Bette Davis

Today would have been the 100th birthday of Bette Davis, the actress for whom the word "indomitable" seemed to fit like the clingy white gloves she wore in "Now, Voyager." (Or the clingy black ones in "Bordertown.")

Although she turned in some truly great performances in her 50-plus years onscreen, Davis was a movie star who -- like all great movie stars -- knew what people expected when they went to see her in a film.

The big eyes, the lilting voice, the fiery scenes of exasperation that seemed to be written into all of her films and of course, the thick plumes of cigarette smoke -- which she exhaled artfully in almost every one of her vehicles -- were Davis trademarks.

Had she smoked as Queen Elizabeth I, it is unlikely anyone would have complained. Or, noticed.

In addition to "All About Eve" and "Jezebel" -- which provided her with perhaps her most memorable, pre-Baby Jane roles -- Davis is also wonderful in "The Letter" and "Mr. Skeffington," two of my personal faves. I'm less fond of the weepies like "Dark Victory," although "Now, Voyager" is terrific when you're in the mood for it. I also love her in that late '50s melodrama "Dead Ringer" and....oh, why did I start naming movies?

I guess I have a certain fondness for all of them. And I suppose that's what separates movie stars from mere mortals. You can watch them doing anything.

Onscreen and off, Davis was never boring. She was always great fun when she sat down with Carson, Cavett, Donahue and the countless other talk show hosts who, from the 1960s on, treated her like a dowager empress.

Her later years were marred by liquor, loneliness and depression, which her failing health exacerbated. Perhaps it helped though that she hit the road, touring the U.S. and Europe and accepting all of the honors, awards and accolades that her public saw fit to heap upon her.

Certainly, she didn't disappear after her death. Her movies -- so many of them considered classics by anyone's yardstick -- are run endlessly on television. More than a few manage to be both dated and timeless, an odd combination, although I feel the same way about "I Love Lucy."

If you have a favorite Davis performance, share it here. I'm interested to see if the men and women have different points of view on this one. If memory fails, you may want to check out IMDb.com for her filmography. Like Davis herself, it goes on forever.

(Photo Cine Text Allstar)

Comments

[Evelyn]

Bill, check you email because the computer thinks I'm a spambot. Again.

[Linda]

....didn't her daughter write a Mommy Dearest type book. Baby Jane gave me the creeps. I think the one I got a kick out of is where Clark Gable makes her wear that red dress in front of all those people...was that Jezebel?

[Nancy from Nutley : )]

is baby jane the one where she pushes her sister in the wheelchair down the stairs?
still terrifies me too linda, i've had to use a w/c a few times and every time i'd think of baby jane! paranoiaville! (as if she was lurking) lol.
if someone offered to help, they had to pass the "ok no bette davis eyes" test! LOL my brother didn't always pass that test (joking) but he'd tease, "remember baby jane?" lol.

when just the name of the movie sends shivers up your spine, wow! Misery does that to me as well.

[Nancy from Nutley : )]

what star today can act with their eyes? so much is props and special effects today, it's sad.

love bette davis movies, imagine if she were still alive making movies @ 100!

[lwt]

linda--no, the red dress was clark gable and vivian leigh in gone with the wind. thanks for the tip-off, bill. once my son puts railings on the front stairs, i will have to invite nancy over. we can go to blockbuster and rent a bunch of movies and have a bette davis film festival. somehow i never got around to renting any of her movies, although i am sure nancy can recommend a few.

[Terri P]

who was it that sang the song "Betty Davis Eyes" - like Sinead O'connor or someone...I hear it in my head everytime I see a pic of her

[Maria]

I believe it was Kim Carnes who sang "Bette Davis Eyes".

[Bill Ervolino]

FROM BILL: Oy vey!!!!
Kim Carnes sang Bette Davis Eyes, not Sinead O'Connor.
The red dress was Jezebel, but with Henry Fonda, not Clark Gable. (She "punishes" Fonda for not going to the dressmaker with her to pick out her gown and he returns the favor by taking her to the ball where she is shunned for not wearing the traditional white dress of unmarried Louisiana lasses.)
She tortured wheelchair-bound sister Crawford in "Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?" but I'm not sure if she pushed the wheelchair down the stairs. (This film is not a favorite of mine,so perhaps someone recalls it better.)

[lwt]

it seems the red dress is a recurring theme in movies of that generation.

[Evelyn]

It's at the end of the movie, as one last torture "Baby Jane" has in store for her sister. Shoves her down the stairs and walks away smiling. The next scene is where the police come to take her away.

[Sonny]

"you wouldnt treat me this way if I wasnt in this wheelchair Jane"
"But ya are Blanche, ya are"

[Linda]

I had a red dress once. :)

Leave it to Bill to straighten out all the things we can't remember right. He's a human encyclopedia!

[Bill Ervolino]

from bill: linda, "i had a red dress once' is like the first line of a novel. please finish it!

[Bill Ervolino]

from bill (again): evelyn i thought the last scene was at the beach....i guess the old noodle is going. although its not a movie i like to watch. ive probably only seen it all the way through on one occasion. my favorite movie by that director (aldritch) is actually the longest yard with burt reynolds. no wheelchairs or rats to worry about.

[Linda]

You're right Bill...the last seen WAS at the beach.

As for the red dress. It was long sleeved and had a collar up to the neckline......but for some reason I was able to stop traffic whenever I crossed a street wearing it.......those were the good old days.:)

[Evelyn]

Bill - isn't that where they come to get Jane? Or am I more confused than usual?