Hush... Hush, Sweet Charlotte (also known as Whatever Happened to Cousin Charlotte?) is a 1964 20th Century Fox gothic horror/thriller motion picture starring Bette Davis, Olivia de Havilland, and Joseph Cotten. Others in the cast include Agnes Moorehead, Cecil Kellaway, Victor Buono, Mary Astor, Bruce Dern, George Kennedy, and William Campbell. The film's title song was performed by Italian-American singer Al Martino.
Directed and produced by Robert Aldrich, it was adapted for the screen by Henry Farrell and Lukas Heller, based on the short story Whatever Happened to Cousin Charlotte? by Henry Farrell.
Charlotte Hollis, an aging recluse deluded into a state of dementia by horrible memories and hallucinations, lives in a secluded house where, thirty-seven years before, John Mayhew her married lover, was beheaded and mutilated by an unknown assailant. Written by filmfactsman
Charlotte Hollis, wealthy southern spinster, is shunned by her community for the grisly murder some 40 years prior of her intended, John Mayhew. Even though her guilt in the matter was never proven, the townspeople liken her to a modern-day Lizzie Borden. The murders are similar in nature and the children even taunt her with cruel rhymes. For this reason she lives a life secluded from the mainstream of society. Her needs are cared for by her faithful servant, Velma. Now, progress in the guise of new highway construction threatens the Hollis plantation, her home and the family domicile since Civil War times. She refuses to leave when she is issued an eviction notice by the Sheriff and even takes pot shots at the highwaymen when they encroach upon her property line. Charlotte summons "Cousin Miriam" to fight the public battle to save her home. To her chagrin, Miriam has come with the intention of assisting with the packing -- not to save the mansion from the bulldozers. After Charlotte, Miriam is the sole heir to the Hollis estate. This is motive enough for Miriam to have Charlotte committed for her strange and reclusive behavior. But, is Charlotte insane? Doctor Drew seems to feel she may need some help across the threshold of insanity. Written by
