WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:01.919 We've got the files today on a Hollywood figure 00:00:01.919 --> 00:00:05.459 who didn't just break the mold. She, well, she 00:00:05.459 --> 00:00:07.799 pulverized it and then smoked a cigarette over 00:00:07.799 --> 00:00:09.419 the rubble. That's a pretty good way to put it. 00:00:09.460 --> 00:00:12.619 We are talking about Ruth Elizabeth Davis, better 00:00:12.619 --> 00:00:17.600 known globally and, I mean, eternally as Bette 00:00:17.600 --> 00:00:20.260 Davis. And if you're looking for sort of a shortcut 00:00:20.260 --> 00:00:22.839 to understanding this incredibly complex, often 00:00:22.839 --> 00:00:25.559 ferocious icon, I think the key thing to know 00:00:25.559 --> 00:00:28.170 about Davis is the paradox. The paradox. Right. 00:00:28.269 --> 00:00:30.769 She didn't achieve immortality by being sweet 00:00:30.769 --> 00:00:33.429 or easy or sympathetic. Actually, it was the 00:00:33.429 --> 00:00:36.310 exact opposite. She actively avoided those roles. 00:00:36.469 --> 00:00:38.369 She sought out the tough ones. She deliberately 00:00:38.369 --> 00:00:40.969 sought out the harsh, the sardonic, the complex 00:00:40.969 --> 00:00:43.609 and, you know, the downright vicious characters. 00:00:43.929 --> 00:00:45.850 And that's really the core tension we're diving 00:00:45.850 --> 00:00:48.329 into today. You sent in sources that cover her 00:00:48.329 --> 00:00:50.789 entire career. And the main question you wanted 00:00:50.789 --> 00:00:52.810 to explore is how that ferocious independence 00:00:52.810 --> 00:00:56.619 and that combative nature. That refusal to. be 00:00:56.619 --> 00:00:58.880 romanticized exactly how that translated into 00:00:58.880 --> 00:01:00.859 one of the most celebrated and long -lasting 00:01:00.859 --> 00:01:03.560 careers in all of cinematic history well and 00:01:03.560 --> 00:01:06.579 the success it really speaks for itself her filmography 00:01:06.579 --> 00:01:11.060 is just It ranges across crime melodramas, historical 00:01:11.060 --> 00:01:15.760 epics, period pieces. But her greatest triumphs, 00:01:15.760 --> 00:01:18.019 the roles that really earned her that iconic 00:01:18.019 --> 00:01:20.959 status, they were those intense women's pictures 00:01:20.959 --> 00:01:23.340 and romantic dramas where she just absolutely 00:01:23.340 --> 00:01:25.599 refused to play the victim. OK, so let's start 00:01:25.599 --> 00:01:27.239 with the hard numbers, because when you lay them 00:01:27.239 --> 00:01:29.920 out, they are genuinely astounding. They really 00:01:29.920 --> 00:01:32.319 are. She won the Academy Award for Best Actress 00:01:32.319 --> 00:01:34.599 not once, but twice. First for a film called 00:01:34.599 --> 00:01:38.920 Dangerous. And then for her. Just masterful performance 00:01:38.920 --> 00:01:41.319 in Jezebel. And maybe more importantly, she set 00:01:41.319 --> 00:01:43.900 this incredible professional benchmark. She was 00:01:43.900 --> 00:01:47.040 the first person ever to accrue 10 Academy Award 00:01:47.040 --> 00:01:49.680 nominations for acting. Ten? That's a record 00:01:49.680 --> 00:01:52.319 that stood for decades. For decades, yeah. And 00:01:52.319 --> 00:01:54.140 that's not even counting a highly controversial 00:01:54.140 --> 00:01:56.400 write -in nomination very early in her career. 00:01:56.599 --> 00:01:58.819 I mean, that's a testament not just to raw talent, 00:01:58.900 --> 00:02:02.959 but to strategic career management across multiple 00:02:02.959 --> 00:02:06.319 decades in a brutal, brutal industry. And the 00:02:06.319 --> 00:02:08.639 industry itself, despite all the fighting she 00:02:08.639 --> 00:02:11.219 did against it, well, eventually had to bow down. 00:02:11.379 --> 00:02:14.199 It had no choice. They recognized that longevity 00:02:14.199 --> 00:02:17.259 and that raw power. They made her the first woman 00:02:17.259 --> 00:02:19.939 ever to receive a Lifetime Achievement Award 00:02:19.939 --> 00:02:21.960 from the American Film Institute. That was in 00:02:21.960 --> 00:02:25.199 1977. And, you know, in terms of sheer cultural 00:02:25.199 --> 00:02:28.879 magnitude, the AFI later ranked her second only 00:02:28.879 --> 00:02:30.979 to Katharine Hepburn on their list of the greatest 00:02:30.979 --> 00:02:34.460 female stars of classic Hollywood cinema. Second 00:02:34.460 --> 00:02:37.000 only to Hepburn. You just you cannot discuss 00:02:37.000 --> 00:02:40.319 the golden age of Hollywood without placing Bette 00:02:40.319 --> 00:02:43.580 Davis in an absolute top tier. But as you alluded 00:02:43.580 --> 00:02:46.319 to, that recognition came with a reputation that, 00:02:46.319 --> 00:02:48.740 I mean, it precedes her even today. We're exploring 00:02:48.740 --> 00:02:51.500 the person who was known as a ruthless perfectionist. 00:02:51.500 --> 00:02:53.419 And highly combative. Right. Highly combative. 00:02:53.479 --> 00:02:55.439 And that meant confrontations with everyone, 00:02:55.560 --> 00:02:58.319 studio heads, directors, and especially her co 00:02:58.319 --> 00:03:01.340 -stars. Oh, yeah. Her public persona, that forthright, 00:03:01.439 --> 00:03:04.219 often cutting manner, the crisp, clipped vocal 00:03:04.219 --> 00:03:06.240 delivery, and of course, the omnipresent cigarette. 00:03:06.340 --> 00:03:09.159 It was essentially the uniform of an artist who 00:03:09.159 --> 00:03:12.199 absolutely refused to compromise. And I think 00:03:12.199 --> 00:03:13.699 that's the essential question we're going to 00:03:13.699 --> 00:03:16.580 explore today. What was the actual cost of being 00:03:16.580 --> 00:03:19.689 Bette Davis? She built this legendary career 00:03:19.689 --> 00:03:24.270 on being tough and uncompromising. And that toughness, 00:03:24.310 --> 00:03:26.289 while it was her greatest professional asset. 00:03:26.569 --> 00:03:29.370 It became her deepest personal liability. Exactly. 00:03:29.569 --> 00:03:31.409 Okay, let's unpack this journey because the start 00:03:31.409 --> 00:03:34.310 of her career was anything but easy or charmed. 00:03:34.389 --> 00:03:36.889 Not at all. She was born Ruth Elizabeth Davis 00:03:36.889 --> 00:03:41.430 in Lowell, Massachusetts in 1908. And she made 00:03:41.430 --> 00:03:44.990 a very early, very intentional move that I think 00:03:44.990 --> 00:03:47.189 defined her professional identity. You're talking. 00:03:47.310 --> 00:03:49.129 at her name. Yeah, changing the spelling of her 00:03:49.129 --> 00:03:53.030 first name to Beck with an E. She took inspiration 00:03:53.030 --> 00:03:55.789 from Balzac's really strong -willed character, 00:03:55.930 --> 00:03:58.930 Bette Fisher, in La Cousine Bette. And the irony 00:03:58.930 --> 00:04:01.729 is that this ambitious, you know, literary -minded 00:04:01.729 --> 00:04:04.569 young woman was just immediately hit with rejection. 00:04:04.750 --> 00:04:06.229 Right out of the gate. Right out of the gate. 00:04:06.370 --> 00:04:09.110 She tried to enroll in Eva Le Gallien's prominent 00:04:09.110 --> 00:04:12.469 acting school and the theater legend. Well, she 00:04:12.469 --> 00:04:15.250 famously turned her way. On what grounds? Claiming 00:04:15.250 --> 00:04:17.949 Bette had an insincere and frivolous attitude. 