[32], The New York Times hailed her as "becoming one of the most interesting of our screen actresses". [62] The film was well received by critics, and made a profit of $2.2 million. The Lonely Life: An Autobiography Bette Davis Snippet view - 1962. Of the 25 actresses listed, Davis was ranked at number two, behind Katharine Hepburn. Minor shelf and handling wear, overall a clean solid copy with minimal signs of use. Some reviewers criticized Davis for the excess of her performance; James Agee wrote that she "demonstrates the horrors of egocentricity on a marathonic scale".[59]. [90] Davis and Merrill began arguing frequently, and B.D. "[82], Davis won a Best Actress award from the Cannes Film Festival, and the New York Film Critics Circle Award. Eventually, Davis brought her case to court in Britain, hoping to get out of her contract. [Bette Davis] -- Her early struggles for a stage career, unhappy marriages, hard work and success told in a lighthearted, bantering style. [122], As she entered old age, Davis was acknowledged for her achievements. When Bette Davis appeared on an 11/16/62 Jack Paar Program (as seen entirely in THE JACK PAAR COLLECTION), she spoke briefly of her latest film, WHAT EVER HAPPENED TO BABY JANE? Biography of Bette Davis, First Lady of the American Screen Oscar-Winning Actress and Film Icon. After a brief theater career, she became one of the biggest stars in the Hollywood studio system, appearing in nearly 100 films before her death in 1989 and winning two Academy Awards for her work. The film was a considerable success, and brought renewed attention to its veteran cast, which included Joseph Cotten, Mary Astor, Agnes Moorehead, and Cecil Kellaway. With Sherry's consent, Merrill adopted B.D., Davis' daughter with Sherry. She is a performer known for her memorable and noteworthy live performances. [108], Davis' name became well known to a younger audience when Kim Carnes' song "Bette Davis Eyes" (written by Jackie DeShannon) became a worldwide hit and the best-selling record of 1981 in the U.S., where it stayed at number one on the music charts for more than two months. Carroll & Graf Publishers. Bette Davis American actress DescriptionRuth Elizabeth "Bette" Davis was an American actress of film, television, and theater. actress". Her image was considered with more care; although she continued to play character roles, she was often filmed in close-ups that emphasized her distinctive eyes. Then Jack showed the dustjacketed cover of this autobiography and inquired about an incident where Davis had been hospitalized for osteomyelitis of the jaw. [77] However, Jack Warner had refused to allow her script approval, and cast her in Beyond the Forest (1949). [28] When Davis was not nominated for an Academy Award for Of Human Bondage, The Hollywood Citizen News questioned the omission, and Norma Shearer, herself a nominee, joined a campaign to have Davis nominated. After filming was completed, their public comments against each other allowed the tension to develop into a lifelong feud. Ed Sikov sources Davis' first professional role to a 1929 production by the Provincetown Players of Virgil Geddes play The Earth Between; however, the production was postponed by a year. [81] Pauline Kael wrote that much of Mankiewicz' vision of "the theater" was "nonsense", but commended Davis, writing "[the film is] saved by one performance that is the real thing: Bette Davis is at her most instinctive and assured. Just thought I would die. For Bette Davis fans, the memoir offers a treasure trove of untold stories extrapolated from Sermak’s datebooks, scrapbooks, letters, and audio cassettes by the woman who saw Davis … Upon her return, she learned that Hyman had published My Mother's Keeper, in which she chronicled a difficult mother-daughter relationship and depicted scenes of Davis' over-bearing and drunken behavior.[4]. I would rather watch Miss Davis than any number of competent pictures. The First Day of Issue celebration took place September 18, 2008, at Boston University, which houses an extensive Davis archive. She was again nominated for an Academy Award, and critics such as Gene Ringgold described her Margo as her "all-time best performance". [38] She later recalled the opening statement of the barrister, Patrick Hastings, who represented Warner Bros. that urged the court to "come to the conclusion that this is rather a naughty young lady, and that what she wants is more money". [95], In 1961, Davis opened in the Broadway production The Night of the Iguana to mostly mediocre reviews, and left the production after four months due to "chronic illness". "Bette Davis Debut", Broadcasting-Telecasting, 2 January 1956, 81. It was a refreshingly different role for Davis as she played a kind, sympathetic character. [136], The United States Postal Service honored Davis with a commemorative postage stamp in 2008, marking the 100th anniversary of her birth. [54], At John Garfield's suggestion of opening a servicemen's club in Hollywood, Davis – with the aid of Warner, Cary Grant, and Jule Styne – transformed an old nightclub into the Hollywood Canteen, which opened on October 3, 1942. "[80], Critics responded positively to Davis' performance, and several of her lines became well-known, particularly "Fasten your seat belts, it's going to be a bumpy night". She recovered sufficiently to travel to Spain, where she was honored at the Donostia-San Sebastián International Film Festival, but during her visit, her health rapidly deteriorated. "[41] Davis lost the case,[42] and returned to Hollywood, in debt and without income, to resume her career. They all had to lie on top of me and give me a passionate kiss. She and her sister were raised by their mother. Ruth Elizabeth Davis was born April 5, 1908, in Lowell, Massachusetts, to Ruth Augusta (Favor) and Harlow Morrell Davis, a patent attorney. Her daughter, B. D. Hyman, wrote her version of her childhood, My Mother's Keeper.