Bette Davis: First Lady of the American Screen

[ClassyCo]

Who doesn't like talking about Bette Davis?

She was a star for more than 50 years, and I know she's been given a good dose of sun here on different threads. But with a career so long and substantial, she deserves her own thread and discussion. She starred in many movies that are deemed classics and some of the best movies of classic Hollywood. ALL ABOUT EVE (1950), one of her many "comeback" movies, is easily one of my favorite films, as many of you are well aware. When I think of Bette Davis, I immediately think of her delicious turn as fictional stage star Margo Channing. She also starred in other favorites of mine, such as WHAT EVER HAPPENED TO BABY JANE? (1962) and JEZEBEL (1938), two career-defining performances for her. Her versatile acting range and long-lasting box office appeal gave her the title the "First Lady of the American Screen".

Any staunch Bette Davis fans out there?

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[Crimson]

I admit, I'm somewhat less enamored with Bette than most classic movie fans, but I will kick this off with my favorite performance and film of hers: THE LITTLE FOXES.

There's a small part of me that wishes the role had gone to Tallulah, just so we could have some cinematic evidence of her as an actress rather than a flamboyant personality. That doesn't detract from my admiration for Davis' work. As an actress she was known for her melodramatic intensity; I suspect that's what people love about her work, but I often find it to be too much. In TLF, her work is uncharacteristically restrained; she shrewdly underplays in most of the film so that when she finally lets go on key moments, it's like watching a coiled cobra strike.

Although Hepburn eventually surpassed her in longevity and public adoration, from the late 30s to about 1950s Davis was the true Queen of Hollywood.

 

[ClassyCo]

I admit, I'm somewhat less enamored with Bette than most classic movie fans, but I will kick this off with my favorite performance and film of hers: THE LITTLE FOXES.

There's a small part of me that wishes the role had gone to Tallulah, just so we could have some cinematic evidence of her as an actress rather than a flamboyant personality. That doesn't detract from my admiration for Davis' work. As an actress she was known for her melodramatic intensity; I suspect that's what people love about her work, but I often find it to be too much. In TLF, her work is uncharacteristically restrained; she shrewdly underplays in most of the film so that when she finally lets go on key moments, it's like watching a coiled cobra strike.

I've longed to see THE LITTLE FOXES for years, but I've yet to get around to it. I've went to buy the DVD multiple times, but it always gets saved for later. And since I don't have TV at my house, I don't ever get to see if it were to come on TCM or somewhere.​

Although Hepburn eventually surpassed her in longevity and public adoration, from the late 30s to about 1950s Davis was the true Queen of Hollywood.

Davis was unparalleled in the 1930s and 1940s. In terms of the variety of characters she played, her box office power, and her respect within the industry, few other women (if any) rivaled her. Hepburn never had the box office drawing power of Davis, not even when she was making movies and had the public on her side.
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[ClassyCo]

While flipping through YouTube and what it has to offer concerning Bette Davis, I found myself questioning: Why doesn't this woman have a substantial biography out there? There's videos of her A&E biography out there, and I typically like their biographies, but not the one they've got out there on Davis. It's roughly 45 minutes long, and it feels too choppy and incomplete for a woman who spent 50+ years on the silver screen. The INTIMATE PORTRAIT biography isn't any better really. It's also too short and seems way to choppy.

Why doesn't TCM our someone comparable put out a biography of her? I mean, they did one for Crawford, and I love that biography.

What gives?

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[ClassyCo]

OK so this morning I started watching WICKED STEPMOTHER, the ill-fated bewitching comedy that Bette Davis agreed to do in 1988 when she was around 80 years old. Her health wasn't the best by this point in her life, and after just weeks on the set, she would not return. According to Davis, she refused to return because of the poor quality of the script, issues with the way she was being photographed, and the direction afforded to her by Larry Cohen. According to Cohen, however, Davis was simply unable to return to the set because of her health, but she didn't reveal this at the time out of fear of loosing future jobs.