00:04:18.910 --> 00:04:20.889 It must have been a crushing blow to hear that 00:04:20.889 --> 00:04:22.750 you're just not serious enough for the craft 00:04:22.750 --> 00:04:24.750 you wanted to find your entire life. But she 00:04:24.750 --> 00:04:27.129 didn't quit, though. Her first paid acting role 00:04:27.129 --> 00:04:29.730 was actually incredibly humble. It really was. 00:04:29.949 --> 00:04:32.790 A one -week stint as a chorus girl in the play 00:04:32.790 --> 00:04:36.009 Broadway. This was in George Cukor's stock company. 00:04:36.370 --> 00:04:38.569 It just shows she was willing to start at the 00:04:38.569 --> 00:04:41.069 absolute bottom doing the work despite those 00:04:41.069 --> 00:04:44.449 early dismissals. And that grit was immediately 00:04:44.449 --> 00:04:46.930 necessary because her entry into Hollywood in 00:04:46.930 --> 00:04:50.689 1930 was, well, it was less a glamorous debut 00:04:50.689 --> 00:04:53.550 and more a series of profound humiliations. She 00:04:53.550 --> 00:04:55.689 moved out west, right, inspired by stars like 00:04:55.689 --> 00:04:57.550 Mary Pickford. Yeah, this wholesome, picture 00:04:57.550 --> 00:05:00.250 -perfect image. But upon arrival at Universal 00:05:00.250 --> 00:05:02.449 Studios, she and her mother... They weren't even 00:05:02.449 --> 00:05:04.709 met at the train station. Why not? Because the 00:05:04.709 --> 00:05:06.970 studio employee who was sent to wait for the 00:05:06.970 --> 00:05:10.230 star, he couldn't spot her. He later explained 00:05:10.230 --> 00:05:12.509 he saw no one who looked like an actress. Wow. 00:05:12.610 --> 00:05:14.389 I mean, that phrase, didn't look like an actress. 00:05:14.490 --> 00:05:16.889 That became the defining insult she fought against 00:05:16.889 --> 00:05:19.689 her whole life. It really did. And it gets so 00:05:19.689 --> 00:05:22.029 much worse. This leads directly to the infamous 00:05:22.029 --> 00:05:24.790 screen test incident, which is just shocking 00:05:24.790 --> 00:05:27.800 in its objectification. So what happened? She 00:05:27.800 --> 00:05:30.160 not only failed her first test, but the studio 00:05:30.160 --> 00:05:33.259 then used her simply as a test subject. A test 00:05:33.259 --> 00:05:36.339 subject for what? For 15 other male actors who 00:05:36.339 --> 00:05:38.879 needed someone to, and this is her quote, lie 00:05:38.879 --> 00:05:41.759 on top of me and give me a passionate kiss just 00:05:41.759 --> 00:05:44.639 so they could practice their technique. 15 guys. 00:05:44.939 --> 00:05:49.279 That is just brutal. The sheer brutality of that 00:05:49.279 --> 00:05:51.220 welcome to the industry, the lack of respect, 00:05:51.439 --> 00:05:54.579 the casual way she was used as a prop. It's astounding. 00:05:55.040 --> 00:05:58.180 Davis later recounted the sheer misery and awkwardness 00:05:58.180 --> 00:06:00.240 of it all, feeling like she would die of embarrassment. 00:06:00.500 --> 00:06:02.300 So the system was basically telling her from 00:06:02.300 --> 00:06:05.019 day one that she was physically undesirable and 00:06:05.019 --> 00:06:07.790 professionally useless. Exactly. And the hits 00:06:07.790 --> 00:06:10.709 kept coming, even from the top brass. She overheard 00:06:10.709 --> 00:06:13.449 the chief of production, Carl Lamley Jr., make 00:06:13.449 --> 00:06:16.230 this devastating comment about her having about 00:06:16.230 --> 00:06:18.750 as much sex appeal as Slim Somerville. And for 00:06:18.750 --> 00:06:21.009 context, who was Slim Somerville? He was a homely, 00:06:21.009 --> 00:06:24.050 cross -eyed male comedian who co -starred in 00:06:24.050 --> 00:06:27.370 her first film, Bad Sister. I mean, it was a 00:06:27.370 --> 00:06:29.910 cutting, deeply personal assessment that she 00:06:29.910 --> 00:06:32.370 never, ever forgot. It's a brutal initiation. 00:06:32.990 --> 00:06:35.959 It really was. After one year and six unsuccessful, 00:06:36.160 --> 00:06:39.220 forgettable films, Universal just elected not 00:06:39.220 --> 00:06:42.660 to renew her contract in 1932. She was literally 00:06:42.660 --> 00:06:44.959 packed, ready to go back to New York, feeling 00:06:44.959 --> 00:06:47.720 like a total failure. But here is where the breakthrough 00:06:47.720 --> 00:06:50.399 happens, and it's driven entirely by a fellow 00:06:50.399 --> 00:06:53.060 actor recognizing her potential. Right, George 00:06:53.060 --> 00:06:56.240 Arliss, a celebrated star of the time. He chose 00:06:56.240 --> 00:06:58.620 her for a lead role in a film called The Man 00:06:58.620 --> 00:07:00.839 Who Played God. And that was her lifeline. It 00:07:00.839 --> 00:07:03.439 was everything. That film landed her a five -year 00:07:03.439 --> 00:07:06.019 contract with Warner Bros., which was a studio 00:07:06.019 --> 00:07:08.160 relationship that would ultimately last for 18 00:07:08.160 --> 00:07:11.480 highly volatile, explosive years. And the nature 00:07:11.480 --> 00:07:13.439 of that relationship was really defined immediately 00:07:13.439 --> 00:07:16.399 by her first major critical success, which was 00:07:16.399 --> 00:07:19.639 on a loan out to RKO. Of Human Bondage, 1934. 00:07:19.860 --> 00:07:22.279 This is the ultimate aha moment that defines 00:07:22.279 --> 00:07:25.160 the Bette Davis brand. She chose to play Mildred 00:07:25.160 --> 00:07:29.310 Rogers. the vicious and slatternly waitress who 00:07:29.310 --> 00:07:32.329 just destroys Leslie Howard's character. And 00:07:32.329 --> 00:07:34.509 the reason this was so significant was that nobody 00:07:34.509 --> 00:07:37.129 else wanted the role. Almost every other major 00:07:37.129 --> 00:07:39.649 actress in Hollywood refused it. And why the 00:07:39.649 --> 00:07:44.089 refusal? Because it was so fundamentally unglamorous. 00:07:44.149 --> 00:07:46.529 Exactly. That's it. Required a leading lady to 00:07:46.529 --> 00:07:50.389 be cruel, unlikable, and ultimately... to look 00:07:50.389 --> 00:07:53.149 ravaged by poverty and illness. And she saw that 00:07:53.149 --> 00:07:55.370 as a challenge. The ultimate artistic challenge. 00:07:55.589 --> 00:07:57.790 It was a declaration of war against the vanity 00:07:57.790 --> 00:07:59.829 that was required of Hollywood starlets at the 00:07:59.829 --> 00:08:02.610 time. She insisted on portraying the character 00:08:02.610 --> 00:08:05.269 realistically, understanding the brutal aesthetic 00:08:05.269 --> 00:08:07.269 of suffering. She had that great quote about 00:08:07.269 --> 00:08:09.430 it. Yeah, she famously said, the last stages 00:08:09.430 --> 00:08:11.829 of consumption, poverty, and neglect are not 00:08:11.829 --> 00:08:14.230 pretty, and I intended to be convincing looking. 00:08:14.589 --> 00:08:16.769 And the critics went wild for it. They were immediately 00:08:16.769 --> 00:08:18.930 captivated by this commitment to authenticity. 00:08:19.269 --> 00:08:21.449 They called it probably the best performance 00:08:21.449 --> 00:08:23.730 ever recorded on the screen by a U .S. actress. 