Billy Wilder was one of the ultimate Hollywood insiders and he grew with film. When Norma is telling Joe about how rich she is, she mentions a beach house and downtown real estate. Gillis smokes unfiltered cigarettes in the film. Cecil B. DeMille had a pet name for Gloria Swanson: "Young Fellow". 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]. Billy Wilder was frustrated with people assuming that the ending was meant to be ambiguous and asking him what happens to Norma after the final dissolve. Kodak would discontinue to manufacture it altogether in 1953. 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. Normand made movies with the likes of Charlie Chaplin and Roscoe Fatty Arbuckle, and lived like life was one Wild Party. 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. Brackett and Wilder worked together on more than a dozen movies including The Lost Weekend. But it's also a love story, and the love keeps it from becoming simply a waxworks or a freak show. Oh, wake up, Norma. You see, this is my life, she promised. 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. It's not possible to shoot through water and get a clear image beyond. 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. 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. The Paramount logo appears as a transparency over the opening shot. Gillis: "Yes I was murdered." )[19], He took third billing for The Country Girl (1954) with Bing Crosby and Grace Kelly, directed by George Seaton from a play by Clifford Odets. A Western at MGM, Escape from Fort Bravo (1953) did much better, and the all-star Executive Suite (1954) was a notable success. The name was then changed to Millman and finally to Sheldrake and was played by Fred Clark. According to the DVD commentary by Wilder biographer Ed Sikov, this story was most likely invented/exaggerated by Billy Wilder. According to both versions of the morgue prologue script, Gillis' body is admitted on 5/17/49 (as indicated by a toe tag). "[13] Paramount reunited him with Nancy Olson, one of his Sunset Boulevard costars, in Union Station (1950). The car William Holden drives is a P15 Plymouth Special DeLuxe convertible, a model that was produced from 1945-49. William Holden, original name William Franklin Beedle, Jr., (born April 17, 1918, O'Fallon, Illinois, U.S.found dead November 16, 1981, Santa Monica, California), American film star who perfected the role of the cynic who acts heroically in spite of his scorn or pessimism. 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. . Oscar and Emmy winner William Holden was one of Hollywood's biggest stars for decades, with his performances as cynical, conflicted men winning acclaim and awards. Without Norma Desmond, there wouldnt be any Paramount Pictures. Although it can get chilly by the ocean, a light jacket or sweater would be plenty. 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. Gloria Swanson, meanwhile, was born on March 27, 1899. The "fee" for renting the Jean Paul Getty mansion was for Paramount to build the swimming pool, which features so memorably. 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). His height was 1.8 m tall and weighed 89 kg. For the cover photo of the very first issue, in April 1951, of what many consider the most important film magazine of all time, the Paris-based "Cahiers du Cinema, " the editors chose the image of Gloria Swanson and William Holden in her screening room. The others were Union Station (1950), Force of Arms (1951), and Submarine Command (1951). Betty is engaged to be married to Jack Webbs character, Arthur Artie Green, who is such a good buddy to Joe that he offers to put him up on the couch for a few weeks. Gloria Swanson brings sunshine into every room as silent screen idol Norma Desmond. He had made Swanson a star by. With the help of his partners, he created the Mount Kenya Game Ranch and inspired the creation of the William Holden Wildlife Foundation. It said so on the chart from her astrologer, who read DeMilles horoscope. Clift was also wary of appearing in the film because he, like the character of Joe, was having an affair with a wealthy older former actress, Libby Holman. However, he knew that her arch-rival Hedda Hopper had trained as an actress and would therefore be more convincing onscreen. Sunset Boulevard is no has-been, though. The film and actors was excellent and lived up to our expectations. Included among the "1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die," edited by Steven Schneider. The movie's line "All right, Mr. DeMille, I'm ready for my close-up" was voted the #7 movie quote by the American Film Institute. The movie was previewed with this opening, in Illinois, Long Island (NY) and Poughkeepsie (NY). Sunset Boulevard (DVD, 2017) UK Region 2 release with extras. Film News. I know your face. Included among the 25 films on the American Film Institute's 2005 list of AFI's 100 Years of Film Scores. 