Sunday, April 06, 2008

Bette Davis was no Sissy


Yesterday was the 100th birthday anniversary of star, Bette Davis who said;

"Getting old is not for sissies."

and,

"If you want a thing well done, get a couple of old broads to do it."

You got that right sister!

We watched All About Eve and Jezebel, two of my favorite movies.

I can't tell you how many hours my family and I and now Monica and I have settled down to a good Bette Davis movie. It's not only enjoyment of the the great lady in great pictures, but good memories surrounding the watching of her films. Watching a Bette Davis movie when I was home sick from school was better than chicken soup. My mother could always be convinced to let me stay up to watch the Late Show movie if it was Bette Davis. I remember Monica and I hunkering down in our first tiny apartment on a cold winter day, baking cookies and watching Bette Davis.
We have both been run ragged for the last couple weeks, so we're gonna crash today and watch a couple Bette Davis flicks. I love that lady!

Bette Davis became the first woman to secure 10 nominations for the Best Actress Oscar, and in the intervening years, only Katharine Hepburn and Meryl Streep have surpassed this figure.

Some of my favorites:
So Big...1932, Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex...1935, Jezebel...1938, Dark Victory...1939, The Great Lie...1941, Now Voyager...1942, Watch on the Rhine...1943, Mr. Skeffington...1944, The Corn is Green...1945, A Stolen Life...1946, All About Eve...1950, The Virgin Queen...1955, A Pocketful of Miracles...1961, Whatever Happened to Baby Jayne?...1962, Hush...Hush Sweet Charlotte...1964, The Nanny...1965.

Some pics and facts from some of my favorite Davis films.

Jezebel


The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex


Dark Victory


Now Voyager



Watch on the Rhine


All About EVE





''My first feeling, of compassion for this misunderstood talented woman, (Margo) was quickly replaced by a robust attraction, an uncontrollable lust. I walked around with a hard on for three days''-Davis's husband, Garry Merrill.-

Marlene Dietrich, Susan Hayward, Claudette Colbert and Gertrude Lawrence were all asked to play the part before Bette Davis.


The Virgin Queen




Whatever Happened to Baby Jayne?




Hush...Hush Sweet Charlotte


Bette Davis

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

I loooooooooooooooove Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?

She was magnificent in the role.

I like Bette Davis, too.

Jackie said...

OOO Yeah, Baby Jane! I mean decades of great flicks from that lady.

Darius T. Williams said...

I'm so young...no idea who she was. Do you hear me? No idea...

Jackie said...

Darius,c'mon guy. This is important. She's a great part of film amd American culture. If you like movies, you need to...c'mon guy. :-)

Monica Roberts said...

So...you're a classic movie fan.

Jackie said...

OMG! Yes! And Alexandra reminded me of "The Old Maid" which reminded me of another great one, "Old Aquaintance". Can't beat these on a rainy day.