00:08:23.990 --> 00:08:26.889 This stellar work, however, led to one of the 00:08:26.889 --> 00:08:29.350 biggest political crises in the history of the 00:08:29.350 --> 00:08:32.409 Academy Awards. A huge one. She was contentiously 00:08:32.409 --> 00:08:35.450 not nominated for Best Actress that year. And 00:08:35.450 --> 00:08:38.850 a huge public uproar ensued, driven by critics 00:08:38.850 --> 00:08:41.190 and fans who just could not believe her tour 00:08:41.190 --> 00:08:44.100 de force was ignored. The public backlash was 00:08:44.100 --> 00:08:46.320 so intense that the Academy president had to 00:08:46.320 --> 00:08:49.200 intervene publicly. He announced this temporary 00:08:49.200 --> 00:08:51.940 and ultimately game -changing rule. The write 00:08:51.940 --> 00:08:53.879 -in ballot. The write -in ballot. It allowed 00:08:53.879 --> 00:08:56.659 voters to write on the ballot his or her personal 00:08:56.659 --> 00:08:59.799 choice. This was completely unprecedented. And 00:08:59.799 --> 00:09:02.740 although Davis didn't win that year, the turmoil 00:09:02.740 --> 00:09:05.139 she caused directly led to a permanent overhaul 00:09:05.139 --> 00:09:06.879 of the voting procedures the following year. 00:09:07.019 --> 00:09:08.759 So they changed the whole system because of her. 00:09:08.899 --> 00:09:11.629 They moved the voting power from a small often 00:09:11.629 --> 00:09:14.070 politically motivated committee, to a full branch 00:09:14.070 --> 00:09:16.710 vote, habulated independently by Price Waterhouse, 00:09:16.889 --> 00:09:19.789 all because of the snub forma of human bondage. 00:09:20.080 --> 00:09:23.220 Think about that impact. A single actress's controversial 00:09:23.220 --> 00:09:27.120 snub forced a major institution to fundamentally 00:09:27.120 --> 00:09:30.700 democratize its entire process in less than a 00:09:30.700 --> 00:09:33.179 year. That's how profound her influence was, 00:09:33.340 --> 00:09:35.259 even when she was, you know, technically losing. 00:09:35.559 --> 00:09:38.399 She did end up winning her first Oscar the following 00:09:38.399 --> 00:09:42.100 year for Dangerous. Yeah. A film from 1935. It 00:09:42.100 --> 00:09:44.100 was a win she later admitted she considered a 00:09:44.100 --> 00:09:47.200 kind of consolation prize. For the bondage snub. 00:09:47.220 --> 00:09:50.509 Exactly. And just to throw in a piece of fun 00:09:50.509 --> 00:09:53.129 trivia, she is the one who claimed she gave the 00:09:53.129 --> 00:09:56.429 statue its familiar nickname, Oscar. After her 00:09:56.429 --> 00:09:58.429 husband. After her first husband's middle name, 00:09:58.570 --> 00:10:00.970 Harmon Oscar Nelson. And speaking of that first 00:10:00.970 --> 00:10:03.049 marriage, it provides the first really tangible 00:10:03.049 --> 00:10:05.169 evidence that her rapidly accelerating professional 00:10:05.169 --> 00:10:07.870 success was already putting a huge strain on 00:10:07.870 --> 00:10:10.269 her private life. Oh, yeah. The financial disparity 00:10:10.269 --> 00:10:13.509 was enormous and the press scrutinized it constantly. 00:10:13.669 --> 00:10:16.649 She was earning $1 ,000 a week while Nelson was 00:10:16.649 --> 00:10:19.070 earning $100. And this brings us to a crucial 00:10:19.070 --> 00:10:21.529 piece of historical context, which is the application 00:10:21.529 --> 00:10:24.289 of community property law at the time. Right. 00:10:24.370 --> 00:10:27.629 It's a key point. Even though Davis was the clear 00:10:27.629 --> 00:10:30.149 breadwinner, I mean, earning 10 times his salary, 00:10:30.350 --> 00:10:33.789 the prevailing law often dictated that the husband 00:10:33.789 --> 00:10:36.250 maintain legal control over the couple's joint 00:10:36.250 --> 00:10:39.809 finances. So he controlled her money. He wielded 00:10:39.809 --> 00:10:42.389 that power to prevent her from buying a house 00:10:42.389 --> 00:10:45.149 until he felt he could afford it. It was a means 00:10:45.149 --> 00:10:47.809 of control, a way of ensuring that his financial 00:10:47.809 --> 00:10:50.970 inferiority didn't translate into a loss of traditional 00:10:50.970 --> 00:10:53.210 patriarchal authority in the marriage. That is 00:10:53.210 --> 00:10:55.730 just deeply frustrating. She's out there fighting 00:10:55.730 --> 00:10:58.110 the entire studio system for artistic control 00:10:58.110 --> 00:11:00.149 only to come home and face a husband who controls 00:11:00.149 --> 00:11:02.230 her finances using the legal system. And the 00:11:02.230 --> 00:11:05.690 pain extended far beyond money. Davis had two 00:11:05.690 --> 00:11:07.809 abortions during this marriage, both insisted 00:11:07.809 --> 00:11:10.320 upon by Nelson. Which just highlights the extent 00:11:10.320 --> 00:11:12.299 of the control exerted over her body and her 00:11:12.299 --> 00:11:14.700 life, despite her burgeoning fame. This relationship 00:11:14.700 --> 00:11:16.679 was really the first casualty of the success 00:11:16.679 --> 00:11:19.299 she pursued so ruthlessly. Okay, so this is where 00:11:19.299 --> 00:11:22.039 the story of Bette Davis just explodes from personal 00:11:22.039 --> 00:11:25.379 drama into a massive industry -wide landmark 00:11:25.379 --> 00:11:27.909 event. Contract showdown. That simmering tension 00:11:27.909 --> 00:11:31.429 between Davis, her salary demands, and the restrictive 00:11:31.429 --> 00:11:34.710 studio system of Warner Bros. culminated in a 00:11:34.710 --> 00:11:37.830 legendary contract showdown of 1936. And this 00:11:37.830 --> 00:11:41.129 was a battle over so much more than money. Davis 00:11:41.129 --> 00:11:43.850 felt she was being assigned, well, garbage scripts 00:11:43.850 --> 00:11:45.909 that were unworthy of the status she had earned. 00:11:46.009 --> 00:11:49.169 With performances like of human bondage. Exactly. 00:11:49.309 --> 00:11:52.509 So she refused these poor film offers like God's 00:11:52.509 --> 00:11:55.929 Country and The Woman in Mountain Justice. She 00:11:55.929 --> 00:11:58.470 demanded a salary increase from about $1 ,250 00:11:58.470 --> 00:12:01.990 to a still modest $3 ,500 per week. And Warner 00:12:01.990 --> 00:12:05.009 Bros., under the notoriously stingy Jack Warner, 00:12:05.210 --> 00:12:07.789 responded exactly as you'd expect. They suspended 00:12:07.789 --> 00:12:10.009 her. They suspended her, effectively halting 00:12:10.009 --> 00:12:12.529 her income until she agreed to work. But Davis 00:12:12.529 --> 00:12:14.889 wasn't having it. She took radical action. She 00:12:14.889 --> 00:12:17.610 abruptly packed up and traveled to England. Once 00:12:17.610 --> 00:12:19.309 she was there, she signed a deal with a British 00:12:19.309 --> 00:12:21.370 company to make a film called I'll Take the Low 00:12:21.370 --> 00:12:24.289 Road. So this was a direct brazen attempt to 00:12:24.289 --> 00:12:26.730 just bypass her Warner Bros. contract by working 00:12:26.730 --> 00:12:28.850 outside U .S. jurisdiction. It was. And Warner 00:12:28.850 --> 00:12:32.149 Bros. was furious. They immediately filed a legal 00:12:32.149 --> 00:12:34.889 injunction in the British courts. And the resulting 00:12:34.889 --> 00:12:37.610 court case was the stuff of legend. It became 00:12:37.610 --> 00:12:39.889 a landmark ruling on the power of the studio 00:12:39.889 --> 00:12:43.389 system. And Warner Bros. won the case decisively. 00:12:43.750 --> 00:12:46.110 Justice Branson, who oversaw the proceedings. 00:12:46.940 --> 00:12:49.519 He pulled no punches. What did she say? His summation 00:12:49.519 --> 00:12:53.019 was just brutal. He dismissed her claims that 00:12:53.019 --> 00:12:55.779 she was an underpaid slave, and he ruled that 00:12:55.779 --> 00:12:58.179 she breached the contract for no discoverable 00:12:58.179 --> 00:13:01.259 reason except that she wanted more money. So 00:13:01.259 --> 00:13:04.379 she lost? She lost big. Davis was ordered to 00:13:04.379 --> 00:13:07.480 pay a staggering $80 ,000 in restitution and 00:13:07.480 --> 00:13:10.919 legal fees. For her personally, it was a massive 00:13:10.919 --> 00:13:13.620 financial and legal defeat. Yet here is the huge 00:13:13.620 --> 00:13:16.309 paradox that defines her mid -career. Although 00:13:16.309 --> 00:13:18.950 she definitively lost that legal battle, having 00:13:18.950 --> 00:13:21.129 her name plastered across international headlines 00:13:21.129 --> 00:13:23.149 for standing up to the oppressive studio system 00:13:23.149 --> 00:13:26.610 was a monumental public relations victory. Absolutely. 