Henry Farrell (1) (1920–2006)

Two sisters, both famous at one time, trapped together in a Hollywood mansion. Blanche was a big movie star in the 30's, but after a car accident left her in a wheelchair, her life has been spent in a second story bedroom being cared for by her awful older sister. Jane was a famous child performer in vaudeville, but her fame disappeared, she lived in her sister's shadow for years, and now she's been forgotten. Jane is the resentful caregiver, but when she learns that Blanche is selling the show more house, her mental illness flares and Jane becomes even more horrible.
This edition also has three addition stories, including "What Ever Happened to Cousin Charlotte?", which was the basis for the movie Hush Hush Sweet Charlotte. I had no idea that the same author wrote both Baby Jane and Charlotte, though I should have as they're sort of linked in my mind with the time period and Bette Davis and crazy spinsters.
"Baby Jane" is so tense, even if you've seen the movie and know how it ends. Jane is a nightmare, and this is a really well-written scary story, highly recommended. show less

This probably isn't a collection I would have read without my book club pushing me into it, but I am ultimately glad I got around to it. The novel as well as the stories read fast, and Farrell's got a talent for character-building and suspense, though the lack of likeable characters is the one thing that really marred this read for me, as I just couldn't find it in myself to root for any of them. If the short stories at the end of this book hadn't been included, I certainly wouldn't have show more sought them out--I don't expect I'd want to read anything else by Farrell, truly--but I will forever remember how very different the last story in this collection was.

I'm sure some readers will love this one. The way Farrell depicted the spiralling out of control and the various characters' interior thoughts is admirable, and on the whole, there was enough humor and action to keep me entertained. For me, I just need some characters to care about, and most of the characters in this work are pretty thoroughly unlikeable. show less

Please note: in this review, "What Ever Happened to Baby Jane" in quotation marks refers to the novella. The title in italics refers to the movie.

The creepy, classic novella "What Ever Happened to Baby Jane" is back in a new 2013 edition that also includes three short stories (two of which were previously unpublished) by Henry Farrell (1920-2006).

The movie version of Baby Jane is extraordinarily faithful to the novella. Even if you haven't seen the film, you probably know the premise: an show more aging, paralyzed actress, Blanche, is imprisoned by her demented sister, Jane, a forgotten child star. Farrell perfectly captures Blanche's rising terror and sense of helplessness as crazy Jane escalates her abuse. It is a potboiler, all right, but a very effective one.

The introduction by Mitch Douglas, Farrell's literary agent and close friend, is very helpful. Douglas explains that Farrell wrote "Baby Jane" because he needed the money for his beloved wife's medical bills. According to Douglas, the unexpected success of the film with Joan Crawford and Bette Davis inaugurated a whole new subgenre of horror films: "the 'psycho-biddy' movie." This subgenre revived the careers of several aging stars (including Olivia de Havilland and Tallulah Bankhead) as low-budget movies featuring deranged older women were popular in the '60s and '70s.

After "Baby Jane", Farrell wrote several "psycho-biddy" knock-off stories and screenplays. One of these stories, "What Ever Happened to Charlotte?", the inspiration for the movie Hush, Hush Sweet Charlotte, is included in this edition. Like the other two stories in the collection, the previously unpublished "The Debut of Larry Richards" and "First, The Egg", "Charlotte" is not as compelling as "Baby Jane". In particular, "Charlotte" is marred by a murky ending. I had to look up Hush, Hush, Sweet Charlotte in Wikipedia to understand what really happened at the end.

To sum up, "Baby Jane" is not required reading by any means, but it is interesting as a period piece and as a psychological sketch of captor and captive. This new edition is worthwhile because of the introduction, but the bonus stories do not add much value. show less

I only saw the classic movie once, decades ago, but the creepiness of it lingers still. So when I found this yellowed gem at a Friends sale I naturally had to see if the book was "better than the movie." Compared to the time that it was written, its horror comes off a bit tame today. The terror is mostly psychological. And the melodrama of Blanche was a bit pearl-clutching. But one should always read or view the classics, and this definitely makes me want to revisit the movie. Bette Davis!!!