I am not sure if I will recap this or if someone else will or what but there has been a lot of talk about this show so I am going to watch the premiere and probably just make some comments. I really don’t feel like I am the best person for this job. I really hope that someone volunteers to take this one for the team.
Jessica Lange is Joan Crawford and Susan Sarandon is Bette Davis. Ryan Murphy is the man behind the show. Expectations are high. I’m having another of my frequent moments of missing the hell out of UF. 🙁
This is all very Ryan Murphy already. I am already feeling in way over my head with this show. I literally don’t know anything about this feud. Sorry. I’m going to need someone to tap in with knowledge of this subject. Like Sequoia. He’s old as fuck.
I’m already team Hedda Hopper though. She’s the Tamara Tattles of the show. I kid.
Oh you know who would be good to cover this show? Tee Cee! Or NAA!
I’m not liking Susan Sarandon’s performance so far. This will take some getting used to. Also, are there no commercials on FX?
I am getting bored with this. And the whole thing about never selling or leaving the house scares the shit out of me. I have got to get out of this house. My gaybor is a peeping tom.
Sigh. Not sure if this is my kind of show. We shall see.
P.S. WWHL looks kind of good tonight so I am saving it for in the morning. I’m kind of brain dead tonight. I will do a better job tomorrow. Promise. Weird day. Weird Sleep cycle.
The script if terrible, the acting is terrible, and I love it.
Me,too newjerzeyboy! I am a long time Bette Davis fanatic. I thought Sarandon had her gestures and speech patterns down pretty well. Lange? Well not so much, but I sometimes think of Faye Dunaway instead of Crawford.
Enjoy!
I had the opposite response to Sarandon’s BD speech in life and in Baby Jane. It was if she never saw the movie or heard an interview with BD. I am with you on Lange’s portrayal 100%, FD is spot on.
I will watch, of course, but it will be more painful than I anticipated.
I loved this. I’m hooked. Tamara have you ever seen Bette Davis in All About Eve? Great old movie. Maybe Lady Coquette could recap? So Ryan Murphy let the F bombs fly after it getting by in his OJ series but Holy Erika Jayne! The C word! I’m fine with it. In fact that will be me on my commute into work tomorrow.
Best film ever made! T.T you would love the clothes ,glamour ,snark . My all time favorite film.
And Marylin Monroe’s first significant appearance in film I think.
She was in two movies that year (1950) that made people finally sit up and say, “Who’s that girl”. “The Asphalt Jungle” (Love! Totally dated, but love it) and “All about Eve”. She’s great in both.
No, I’m just not an old movie person. And the acting is kinda bad. Particularly Sarandon. But maybe it’s just because I’m not familiar enough with Bette and Joan…
I did watch Mommy Dearest if that counts. My dead sister went on a bizarre campaign against wire hangers after that that included MY closets even though we did not live together. We spent so much money on fancy wood hangers and plastic ones.
I wish I could do it but between VPR, TWD & Drag Race starting soon I’m swamped.
I’m totally loving it! It’s so campy & ridiculous. But I am the target audience so it’s only to be expected. My only complaint is Sarandon looks more like Joan & Jessica looks more like Bette. I only wish I could hear UF’s thoughts on it.
The movie Whatever Happened to Baby Jane is a favorite camp classic of mine. I’m definitely watching but so far am underwhelmed with Sarandon’s performance. She seems to only be attempting the physicality but not addressing the iconic voice of Bette Davis.
Every now and then you hear Bette when Sarandon speaks but not often enough. There’s so much film of Bette to study, I expected Sarandon to do it a little better. I’m hooked on the show though. My family calls me Janie so all my life I’ve heard, “whatever happened to baby Jane?”.
I’ve always denied I was in the theater the night Lincoln was shot. I wish I could blog the show since it looks like a hoot but I regret it have to decline. I throw my support behind TeeCee. She could give the other two broads a run for their money. Although there is something to be said for the gay perspective.
HMMMFPH. You always loved TeeCee best. 🙂
Loved it……….but now I have the urge to take up smoking.
Yes they were smoking a lot. I loved the glamour and the drama.
Those ladies had interesting history and you would have to understand the studio system back in the day. As a child and young person and right now I was into all the old movie stars and the movie magazines so this is my thing. I loved Feud last night. Susan Sarandon and Jessica Lange were the right two to portray those ladies. I liked Bette Davis and Joan Crawford movies so I think Feud will be good. The glamour and the drama yes indeed it’s good.
I’m old enough to remember when this film was released….although I didn’t see it until it played on TV years later. Joan Crawford was a nut case and Bette Davis would’ve eaten her young. To this day this movie can give the most stalwart of us the creeps. I think it makes a great vehicle for the ladies’ RAGE which chews the scenery…..not just the ladies. It’s an ok show…but in the end it would’ve been more fun to lock them in a room…..and may the best broad win.
I met Victor Buono as a child over at his grandma’s house on Mission Bay in San Diego. He had been doing Tv Shows ..like Batman and the Wild Wild West. He was with his boyfriend and felt, I am sure that my mother and my being there was a rude interference. I will watch Feud.
I really wanted to watch this and then someone told me it was eight hours. My interest doesn’t extend to eight hours of Bette and Joan torturing each other.