00:13:26.710 --> 00:13:28.450 It signaled to audiences that she was fighting 00:13:28.450 --> 00:13:30.730 for quality, she was fighting for artistic control, 00:13:30.809 --> 00:13:32.190 and she was fighting against corporate control. 00:13:32.350 --> 00:13:34.490 She would return to Warner Bros., financially 00:13:34.490 --> 00:13:37.110 bruised, but, I mean, reputationally stronger 00:13:37.110 --> 00:13:39.629 than ever. She had established, in the most public 00:13:39.629 --> 00:13:41.809 way possible, that she was a fighter who would 00:13:41.809 --> 00:13:45.269 risk everything for her principles. And the studio... 00:13:45.759 --> 00:13:48.720 Well, they had to reward this new level of stardom. 00:13:48.740 --> 00:13:50.960 And rewarded they did. She immediately starred 00:13:50.960 --> 00:13:53.720 in Marked Woman in 1937, a role that earned her 00:13:53.720 --> 00:13:56.000 the Volpe Cup for Best Actress at the Venice 00:13:56.000 --> 00:13:58.580 Film Festival. And then came the definitive Southern 00:13:58.580 --> 00:14:01.259 Gothic performance that earned her her second 00:14:01.259 --> 00:14:05.559 Academy Award. Jezebel. Jezebel in 1938. where 00:14:05.559 --> 00:14:08.200 she plays the strong -willed, often spiteful 00:14:08.200 --> 00:14:10.759 Southern Belle. It was a masterpiece. And it 00:14:10.759 --> 00:14:12.580 was also where she entered into a professional 00:14:12.580 --> 00:14:15.179 and romantic partnership with the director, William 00:14:15.179 --> 00:14:18.100 Wyler. Who she later called the love of my life. 00:14:18.490 --> 00:14:20.990 The combination of Wyler's meticulous direction 00:14:20.990 --> 00:14:24.490 and Davis's ferocious intensity was just electric. 00:14:24.830 --> 00:14:27.490 It often resulted in these spectacular, complex 00:14:27.490 --> 00:14:29.690 performances. And that period cemented her as 00:14:29.690 --> 00:14:31.850 the studio's most profitable star. She became 00:14:31.850 --> 00:14:34.049 a consistent fixture on the quiggly poll of the 00:14:34.049 --> 00:14:36.769 top 10 money -making stars. Which, for context, 00:14:37.070 --> 00:14:39.389 was the era's definitive annual measurement of 00:14:39.389 --> 00:14:42.250 pure box office power and bankability. She was 00:14:42.250 --> 00:14:44.870 a guaranteed hit. And this success wasn't fleeting. 00:14:45.360 --> 00:14:47.840 I mean, she went on this unbelievable run, receiving 00:14:47.840 --> 00:14:50.879 five consecutive Best Actress nominations from 00:14:50.879 --> 00:14:55.159 1938 to 1942. For films like Dark Victory, The 00:14:55.159 --> 00:14:58.759 Letter, The Little Foxes, and now Voyager, she 00:14:58.759 --> 00:15:00.899 was, you could argue, the most critically recognized 00:15:00.899 --> 00:15:03.419 actress in the world during that stretch. This 00:15:03.419 --> 00:15:06.740 era also saw her embracing astonishing transformation 00:15:06.740 --> 00:15:10.059 and risk. And it was driven by this guiding philosophy 00:15:10.059 --> 00:15:12.600 she learned from the actor Charles Lawton. Right, 00:15:12.679 --> 00:15:15.820 that Flemish quote. He told her, Never not dare 00:15:15.820 --> 00:15:18.000 to hang yourself. That's the only way you grow 00:15:18.000 --> 00:15:19.919 in your profession. You must continually attempt 00:15:19.919 --> 00:15:22.139 things that you think are beyond you or you get 00:15:22.139 --> 00:15:24.879 into a complete rut. And she lived that quote 00:15:24.879 --> 00:15:27.159 fearlessly. I mean, consider the private lives 00:15:27.159 --> 00:15:30.080 of Elizabeth in Essex in 1939. Right. At the 00:15:30.080 --> 00:15:31.919 peak age of 30, when she could have played the 00:15:31.919 --> 00:15:34.759 most glamorous ingenues, she chose to portray 00:15:34.759 --> 00:15:37.600 the 60 -year -old Queen Elizabeth I. And she 00:15:37.600 --> 00:15:40.080 went all in. She went so far as to shave her 00:15:40.080 --> 00:15:43.379 hairline and eyebrows for the role. is an almost 00:15:43.379 --> 00:15:46.500 unheard of sacrifice of vanity for a major female 00:15:46.500 --> 00:15:49.639 star at that time. It just shows she prioritized 00:15:49.639 --> 00:15:52.940 the artistic growth Lawton spoke of over marketability. 00:15:53.139 --> 00:15:55.059 And it was during this run that she delivered 00:15:55.059 --> 00:15:57.440 what she considered her personal favorite performance. 00:15:57.840 --> 00:16:01.090 Dark victory. Dark Victory from 1939, where she 00:16:01.090 --> 00:16:03.269 played a wealthy socialite who discovers she 00:16:03.269 --> 00:16:06.250 has a malignant brain tumor. It required a level 00:16:06.250 --> 00:16:08.570 of emotional vulnerability and gravitas that 00:16:08.570 --> 00:16:10.909 truly showcased her range beyond just playing 00:16:10.909 --> 00:16:13.730 the harpy roles. And her uncompromising nature 00:16:13.730 --> 00:16:16.289 wasn't confined to the sound stages either. No, 00:16:16.309 --> 00:16:18.570 it definitely wasn't. In 1941, she became the 00:16:18.570 --> 00:16:20.509 first female president of the Academy of Motion 00:16:20.509 --> 00:16:22.809 Picture Arts and Sciences. This was a position 00:16:22.809 --> 00:16:25.409 of immense authority, and she approached it with 00:16:25.409 --> 00:16:29.129 her typical bulldozer energy. didn't last long. 00:16:29.230 --> 00:16:31.509 She resigned pretty quickly because she antagonized 00:16:31.509 --> 00:16:33.529 the committee with what they called her brash 00:16:33.529 --> 00:16:36.389 manner and radical proposals. This is a key piece 00:16:36.389 --> 00:16:38.450 of information about her personality outside 00:16:38.450 --> 00:16:41.850 of acting. What exactly were these radical proposals? 00:16:42.090 --> 00:16:44.389 I mean, what was she trying to do? She didn't 00:16:44.389 --> 00:16:46.789 just want to preside. She wanted to reform the 00:16:46.789 --> 00:16:48.909 entire institution, make it more democratic, 00:16:49.049 --> 00:16:51.409 less beholden to studio politics. So what did 00:16:51.409 --> 00:16:54.230 she propose? Her specific proposals included 00:16:54.230 --> 00:16:56.809 ending the practice of hosting the ceremony on 00:16:56.809 --> 00:16:59.889 the studio lots, which she felt reduced the event's 00:16:59.889 --> 00:17:02.370 prestige and made it too much of a studio promotional 00:17:02.370 --> 00:17:05.809 tool. She wanted a neutral, formal venue. Exactly. 00:17:05.890 --> 00:17:08.630 And she also wanted to abolish the common practice 00:17:08.630 --> 00:17:11.549 of presenting the awards via speeches that often 00:17:11.549 --> 00:17:14.490 lauded the studio heads rather than the artistic 00:17:14.490 --> 00:17:16.869 achievements of the recipients. So she tried 00:17:16.869 --> 00:17:19.210 to take the biggest political machine in Hollywood 00:17:19.210 --> 00:17:22.730 and force it to be independent. and artistically 00:17:22.730 --> 00:17:25.529 pure. Of course they kicked her out. That uncompromising 00:17:25.529 --> 00:17:27.430 attitude applied even to boardroom dynamics, 00:17:27.650 --> 00:17:29.650 which the establishment just wasn't ready for 00:17:29.650 --> 00:17:32.430 in a woman. However, her most powerful and long 00:17:32.430 --> 00:17:35.069 -lasting authoritative role outside of acting 00:17:35.069 --> 00:17:37.690 was born from the necessities of World War II. 00:17:37.849 --> 00:17:41.279 Right. In 1941, she co -founded the legendary 00:17:41.279 --> 00:17:44.500 Hollywood Canteen with the actor John Garfield. 