What Ever Happened to Aunt Alice?

Geraldine Page and a lively script lift this otherwise b-grade film to the status of cult classic. With her unique voice and mannered style of method acting, Page has never disappointed me in any of her many performances. And in this thriller, Theodore Apstein's clever screenplay gives the inimitable Page ample opportunity to portray a woman who, although inwardly venomous, amuses viewers in a stylized, aristocratic sort of way. In a major support role, feisty Ruth Gordon adds spunk. All of which adds up to 101 minutes of viewing fun, despite a grating, fingernails-on-the-blackboard music score, and dubious production values which, toward the film's end, have a black Lincoln turning yellow, then black, then yellow again, and back to black, in the span of 43 seconds. Charming.

This movie was a blast. Geraldine Page is appropriately over the top in this thriller. Ruth Gordon doesn't get to let loose as much as I would have liked, but they do have a showdown which is a joy to behold. The movie would have you believe housekeepers make terrific fertilizer for pine trees, in the Arizona desert, no less! I loved every minute of it.

Although this movie looks a tad dated in certain respects - for instance a stupid subplot could have been eliminated and no one would have missed a thing - it works because of the brilliant playing of Ruth Gordon and - especially - Geraldine Page. I first watched this film at age the age nine when it was released theatrically: it was actually more enjoyable than the supposed "bigger" picture of the double feature! It is very obvious that Geraldine Page relished playing her role of Claire Marrable: she's totally awesome, so witchy and natural-like in her acting technique. Ms Marrable is a rather narcissistic woman who goes through an astonishing array of household help. Enter Ruth Gordon, a sly fox who comes to Marrable for a position in her lovely desert home. Once hired, the viewer is in for a tour-de-force game of cat-and-mouse. Played to the hilt, this little sleeper creeper is most enjoyable.

Not-so-grieving widow Claire Marrable is horrified to hear that her supposedly wealthy husband has apparently left her penniless. But, being a practical (and resourceful) type, she hits on a scheme to keep her in the comfort to which she wishes to become accustomed. Relocating to the Arizona desert, she hires elderly housekeepers with no known relatives (but tidy nest eggs) and sends them to their rewards a bit sooner than they planned. And their remains become mulch for the widow's growing garden as each is buried under a quickly flourishing sapling. This later entry in the "horror hag" sweepstakes features absolutely wonderful performances from Geraldine Page, who has a high old time as the haughty, demented and thoroughly relentless Mrs. Marrable, and Ruth Gordon, as Alice Dimmock, her new housekeeper, who isn't quite what she seems to be. On the sidelines are Rosemary Forsyth, herself a (young) widow with a nephew, Robert Fuller as Miss Gordon's nephew, and Joan Huntington as the scheming wife of Page's nephew. With a cast made up of widows and nephews, how scary can "Aunt Alice" be? Not very. But it's a delicious black comedy which allows Page and Gordon the opportunity to give the performances of their lives. There's also a neat cameo from Mildred Dunnock ("Death Of A Salesman") as the luckless servant who precedes Miss Gordon. One of the best "Grand Guignol" films ever made!

The original ads for this movie read, "Whatever Happened to Aunt Alice? was more terrifying than what happened to Baby Jane", and to my way of thinking, they weren't far off. The brilliant Geraldine Page heads the cast of this ultra-stylish shocker as Mrs. Marrable, a not-so grieving widow whose husband left her only a stamp album. Unable(and unwilling) to cope with poverty, Mrs. Marrable solves the problem of living up to her station by inviting a succession of women into her home to work as housekeepers, and later murders them for their private incomes. Mrs. Marrable's plan works quite well until she makes the mistake of eliminating Miss Tinsley(Mildred Dunnock) whose suspicious friend, Mrs. Dimmock(the delightful Ruth Gordon), promptly arrives at the Marrable residence to apply for a position as the next housekeeper and potential victim. It's a spine-tingling tale of suspense with some dark humor and unforgettable performances by Page and Gordon. Highly recommended!