Cain's “Mildred Pierce” — and that Bette Davis was the studio's first choice but eventually turned it down. Director Michael Curtiz did not want Crawford for the part and preferred Barbara Stanwyck.
Joan presumably knew that the part of Mildred was first offered to Bette who refused it because she didn't want to work with MICHAEL CURTIZ again. Director Michael Curtiz wanted BARBARA STANWYCK.
During production, Davis entered a relationship with director William Wyler. She later described him as the "love of my life", and said that making the film with him was "the time in my life of my most perfect happiness".
On May 10, 1977, Joan Crawford died from a heart attack at her New York City apartment. At the time, outlets reported Bette's response to her colleague's death as they quoted her: "You should never say bad things about the dead, only good… Joan Crawford is dead? Good."
They had one of the most scandalous and long-lasting feuds in Hollywood history, but throughout Bette Davis and Joan Crawford's history, there was just one thing that Davis said she'd "never forgive" her nemesis and one-time co-star. It didn't have to do with a role or one of their projects outshining the other's.
Bette Davis Talks To Bryant Gumbel About Joan Crawford In 1987 Interview | Flashback | TODAY
Who was the better actress Crawford or Davis?
Their differences were equally striking: at Warner Brothers, Davis usually portrayed more grounded types, and was probably the better actress. Yet over at MGM, the Tiffany of studios in Hollywood's Golden Age, Crawford was undeniably sexier, projecting a more unstable, dangerous quality that made her riveting to watch.
Bette Davis, longtime rival of Crawford, denounced the book, stating, "I was not Miss Crawford's biggest fan, but, wisecracks to the contrary, I did and still do respect her talent. What she did not deserve was that detestable book written by her daughter. I've forgotten her name. Horrible."
To fulfill a dream, to be allowed to sweat over lonely labor, to be given a chance to create, is the meat and potatoes of life. The money is the gravy.
Errol Flynn and Bette Davis disliked each other, and when Elizabeth slaps Essex in front of the entire court, Davis hauled off and unexpectedly belted Flynn for real, during a dress rehearsal, a blow that brought stars to his eyes.
That is the iconic Bette Davis, star of memorable movies such as “Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?” and “All About Eve”. She had been diagnosed with breast cancer in 1983, and after undergoing a mastectomy, suffered four strokes.
Some suggest Davis's eyes were the result of the autoimmune thyroid condition, Graves' disease. Swelling the muscles around the eyes and surrounding tissues, the condition pushes the eyeballs forward, causing them to protrude, limiting their movement.
In spite of their many differences, Bette Davis and Joan Crawford were ultimately bound by one heartbreaking similarity—difficult relationships with their eldest daughters, both of whom dabbled unsuccessfully in acting before taking their angst public with nasty tell-alls.
According to Joan, she got so worked up from thinking about it that she developed a temperature and was ordered by her doctor to be in bed. “Then I really couldn't go. The decision was made for me.” Still, she listened to the ceremony on the radio.
A story of “social inequity and opportunity in America" set during the Great Depression, Mildred Pierce follows the trajectory of a lower-middle class divorcee with two children in her tragic struggle to achieve financial and personal success.
Davis won Oscars on her first two nominations for “Dangerous” in 1935 and “Jezebel” in 1938. Strangely Davis won for arguably the two least acclaimed and remembered films of her 10 nominations. The other bids were for: “Dark Victory” (1939), “The Letter” (1940), “The Little Foxes” (1941), “Now, Voyager” (1942), “Mr.
Betty was inspired to become an actress after seeing Rudolph Valentino in The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse and Mary Pickford in Little Lord Fauntleroy, and changed the spelling of her name to “Bette” after Honoré de Balzac's La Cousine Bette.
Bette Davis is regarded as one of the greatest actresses of all time and an icon of Hollywood's Golden Age. She is acclaimed for her idiosyncratic acting style, often portraying unsympathetic and neurotic characters.
Bette was well aware of Crawford's reputation, saying at one point: “She slept with every star at MGM. Of both sexes.” At some point though, Crawford also moved in to seduce Davis, but Davis wouldn't have it. Perhaps in revenge, Crawford flaunted her affair with Tone, the object of Davis' desire.
Did Joan Crawford really campaign against Bette Davis?
In the Oscars race following the film, Crawford launched a campaign against Davis' win and thought of various ways of getting onto the stage. She publicly claimed that she hoped that Davis would win but she actually surprised her by accepting Anne Bancroft's Best Actress Award right in front of Davis.
The enmity between Davis and Crawford created one of the most famous celebrity feuds of all time. Why did they hate each other so much? Well, it's a long story.
After all, she claimed credit for giving Oscar his nickname and had even served as the academy's president for a stormy few months in 1941. However, while she had prevailed with each of her first two official nominations – “Dangerous” (1935) and “Jezebel” (1938) – that third win forever eluded her.
Over the course of her storied career, Davis made some 100 films, for which she received 10 Academy Award nominations, and twice won the Best Actress trophy.