Regardless to which reason is true, or which one you choose to believe, one can easily tell why Davis probably didn't want to complete WICKED STEPMOTHER and have it as apart of her resume. It's certainly not a "typical" Bette Davis film, but how could it be? The types of movies she had grown comfortable in had long fell out of fashion, but to stay relevant and busy in films, she hadn't any choice but to push forward with the changing tastes of American moviegoers.

In saying all that, I found what little I've seen of WICKED STEPMOTHER thus far to be a fairly enjoyable, cheeky little comedy. Keep in mind, however, that I may have watched the first 25 minutes so far, so I know there's a lot coming that could make my opinion of this movie turn sour quickly. Where I left off this morning, I'm pretty sure all the Davis scenes had just come to a close, and Barbara Carrera was just entering as her daughter to carry the rest of the movie. I hope to finish the movie and get it in the bag today.

Poor Bette. She looks so frail and she's barely able to walk around.

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[Crimson]

Why doesn't TCM our someone comparable put out a biography of her? I mean, they did one for Crawford, and I love that biography.

TCM did a biographical documentary on Bette in the early 90s, hosted by Jodie Foster. STARDUST, narrated by Susan Sarandon, is supposed to be good, but I haven't seen it.

I wish Davis had lived long enough to be interviewed on INSIDE THE ACTORS STUDIO or something similar; I'd have liked to hear about her approach to her craft. (Although actors of that generation often weren't very good at explaining how they acted, since their techniques tended to be more outward than inward.)

Poor Bette. She looks so frail and she's barely able to walk around.

Bette's final years were unusually sad, being hit with so many health issues in a close time period. She honestly doesn't even look that bad in that screenshot, but the way she dressed and was made up in her last years kind of made her look like the Madame puppet. I suspect it was to distract from how frail she was, but it really made her look more frail.

 

[ClassyCo]

TCM did a biographical documentary on Bette in the early 90s, hosted by Jodie Foster.

I hadn't the slightest idea this existed. I'm going to watch it on YouTube, so thank you for the link.​

STARDUST, narrated by Susan Sarandon, is supposed to be good, but I haven't seen it.

How did I forget this documentary? I once had it on DVD, and I know I watched it once all the way through, but I cannot remember if I still have it or not. Evidently the impression it left wasn't a very strong one.​

I wish Davis had lived long enough to be interviewed on INSIDE THE ACTORS STUDIO or something similar; I'd have liked to hear about her approach to her craft. (Although actors of that generation often weren't very good at explaining how they acted, since their techniques tended to be more outward than inward.)

I seem to remember watching some of the INSIDE THE ACTORS STUDIO interviews some time ago, but they mustn't been anyone that I cared about. None of them have stuck with me.​

Bette's final years were unusually sad, being hit with so many health issues in a close time period. She honestly doesn't even look that bad in that screenshot, but the way she dressed and was made up in her last years kind of made her look like the Madame puppet. I suspect it was to distract from how frail she was, but it really made her look more frail.

Yeah, I've never really liked the wardrobe choices Bette picked towards the end of her life. It just seemed to be against her nature, and it did really make her look more frail.
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[Snarky Oracle!]

. STARDUST, narrated by Susan Sarandon, is supposed to be good, but I haven't seen it.

It's not too bad, warts and all. I've got the DVD. It's comparable to JOAN CRAWFORD, THE ULTIMATE MOVIE STAR, only a little better.

 

[ClassyCo]

It's not too bad, warts and all. I've got the DVD. It's comparable to JOAN CRAWFORD, THE ULTIMATE MOVIE STAR, only a little better.

I'd have to re-watch STARDUST to know where my opinion on this assessment would land. I've watched THE ULTIMATE MOVIE STAR numerous different times, and I have it downloaded to my laptop. I really enjoy that documentary.​

 

[ClassyCo]

"I'd like to kiss ya, but I just washed my hair..."

