Wednesday, August 18, 2010

A Clip From the Movie “The Ghost Breakers” Featuring Bob Hope.

I know the clip is sort of not kosher because their making fun of Democrats. Still got to love Bob Hope, lol. Bob Hope is one of the classic stars.

 

The video was put up on You Tube by merkin.

Monday, August 16, 2010

Bette Davis-Illness, Conflict, And Death

During the filming of the television series ‘Hotel’ in 1983, Davis was diagnosed with breast cancer and underwent a mastectomy. Within two weeks of her surgery Davis had four strokes which caused paralysis in the right side of her body. After a lengthy period of physical therapy, Davis gained partial recovery fro the paralysis.

It was around this time Davis’ relationship with her daughter started to go down hill. Hyman, Davis’ daughter, became a born again Christian and tried to convince Davis to follow suit but Davis didn’t. Davis’s health became stable so she traveled to England to film ‘Murder With Mirrors’.  Upon her return Davis found out Hyman wrote a book called ‘My Mother’s Keeper’. Hyman chronicled in the book of a difficult mother and daughter relationship and scenes of Davis’ overbearing and drunken behavior. The book didn’t help the situation between mother and daughter.

Several friends of Davis’ said Hyman’s book wasn’t accurate. The book even caused a conflict between Hyman and her brother, Michael. Michael ended contact with Hyman and refused to see her again. Davis ended up disinheriting her daughter.

Davis went on to write her second memoir “This ‘N That’, filming two television movies, and her last performance in ‘Wicked Stepmother’ in which she abandoned due to disagreements with Cohen.

It was also during her last performance her health was failing more.

In 1989, during the American Cinema Awards, Davis collapsed. She recovered enough to travel to Spain where she was honored at the Donostia-San Sebastian International Film Festival. During this visit her health rapidly deteriorated. Davis was too weak to make the long journey back to the United States. She traveled to France where she died at the American Hospital in Neuilly-sur-Seine on October 6, 1989.

Davis was buried at the Hollywood Hills Cemetery in Los Angeles, California alongside her mother and sister. The epitaph on her tombstone was “She did it the hard way.”    

Bette Davis-Legal Case

Davis was convinced her career was being damaged by mediocre films by Warner Brothers. She accepted an offer in England to appear in 2 films, knowing she was breaching her contract with Warner Brothers. Davis fled to Canada to keep from being served legal papers. After awhile Davis took her case to a court in England.

Sir Patrick Hastings represented Warner Brothers. he urged the court to “come to the conclusion that this is rather a a naughty young lady and that what she wants is more money”. Hastings incorrectly stated that Davis was getting paid $1350 per week for her quoted “slavery”. The British press portrayed Davis as overpaid and ungrateful.

Davis’ counsel presented her complaints. Her counsel suggested that Davis could be suspended without pay for refusing a part, with the period of suspension added to her contract that Davis could be called upon to play any part within her abilities regardless of her personal beliefs.

Davis lost her case.

Sunday, August 8, 2010

Bette Davis-Film Career

Cropped screenshot of Bette Davis and Leslie H...

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Davis earned her first acclaim role as Mildred Rogers in the film ‘Of Human Bondage’ (1934). Where may actresses feared playing unsympathetic characters, Davis viewed it as an opportunity to show the range of her acting skills. The film was a success. The critics loved her portrayal of Mildred Rogers, giving Davis high praised reviews. Life Magazine wrote Davis gave “the best performance ever recorded by a U.S. actress”.

When Davis didn’t get nominated for an Academy Award for her portrayal of Mildred Rogers, many joined a campaign to get her nominate. This prompted an announcement from the Academy President, who said “any voter…may write on the ballot his or her personal choice for winners.”. This allowed for the first and only time in the Academy history that a allowed a consideration of a candidate not officially nominated for an award. It also changed the Academy’s voting procedures the following year.

In 1935, Davis played a troubled actress in the film ‘Dangerous’. The film got great reviews.

Davis’ next film was ‘The Petrified Forest’ (1936). She co-starred with Leslie Howard and Humphrey Bogart. It was Bogart, who received the critics praise in this film.

Davis played a prostitute in a gangster drama inspired by Lucky Luciano called ‘Marked Woman’ (1937) Both the film and Davis received excellent reviews.

