‘Sunset Boulevard’…Behind The Scenes

Now this is funny. According to her daughter, Gloria Swanson stayed in character for the entire duration of the film…except for one hilarious break.

On the day she filmed the Charlie Chaplin imitation scene, Swanson arrived on the set to find everyone there wearing a Chaplin bowler hat, and was amused but stayed in character.

The next day, they had to film the monkey funeral scene. Just before the cameras rolled, William Holden opened the box with the monkey’s body to show Swanson. The stuffed monkey had on a Chaplin bowler too. She laughed so hard and so long, it took about an hour to get her makeup repaired and back into character.

The photo up top is the Norma Desmond house being demolished in 1957. The interior scenes were shot on Paramount’s Stage 18, but the exterior shots were done a this house at 3810 Wilshire Boulevard. It was torn down for a 22 story tower that was home to Getty Oil. At the link is the film’s most famous scene…”Alright Mr. Demille, I’m ready for my close up”.

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