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
Bette Davis over the course of several years. "Dead Ringer" (1964) was a crime drama in which she played twin sisters. The plot was previously filmed in Mexico with Dolores del Rio. "Where Love Has Gone" (1964) was a romantic drama based on a Harold Robbins novel. Davis played the mother of Susan Hayward, but filming was hampered by heated arguments between Davis and Hayward. "Hush… Hush, Sweet Charlotte" (1964) was Robert Aldrich's follow-up to "What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?". Aldrich planned to reunite Davis and Crawford, but Crawford withdrew allegedly due to illness soon after filming began. She was replaced