After the crowded preview of the movie in Hollywood the movie mogul supremo Louis B. Mayer, the top boss of ‘M-G-M’ told its maker, in red hot rage, "You have disgraced the industry that made you and fed you. You should be tarred and feathered and run out of Hollywood"

Sunset Boulevard (1950), the movie that generated such anger and heat in its preview was about the under-belly and scandals of the Mecca of Movies, Hollywood. Well aware of the possible reaction from the industry the magic weaver of movies, Billy Wilder made the film in secrecy on actual locations. The working title of the movie was A Can of Beans (the title itself is sarcastic sally on Hollywood!). Men and women working on the movie were sworn to secrecy about the project and no one knew what exactly the daring and delightful filmmaker was really up to.

(Sunset Boulevard is one of the important highways of Hollywood and is used as a figure of speech for Hollywood itself. Other highways rich with movie history in Hollywood include Hollywood Boulevard, Melrose Avenue and Vine Street. )

It all began when Billy Wilder wished to make a movie as the comeback vehicle for one of the greatest icons of Cinema, Greta Garbo. He told her of a portrait he had seen of an old woman who had committed suicide. On the spot he made up a story of the woman beginning to tell her life story. Garbo was living in seclusion and anonymity since the dawn of 1940’s was not interested in playing an old woman. It was then Wilder decided to make the movie about a retired, wrinkled and old Hollywood movie star trying to stage her come-back.

Sunset Boulevard is all about an aged and wrinkled former movie queen who is working on her autobiography and also trying to stage a come-back. She dreams of appearing in the title role of 'Salome' in the movie to be directed by no less than the great Cecil B. deMille! Living in a sprawling mansion, she befriends a young and unemployed screen- writer to work on book. He ends up as her boyfriend in residence in spite of the vast difference in age. Unhappy about his role as gigolo and stud, and yet requiring the money, soon the poor writer tries to escape from her velvet lined steel claws. Unwilling to let him go, she shoots him in the back and his body floats in the swimming pool of her mansion.

Wilder wrote the movie with his long time colleague, Charles Brackett. With his characteristic sense of humor, Wilder wrote the beginning in a morgue where the writer's dead body is brought and the corpse begins to tell its story! Wilder shot this black humor sequence in an actual morgue in Los Angeles and had several ‘extras’ as ‘corpses’. While the shooting was on, strange sounds disturbed the work! After much difficulty the crew located the source of the unwanted sound. A ‘corpse’ had gone to a sleep and was snoring away loudly and happily! Wilder deleted the scene when at a ‘sneak preview’ audience laughed loudly!

A new beginning was written in which the writer's body floats in the swimming pool and off screen the voice of the dead man begins his story...

Wilder who produced and directed the movie had problems in casting the major roles of the actress and the young and poor screenwriter. He wished to get the icons of American Cinema like Mary Pickford and Mae West but they showed no interest! He looked at many others of the silent movie era still around but they did not bite the bait. At last another celebrated filmmaker George Cukor suggested Gloria Swanson. It was a delightful choice and made the movie credible, funny and a box-office and critical success.

Gloria Swanson (1897-1983) was one of the biggest stars of Silent Cinema whose dresses, make-up and hair style were copied by women around the world. She also appeared in some talking pictures. She married six times, the sixth marriage happening when she was 79! She created sensation and shock when she became the dominating mistress of Joseph Kennedy, the founding father of the Kennedy clan! A contemporary chronicler about her said that many bribed her barbers to steal locks of her hair and a maharaja traveled all the way to Hollywood to beg her for her silk stocking with which he later strangled himself in his palace!

For the screenwriter’s role Wilder was keen to cast Montgomery Clift. He hailed from an upper class New York family and made a mark in theater as ‘method’ actor and attracted attention in Hollywood in his debut in Howard Hawk’s Red River (1948).

Clift was impressed by Wilder's screenplay and agreed to act but after some time he opted out for a reason which was then kept a secret. Indeed he found that the role was too close to his own life for at that time he was being maintained by an elderly singer - actress! Exit Montgomery Clift!

And then came William Holden! The new golden boy in Hollywood was eager to act under Wilder. His handsome looks, quiet dignity and also his serious approach to acting found fruition under the masterly direction of Wilder.

Sunset Boulevard was shot in the unoccupied mansion in a quiet part of Los Angeles owned by the second wife of one of the richest men in the world J. Paul Getty, the oil baron. She leased it to Paramount Pictures who bankrolled the movie and it suited the ambiance of the story admirably.

Norma Desmond, the aging actress in the story has a butler who is actually her husband! This role was played by Erich Von Stroheim, the famed German actor and filmmaker.

The movie had many in-jokes about Hollywood and some of the real life personalities acted as themselves. The most notable was the movie mogul Cecil B. deMille as the director of Norma’s come-back movie Salome! The genius of Silent Film Comedy Buster Keaton appeared as himself and so did Hedda Hopper, the celebrated film columnist of the bygone era.

Sunset Boulevard was a major hit and critical success though some took Wilder to task for making such a movie. At the Oscar race it was nominated for Best Picture, Best Screenplay, Best Director, Best Actress, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor, Best Supporting Actress, Best Art Direction and Best Music Score. But it won Oscars only for Best Script, Art Direction and Music Score.

Billy made many memorable movies during his long career and this is considered to be his most daring and also one of his very best.