[4]. That same year, she starred in Marked Woman, a film that's regarded as one of the most important in her early career. … Originally published in 1962, The Lonely Life is legendary silver screen actress Bette Davis's lively and riveting account of her life, loves, and marriages--now in ebook for the first time, and updated with an afterword she wrote just before her death. Sperling, Millner, and Warner, pp. [13], Davis auditioned for George Cukor's stock theater company in Rochester, New York; although he was not very impressed, he gave Davis her first paid acting assignment – a one-week stint playing the part of a chorus girl in the play Broadway. [18], Carl Laemmle, the head of Universal Studios, considered terminating Davis' employment, but cinematographer Karl Freund told him she had "lovely eyes" and would be suitable for Bad Sister (1931), in which she subsequently made her film debut. [7] In the fall of 1921, Ruth Davis moved to New York City, using her children's tuition money to enroll in the Clarence White School of Photography, with an apartment on 144th Street at Broadway, then she worked as a portrait photographer. Originally published in 1962, The Lonely Life is legendary silver screen actress Bette Davis's lively and riveting account of her life, loves, and marriages--now in ebook for the first time, and updated with an afterword she wrote just before her death. The British press offered little support to Davis, and portrayed her as overpaid and ungrateful.[39]. Time magazine noted that Davis was compulsively watchable, even while criticizing her acting technique, summarizing her performance in Dead Ringer (1964) with the observation, "Her acting, as always, isn't really acting: It's shameless showing off. Exhibitors protested her star billing as they considered it would negatively impact the box office performance and, despite the appearance of Ford, the film failed at the box office. To her, it presented much more of a challenge. [93], In 1960, Davis, a registered Democrat, appeared at the 1960 Democratic National Convention in Los Angeles, where she met future President John F. Kennedy, whom she greatly admired. Bette Davis was born Ruth Elizabeth Davis on 5 April 1908, in Lowell, a city in the state of Massachusetts in the United States of America. "[122] During the making of All About Eve (1950), Joseph L. Mankiewicz told her of the perception in Hollywood that she was difficult, and she explained that when the audience saw her on screen, they did not consider that her appearance was the result of numerous people working behind the scenes. Bette Davis was born Ruth Davis on April 5, 1908 in Lowell, Massachusetts. In 1932, she signed a seven-year contract with Warner Brothers. Davis performed a novelty song, "They're Either Too Young or Too Old", which became a hit record after the film's release. [88], In 1952, Davis appeared in a Broadway revue, Two's Company directed by Jules Dassin. Davis felt that Hopkins tried to upstage her throughout the film. Daughter Barbara (credited as B.D. Early years Ruth Elizabeth Davis was born in Lowell, Massachusetts, on April 5, 1908, the eldest daughter of Harlow Morrell Davis, a lawyer, and Ruth Favor Davis… [8] During their time in New York, Davis became a Girl Scout later rising to the position of patrol leader,[9][10] whose patrol won a competitive dress parade for Mrs. Herbert Hoover at Madison Square Garden. Old Acquaintance (1943) reunited her with Miriam Hopkins in a story of two old friends who deal with the tensions created when one of them becomes a successful novelist. Buy The Lonely Life: An Autobiography Berkley Ed by Bette, Davis (ISBN: 9780425123508) from Amazon's Book Store. [11], Davis attended Cushing Academy, a boarding school in Ashburnham, Massachusetts, where she met her future husband, Harmon O. Nelson, known as Ham. That's the only way you grow in your profession. [2] A recipient of two Academy Awards, she was the first thespian to accrue ten nominations. The Lonely Life: An Autobiography. She also played supporting roles in the Disney films Return from Witch Mountain (1978) and The Watcher in the Woods (1980). Over five successive nights, a different female star discussed her career, and answered questions from the audience; Myrna Loy, Rosalind Russell, Lana Turner, Sylvia Sidney, and Joan Crawford were the other participants. She was a liberated woman in an industry dominated by men. [3], She is perhaps best remembered for her role as a Broadway star in All About Eve (1950), which earned her another Oscar nomination and won her the Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actress. Her role in the film earned her another ‘Academy Award.’ ‘The Lonely Life’ is the first autobiography written by Bette Davis. “Well, get her out of here!” Davis bellowed at me, by way of a suggested solution. *FREE* shipping on eligible orders. Paperback, 224 pp. Jack Warner testified, and was asked: "Whatever part you choose to call upon her to play, if she thinks she can play it, whether it is distasteful and cheap, she has to play it?". She later recounted her surprise that nobody from the studio was there to meet her. / hope once more / London! (1962), which also starred her famous rival Joan Crawford, who was not nominated. Hollywood's most important stars volunteered to entertain servicemen. During filming, she was visited on the set by the actor Charles Laughton. [72], Davis was offered a role in a film version of the Virginia Kellogg prison drama Women Without Men. Some of the technologies we use are necessary for critical