You used to be big. The writer was almost all washed up, one step ahead of the finance company, parking his car in a lot behind the shoeshine parlor run by Rudy, a guy who never asked any questions about finances because he could just look at the peoplesr heels and know the score. The 2014 book by William J. Mann, Tinseltown: Murder, Morphine, and Madness at the Dawn of Hollywood, names Ross Blackie Madsen Sheridan as the killer, based on a death bed confession from actress Margaret Gibson, who beat a 1917 rap on prostitution and opium dealing. Hollywood was known for its excesses long before Michael Jackson hit town. At the end of her acceptance speech, she paid him a personal tribute: "I loved him very much, and I miss him. (1954). ), It came out the same year as another behind-the-scenes showbiz classic, All About Eve, which took most of the Oscars. (She liked it.). A version of how he obtained his stage name "Holden" is based on a statement by George Ross of Billboard: "William Holden, the lad just signed for the coveted lead in Golden Boy, used to be Bill Beadle [sic]. At one point, Norma decides the time is right to send Gillis script to DeMille because is a Leo. of quiet desperation at the end of a relationship when nothing's really making sense and I sort of had the image of William Holden at the beginning of Sunset Blvd. One of only 13 films to be nominated for Best Film, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actor, Best Supporting Actress and Best Director. (as Arthur Schmidt) The two stars had never expressed any hostility towards each other over the failure of Cecil B. DeMille and Stroheim made many recommendations to Wilder during the making of the film, including having his character write all of Norma Desmond's fan mail, and, more importantly, to use footage from "Queen Kelly" as an excerpt from one of Desmond's great silent films. Brackett was a New York-born novelist and screenwriter, 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 (during which time he won two screenwriting Oscarsgood news for conspiracy theorists). Also in 1969, Holden starred in director Terence Young's family film L'Arbre de Nol, co-starring Italian actress Virna Lisi and French actor Bourvil, based on the novel of the same name by Michel Bataille. 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. [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". [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 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. While Hollywood Blvd. Here's some backstage information to enhance your experience the next time you visit the Paramount lot.. 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. But in 1957, Paramount formally asked Desmond to stop, the studio bosses having decided not to grant permission after all. Both Keaton and Hopper died the same day, on February 1, 1966, at the ages of 70 and 80 respectively, both in Los Angeles. 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. Well, in the end, he got himself a poolonly the price turned out to be a little high, so Paramount paid to have one installed on the condition that if Mrs. Getty didnt like it, theyd remove it after filming was over. The address of Norma Desmond's house is given as 10086 Sunset Boulevard. As DeMille was directing Lamarr at the time in Samson and Delilah (1949), this would have been no problem. They swore each other off over the montage where Norma struggles to lose weight for her comeback. She felt that Wilder used her name in a past-tense context, and she was offended. De Mille at Paramount, the director is shooting the film Samson and Delilah, which he was actually shooting at the time. Billy Wilder had worked on a script for a Swanson picture years earlier called "Music in the Air (1934)" and had forgotten about it. From the right angle, the camera could shoot the reflected image in the mirror without ever going underwater itself. It's the pictures that got small" was #91. Sands had forged Taylors name on checks and wrecked his car the summer before and left footprints on Taylors bed after a burglary. Gillis: "Well, I had a few extra holes in me, two in the chest and one in the stomach." H.B. 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. The first of four films in which William Holden and Nancy Olson appeared. In July 1941, he married 25-year old actress Brenda Marshall, who commanded five times his income. "Twin Peaks" also features characters named Chester Desmond and Norma Jennings, in reference to Norma Desmond. The killing and the media circus that followed it hurt the industry. No one wants to get caught by surprise anymore. "I know how it's going to be," Holden said (per The Huntsville Item). The exteriors of Norma Desmond's home on Sunset Boulevard were filmed at 641 South Irving Boulevard. While in Italy in 1966, Holden was responsible for the death of another driver in a drunk-driving incident near Pisa. 