Prior to the Oscars ceremony , Crawford contacted the Best Actress nominees who were unable to attend the ceremonies and offered to accept the award on their behalf if they won . Davis claimed that Crawford lobbied against her among Academy voters . Anne Bancroft won Best actress for '' The Miracle Worker '' , but was in New York performing a stage play ; she had agreed to let Crawford accept the award on her behalf if she won . Crawford triumphantly swept on-stage to pick up the trophy . Davis later said , " It would have meant a million more dollars to our film if I had won . Joan was thrilled I had n't . " As both Davis and Crawford had accepted lower salaries in exchange for a share of the film 's profits , Davis considered it foolish of Crawford to have worked against their common interests , especially at a time when roles for actresses their age were scarce
Oscars ceremony
35th Academy Awards
What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (film)