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]. 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. There were three young directors who showed promise in those early days of silent film, D.W. Griffith, Cecil B. Seleccionar el departamento en el que deseas buscar. In 1969, Holden made a comeback when he starred in director Sam Peckinpah's graphically violent Western The Wild Bunch,[4] winning much acclaim. There are several references to Gloria Swanson's actual career in the film. He directed classic films like Double Indemnity, Ace in the Hole, The Apartment, The Lost Weekend, Stalag 17, Witness for the Prosecution, Sabrina, and Some Like It Hot. 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,. 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. What is the streaming release date of Sunset Blvd. She puts on a show playing a Max Sennett bathing girl and Charlie Chaplins Tramp character, though Maxs bad timing is a little too on the nose. You used to be big. In addition to starring in "Queen Kelly", Swanson also produced it, and fired von Stroheim when he had already gone over the budget by more than double, and with no end to filming in sight. The Principal photography took place from 11 April to 18 June 1949. Technically the address was 641 S Irving Blvd but the estate lay at the corner of Irving and Wilshire Blvd. Men bribed her hairdresser to get a lock of her hair. He was perfection on- and off-screen. Louis B. Mayer's reaction is well documented but Mae Murray also found the film offensive. Movie audiences in the nave early days of film sometimes didnt know that somebody had to sit down and write a movie. Marshman Jr. Sunset Boulevard was the last time Brackett and Wilder collaborated on a film. Wilder changed the scene so that DeMille offered Lamarr's chair to Norma without Lamarr being present. His co-star Barbara Stanwyck, a screen. He starred in Sam Peckinpahs masterwork Western The Wild Bunch. It's probably just as well, since the darker, more nuanced story that eventually emerged was quite different from West's wheelhouse anyway. Gloria Swanson played her final descent on the staircase barefoot, as she was terrified of tripping in high heels. He rose to prominence with his role in the movie "Sunset Boulevard" (1950), which landed him his first Best Actor Oscar nomination. The truth of the matter was that Bing Crosby was one of the very few actors to whom Billy Wilder had borne a grudge, mainly because Crosby had done the unthinkable during filming of The Emperor Waltz (1948), and ad-libbed dialog, something he and Bob Hope had done for years as standard operating procedure in their breezy "Road" pictures. "I left countless messages but received no answer." 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. "I'm not surprised that this could have happened.". Norma Talmadge and Constance Talmadge were famous for owning downtown real estate in Los Angeles and San Diego. Ballard, who used to impersonate Norma descending the stairs. Originally Billy Wilder wanted both of Hollywood's top gossip columnists--Hedda Hopper and Louella Parsons--reporting from Norma's mansion at the end and fighting over the phone. 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. 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. over the spiraling budget. Included among the American Film Institute's 1998 list of the Top 100 Greatest American Movies. Or shall I call my servant? After all, it's about a dethroned queen." Swanson argued that a woman like Norma would have been obsessed with her appearance and would have done her utmost not to look old. Mrs. Getty divorced her millionaire husband and received custody of the house; it was she who rented it to Paramount for the filming. He received an eight-month suspended sentence for vehicular manslaughter.[1]. American Beauty screenwriter Alan Ball has acknowledged that another Billy Wilder film, The Apartment (1960), influenced that screenplay. Winston was one of those who discovered the Golden Boy newcomer and who renamed himin honor of his former spouse!"[3]. The young actor also got to work with George Raft and Humphrey Bogart in the gangsters on parole movie,Invisible Stripes. Buscar Amazon.com.mx. The 49-year-old film directors body was found on the morning of Feb. 2, 1922, inside his bungalow at the Alvarado Court Apartments in Westlake, Los Angeles. [35] Holden starred in The Earthling,[36] as a loner dying of cancer at the Australian outback and accompanying an orphan boy (Ricky Schroder). Joe Gillis: Wait a minute, haven't I seen you before? No one wants to get caught by surprise anymore. 