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. But along with the accolades came a dependence on alcohol that would play a major role in his tragic end. In the fall of 1981, the television actor Stefanie Powers, who was dating William Holden, was in Hawaii filming the ABC show "Hart to Hart" when Holden stopped answering his phone. Visit the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration website or contact SAMHSA's National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357). The statuette on the telephone table at Artie Green's new years party is a model of the Philistine god, Dagon. The film is openly referenced in Soapdish (1991), The Player (1992), Gods and Monsters (1998), Mulholland Drive (2001), Inland Empire (2006) and Be Cool (2005) while the closing scene of Cecil B. Demented (2000) is a direct parody of the final scene of the 1950 classic. This can be deduced from the fact that when he pulls one out of the pack he turns the bottom end up to his mouth. Youre killing yourself for an empty house. Wilder was no fan of improvisation and was very protective of his words. Costume designer Edith Head found working on the film to be one of her greatest challenges. She is ever the star. director of photography Film Editing by Arthur P. Schmidt . Sunset Boulevard (styled in the main title on-screen as SUNSET BLVD.) They stayed that way even if the pictures got small. The two starred in the films The Lion (1962) and The 7th Dawn (1964). Holden was reunited with Wilder in Stalag 17 (1953), for which Holden won the Academy Award for Best Actor. In 1989 the National Film Registry of the Library of Congress selected this as one of 25 landmark films of all time. are shown stenciled on the curb of that street. He worked on dramas like The Key (1958), Westerns like John Fords The Horse Soldiers (1959) opposite John Wayne, and comedies like The Moon is Blue which so famously challenged the Production Code in 1953 that Hawkeye and BJ insisted it get shown at M*A*S*H 4077 to break the monotony of the Korean War. But Hollywood press has always had clout. The great big white elephant of a mansion on Sunset Boulevard was actually on Wilshire Boulevard and would be used again as the abandoned mansion in the film Rebel Without a Cause. Although she had long before ruled out the possibility of a movie comeback, she was nevertheless highly intrigued when she got the offer to play the lead. [39] On a trip to Africa, he fell in love with the wildlife and became increasingly concerned with the animal species that were beginning to decrease in population. Sunset Boulevard (DVD, 2017) UK Region 2 release with extras. Glenn Close, who portrayed Norma Desmond on stage, also played a character who dramatically cut her wrists over a man she was in love with in the film "Fatal Attraction. Mary Pickford, Pola Negri, and Greta Garbo turned down the role. "[18] Rumors at the time had it that Hepburn wanted a family, but when Holden told her that he had had a vasectomy and having children was impossible, she moved on. Included among the "1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die," edited by Steven Schneider. Co-writer D.M. 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. When Joe and Norma sit down to watch one of her old movies, Joe pulls out a cigarette and places the bottom end in his mouth. Norma is at the edge of insanity through the whole movie, but that doesnt mean shes not fun. But it's also a love story, and the love keeps it from becoming simply a waxworks or a freak show. The first-floor set of Norma Desmond's mansion was also used in the western comedy Fancy Pants (1950) starring Bob Hope and Lucille Ball, giving fans a chance to see it in full color. 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. On February 7, 1955, Holden appeared as a guest star on I Love Lucy as himself. 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. Joe Gillis: You're Norma Desmond. His height was 1.8 m tall and weighed 89 kg. This was a first for Gloria Swanson, but proved a big boon in helping her develop her character's descent into madness. This car has been on display at the National Automobile Museum in Turin, Italy since 1972. 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. The old movies needed neither color nor dialogue. The ocean?' It's the pictures that got small," was voted #24, out of 100. Sunset Boulevard English audio 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,. Swanson argued that a woman like Norma would have been obsessed with her appearance and would have done her utmost not to look old. 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. She looks like a mannequin of a . The film and actors was excellent and lived up to our expectations. "Lux Radio Theater" broadcast a 60-minute radio adaptation of the movie on September 17, 1951, with Gloria Swanson and William Holden reprising their film roles. The same musical quote from "Salome" is used again as she descends the stairs, where Waxman segues into his own original musical statement of "The Dance of the Seven Veils". The young actor also got to work with George Raft and Humphrey Bogart in the gangsters on parole movie,Invisible Stripes. These actors were bigger than life. Montgomery Clift was originally cast as the writer but dropped out two weeks before the shoot. Throughout Hollywood history many film stars, and/or single films, were responsible for saving ailing studios. All of the silent film stars mentioned by Norma, Joe, Betty and Max were either dead or no longer active in films by 1950. 