WHAT EVER HAPPENED TO AUNT ALICE? is the unofficial follow-up to the Robert Aldrich two-fer WHATEVER HAPPENED TO BABY JANE? and HUSH, HUSH...SWEET CHARLOTTE. Oddly, it feels a bit more dated than either of those films, probably because it's in colour rather than classy black and white. The quality of the script isn't quite up there either; this is predictable and a little drawn out, although the premise is still irresistable. Geraldine Page makes for a thoroughly despicable villainess from the outset, while Ruth Gordon is unusually cast as the heroine of the hour and excels in the role. The film is a slow burner that builds to an expected but satisfying twist climax; overall, it reminded me of an extended COLUMBO episode.

Despite an interesting premise and some enjoyable black comedy, What Ever Happened to Aunt Alice? is a tepid thriller that holds the attention thanks to Page and Gordon whose cat-and-mouse game could be memorable were it not for slack pacing, uninspired writing and a weak, poorly staged finale involving warm milk, a sculpture, and a wheelchair that is more laughable than scary. The supporting cast made up of vaguely familiar faces is flat, and they serve no purpose other than to provide tired exposition. At an hour and 41 minutes the material feels stretched-out and the production values of the film, largely confined to one setting, give it a made-for-TV feel. Page's hammy performance is fun and a rather restrained Gordon is immensely likable. Still, the film disappoints. Not as memorable as Baby Jane, but less tedious than Die! Die! My Darling!

It's cat and mouse with two of the New York stage's premier divas. Clare (Fitzgerald) lures lonely housekeepers to her small desert estate where she bludgeons them, turning their remains into tree food for her precious garden. Trouble is she hires Aunt Alice (Gordon) thinking she's another easy prey, except she's not.Producer-director Bob Aldrich, one of Hollywood's most underrated filmmakers, struck something of a gold mine by recycling aging divas into a series of Grand Guingolds, as in Whatever Happened to Baby Jane (1962) et. al. This entry comes near the tail end of the series, and is fairly suspenseful, as Fitzgerald mugs it up as a sadistic loony barely able to contain her homicidal glee. On the other hand, Gordon deadpans it as the diminutive impostor eager to get to the bottom of the strange goings on. Together, they're the whole show, except for a number of moody wind-blown tree shots reminding us of what's underneath. There's a tenuous romance thrown in to relieve the macabre, I suppose.One thing for sure, the movie didn't cost much to produce. There're basically just two settings-- the desert plot with the two houses, and the interiors where most of the action takes place. So, you need to be a fan of aging divas conspiring against each other, because there's not much else to look at. All in all, it's a showcase, especially for Fitzgerald who looks like she's not just emoting but having fun, as well.

What a riot! Geraldine Page plays a widow left destitute by her husband, who lives off the savings of maids she hires and then kills. Along comes Ruth Gordon, posing as a maid but actually investigating the disappearance of her lady "companion," and we, the audience, get to sit back and watch her salt-of-the-earth demeanor bounce off of Page's histrionic diva.Is it even possible to be bored by a Page performance? This script is far beneath her, she knows it, and decides to go for it, playing the role as about off-the-wall as you could get without descending into straight camp. She and Gordon are so talented, and so compulsively watchable, that you actually care what happens in this second-rate rip-off of other macabre crazy women films like "What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?" and "Hush...Hush, Sweet Charlotte." Robert Aldrich, the director of both of those films, serves as producer on this one, so maybe it's not exactly ripping off if you're stealing from yourself.And it's a got a groovy score by Gerald Fried (random trivia: he would be nominated for a Best Original Score Oscar in 1975 for the documentary "Birds Do It, Bees Do It') that makes one wonder what he was smoking when he composed it. It sounds like something from a movie about Spanish bullfighters.Grade: B+