00:17:44.759 --> 00:17:46.420 And the Hollywood Canteen was extraordinary. 00:17:46.859 --> 00:17:49.180 It provided a place for millions of traveling 00:17:49.180 --> 00:17:52.539 servicemen to eat, dance and be entertained entirely 00:17:52.539 --> 00:17:55.000 for free. And all the food and entertainment 00:17:55.000 --> 00:17:58.339 was provided by celebrity volunteers. Davis essentially 00:17:58.339 --> 00:18:01.240 ran the organization, serving as its canteen 00:18:01.240 --> 00:18:03.359 president throughout the war. And this was not 00:18:03.359 --> 00:18:06.750 a passive role. She worked tirelessly. scrubbing 00:18:06.750 --> 00:18:09.369 floors, serving food, dancing with thousands 00:18:09.369 --> 00:18:11.690 of soldiers, and managing the relentless flow 00:18:11.690 --> 00:18:14.390 of celebrity volunteers. Her dedication was immense, 00:18:14.509 --> 00:18:17.769 and it wasn't forgotten. She received the Distinguished 00:18:17.769 --> 00:18:20.690 Civilian Service Medal in 1983 for this massive 00:18:20.690 --> 00:18:22.750 effort. It just shows that when her notorious 00:18:22.750 --> 00:18:25.910 energy was channeled toward a genuinely altruistic 00:18:25.910 --> 00:18:28.740 goal, it could be incredibly powerful and effective. 00:18:29.039 --> 00:18:31.000 But even as she was running this massive organization 00:18:31.000 --> 00:18:34.180 and filming iconic pictures, the personal turmoil 00:18:34.180 --> 00:18:36.779 continued. Her second husband, Arthur Farnsworth, 00:18:36.900 --> 00:18:39.700 died suddenly in 1943 from an accidental skull 00:18:39.700 --> 00:18:43.039 fracture sustained weeks earlier. Davis was just 00:18:43.039 --> 00:18:45.380 devastated, and her grief spilled over onto the 00:18:45.380 --> 00:18:47.680 set. During the filming of Mr. Skechontin in 00:18:47.680 --> 00:18:51.180 1944, her behavior became notoriously erratic. 00:18:51.359 --> 00:18:54.099 She was demanding dialogue changes, refusing 00:18:54.099 --> 00:18:57.740 to film scenes, forcing sets to be rebuilt. And 00:18:57.740 --> 00:18:59.359 while critics called the resulting performance 00:18:59.359 --> 00:19:02.680 marathonic, it still earned her another Oscar 00:19:02.680 --> 00:19:05.319 nomination. Davis herself explained this manic 00:19:05.319 --> 00:19:07.680 work ethic as a coping mechanism. She noted, 00:19:07.799 --> 00:19:09.920 when I was most unhappy, I lashed out rather 00:19:09.920 --> 00:19:12.400 than whine. It was how her intense personality 00:19:12.400 --> 00:19:14.900 processed trauma. And we can't forget one of 00:19:14.900 --> 00:19:17.460 her most iconic roles from this period. Now, 00:19:17.519 --> 00:19:20.900 Voyager from 1942. It was a defining women's 00:19:20.900 --> 00:19:23.839 picture, famous, of course, for that highly stylized 00:19:23.839 --> 00:19:26.359 two -cigarette scene with Paul Henreid. Oh, that 00:19:26.359 --> 00:19:28.779 scene became cinematic shorthand for elegant 00:19:28.779 --> 00:19:32.299 romance and defined her enduring appeal to female 00:19:32.299 --> 00:19:34.460 audiences. Okay, so moving into the post -war 00:19:34.460 --> 00:19:36.859 era, we witness a familiar struggle in Hollywood. 00:19:37.119 --> 00:19:39.380 The decline of the powerful studio star system 00:19:39.380 --> 00:19:42.200 and the subsequent identity crisis for the stars 00:19:42.200 --> 00:19:44.480 who defined it. Davis definitely hit a significant 00:19:44.480 --> 00:19:47.900 dip in the late 1940s. And she recognized the 00:19:47.900 --> 00:19:50.779 shift. She tried to take greater control by forming 00:19:50.779 --> 00:19:53.440 her own production company, BD Productions, for 00:19:53.440 --> 00:19:56.819 the film A Stolen Life in 1946. And that film, 00:19:56.940 --> 00:20:00.150 although it was a massive box office hit, Critics 00:20:00.150 --> 00:20:03.069 absolutely savaged it. They called it overly 00:20:03.069 --> 00:20:05.569 melodramatic. And soon after, the audience's 00:20:05.569 --> 00:20:08.250 shifting tastes caught up with her. Her film 00:20:08.250 --> 00:20:11.349 Deception, also in 1946, became the first of 00:20:11.349 --> 00:20:13.869 her films to actually lose money for Warner Bros. 00:20:14.109 --> 00:20:16.190 Which was a clear sign that her formula was becoming 00:20:16.190 --> 00:20:19.759 stale. The notorious tension with co -stars ratcheted 00:20:19.759 --> 00:20:22.420 up during this period, too. It was often fueled 00:20:22.420 --> 00:20:25.480 by old rivalries. Her decades -long feud with 00:20:25.480 --> 00:20:27.579 Miriam Hopkins resurfaced during the filming 00:20:27.579 --> 00:20:30.099 of Old Acquaintance in 43. That feud was just 00:20:30.099 --> 00:20:32.380 notorious. In one scene where Davis' character 00:20:32.380 --> 00:20:34.799 was supposed to shake Hopkins' character, Davis 00:20:34.799 --> 00:20:36.940 later confessed that she held back nothing. So 00:20:36.940 --> 00:20:38.880 she really shook her. She essentially delivered 00:20:38.880 --> 00:20:41.339 a genuinely violent shake, fueled by years of 00:20:41.339 --> 00:20:43.740 professional and personal animosity. The set 00:20:43.740 --> 00:20:45.950 was a pressure cooker. And even though she was 00:20:45.950 --> 00:20:48.109 still commanding these incredible salaries in 00:20:48.109 --> 00:20:51.410 1949, she negotiated a four -film contract paying 00:20:51.410 --> 00:20:54.829 over $10 ,000 per week. Which made her the highest 00:20:54.829 --> 00:20:56.769 -paid woman in the U .S. at the time. Right. 00:20:56.849 --> 00:20:59.069 But the artistic fulfillment just wasn't there. 00:20:59.210 --> 00:21:01.690 She clashed constantly with Jack Warner because 00:21:01.690 --> 00:21:04.170 he refused to give her script approval. And that 00:21:04.170 --> 00:21:06.890 refusal led directly to her professional low 00:21:06.890 --> 00:21:10.349 point, her last Warner Bros. film, Beyond the 00:21:10.349 --> 00:21:13.059 Forest, in 1949. And the reviews were nothing 00:21:13.059 --> 00:21:15.619 short of scathing. Hedda Hopper, the powerful 00:21:15.619 --> 00:21:18.440 columnist, called it an unfortunate finale to 00:21:18.440 --> 00:21:21.480 her brilliant career. It was so bad, so critically 00:21:21.480 --> 00:21:24.259 derided, that Davis actually asked to be released 00:21:24.259 --> 00:21:27.539 from her contract early, and Warner Bros. immediately 00:21:27.539 --> 00:21:30.380 agreed. The only thing the film is really remembered 00:21:30.380 --> 00:21:33.160 for is the delivery of that one single line. 00:21:33.359 --> 00:21:36.140 What a dump. What a dump, which instantly became 00:21:36.140 --> 00:21:39.259 associated with her... theatrical, slightly over 00:21:39.259 --> 00:21:41.440 -the -top persona. It even showed up later in 00:21:41.440 --> 00:21:44.000 plays like Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? And 00:21:44.000 --> 00:21:46.000 that marks the end of her studio career, and 00:21:46.000 --> 00:21:48.940 it looked bleak. But you simply cannot count 00:21:48.940 --> 00:21:52.180 Bette Davis out. This low point was immediately 00:21:52.180 --> 00:21:54.779 followed by one of the greatest career comebacks 00:21:54.779 --> 00:21:58.279 in Hollywood history. All About Eve, 1950. She 00:21:58.279 --> 00:22:01.039 took on the role of Margot Channing, the fading, 00:22:01.160 --> 00:22:04.740 tempestuous Broadway star, a part that felt frighteningly 00:22:04.740 --> 00:22:07.970 close to her own reality. She famously called 00:22:07.970 --> 00:22:10.829 the script the best she had ever read. It was 00:22:10.829 --> 00:22:13.609 a role she was born to play, embodying all the 00:22:13.609 --> 00:22:16.150 ferocity, the anxiety, and the aging insecurity 00:22:16.150 --> 00:22:19.269 of a powerful woman in a youth -obsessed industry. 