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." Billy Wilder went into production with only 61 pages of script finished, so he had to shoot more or less in chronological order. Warner took the part. "[4], For his contribution to the film industry, Holden has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame located at 1651 Vine Street. Billy Wilder's Sunset Boulevard is one of his three or four masterpieces, a seminal Hollywood black comedy-satire, which unlike most films keeps improving with the passage of time.. Benfiting from a glorious and iconic cast, the film concerns a faded silent film star, played by Gloria Swanson (in a variation of her own onscreen persona), who lives in the past with her butler (and former . The structure in the film required a tennis court, or rather the ghost of a tennis court, with faded markings and a sagging net. [39][46] He dictated in his will that the Neptune Society cremate him and scatter his ashes in the Pacific Ocean. This ushered in the peak years of Holden's stardom. LAS COSAS DEL QUERER", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sunset_Boulevard_(film)&oldid=1142173541, Best Overall New Extra Features Library Release. Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Sunset Boulevard DVD Special Collector's Edition William Holden Gloria Swanson at the best online prices at eBay! William Haines turned down an offer to appear in the film but attended the Hollywood premiere with Joan Crawford. Schwab's Pharmacy was filmed only 500 feet (145 meters) from where Robert "D-Fens" Foster shot out the phone booth in Falling Down (1993). Yeah. It was a big hit, as was The Bridges at Toko-Ri (1954), a Korean War drama with Kelly.[20][21]. is directed toward his associate producer, Henry Wilcoxon, who had starred in his epics Cleopatra (1934), The Crusades (1935) and Unconquered (1947), later moving to a position behind the camera as DeMille's associate, which he held until the older man's death in 1959. 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). She produced and starred in Sadie Thompson and The Love of Sunya. in West Hollywood. Holden's first film back from the services was Blaze of Noon (1947), an aviator picture at Paramount directed by John Farrow. You murdered me. When Joe tells Betty that next time he will write "The Naked and the Dead", he is referring to the best-seller written by Norman Mailer and published in 1948. It was only natural that he should film several sequences on the studio's backlots. Previous image. The restoration was performed at Lowry Digital by Barry Allen and Steve Elkin. When she received her Honorary Oscar at the 1982 Academy Award ceremony, Holden had died in an accident just a few months prior. When Artie Green introduces Joe to other guests at his New Year's Eve party, he jokingly refers to him as "the well-known screenwriter, uranium smuggler and Black Dahlia suspect", a reference to the infamous unsolved L.A. murder case in 1947 of an aspiring actress known as The Black Dahlia, who was found murdered and dismembered on a street in Los Angeles. (1950) in my head, and I'd always sort of related to that character floating in . Wilder told the actors to kibbutz and let him shuffle. Gloria Swanson was paid $50,000 plus $5,000 per week for any time over schedule. Erich von Stroheim dismissed his participation in this film, referring to it as "that butler role.". This film is in the Official Top 250 Narrative Feature Films on Letterboxd. Holden earned his first Best Actor Oscar nomination for the role.[11]. [17], Their relationship did not last much beyond the completion of the film. The first draft of the film was a straightforward comedy about a has-been actress making a comeback, and Wilder saw Mae West in the role. A modern-girl Jiminy Cricket, Betty asks, Dont you sometimes hate yourself? and Joe corrects her, Constantly.. Well, they kissed, and kissed, and kept kissing, and the crew began to snicker, and finally Marshall's voice rang out: "Cut, dammit!" 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. but Holden's wife, Ardis (Brenda Marshall), who happened to be on set that day. 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. When Norma visits Cecil B. I know your face. 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 the penultimate scene, as Max tells Norma that "the cameras have arrived," the high strings in composer Franz Waxman's Oscar-winning score quote a chord from Richard Strauss's "The Dance of the Seven Veils" from his opera "Salome". [28] Columbia would not meet Holden's asking price of $750,000 and 10% of the gross for The Guns of Navarone (1961); the amount of money Holden asked exceeded the combined salaries of stars Gregory Peck, David Niven, and Anthony Quinn.[29]. White, pink, or maybe bright flaming red. Salome was a wonderful part for Norma Desmonds celluloid comeback. A second film with Seaton did not do as well, The Proud and Profane (1956), where Holden played the role with a moustache. After a private screening for Hollywood dignitaries, Barbara Stanwyck knelt in front of Gloria Swanson and kissed the hem of her skirt. "I'm not surprised that this could have happened.". Sunset Boulevard DVD (2007) William Holden, Wilder (DIR) cert PG Amazing Value. William Holden had a similar trajectory as a young artist in Hollywood. The princess in love with a holy man, she dances the dance of the seven veils. It is also one of the most frequently misquoted movie lines, usually given as, "I'm ready for my close-up, Mr. 