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. 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. She can sense the hot spot of every light and has never lost the wonderment of movies. The black studs on Joe's shirt front were probably onyx, black opals, or even black pearls. 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. But before you hear it all distorted and blown out of proportion, before those Hollywood columnists get their hands on it, maybe youd like to hear the facts, the whole truth. (1950) in my head, and I'd always sort of related to that character floating in . It is also one of the most frequently misquoted movie lines, usually given as, "I'm ready for my close-up, Mr. Wilder wanted Hedy Lamarr to sit in for a cameo, but she wanted $25,000. It's the *pictures* that got small. So funny that it took away from the rest of the picture. Holden, who was at this point dependent on alcohol, said, "I really was in love with Audrey, but she wouldn't marry me. William Haines turned down an offer to appear in the film but attended the Hollywood premiere with Joan Crawford. "Waxwork" Buster Keaton was in reality an excellent bridge player, always in demand at Hollywood bridge parties. [14], Holden made a third film with Wilder, Sabrina (1954), billed beneath Audrey Hepburn and Humphrey Bogart. taste bar and kitchen missouri city. He just didnt have what it takes. It was a the kind of a place crazy movie people built in the crazy 20s. The mansion was torn down in 1957, and a large office building for Getty Oil built on the site still stands on the spot. Wilder was, well, the wilder of the two, often bawdy and crass, while Brackett was genteel. Holman was 16 years older than him and was afraid people would think the movie was a parody of their relationship. Wilder won the argument and privately told friends that he would not be making any more films with Brackett. 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. 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. 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. . Sometimes its interesting to see just how bad, bad writing can be. 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. 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 only Best Picture Oscar nominee of the year to be also nominated for Original Screenplay. Norma's buying Joe a fine woolen topcoat would be mostly an affectation in sunny Los Angeles. Sunset Boulevard is a noir film and like many of the post-World War II dark classics, it is covered with a thick sheen of cynicism. After Salome, she planned to make another picture and another picture. 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). Haines, whose career had ended because of his homosexual off-screen life, was too happy in his new profession as an interior decorator to want to call attention to his past as an actor. Rudy's shoeshine stand at the parking lot where Gillis hides his car from the creditors was inspired by Oscar Smith's shoeshine stand located just inside the Bronson Gate at the old Paramount Studios, which was a popular hangout for gossip and socializing while Billy Wilder was building his career there. read more: Key Largo, Lauren Bacall, and the Definitive Post-War Film. At one point Norma mentions working with Mabel Normand and Marie Prevost. The director turned actor was still able to steer the expensive Italian car into the Paramount gate. The last name of the studio executive played by Fred Clark is Sheldrake. While Hollywood Blvd. 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. They reportedly began a two-year affair, which is alleged to have ended due to Holden's alcoholism. When filming began, William Holden was 31 and Gloria Swanson was 50, the same stated age as her character. Gillis: "Well, I had a few extra holes in me, two in the chest and one in the stomach." What do you say about a longtime friend a sense of personal loss, a fine man. Someone who said they were a doctor said Taylor died of a stomach hemorrhage and then disappeared. Gossip columnist Hedda Hopper, who plays herself in the movie, wrote that Billy Wilder was crazy about Evelyn Waughs book The Loved One, and the studio wanted to buy it.. 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. Boulevard du crpuscule : Amazon.com.mx: Pelculas y Series de TV. Unsurprisingly, he was largely self taught, spending countless hours with instruction manuals and newspaper clips, playing all four hands simultaneously until he became an expert. Norma Desmond: I *am* big. - 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) (1950) in Australia? But who could play the silent film diva? The house was owned by the J. Paul Getty family. 4.99. 