00:22:19.609 --> 00:22:21.970 And it delivered massive critical and commercial 00:22:21.970 --> 00:22:24.769 acclaim. It earned her Best Actress awards at 00:22:24.769 --> 00:22:26.609 the Cannes Film Festival and from the New York 00:22:26.609 --> 00:22:29.690 Film Critics Circle. The director, Joseph L. 00:22:29.849 --> 00:22:33.680 Mankiewicz. was reportedly astounded by her professionalism. 00:22:33.799 --> 00:22:36.420 He called her letter perfect. So all that talk 00:22:36.420 --> 00:22:39.259 about her being difficult. On set, she was prepared. 00:22:39.420 --> 00:22:42.140 She was flawlessly intense. The public perception 00:22:42.140 --> 00:22:44.019 of the difficult actress translated directly 00:22:44.019 --> 00:22:46.259 into unforgettable work. And, of course, it gave 00:22:46.259 --> 00:22:48.400 us one of the most quotable, defining, and imitated 00:22:48.400 --> 00:22:51.039 lines in cinematic history. Fazz in your seatbelts, 00:22:51.039 --> 00:22:53.259 it's going to be a bumpy night. That single line 00:22:53.259 --> 00:22:55.380 is Margot Channing, and Margot Channing is Bette 00:22:55.380 --> 00:22:58.259 Davis. They're permanently intertwined. The success 00:22:58.259 --> 00:23:01.000 of All About Eve truly cemented her career recovery 00:23:01.000 --> 00:23:03.599 and proved she could thrive outside the declining 00:23:03.599 --> 00:23:06.140 studio system. But as her career stabilized, 00:23:06.519 --> 00:23:08.900 her personal life remained incredibly turbulent. 00:23:09.200 --> 00:23:12.619 She married Gary Merrill in 1950, her fourth 00:23:12.619 --> 00:23:15.480 and final husband. And he adopted her daughter, 00:23:15.619 --> 00:23:17.680 B .D. Sherry, and then they adopted two more 00:23:17.680 --> 00:23:19.839 children, Margo and Michael. But that attempt 00:23:19.839 --> 00:23:22.220 at family stability was tragically short -lived. 00:23:22.799 --> 00:23:24.980 Their adopted daughter, Margo, was diagnosed 00:23:24.980 --> 00:23:27.799 as severely brain damaged and eventually had 00:23:27.799 --> 00:23:30.180 to be placed in an institution around age three. 00:23:30.339 --> 00:23:32.759 And the marriage itself was rocky. Extremely. 00:23:32.940 --> 00:23:35.359 Beattie later recounted difficult episodes of 00:23:35.359 --> 00:23:38.119 alcoholism and the frequent explosive arguments 00:23:38.119 --> 00:23:40.859 between Davis and Merrill. The pressure she endured 00:23:40.859 --> 00:23:43.420 professionally was just mirrored by chaos at 00:23:43.420 --> 00:23:45.960 home. Her career in the early 50s reflected this 00:23:45.960 --> 00:23:48.299 instability. She got another Oscar nomination 00:23:48.299 --> 00:23:51.440 for The Star in 1952, playing a fading actress. 00:23:51.759 --> 00:23:54.299 A role many saw as a thinly veiled parody of 00:23:54.299 --> 00:23:57.299 her longtime rival, Joan Crawford. Right. But 00:23:57.299 --> 00:23:59.519 after that, the rest of the decade saw very few 00:23:59.519 --> 00:24:02.480 successful films, like Storm Center or The Catered 00:24:02.480 --> 00:24:04.980 Affair. And critics began to turn on her, citing 00:24:04.980 --> 00:24:08.140 her acting style for overt, excessive mannerisms. 00:24:08.400 --> 00:24:10.599 Essentially, the powerful techniques that made 00:24:10.599 --> 00:24:14.220 her a star in the 30s and 40s began to look histrionic. 00:24:14.460 --> 00:24:16.819 and dated in the minimalist, emerging style of 00:24:16.819 --> 00:24:19.460 the 50s. And her marriage deteriorated under 00:24:19.460 --> 00:24:22.000 this pressure, ending in a messy divorce in 1960. 00:24:22.539 --> 00:24:25.500 It appeared, once again, that the combative intensity 00:24:25.500 --> 00:24:27.819 she brought to the screen ultimately translated 00:24:27.819 --> 00:24:30.359 into deep dysfunction in her private world. And 00:24:30.359 --> 00:24:32.640 this brings us to the second spectacular and 00:24:32.640 --> 00:24:35.759 perhaps most notorious phase of her career. The 00:24:35.759 --> 00:24:38.019 horror resurgence. The horror resurgence of the 00:24:38.019 --> 00:24:41.259 1960s. When meaningful dramatic roles dried up, 00:24:41.319 --> 00:24:43.359 she found the perfect vehicle for her enduring 00:24:43.359 --> 00:24:45.559 intensity in the psychological horror genre. 00:24:45.819 --> 00:24:47.799 And we are talking, of course, about whatever 00:24:47.799 --> 00:24:51.279 happened to Baby Jane. in 1962. She played the 00:24:51.279 --> 00:24:54.500 demented former child star Baby Jane Hudson alongside 00:24:54.500 --> 00:24:58.500 her genuine decades -long vicious rival Joan 00:24:58.500 --> 00:25:01.180 Crawford. This wasn't just casting. This was 00:25:01.180 --> 00:25:03.319 a cultural event built on real -life tension. 00:25:03.660 --> 00:25:07.839 And Davis was shrewd. She negotiated a 10 % share 00:25:07.839 --> 00:25:11.140 of the worldwide gross profits on top of her 00:25:11.140 --> 00:25:14.839 salary. She knew that the central rivalry, combined 00:25:14.839 --> 00:25:17.240 with the excellent script, gave them a goldmine. 00:25:17.519 --> 00:25:20.680 And the film became a huge success. It capitalized 00:25:20.680 --> 00:25:23.019 on that psychological shift in cinema audience 00:25:23.019 --> 00:25:25.440 tastes that had followed films like Psycho. And 00:25:25.440 --> 00:25:27.799 the onset feud between Davis and Crawford is 00:25:27.799 --> 00:25:30.839 absolutely legendary. It went far beyond mere 00:25:30.839 --> 00:25:32.880 professional tension. They publicly praised each 00:25:32.880 --> 00:25:34.680 other. Oh, yeah. They praised each other's acting 00:25:34.680 --> 00:25:37.839 in public. But behind the scenes, it was pure 00:25:37.839 --> 00:25:40.980 calculated malice. OK, so give us the details. 