Robert Aldrich Hudson, made for Douglas' company at Universal. Aldrich tried to make "Cross of Iron" with John Mills but could not get finance. Aldrich then went back to Italy where he directed a Biblical spectacular, "Sodom and Gomorrah" (1962) for Joseph E. Levine. Aldrich disparaged the final film, which ended up costing $6 million. Aldrich rejuvenated his career by optioning the novel "What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?" (1962) for the Associates and Aldrich Company. He signed Bette Davis and Joan Crawford as stars, got Lukas Heller to write the script, and raised finance through Warner Bros. The film was a
Joan Crawford movie stars, and one of the highest-paid women in the United States. In 1945 she starred in "Mildred Pierce" and won the Academy Award for Best Actress. She would go on to receive Best Actress nominations for "Possessed" (1947) and "Sudden Fear" (1952). Crawford continued to act in film and television throughout the 1950s and 1960s; she achieved box office success with the highly successful horror film "Whatever Happened To Baby Jane?" (1962), in which she starred alongside Bette Davis, her long-time rival. In 1955, Crawford became involved with the Pepsi-Cola Company through her marriage to company Chairman and Chief