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. In 2007 the American Film Institute ranked this as the #16 Greatest Movie of All Time. Later he strangled himself with it. Wilder and his co-writers reversed several elements, and there was no official connection between the movie and Waugh's book. She can be seen talking and giggling on the phone during the party. He earned an Oscar nomination for "Sunset Boulevard" and won an Academy Award for Best Actor in 1954 for his role in "Stalag 17," per IMDb. His killer was never identified. Nothing else! They had faces. The structure in the film required a tennis court, or rather the ghost of a tennis court, with faded markings and a sagging net. Brackett thought it was too mean while Wilder felt it was necessary. 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). in 1911 when the Nestor Film Company moved from New. but Holden's wife, Ardis (Brenda Marshall), who happened to be on set that day. ", The scene of Max playing Bach's "Toccata and Fugue in D Minor" at the organ might well have been an inspiration for Lurch at the harpsichord in the TV series "The Addams Family.". He was a genuine star. Holden, just 63 when he died, had most recently appeared in the Blake Edwards' film "S.O.B." Hollywood was known for its excesses long before Michael Jackson hit town. He stayed at Paramount for The Remarkable Andrew (1942) with Brian Donlevy, then made Meet the Stewarts (1943) at Columbia. Sunset Blvd. This was a first for Gloria Swanson, but proved a big boon in helping her develop her character's descent into madness. The two starred in the films The Lion (1962) and The 7th Dawn (1964). Gloria Swanson was paid $50,000 plus $5,000 per week for any time over schedule. 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. In accordance with his wishes, no funeral or memorial services were conducted. Sometimes hetinkles the wheezing gothic ivories like Lurch in the original TV series The Addams Family, playing the recognizable strains of The Phantom of the Opera. Prior to joining the Houston Chronicle, Gonzales worked as a night cops reporter at The. (1950), Cecil B. DeMille, who plays himself in the film, directed H.B. His deal was considered one of the best ever for an actor at the time, with him receiving 10% of the gross, which earned him over $2.5 million, however, Holden stipulated that he should only receive a maximum of $50,000 per year from the film. (Norma Desmond would be quick to point out that, thanks to computers and iPads, the pictures have gotten even smaller. He would slay, "I have no idea! 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. I think that Sunset Boulevard was the most important film of William Holden's career. Warner took the part. Part of the dialogue goes: Fat Man: "Where did you drown? Joe Gillis: You're Norma Desmond. One of his father's grandmothers, Rebecca Westfield, was born in England, while some of his mother's ancestors settled in Virginia's Lancaster County after emigrating from England in the 17th century. Even though it wasn't the last scene filmed, Billy Wilder threw a party for her as soon as the shot was finished. According to the Los Angeles Times, the actor long experienced alcoholism, and though he was able to avoid drinking when with lover Stefanie Powers, it ultimately helped pave the way for his death. 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. This is a reference to the now-mad Norma's final possession by the character of Salome, with whom she'd been so obsessed. This car has been on display at the National Automobile Museum in Turin, Italy since 1972. 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. Since her part required her to gaze at the newsreel cameramen and "fans" (the waiting police) gathered in the foyer below, she couldn't watch where she placed her feet. Gloria Swanson's career was not revitalized by this film. cynical Hollywood survivor played by William Holden. Holden starred in the 20th Century Fox film Apartment for Peggy (1948). So Wilder gave up, and DeMille (who was already being compensated) gave Norma his own chair.. When Gloria Swanson finished Norma's final scene, the mad staircase descent, she burst into tears and the crew applauded. Ironically, the last films that Gloria Swanson made for Paramount were not at this famous facility. Perry, George & Andrew Lloyd Webber (1993). In his place, Wilder hired Buster Keaton. Microphones would catch the last gurgles, and Technicolor would photograph the red, swollen tongues. Who didnt then? The general consensus was that the two titans had canceled each other out, leaving the field clear for Holliday. They had paired up in pictures since 1938. The antique car used as Norma Desmond's limousine is an 1929 Isotta-Fraschini Tipo 8A, a luxury car made in Italy, and once belonged to 1920s socialite Peggy Hopkins Joyce. and Crescent Heights Blvd. Swanson herself reportedly asked him to do it. He loves Norma so much, he even forges thousands of pages of fan mail, just to feed her delusion. Fred MacMurray and Gene Kelly both turned down the role of Joe Gillis. A week later she heard the news of Holden's death on her car radio. [26], He made another war film for a British director, The Key (1958) with Trevor Howard and Sophia Loren for director Carol Reed. Norma is at the edge of insanity through the whole movie, but that doesnt mean shes not fun. 