00:25:41.079 --> 00:25:43.180 How did they actually sabotage each other? Well, 00:25:43.279 --> 00:25:45.740 one of the most famous incidents involves the 00:25:45.740 --> 00:25:48.059 scene where the Baby Jane character, played by 00:25:48.059 --> 00:25:51.180 Davis, drags the paralyzed Blanche Hudson Crawford 00:25:51.180 --> 00:25:53.900 across the floor. Right. Crawford, fully aware 00:25:53.900 --> 00:25:56.160 that Davis was struggling with severe back problems, 00:25:56.359 --> 00:25:59.180 intentionally made herself as heavy as possible 00:25:59.180 --> 00:26:02.059 for the takes. She weighted herself down to make 00:26:02.059 --> 00:26:04.740 the drag excruciatingly difficult and agonizing 00:26:04.740 --> 00:26:07.900 for Davis. And Davis, true to form, she retaliated 00:26:07.900 --> 00:26:11.119 in kind. She did. During the scene where Jane 00:26:11.119 --> 00:26:14.559 beats Blanche, Davis actually connected. She 00:26:14.559 --> 00:26:17.500 hit Crawford hard, something Crawford later bitterly 00:26:17.500 --> 00:26:19.619 complained about. They weren't just acting out 00:26:19.619 --> 00:26:22.000 a rivalry. They were living it. And you could 00:26:22.000 --> 00:26:24.900 argue that authentic tension fueled the film's 00:26:24.900 --> 00:26:27.500 intensity and its success. But the height of 00:26:27.500 --> 00:26:30.240 the passive -aggressive warfare came at the 35th 00:26:30.240 --> 00:26:33.700 Academy Awards. Davis received her final Academy 00:26:33.700 --> 00:26:36.640 Award nomination for the role, a huge career 00:26:36.640 --> 00:26:39.690 milestone. But she didn't win. Anne Bancroft 00:26:39.690 --> 00:26:42.150 won. Right, but when Anne Bancroft was announced 00:26:42.150 --> 00:26:44.670 as the winner, Joan Crawford, who hadn't even 00:26:44.670 --> 00:26:47.450 been nominated, swept in. And she accepted the 00:26:47.450 --> 00:26:49.809 Oscar on Bancroft's behalf, having prearranged 00:26:49.809 --> 00:26:52.109 it with several of the absent nominees. It was 00:26:52.109 --> 00:26:54.769 a calculated, petty, brilliant piece of real 00:26:54.769 --> 00:26:57.319 -life theater. Crawford literally stepped into 00:26:57.319 --> 00:26:59.839 the spotlight that Davis had earned, forcing 00:26:59.839 --> 00:27:02.220 Davis to watch from the audience as her arch 00:27:02.220 --> 00:27:04.079 -rival stood on the stage holding the golden 00:27:04.079 --> 00:27:06.380 trophy. It's the ultimate example of the deep 00:27:06.380 --> 00:27:08.279 -seated malice that defined that relationship. 00:27:08.640 --> 00:27:10.799 It was so effective that when the studio attempted 00:27:10.799 --> 00:27:13.299 to reunite them for the follow -up, hush, hush, 00:27:13.299 --> 00:27:16.099 sweet Charlotte, Crawford abruptly quit. Citing 00:27:16.099 --> 00:27:18.779 illness, but it was probably just spite. Many 00:27:18.779 --> 00:27:21.460 believed it was. She was eventually replaced 00:27:21.460 --> 00:27:24.700 by Davis' longtime friend, Olivia de Cavilland. 00:27:24.970 --> 00:27:28.230 Yet, despite this resurgence, securing steady, 00:27:28.430 --> 00:27:30.930 quality work was still a challenge for an actress 00:27:30.930 --> 00:27:34.150 her age in the mid -1960s. And this vulnerability 00:27:34.150 --> 00:27:36.789 led to one of the most famously candid acts of 00:27:36.789 --> 00:27:40.470 her career. In 1962, she placed a frank advertisement 00:27:40.470 --> 00:27:43.269 in the trade publication variety. Under the heading, 00:27:43.430 --> 00:27:46.690 Situations Wanted Women Artists. And the text 00:27:46.690 --> 00:27:49.730 was brutally honest. It read, Mother of 3, 10, 00:27:49.849 --> 00:27:54.079 11, and 15 divorcee. American. 30 years experience, 00:27:54.220 --> 00:27:56.460 once steady employment in Hollywood, has had 00:27:56.460 --> 00:27:58.839 Broadway. It's just a shocking, vulnerable, yet 00:27:58.839 --> 00:28:01.519 brutally honest request from a star of her magnitude. 00:28:01.799 --> 00:28:04.119 It laid bare the reality that even an industry 00:28:04.119 --> 00:28:06.099 titan had to hustle for work when the system 00:28:06.099 --> 00:28:08.220 was done with her. She found stability in television, 00:28:08.460 --> 00:28:10.720 appearing in guest roles in westerns like The 00:28:10.720 --> 00:28:13.250 Virginian and in Perry Mason. But for an entire 00:28:13.250 --> 00:28:15.849 new generation who might not have seen Jezebel 00:28:15.849 --> 00:28:18.549 or All About Eve, Bette Davis' name exploded 00:28:18.549 --> 00:28:21.829 back into pop culture in 1981 via a very unlikely 00:28:21.829 --> 00:28:25.150 source. A hit song. The Kim Carnes effect. Bette 00:28:25.150 --> 00:28:28.970 Davis' eyes. It became a worldwide smash. winning 00:28:28.970 --> 00:28:31.250 two Grammy Awards for Song and Record of the 00:28:31.250 --> 00:28:33.990 Year. And Davis, by all accounts, was delighted 00:28:33.990 --> 00:28:37.069 by the tribute. She viewed it as a massive compliment 00:28:37.069 --> 00:28:39.470 and even wrote to Carnes and the songwriters. 00:28:39.690 --> 00:28:42.009 She joked that finally her grandson was impressed 00:28:42.009 --> 00:28:44.529 that she was the subject of a hit song. Yeah. 00:28:44.769 --> 00:28:46.589 Unfortunately, the final chapter of her life 00:28:46.589 --> 00:28:49.150 was defined by immense personal pain and betrayal. 00:28:49.549 --> 00:28:52.890 It really was. In 1983, she was diagnosed with 00:28:52.890 --> 00:28:55.869 breast cancer and underwent a mastectomy. And 00:28:55.869 --> 00:28:57.750 this was followed shortly by four debilitating 00:28:57.750 --> 00:29:00.089 strokes that caused paralysis in the left side 00:29:00.089 --> 00:29:02.690 of her face and arm and left her with slurred 00:29:02.690 --> 00:29:05.190 speech. But she was a fighter until the end. 00:29:05.289 --> 00:29:08.210 She went through lengthy, grueling physical therapy 00:29:08.210 --> 00:29:11.049 and partially recovered. But upon returning to 00:29:11.049 --> 00:29:14.289 health, she faced the ultimate betrayal. one 00:29:14.289 --> 00:29:16.690 that was far more damaging than any studio suspension 00:29:16.690 --> 00:29:19.670 or feud with another actress. Her daughter, B 00:29:19.670 --> 00:29:22.250 .D. Hyman, who had become a born -again Christian 00:29:22.250 --> 00:29:24.769 and had long clashed with her mother, published 00:29:24.769 --> 00:29:27.869 a memoir. My Mother's Keeper. And the book was 00:29:27.869 --> 00:29:31.430 a scorching attack, depicting Davis as overbearing, 00:29:31.609 --> 00:29:35.589 selfish, and frequently drunken. It was a portrait 00:29:35.589 --> 00:29:37.880 that utterly devastated her. And the reaction 00:29:37.880 --> 00:29:40.519 from those closest to Davis was swift and fierce. 00:29:40.759 --> 00:29:43.279 Oh, yeah. Close friends and even her ex -husband, 00:29:43.319 --> 00:29:46.819 Gary Merrill. They publicly defended Davis. They 00:29:46.819 --> 00:29:49.779 accused Hyman of being motivated by cruelty and 00:29:49.779 --> 00:29:52.440 greed, pointing out the years Davis had financially 00:29:52.440 --> 00:29:55.170 supported the entire family. Davis, shattered 00:29:55.170 --> 00:29:57.269 by the public nature of the attack, responded 00:29:57.269 --> 00:29:59.890 in the most betting Davis way possible. Publicly 00:29:59.890 --> 00:30:02.710 and combatively. She disinherited B .D. and wrote 00:30:02.710 --> 00:30:06.210 her own memoir, This and That, in 1987. And she 00:30:06.210 --> 00:30:09.049 made sure she reserved the final page for a devastating 00:30:09.049 --> 00:30:11.529 cutting letter to Hyman. Which concluded with 00:30:11.529 --> 00:30:13.410 a reference to the book's title. Exactly. It 00:30:13.410 --> 00:30:15.509 said, I've been your keeper all these many years. 00:30:15.609 --> 00:30:18.349 I am continuing to do so as my name has made 00:30:18.349 --> 00:30:20.690 your book about me a success. It was a final, 00:30:20.769 --> 00:30:23.700 perfectly worded act of combative spirit. even 00:30:23.700 --> 00:30:26.500 in her worst personal hour. And despite her failing 00:30:26.500 --> 00:30:29.220 health, she continued working. She gave a critically 00:30:29.220 --> 00:30:31.339 acclaimed performance in The Whales of August 00:30:31.339 --> 00:30:34.460 in 87 as a blind sister. And reportedly, she 00:30:34.460 --> 00:30:37.319 memorized all her lines despite her poor vision 00:30:37.319 --> 00:30:39.680 and ongoing health struggles. Her final role 00:30:39.680 --> 00:30:42.259 was in a film called Wicked Stepmother in 1989, 00:30:42.559 --> 00:30:45.220 which she actually walked off of due to disagreements 00:30:45.220 --> 00:30:47.079 with the director over the script. She was honored 00:30:47.079 --> 00:30:49.299 extensively right before her death, receiving 00:30:49.299 --> 00:30:52.039 the French Legion of Honor and a Lifetime Achievement 00:30:52.039 --> 00:30:53.980 Award from the San Sebastian International Film 00:30:53.980 --> 00:30:56.839 Festival. She died of metastasized breast cancer 00:30:56.839 --> 00:31:00.460 on October 6, 1989, in France at the age of 81. 