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. Norma, the aging silent-movie star who ensnares down-at-the-heels screenwriter Joe Gillis (William Holden), is the vamp become vampire (look at those clawlike hands! During the shopping excursion, Norma remarks that if Joe is not careful, he'll need a cutaway. [44] After his death, Powers set up the William Holden Wildlife Foundation at Holden's Mount Kenya Game Ranch. They eventually worked together on several films and became close friends. . The character of Joe Gillis was very much in tune with William Holden's standing at the time. It was named after a major street that runs through Hollywood, the center of the American film industry . But trophies or not, Sunset Boulevard has stayed near the top of the list of great movies about moviemaking. Zach Laws, Chris Beachum. Brackett and Wilder worked together on more than a dozen movies including The Lost Weekend. He stayed at Paramount for The Remarkable Andrew (1942) with Brian Donlevy, then made Meet the Stewarts (1943) at Columbia. In 1954, Holden was featured on the cover of Life. When filming began, William Holden was 31 and Gloria Swanson was 50, the same stated age as her character. Queen Kelly nearly ruined both of their careers after Joe Kennedy, JFKs dad who produced the film, replaced von Stroheim as director because Swanson complained about the racy material. 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). 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 called it "that goddamned butler role" for the remaining seven years of his life. Not long ago, he was divorced from the actress, Gloria Holden, but carried the torch after the marital rift. It's kind of sweet, actually. At the end, they stood and cheered for Gloria Swanson's return. Words are as good as sex to two writers. Forensic evidence recovered at the scene suggested that he was conscious for at least half an hour after the fall. Mary Pickford lived in seclusion, away from the public eye, while both Mae Murray and Clara Bow had well documented struggles with mental illness. Ballard, who used to impersonate Norma descending the stairs. The two men never worked together again. Normands career never recovered after word of her addiction leaked out and she died of tuberculosis on Feb. 23, 1930. He would slay, "I have no idea! a mean old woman who looks and acts a little like Ma Bates if she'd been dead for several years but was somehow still just as talkative and feisty. The death was just one of many infamous Hollywood scandals of the 1920s, which included the Roscoe Arbuckle bottle rape trial, the death of Olive Thomas, the mysterious death of Thomas H. Ince, and the drug-related deaths of Wallace Reid, Barbara La Marr, and Jeanne Eagels. Other actresses considered for Norma Desmond were Mae West (who wanted to rewrite the dialogue), Mae Murray, and Mary Pickford. Holman was reportedly worried the film would parody their relationship and told Clift she would commit suicide if he played the role. So she lands his head on a golden tray, kissing his cold, dead lips. There are several references to Gloria Swanson's actual career in the film. Wilder almost hired Broadway star Marlon Brando, who would make his screen debut in The Men in 1950. In a scene described by director Billy Wilder as one of the best he'd ever shot, the body of Joe Gillis is rolled into the morgue to join three dozen other corpses, some of whom--in voice-over--tell Gillis how they died. Norma telling studio guard Jonesy that without her there would be no Paramount Studios is not a far-fetched notion. Location scenes at Norma Desmond's mansion were shot not on Sunset Boulevard but on Wilshire Boulevard. 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). In the film Gloria is seen playing cards with three silent film stars: Buster Keaton, H.B. Hola, identifcate . Holden's films after that time had not impressed Wilder (in the 1940s Holden's movies were decidedly mediocre). The pool was used in its empty condition in Rebel Without a Cause (1955). 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. As a practical joke, during the scene where William Holden and Nancy Olson kiss for the first time, Billy Wilder let them carry on for minutes without yelling "Cut!" With the help of his partners, he created the Mount Kenya Game Ranch and inspired the creation of the William Holden Wildlife Foundation. And so tonight, my golden boy, you got your wish". The silent comedian had a reputation as one of Hollywoods best bridge players. And here is how he obtained his new movie tag. It's probably just as well, since the darker, more nuanced story that eventually emerged was quite different from West's wheelhouse anyway. He rejects her. This is an old film which has been made into a musical. William Holden returns to find that Gloria Swanson has tried to