bkoganbing As unlikely a pair of co-stars you will ever find, Debbie Reynolds and Shelley Winters, team up for What's The Matter With Helen. It's a film that borrows a lot from Whatever Happened To Baby Jane.Reynolds and Winters play the notorious mothers of a pair of thrill kill teen age homicide perpetrators who murdered the richest woman in their small Ohio town. Almost as much publicity attached itself to them as well as their sons so Reynolds and Winters decide to move to Los Angeles and get a fresh start.As it turns out the insanity runs in the Winters household as Shelley starts behaving real strangely. She's giving Reynolds lots of second thoughts about going into a partnership with her in a dance studio for children all of whose mothers see their little darling as the new Shirley Temple.Reynolds has an interesting if understated role here. She's ambitious all right, she's hoping to get discovered herself. Note the fact that in her kid's dance recital she reserves a most prominent place for her talents as singer and dancer. She also has her hair dyed platinum blond like Jean Harlow and maybe someone will like the idea of a musically talented Harlow for some studio. Representatives of a couple of the studios are at her recital.Also at her recital is Dennis Weaver a rich Texan transplanted to LA with his daughter who is a pupil of Reynolds. These two hit it off, but Winters kind of interferes there as well.The last third of the film is Shelley at her scenery chewing best in a role that calls for it. What happens is a bloodier version of Baby Jane.Fans of the two stars should love this film.

wes-connors After a sensational 1930s murder trial sends their sons to prison, middle-aged mothers Debbie Reynolds (as Adelle Bruckner) and Shelley Winters (as Helen Hill) decide to escape the glare of photographers and nosy reporters. They move to Hollywood, California. Possessing an obvious skill in dance, Ms. Reynolds decides she and Ms. Winters should start a school for mothers who think their little girls have what it takes to be the next Shirley Temple. With platinum-dyed hair, Reynolds patterns herself after Jean Harlow. Reynolds inexplicably tells Winters she looks like Marion Davies...Both women reveal more in their past than murderous sons. Winters is the winner when we see a flashback to her plowing mishap. Mystery man Micheal MacLiammoir (as Hamilton Starr) joins the dance school as a voice coach. Reynolds begins seeing wealthy Texan Dennis Weaver (as Lincoln "Linc" Palmer). Winters is jealous. Increasingly loony, she visits religious talk-show host Agnes Moorehead (as Alma). "What's the Matter with Helen?" will be answered. This cycle began with "What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?" (1962) and Winters went directly into "Whoever Slew Auntie Roo?" (1972).****** What's the Matter with Helen? (6/30/71) Curtis Harrington ~ Debbie Reynolds, Shelley Winters, Dennis Weaver, Micheal MacLiammoir

Greatornot Besides being the usual strange, this movie although entertaining was everything and I do not mean that in a good way. The movie was cult,psychological thriller, musical, film noir, horror,spoof. It could have been written by anyone from Alfred Hitchcock to Stanley Kramer to Rodgers and Hammerstein to Stanley Kubrick to Martin Scorcese. Although this movie seemed to cover every genre from A-Z and probably did this intentionally... I believe this detracted from the movie. Sometimes this works but it did not in this film. I managed to make this movie the whole way through. I must say I did it in 'chapters'. I saw this film in 4 sittings. I thought the plot, truly was a good one. I also thought the actors were fine, except for the Shirley Temple wannabe, she was talentless and casting could have been better for her. Maybe it was rushed or they needed her on the cheap to keep in budget because of the other higher priced actors. Incidentally there was good acting from some veteran actors. One major twist in the last 15 minutes that was superb, other parts of the ending were expected. This was a fair film and worth watching but certainly lacked. Maybe best way to explain this. Going to a swank restaurant where everyone is wearing cutoff shorts, ripped t's and sandals and the food is only so so.

Woodyanders The 1930s. Classy, elegant Adele (marvelously played with dignified resolve by Debbie Reynolds) and batty, frumpy Helen (the magnificent Shelley Winters going full-tilt wacko with her customary histrionic panache) are the mothers of two killers. They leave their seamy pasts in the Midwest behind and move to Hollywood to start their own dance school for aspiring kid starlets. Adele begins dating dashing millionaire Lincoln Palmer (the always fine Dennis Weaver). On the other hand, religious fanatic Helen soon sinks into despair and madness.Director Curtis ("Night Tide," "Ruby") Harrington, working from a crafty script by Henry Farrell (who wrote the book "Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?" was based on and co-wrote the screenplay for "Hush ... Hush, Sweet Charlotte"), adeptly concocts a complex and compelling psychological horror thriller about guilt, fear, repression and religious fervor running dangerously amok. The super cast have a ball with their colorful roles: Michael MacLiammoir as a pompous elocution teacher, Agnes Moorehead as a stern fire-and-brimstone radio evangelist, Yvette Vickers as a snippy, overbearing mother of a bratty wannabe child star, Logan Ramsey as a snoopy detective, and Timothy Carey as a creepy bum. An elaborate talent recital set piece with Pamelyn Ferdin (the voice of Lucy in the "Peanuts" TV cartoon specials) serving as emcee and original "Friday the 13th" victim Robbi Morgan doing a wickedly bawdy dead-on Mae West impression qualifies as a definite highlight. David Raskin's spooky score, a fantastic scene with Reynolds performing an incredible tango at a posh restaurant, the flavorsome Depression-era period atmosphere, Lucien Ballard's handsome cinematography, and especially the startling macabre ending are all likewise on the money excellent and effective. MGM presents this terrific gem on a nifty DVD doublebill with "Whoever Slew Auntie Roo?;" both pictures are presented in crisp widescreen transfers along with their theatrical trailers.