00:31:00.640 --> 00:31:02.660 And her final resting place carries the perfect, 00:31:02.740 --> 00:31:05.319 concise summation of her philosophy and her career. 00:31:05.559 --> 00:31:08.619 An epitaph suggested by director Joseph L. Mankiewicz 00:31:08.619 --> 00:31:11.390 after All About Eve. She did it the hard way. 00:31:11.490 --> 00:31:13.849 So what does this all mean? Looking back at the 00:31:13.849 --> 00:31:16.589 entirety of her career, from the humiliation 00:31:16.589 --> 00:31:19.269 of that screen test to the fury of Baby Jane, 00:31:19.529 --> 00:31:22.150 what defines the enduring, often intimidating 00:31:22.150 --> 00:31:24.829 Davis style? Well, Graham Greene offered a definitive, 00:31:24.990 --> 00:31:28.650 slightly sinister summary way back in 1936. He 00:31:28.650 --> 00:31:31.670 pointed to that precise, nervy voice, the pale 00:31:31.670 --> 00:31:34.390 ash blonde hair, the popping neurotic eyes, a 00:31:34.390 --> 00:31:36.450 kind of corrupt and phosphorescent prettiness. 00:31:36.880 --> 00:31:39.940 She was fundamentally unconventional. She always 00:31:39.940 --> 00:31:42.960 chose authenticity and character depth over easy 00:31:42.960 --> 00:31:45.779 glamour. And it's clear she saw the development 00:31:45.779 --> 00:31:49.299 of that tough persona as necessary armor, born 00:31:49.299 --> 00:31:51.819 of the rejections she faced early on. Right. 00:31:51.980 --> 00:31:54.880 She admitted she was terrified early in her career 00:31:54.880 --> 00:31:57.779 and became tough out of sheer necessity, which 00:31:57.779 --> 00:32:00.180 led to that chilling quote, Until you're known 00:32:00.180 --> 00:32:02.880 in my profession as a monster, you are not a 00:32:02.880 --> 00:32:05.900 star. And that monster quality is precisely what 00:32:05.900 --> 00:32:08.640 polarized critics, but it's also what guaranteed 00:32:08.640 --> 00:32:11.859 her longevity. Many praised her unconventional 00:32:11.859 --> 00:32:14.680 and fearless choices. But others, like the influential 00:32:14.680 --> 00:32:17.599 critic Pauline Kael, felt she sometimes went 00:32:17.599 --> 00:32:20.000 too far. She criticized her for turning herself 00:32:20.000 --> 00:32:23.000 into a caricature of a harpy. Yeah, she was often 00:32:23.000 --> 00:32:25.299 criticized for her overly histrionic performances, 00:32:25.599 --> 00:32:28.099 especially later in her career, but there was 00:32:28.099 --> 00:32:30.779 an undeniable magnetism to it. Right, like that 00:32:30.779 --> 00:32:33.420 Time Magazine review noted, even while criticizing 00:32:33.420 --> 00:32:35.559 her acting in a later film like Dead Ringer. 00:32:35.660 --> 00:32:37.559 It said, it's shameless showing off, but just 00:32:37.559 --> 00:32:40.599 try to look away. And you couldn't. She commanded 00:32:40.599 --> 00:32:42.890 attention. even when playing roles that were 00:32:42.890 --> 00:32:45.910 fundamentally unlikable or over the top. And 00:32:45.910 --> 00:32:48.309 that ability to mesmerize, even through excess, 00:32:48.650 --> 00:32:51.809 is the definition of a movie star. The legacy 00:32:51.809 --> 00:32:55.170 itself is unassailable. We mentioned the AFI 00:32:55.170 --> 00:32:57.430 placing her second on the greatest female stars 00:32:57.430 --> 00:32:59.829 list. It's also interesting to note that her 00:32:59.829 --> 00:33:02.190 personal Oscars... The ones Steven Spielberg 00:33:02.190 --> 00:33:04.650 bought. Right, the statues he purchased for hundreds 00:33:04.650 --> 00:33:06.529 of thousands of dollars to keep them out of commercial 00:33:06.529 --> 00:33:09.230 circulation, they were ultimately returned to 00:33:09.230 --> 00:33:12.279 the Academy. This act preserves her history with 00:33:12.279 --> 00:33:14.299 the organization she once tried to reform with 00:33:14.299 --> 00:33:16.819 her brash proposals. And her longevity in pop 00:33:16.819 --> 00:33:19.819 culture is fascinating. Her feud with Joan Crawford 00:33:19.819 --> 00:33:21.980 is still being dissected and analyzed today, 00:33:22.180 --> 00:33:25.779 most famously in that 2017 series, Feud, Ben 00:33:25.779 --> 00:33:27.779 and Joan. It just shows that the dramatic tension 00:33:27.779 --> 00:33:30.680 she created offscreen continues to enthrall us 00:33:30.680 --> 00:33:33.079 long after the films themselves become classics. 00:33:33.420 --> 00:33:35.480 Ultimately, her career is a testament to the 00:33:35.480 --> 00:33:38.140 power of artistic will. She was an actress who 00:33:38.140 --> 00:33:40.539 constantly demanded excellence and, when denied 00:33:40.539 --> 00:33:42.940 it, fought legally and publicly, forcing the 00:33:42.940 --> 00:33:45.420 system to bend to her choices. And her impact 00:33:45.420 --> 00:33:48.059 was forceful and tangible, including literally 00:33:48.059 --> 00:33:51.140 changing Academy voting rules and co -founding 00:33:51.140 --> 00:33:53.380 the Hollywood canteen. And that's the central 00:33:53.380 --> 00:33:56.960 tension we've analyzed. The price of uncompromising 00:33:56.960 --> 00:34:00.000 ambition. She admitted herself that her success 00:34:00.000 --> 00:34:02.640 was often achieved at the expense of her personal 00:34:02.640 --> 00:34:05.299 relationships. Her life was a continuous series 00:34:05.299 --> 00:34:07.559 of battles with Warner Bros., with directors, 00:34:07.680 --> 00:34:10.360 with co -stars, with her husbands, and ultimately 00:34:10.360 --> 00:34:13.000 with her own daughter. It all reinforces that 00:34:13.000 --> 00:34:16.019 final legendary epitaph. She did it the hard 00:34:16.019 --> 00:34:18.500 way. Which brings us to our final provocative 00:34:18.500 --> 00:34:21.750 thought for you, the learner. Bette Davis, in 00:34:21.750 --> 00:34:24.469 her own words, suggested that achieving stardom 00:34:24.469 --> 00:34:26.989 required one to become a monster in the eyes 00:34:26.989 --> 00:34:29.849 of the establishment. Her epitaph simply confirms 00:34:29.849 --> 00:34:32.269 the difficulty of that path. So considering how 00:34:32.269 --> 00:34:34.650 often her tough reputation was criticized by 00:34:34.650 --> 00:34:36.949 the press and damaged her personal life, we should 00:34:36.949 --> 00:34:39.599 ask. In the age of information, where reputations 00:34:39.599 --> 00:34:42.179 are instantaneous and unforgiving, is the lesson 00:34:42.179 --> 00:34:44.460 Bette Davis offers that one must be a monster 00:34:44.460 --> 00:34:47.380 to achieve true, lasting artistic control in 00:34:47.380 --> 00:34:49.880 a highly pressurized industry? It's a compelling 00:34:49.880 --> 00:34:51.980 question, particularly when navigating modern 00:34:51.980 --> 00:34:54.920 creative industries that still struggle to celebrate 00:34:54.920 --> 00:34:57.940 uncompromising female ambition without instantly 00:34:57.940 --> 00:35:01.019 branding it as difficult or monstrous. Thank 00:35:01.019 --> 00:35:02.360 you for diving deep with us today.