Surely there are few cinematic faces more recognizable than that of the dark haired, seductive “First Lady of The American Screen”, Bette Davis. Those large brown eyes, immortalized in the 1980s pop song, “Bette Davis Eyes,” are seen throughout the world every day of the year even though she has been gone for almost two decades. Her film credits are many, totaling more than 100 in her lifetime, and her performances remain sterling and durable even with the passage of more than half a century.
Ruth Elizabeth Davis was born in Lowell, Massachusetts, on April 5, 1908. Her mother was an aspiring actress who encouraged Bette in every way while her stern, disdainful father, Harlow, did little to foster his daughter’s dreams. He left the family before she reached her tenth birthday and her mother, Ruthie, sent Bette and her sister to boarding school. After graduation, she enrolled in dramatic school in 1929, and made her Broadway debut in Broken Dishes. She then moved to Hollywood to screen test for Universal and the rest is almost history.
Although she earned a reputation as being difficult to work with, there is no question that Bette Davis stood up to and tweaked the powers that be in the Hollywood of her day. Her attitude set a precedent for women. Even though she had signed a contract with Warner’s, she was unhappy with the roles offered to her. She challenged the studio by going to London to make movies. Jack Warner sued her for breach of contract and she was forced to return and honor it, but when she did, she was offered a new contract and better roles.
Bette Davis was the first Warner Brother’s actress to win an Academy Award for her role in Dangerous in 1935. Another followed for Jezebelin 1938 and all in all she received eight Academy Award nominations. Her proudest personal achievement was her aid to the war effort by helping to organize the Hollywood Canteen during World War II for soldiers passing through Los Angeles.
Her film career spanned more than fifty years and included such classics as The Petrified Forest, Dark Victory, Watch on The Rhine, All About Eve, Whatever Happened to Baby Jane, All The Little Foxes, A Stolen Life, Dead Ringer and too many others to reiterate here.
She was a star of immense proportions and a woman of courage, integrity, purpose and talent. Married four times, she had one daughter with her third husband, William Grant Sherry, and adopted two others, Margot and Michael, while married to Gary Merrill, her fourth and final husband. She died in France on October 6, 1989 at the age of 81.
What are some of YOUR favorite Betty Davis films?