-Splendored Thing', "13 Fascinating Facts About 'The Bridge on the River Kwai', "Columbia Earns as It Holds Coin Due Bill Holden on 10% of 'Kwai', "The Towering Inferno Movie Review (1974)", "Network Movie Review & Film Summary (1976)", "William Holden Gave His All Even "When Time Ran Out", "William Holden's Unscripted Fall From Grace", The William Holden Wildlife Education Center, "West Holden: More than just the son of William Holden", Image of William Holden and Brenda Marshall, Academy Awards, Los Angeles, 1951, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=William_Holden&oldid=1142631715, Outstanding Performance by a Lead Actor in a Miniseries or Movie Primetime Emmy Award winners, United Service Organizations entertainers, Articles with dead external links from December 2019, Short description is different from Wikidata, All Wikipedia articles written in American English, Pages using infobox person with multiple partners, Articles with unsourced statements from September 2022, TCMDb name template using numeric ID from Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, episode: "William Holden/Frances Bergen Show", This page was last edited on 3 March 2023, at 14:28. Montgomery Clift was originally cast as the writer but dropped out two weeks before the shoot.