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." At the end, they stood and cheered for Gloria Swanson's return. It was George Cukor who suggested Gloria Swanson for the role of Norma Desmond. Holden made a fourth and final film for Wilder with Fedora (1978). Yeah. He called it "that goddamned butler role" for the remaining seven years of his life. 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. The Tragic 1981 Death Of Sunset Boulevard Star William Holden Grunge 2.14M subscribers Subscribe 486 18K views 3 weeks ago #Actor #Hollywood #SunsetBoulevard While Actor William Holden. 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. We were close friends for many years. The movie's line "All right, Mr. DeMille, I'm ready for my close-up." At the end of her acceptance speech, she paid him a personal tribute: "I loved him very much, and I miss him. His death certificate makes no mention of cancer. Initially, writer-director Wilder envisioned the movie as a straightforward comedy, and the famously saucy West seemed like a perfect fit. He walked into his bedroom and tripped over a throw rug and slammed his head so hard into the corner of a teak nightstand, the piece of furniture flew into the wall causing an indentation, per "William Holden." Normand was the last person known to have seen Taylor alive and she was grilled by the Los Angeles Police Department as a result. Test audiences at the time couldnt let go of the joke, which was why it was re-edited this way. According to Cameron Crowe, who shadowed Billy Wilder in his twilight years, a typical day in his office would consist of him answering numerous phone calls from people requesting to remake this film, and he would inform them that he didn't own the rights and promptly hang up. 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. A classic film review of Sunset Boulevard (1950) starring William Holden, Gloria Swanson and Eric Von StroheimDirected by acclaimed film maker Billy Wilder (. When Peavey heard the moans I am the ghost of William Desmond Taylor. Around this time he also appeared in 21 Hours at Munich (1976). True to character, Von Stroheim refused to leave Paris to attend the Academy Awards ceremony, and declared that his nomination for best supporting actor should've been for best actor. "Sometimes he'd just get in his car and drive," the director told the AP. Sands had forged Taylors name on checks and wrecked his car the summer before and left footprints on Taylors bed after a burglary. Our friendship never waned. Bogart was not especially friendly toward Hepburn, who had little Hollywood experience, while Holden's reaction was the opposite, wrote biographer Michelangelo Capua. Gloria Swanson and Nancy Olson also appeared in Airport 1975. 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. The two men never worked together again. But in 1957, Paramount formally asked Desmond to stop, the studio bosses having decided not to grant permission after all. His co-star Barbara Stanwyck, a screen veteran and one of the greatest actors of all time, coached and promoted Holden personally. Swanson made the transition to talkies with The Trespasser in 1929. If you don't, I will personally shoot you." 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. He was named one of the "Top 10 Stars of the Year" six times (19541958, 1961), and appeared as 25th on the American Film Institute's list of 25 greatest male stars of Classical Hollywood cinema. Billy Wilder wanted a fresh face for the part of Betty Schaefer. She was disappointed to see that all the parts she was offered subsequently were watered-down versions of Norma Desmond. Billy Wilder's 1978 Flop Fedora is less a worthy follow up to Sunset Boulevard than a sorry footnote. The finest things in the world have been written on an empty stomach, and Wilder and Brackett rewrote the story as adrama. He is the TV Editor at Entertainment. The character of Norma Desmond is modeled on the fate of several leading actresses of the silent era. largest fire departments in michigan, savi's workshop reservation finder, foley funeral home obituaries,