functions like security and site integrity, account authentication, security and privacy preferences, internal site usage and maintenance data, and to make the site work correctly for browsing and transactions. [25], After more than 20 film roles, the role of the vicious and slatternly Mildred Rogers in the RKO Radio production of Of Human Bondage (1934), a film adaptation of W. Somerset Maugham's novel, earned Davis her first major critical acclaim. [102] Where Love Has Gone (1964) was a romantic drama based on a Harold Robbins novel. Born Ruth Elizabeth Davis in 1908, the legendary movie star was a tireless perfectionist and workaholic with little patience for those who did not share her vision. [74] To add to her disappointment, she was not confident in the abilities of her leading man – James Davis in his first major screen role. Both were shattering experiences." First edition. In her next film, The Petrified Forest (1936), Davis co-starred with Leslie Howard and Humphrey Bogart. "- Basinger, Jeanine (2007-11-12). [115] The film earned good reviews, with one critic writing: "Bette crawls across the screen like a testy old hornet on a windowpane, snarling, staggering, twitching – a symphony of misfired synapses. Often referred to as “The First Lady of the American Screen,” Bette Davis created a new kind of screen heroine. began to deteriorate, and her popularity with audiences steadily declined. No monthly commitment. [14] In 1929, Davis was chosen by Blanche Yurka to play Hedwig, the character she had seen Entwistle play in The Wild Duck. Olivia de Havilland mounted a similar case in 1943, and won. She also received Oscar nominations the next five years in a row. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. Her last Oscar nomination was for What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? Or was it that she was 'Larger Than Life', a tough broad who had survived? It drifts from recuperation memoir to Hollywood reminiscences both fond and bitchy, ending with a tacked-on rebuttal to her daughter's stinging tell-all book. You must continually attempt things that you think are beyond you, or you get into a complete rut." Davis’s personal life was as dramatic as her acting. Although she initially was enthusiastic, she soon learned that Warner had arranged for "softer" lighting to be used to disguise her age. [120], In 1964, Jack Warner spoke of the "magic quality that transformed this sometimes bland and not beautiful little girl into a great artist",[119] and in a 1988 interview, Davis remarked that, unlike many of her contemporaries, she had forged a career without the benefit of beauty. Bette contributed to the war effort by helping to organize the Hollywood Canteen during World War II for soldiers passing through Los Angeles. During production, she established what became a lifelong friendship with her co-star Anne Baxter and a romantic relationship with her leading man Gary Merrill, which led to marriage. Moderate spine-roll and creasing to the spine. Bart's former girlfriend, Mildred, is manager of the company's Paris office. The part had been played in the theatre by Ethel Barrymore (who was 61 at the play's premiere), but Warner Bros. felt that the film version should depict the character as a younger woman. The Lonely Life : An Autobiography: Davis, Bette: Amazon.sg: Books. The Lonely Life: An Autobiography by Bette Davis EPUB Originally published in 1962, The Lonely Life is legendary silver screen actress Bette Davis' lively and riveting account of her life, loves, and marriages - updated with an afterword she wrote just before her death. New York, Lancer Books, 1963. In one of the film's most imitated scenes, Paul Henreid lights two cigarettes as he stares into Davis' eyes, and passes one to her. Her actress – vain, scared, a woman who goes too far in her reactions and emotions – makes the whole thing come alive. [94] Outside of acting and politics, Davis was an active and practicing Episcopalian. [89] Margot was diagnosed as severely brain-damaged due to an injury sustained during or shortly after her birth, and was placed in an institution around the age of 3. [135] In 1999, the American Film Institute published its list of the "AFI's 100 Years...100 Stars", which was the result of a film-industry poll to determine the "50 Greatest American Screen Legends" in order to raise public awareness and appreciation of classic film. Davis' grandson was impressed that she was the subject of a hit song and Davis considered it a compliment, writing to both Carnes and the songwriters, and accepting the gift of gold and platinum records from Carnes, and hanging them on her wall. Davis filmed The Story of a Divorce (released by RKO Radio Pictures in 1951 as Payment on Demand). Her early interest was dance. Davis addressed the issue in an interview, pointing out that many Hollywood wives earned more than their husbands, but the situation proved difficult for Nelson, who refused to allow Davis to purchase a house until he could afford to pay for it himself. 1908–1929: Childhood and early acting career, 1942–1944: War effort and personal tragedy, 1983–1989: Illness, awards, and final works, ancestry.com Massachusetts 1840–1915 birth records, page 448 of book registered in Somerville, ancestry.com Massachusetts Birth Records 1840–1915, page 1235, Yuma, Arizona Marriage Applications, 1932 August–November. The bulk of her remaining work was for television. Movies Classic Movies Best Movie Lists Comedies In 1980, she was awarded the Distinguished Civilian Service Medal, the United States Department of Defense's highest civilian award, for her work with the Hollywood Canteen. The film became one of the year's big successes.[97]. 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