slash her wrists in 'Sunset Boulevard', directed by Billy Wilder. The black studs on Joe's shirt front were probably onyx, black opals, or even black pearls. The The actor got up and tried to staunch the blood pouring from his forehead but never called 911, which might have saved his life, per the biography. Gloria Swanson and Nancy Olson also co-starred in Airport 1975 together. Because all three audiences inappropriately found the morgue scene hilarious, the film's release was delayed six months so that a new beginning could be shot. When filming began, William Holden was 31 and Gloria Swanson was 50, the same stated age as her character. You probably know about the Andrew Lloyd Webber version of Sunset Boulevard that premiered in London in 1993 and headed to Broadway in 1994 with Glenn Close in the lead role. (he'd already gotten the shot he needed on the first take). Features the only Oscar-nominated performances of Erich von Stroheim and Nancy Olson. - 65th Anniversary (25) Film Noir Through the Years (3) Movies Set in Hollywood (3) Our Favorite Male-Female Duos (1) The History of Golden Globe Winners for Best Actor and Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama (1) Our Favorite Stills From "The Movies" (1) Movies About Movies (1) 77 Years of Golden Globes Best Picture Winners (1) Holden served as a second and then a first lieutenant in the United States Army Air Force during World War II, where he acted in training films for the First Motion Picture Unit, including Reconnaissance Pilot (1943). In addition to the famous swimming pool, the studio also built sets to exactly duplicate Schwab's Drug Store in Hollywood and the Los Angeles County Morgue. According to a statement director King Vidor made in 1968, the Los Angeles police detective who was assigned to the case was told to lay off about a week into the investigation. Art director John Meehan experimented until he came up with the idea to shoot the scene through a mirror at the bottom of the studio water tank. [35] Holden starred in The Earthling,[36] as a loner dying of cancer at the Australian outback and accompanying an orphan boy (Ricky Schroder). Realizing that former actress Hopper would easily dominate the scene, Parsons declined, even though she and Wilder were friends. In fact, such was the buzz about the film during production that the viewing of the dailies became one of the hottest tickets on the lot. Since 2006, he has overseen the Bayou City History blog, which covers various aspects of Houston's history. Sunset Boulevard is no. He was perfection on and off-screen. Holden was a bit of an anti-hero, or at least a very flawed hero. Winston was one of those who discovered the Golden Boy newcomer and who renamed himin honor of his former spouse!"[3]. It also alludes to the fact that Pomona was one of three towns in California's Inland Empire region (Riverside and San Bernardino were the others) that were frequently used during Hollywood's Golden Age for testing preview audiences' reactions to unreleased films. It was a the kind of a place crazy movie people built in the crazy 20s. (1950), as a way of "art imitating life." The name "Norma Desmond" was chosen from a combination of silent-film star Norma Talmadge and silent movie director William Desmond Taylor, whose still-unsolved murder is one of the great scandals of Hollywood history. Sunset Boulevard, the 1950 film noir classic directed and co-written by Billy Wilder, did a lot to change that and other myths of old Hollywoodlike the real-life murder at the heart of the story. [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. In Billy Wilder's film, Erich von Stroheim plays the butler of Gloria Swanson's forgotten silent-film star. And that young man who was found floating in the pool of her mansion, with two shots in his back and one in his stomach, was nobody important, really. "I knew he was off the wagon," she recalled in her memoir "One from the Hart." In 1972, Holden began a nine-year relationship with actress Stefanie Powers and sparked her interest in animal welfare. On the morning of February 1, 1922, Taylor--who had been romantically involved with her-- was shot and killed in his Hollywood bungalow. Norma Desmond: I *am* big. For some scenes, cinematographer John F. Seitz would sprinkle dust into the air so it could be caught by the lights and create a moody effect. He was perfection on- and off-screen. In one week, she received 17,000 fan letters. . This inter-positive was scanned at 2,000 lines of resolution and electronically restored for the 2002 DVD reissue. The stars read the stars. The audience left 20 years ago. Norma Shearer turned down the role of Norma Desmond as she didn't want to come out of retirement and also found the part to be highly distasteful. Billy Wilder's "Sunset Boulevard" is the portrait of a forgotten silent star, living in exile in her grotesque mansion, screening her old films, dreaming of a comeback. X. They thought the actors made it up as they went along. Every character is jaded, except the oldest players. Holden had another hit with The World of Suzie Wong (1960) with Nancy Kwan, which was shot in Hong Kong. Swanson made the transition to talkies with The Trespasser in 1929.