Sunset Boulevard

*A Staff Pick by Mady* Joe Gillis (William Holden) is a down-and-out screenwriter who can't pay his bills. While hiding his car from a finance company, he stumbles across a decaying mansion on Sunset Boulevard. He discovers that it is the home of silent movie queen Norma Desmond, (Gloria Swanson) who is lost in her dreams of former glory. Desperate for money, Gillis agrees to work on the script for her supposed comeback vehicle and finds himself becoming a kept man to the possessive movie star. On the sly he meets with the idealistic young studio script reader Betty Schaefer (Nancy Olson), who likes one of his projects, and the two gradually fall in love. Norma Desmond, however, grows increasingly suspicious and jealous, setting the stage for a fateful confrontation. NR / 110 min.