I hope you give this a chance. Have you seen the movie and the one about Joan Crawford(no more wire hangers!)? Its freaky stuff- especially for back then. Plus, its haunting to remember how women were treated back then, how they lived, beauty rituals, etc. And Joan omg– what a Diva. That wire hanger movie I never forgot. Nor Baby Jane. Not many old movies stick out in my head that’s not my thing, but those did. Plus its got that Mad Men thing going on complete with the daughter and wow is she getting prettier! And I love how Ryan Murphy is breaking the rules and putting things right for women as best he can. Give it a go and see those movies too
I knew Joan Crawford mostly from Mommy Dearest as well. A while ago – after watching it again (I love camp classics) – I did a little internet sluthing. Joan Crawford also adopted a set of twins who adored her and refused to participate in book or film from Christina Crawford. They were both left money in her will and j.c.’s grandson stated that the whole you know why I’m not leaving you anything for Christina and Christopher was because she knew about the book. The grandson has a pretty good website you can find easily that gives quite a few details that contradict the image the movie portrayed of Joan and Christina.
I enjoyed Feud. Jessica Lange is spectacular in the role of Joan. I’m having a harder time seeing Bette Davis in Susan Sarandon’s portrayal.
You know I read about that. Funny how family can be, loyalty and all. I’m inclined to weigh more in favor of Christinas version… It just fits. She had Joan’s number right from birth and the catfight began. Bet the other kids were probably better behaved so they were easier to control and had a better relationship with her. Funny I looked for clues as to that very subject when they did the scenes at her home but came to the conclusion maybe Ryan won’t touch that subject out of respect for Joan.
And you know what else? I feel the same exact about SS and Betty. I don’t think I like her version -“but seriously the most I know about her is from a Blonde song and her eyes – the old extra googly ones and only cause of that dann song. If SS could just eggagerate her eyes more -ike Marlo Thomas did in that girl, is buy it more. Though I can only vaugly remember any Betty movies I know that bothers me.
Could y’all please use NAMES so we don’t have to try to decode who you are talking about every six words? Please and thank you. #CommentingRules
Sorry. SS= Susan Sarandon.
It was the worst thing Faye Dunaway ever did in Hollywood until this year’s Oscar’s.
Agree. Faye was horrible as Joan. The movie needed more bite from ALL THE GIRLS! Heda Harper was the best for me.
Well, my partner’s brother-in-law’s sister-in-law’s sister was married to Franchot Tone so she is practically Auntie Joan in our household. lol
Mommie Dearest?? You shut your whore mouth. Faye chewed that scenery like a goddam champ!
I didn’t realize this was a mini-series, either. Not sure I can commit, but when I first saw the commercials I was titillated. Kinda worried Sarandon wouldn’t pull off Bette and sounds like that’s the case. Bummer. Then again, who could?
Whatever Happened to Baby Jane is creepy as hell and I love it. The hate was palpable..swoon.
Ya gotta agreed I loved her as Joan. But i was a kid and i didnt really know who Joan was- still it just fit, at least to , when I did know her. I have trouble not picturing the real Joan when I think back to that movie cause she was that good.
Ha. I read that Faye wasn’t happy that the movie was more camp than drama. Oh well. Wire hangers live in infamy.
I think Susan’s doing a great job as Bette. She does it with mannerisms and a style of movement that is so reminiscent of Bette. Even from the back. Trying to sound exactly like her would be a disaster.
Am a huge fan of both of these women and their films, so would watch this regardless of Murphy. I admire him for wanting to pay homage and put their feud in context, but as other critics have said, it cant decide if it wants to be camp or real drama.
This one didn’t do it for me. I fell asleep. Of course I couldn’t get beyond seeing Susan Sarandon instead of Bette Davis, and Jessica Lange instead of Joan Crawford. Maybe I would’ve connected to it better if the two parts were played by unknowns. I guess it wouldn’t have garnered much interest without the big names,. and, Ryan Murphy wouldn’t have fed his hunger for doing another project with J.L. I guess I’ll watch their old movies instead.
I’m addicted baby Jane is my favorite cult classic film I have baby Jane memorabilia it’s an Ode to the macabre, bizarre. The witty talent of Betty Davis she brings it in that movie now the back story I just can’t even! Thank you Ryan Murphy glad to know there are others that appreciate movies with actresses that have balls and talent now we need the back story on Sunset Boulevard. Who’s ready for a close-up lol
YES!!! Sunset Boulevard. I saw it on television in the 70’s, hung over and too lazy to get up and change the channel (no remote back then). Great movie!
These days there are a lot of actresses that literally have balls. I’m just saying.
I liked it, but then again I watched their movies when I was a kid. They mainly ran on Sunday afternoons on TBS in Atlanta in the 70s and 80s. When Joan died, Bette gave the fabulous quote…
“You should never say bad things about the dead, you should only say good . . . Joan Crawford is dead. Good.”
Maybe just me ..thought Lange would have better as Bette and Saradon as Joan?
That’s what I’ve been saying since I heard about casting!
I cannot get past Lange’s jacked up face. FD was the shit in Mommy Dearest. I made my kids watch it when they were tweens and then insisted they call me Mommy Dearest. They still laugh about it.
I loved Bette Davis, never cared for Joan Crawford( I think it was the eyebrows). I saw Baby Jane at the movie house when I was a kid and the bird and rat plate scared the pants off me. I heard my mom and her sister’s talking about the feud way back then. Years later the song”She’s got Bette Davis eyes”came out and I thought Joan would have loved a song about “she got Joan Crawford eyebrows” then I tried to picture what the eyes and eyebrows would have looked like together. Anyway I am hooked on the Feud. Also you would be surprised how many people don’t use wire hangers anymore. I have a few saved to use for other things but never to hang clothes on.