2 thoughts on “Bette Davis singing “I’ve Written a Letter to Daddy” as Jane Hudson in “Whatever Happened to Baby Jane””
I watched this again with so much enjoyment, until I suddenly realized with abject horror (the worst kind, you know) that I am now three or four years older than Bette was when she shot this scene. How can it be? I was thinking “Gee, she doesn’t look as old here as I remember her. As a matter of fact…when was Bette born?….” You probably heard my sobs on the island. I give her so much credit to let it all hang out (a phrase from our youth, Matthew!) and play ugly. As much as I love Joan, she still insisted on being the beauty queen. Bette is so funny describing Joan’s death scene on the beach. It goes something like “Joan had two sets of falsies, huge and huger. And she’s dying on the beach and I have to fall on top of her. And they they were, pointing straight up. And she’s a dying old woman, for crissakes. It felt like I landed on two footballs.” Gosh I love her!
Joan was a trip and a half, that’s for sure. She fascinates me. She brought such a crazed energy to films. Bette, though, I thought was the better actress.
If it makes you feel any better about aging – everybody else is getting older too. I’m not as old as you, but I feel young still & look youngish probably due to all the physical work I do. A growing collection of hats covers up the receding hairline 12 months of the year.
MATTHEW'S ISLAND 
I watched this again with so much enjoyment, until I suddenly realized with abject horror (the worst kind, you know) that I am now three or four years older than Bette was when she shot this scene. How can it be? I was thinking “Gee, she doesn’t look as old here as I remember her. As a matter of fact…when was Bette born?….” You probably heard my sobs on the island. I give her so much credit to let it all hang out (a phrase from our youth, Matthew!) and play ugly. As much as I love Joan, she still insisted on being the beauty queen. Bette is so funny describing Joan’s death scene on the beach. It goes something like “Joan had two sets of falsies, huge and huger. And she’s dying on the beach and I have to fall on top of her. And they they were, pointing straight up. And she’s a dying old woman, for crissakes. It felt like I landed on two footballs.” Gosh I love her!
Joan was a trip and a half, that’s for sure. She fascinates me. She brought such a crazed energy to films. Bette, though, I thought was the better actress.
If it makes you feel any better about aging – everybody else is getting older too. I’m not as old as you, but I feel young still & look youngish probably due to all the physical work I do. A growing collection of hats covers up the receding hairline 12 months of the year.