Six Decades of Bette Davis
We lost the formidable and supremely talented Bette Davis on this day 31 years ago.
In honour of one of Hollywood's greatest actresses (she's second only to Katharine Hepburn on the American Film Institute's 100 Years...100 Stars list), I'm picking one film per decade of her storied career to recommend for you to watch. Let's dive in! Or should I say: fasten your seat belts?
1930s
Fashions of 1934 (1934)
I love a jaunty '30s film, with the fast-talking and the wise-cracking with titans in starring roles, like Bette Davis and William Powell in this comedy about a businessman and a fashion designer who team up to open a boutique with knock-off designs.
1940s
In This Our Life (1942)
via tumblr, source unknown
Bette never shied away from playing the so-called bad girl, the villainess, the anti-hero; in fact, she excelled at it. There are plenty of examples in the Bette Davis canon, but I especially love how deliciously awful she is in In This Our Life, as the bad sister to good girl Olivia de Havilland. Not only does she steal her sister's fiancé but by the end of it, her crimes have stacked so highly that it'll require
1950s
The Star (1952)
I caught this film for the first time last year during TCM's 31 Days of Oscar, and I was struck by how vulnerable Bette is as the aging actress who's trying to land one more job in Hollywood. That's Bette's real Oscar, by the way. She runs the gamut of emotions trying to get that one last professional success, all the while juggling her daughter (played by Natalie Wood) and a new love interest.
1960s
Whatever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962)
Need I explain this one? I loved Anne Bancroft's work in The Miracle Worker, but I truly believe Bette's performance as Baby Jane Hudson should've won her a third Oscar.
1970s
Bunny O'Hare (1971)
Okay, so this isn't like...a great movie? By any means. But I always enjoy watching the old guard appearing in the new media landscapes of '70s and '80s Hollywood (it's part of why I started my The Last Film of... series), and though this wasn't Bette's last movie, it's so far removed from the stature or quality of films she'd been offered earlier in her career that it might've been. As the hard-luck single mother of two adult children who are both disasters (and cash-strapped), she joins forces with Ernest Borgnine to rob some banks disguised as old hippies.
I can't promise you'll love it, but you should try it.
1980s
The Whales of August (1987)
Bette's swan song (and Lillian Gish's, too); and what a high note to go out on. It's a slow pace film, but you'll love watching these two legendary women spar and love and reminisce in their family's seaside cottage in Maine.
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It was hard to narrow this down, and I overlooked a lot of my absolute favourite Bette Davis films (to save for a rainy day), but these are (for the most part) all great films that you should definitely check out.
What are some of your favourite Bette Davis films?
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