Bette Davis often said this was her favorite movie line of all time. She spoke those now-famous words in the 1932 film THE CABIN IN THE COTTON, directed by Michael Curtiz. This was during her early days at Warner Brothers, a time when she was still being groomed in the traditional old studio system fashion. While the studio was wrestling to find the right niche for Bette, they bleached her hair and had her play a Southerner in this forgotten little B-movie. Years later, the line would resurrect itself and would be used by many Davis impersonators in their acts. Davis even famously quoted the line when she accepted the AFI Lifetime Achievement Award in 1977.

 

[ClassyCo]

A good video representation of Bette's filmography, or some of it at least:

 

[ClassyCo]

A good, cleaned up clip of Davis in OF HUMAN BONDAGE, the 1934 film she fought to make. She was baffled and disheartened when she wasn't nominated for an Oscar that year.

 

[ClassyCo]

I thought Bette Davis was probably her most attractive after her on-screen transformation in NOW, VOYAGER, one of her biggest successes and personal favorites. It's an iconic film for her, and she received her seventh Oscar nomination, although she lost that year to Greer Garson, who gave a career-defining performance in MRS. MINIVER.

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[ginnyfan]

Bette gave so many interviews during the 70s and 80s, to both US and UK media. There's tons of material on You Tube for those who want to hear from her about her days at Warners, her career and acting. Her Dick Cavett appearances are especially good.

Wicked Stepmother is a sad ending to an amazing career. It's a sad movie for anyone to appear in. I tuned in a few times it was on tv and was horrified by how amateurish and bad it looked because I thought it was a proper 80s silly comedy. It makes Trog look like a dignified movie and last appearance for a movie legend.

 

[ClassyCo]

Bette gave so many interviews during the 70s and 80s, to both US and UK media. There's tons of material on You Tube for those who want to hear from her about her days at Warners, her career and acting. Her Dick Cavett appearances are especially good.

I've seen a lot of Bette's interviews she gave around this time. She does a lot of fussing about Joan Crawford and Faye Dunaway, which her interviewers and audiences naturally enjoyed. Apparently some people close to her didn't like that she was "encouraged" to behave badly in these interviews.​

Wicked Stepmother is a sad ending to an amazing career. It's a sad movie for anyone to appear in. I tuned in a few times it was on tv and was horrified by how amateurish and bad it looked because I thought it was a proper 80s silly comedy. It makes Trog look like a dignified movie and last appearance for a movie legend.

WICKED STEPMOTHER isn't a good movie. I completely lost interest once Bette's scenes were done. I haven't any desire to watch the rest of it, although, in some strange universe, I might actually get around to doing just that.​

 

[ClassyCo]

During her early days at Warner Brothers, the studio found it difficult to cast Davis. Because she was not the typical Hollywood glamour type, they tried desperately to make her fit that mold for a while. In the picture I've pasted below, she's painted up like one of the MGM glamour girls for the movie FASHIONS OF 1934, co-starring William Powell. Bette hated the way she looked, and she refused to presented as such an stereotype, demanding Warner Brothers give her more challenging roles. Despite such stronger performances in movies like OF HUMAN BONDAGE and BORDERTOWN, Davis spent the majority of the early-to-late-'30s playing unrewarding roles in mostly second-rate films. Such material infuriated Bette, and she sued Warner Brothers because of the poor quality of films assigned to her.​

 

[Snarky Oracle!]

Bette gave so many interviews during the 70s and 80s, to both US and UK media. There's tons of material on You Tube for those who want to hear from her about her days at Warners, her career and acting. Her Dick Cavett appearances are especially good.

Wicked Stepmother is a sad ending to an amazing career. It's a sad movie for anyone to appear in. I tuned in a few times it was on tv and was horrified by how amateurish and bad it looked because I thought it was a proper 80s silly comedy. It makes Trog look like a dignified movie and last appearance for a movie legend.

 

[Snarky Oracle!]

 

[Snarky Oracle!]

 

[Snarky Oracle!]