Davis next film was in ‘Jezebel’. ‘Jezebel’ marked the beginning of the most successful phase of Davis’ career.

During the filming of ‘Dark Victory’ (1939), Davis was emotional and thought of abandoning it. I took producer Hal B. Wallis talking her to channel her emotional state into her acting. The film was one of the highest grossing films of the year and won Davis a nomination at the Academy Awards. The film became Davis’ favorite.

In 1939, Davis appeared in three box office hits ‘The Old Maid’, ‘Juarez’, and ‘The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex’.

Davis became Warner Brothers’ most profitable star. She was given important female leading roles. Davis got more close ups, putting emphasizes on her eyes.

The most financially successful filming of Davis’ career was ‘All This and Heaven Too’ (1940). The Hollywood Reporter considered ‘The Letter’ as “one of the best pictures of the year”.

Davis became the first female president of the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences. It was said she antagonized the committed members with her brash manners and radical proposals. She ended up resigning from the position.

In 1941, Davis starred in the film ‘The Little Foxes’ as the character of Regina Giddens. During the film, she clashed with her director, William Wyler. Wyler wanted Davis to soften the role of Regina Giddens. Davis wasn’t going to have it. It turned out Davis’ instincts was right because she received an Academy Award nomination for her performance.  

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Tuesday, August 3, 2010

Bette Davis-Stage To Film

Cropped screenshot of Bette Davis from the tra...

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Davis auditioned for George Cukor’s stack theater company. Although George Cuker wasn’t very impressed with Davis’ audition, he gave Davis her first paid acting assignment anyway.

Davis first week’s stint was playing a chorus girl in the play ‘Broadway’. Later on, she was to play the character of Hedwig in ‘The Wild Duck’. (hedwig was the character she saw Entwistle play.) Afterwards, Davis made her Broadway debut in ‘Broken Dishes’ (1929) then followed it with ‘Solid South’. A talent scout from Universal Studios saw Davis perform and invited her for a screen test in Hollywood.

On December 13, 1930, Davis arrived with her mother by train in Hollywood. She later recalls that she was surprised that no one was at the train station waiting for her. The person, who was suppose to pick her up, had left because he didn’t see a woman that looked like an actress.

Davis failed her first screen test but was used in a few screen tests for other actors. In an interview with Dick Cavette in 1971, she described the experience: “I was the most Yankee-est, most modest virgin who ever walked the earth. They laid me on a couch, and I tested fifteen men… They all had to lie on top of me and give a passionate kiss. Oh, I thought I would die. Just thought I would die.”

Another screen test was arranged for Davis for a film ‘A house Divided’ (1931) but didn’t get the part. The cinematographer, Karl Freud, thought because Davis had beautiful eyes she would be suitable for the film ‘The Bad Sister’ (1931). Davis made her debut in the film. The film was not a success. None of the films she did with Universal Studios were a success. It wasn’t until she signed a five year contract with Warner Brothers that things started to look up for Davis.   

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Monday, August 2, 2010

Bette Davis-Early Life

Cropped screenshot of Bette Davis from the fil...

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Bette Davis was born Ruth Elizabeth (Betty) Davis in Lowell, Massachusetts on April 5, 1908 to Ruth Augusta and Harlow Morrell Davis. The year after Davis was born her baby sister, Barbara, was born.

In 1915, Davis parents separated. In 1921, Ruth, Betty, and Barbara moved to New York City.

After seeing Rudolph Valentino in “The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse” and Mary Pickford in “Little Lord Fauntleroy” Davis was inspired to become an actress. Davis changed the spelling of her nickname Betty to Bette after seeing ‘La Cousine Bette’. Her mother encouraged her to become an actress.

Davis attended Cushing Academy where she met her future husband, Harmon O. (Ham) Nelson.

Davis saw a production of Henrik Ibsen’s ‘The Wild Duck’ with Blanche Yurka and Peg Entwistle. The production inspired her to make a full commitment at becoming an actress. Her words were: “Before that performance I wanted to be an actress. When it ended, I had to be an actress…exactly like Peg Entwistle.”

Davis auditioned for admission to Eva Le Gallienne’s Manhattan Civic Repertory but was rejected. Davis was accepted by the John Murray Anderson School of Theatre and studied dance with Martha Graham.      

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