‘The Burning Plain’ has charged relationships at its heart Sep 18, 2009
The Burning Plain, in substance if not style, updates the classic weepies Bette Davis specialized in during her heyday. It has adultery, teen love, not one but two highly charged mother-daughter relationships, and a heroine (Theron) who really has problems with emotional commitment. (Boston Globe)
DAVID BROOKS: Our nation lacks humility Sep 18, 2009
On V-J Day, Frank Sinatra appeared, along with Marlene Dietrich, Jimmy Durante, Dinah Shore, Bette Davis, Lionel Barrymore, Cary Grant and many others. But the most striking feature of the show was its tone of self-effacement and humility. (Fresno Bee -- Opinion)
Housewives star has lung cancer Sep 16, 2009
"Yeah, I smoked. I smoked because Bette Davis said it was very glamorous. I smoked because it was seen everywhere and done everywhere," she said. "I got addicted because the tobacco companies add additives to their tobacco to make it more addictive. I'm damned mad at all of them. But that stigma has to go away.". (BBC News -- Entertainment)
Another distinctive work Sep 14, 2009
" ("I identified with Bette Davis in that one," Martel said), which features a car accident. Also, at age 5, Martel was injured in a car accident, which she says contributed to her creative bent. "I think I'm still recovering," she said, laughing. "When I finished this film, I had the sense that this was a turning point for me. My next film will be more in the realm of the fantastic. (San Francisco Chronicle -- Entertainment)
It Happened This Week: Sept. 7-14 Sep 9, 2009
" Best Actress Emmys went to Mariette Hartley of "The Incredible Hulk," Ruth Gordon of "Taxi," and Bette Davis in a special limited series. Best Supporting Actress Emmys went to Sally Struthers of 'All in the Family" and Kristy McNichol of "Family." Best Supporting Actor Emmys went to Robert Guillaune of "Soap" and Stuart Margolin of "The Rockford Files.". A survey began to track use and patrons' demographics with regard to the Cattermole Public Library to test public opinion about a west-end... (Fort Madison Daily Democrat, IO)
Cabaret review: Julie Wilson's way with songs Sep 4, 2009
His best number is "I'm Still Here," where he offers snippets of the Sondheim song in other voices - Ethel Merman, Eartha Kitt, Cher, Bette Davis. Compared to Streisand, those are all "easier" voices and he nails them beautifully. (San Francisco Chronicle)
Tracing Welsh Ancestry Aug 27, 2009
Some well known Welsh descendants in America are actress Bette Davis, actor Humphrey Bogart, explorers Daniel Boone and Meriwether Lewis, authors Sinclair Lewis and Jack London, comedian Bob Hope and U. S. presidents James Madison, John Adams, John Quincy Adams, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, James Monroe, Calvin Coolidge and current President Barack Obama. The copyright of the article Tracing Welsh Ancestry in is owned by. (Suite101.com)
Folks our features staff would have loved to follow on Twitter: Aug 23, 2009
Bette Davis Bette Davis. Can you imagine what Davis could have done with Twitter to torment Joan Crawford. (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, PA)
A piece of Horton Bay history, returned Aug 22, 2009
" They vacationed here and would seek out Fox s den for warmth, comfort and amusement through the colder seasons, and at Christmastime 1919-1920, Mrs. Goldman sent Vollie Fox a sign with the name Red Fox Inn painted on it just the push he needed to transform his home into a commercial operation that became renowned for its chicken dinners.Goldman s urgings were not misplaced, and the inn became a much-sought-after destination to a mix of men and women remarkable to the cultural history of the... (Gaylord Herald Times, MI)
Streep marries her art with newfound fun Aug 11, 2009
At the age of 60, Bette Davis was playing a parody of her former dramatic diva in 1968 s turgid The Anniversary, her first movie in three years. Joan Crawford was tumbling down the slippery slope of B-movie horror: Strait-Jacket (1964), then Berserk (1967). (Boston Globe)
5Top: Unfiltered flicks that light up the screen Aug 10, 2009
When it comes to smoking on the big screen, Bette Davis is the Tiger Woods, the Mozart, the Rembrandt ... Bette Davis looked so good smoking, she was probably responsible for leading more people to the vice than even Joe Camel. (MSNBC -- Movies)
New opera fans Aug 7, 2009
Based on a short story - later turned into a play - by W. Somerset Maugham, "The Letter" also was an Oscar-nominated movie in 1940 starring Bette Davis. CORRECTING AND REPLACING CAPTION Nevada Opera Association Appoints New General Director. (Fresno Bee -- Opinion)
Prince Edward honored by BUs elite Aug 5, 2009
Kristen Landgrebe / DFP STAFF Prince Edward Wessex accepts an award from the Bette Davis Foundation for his work in film documentary at Metcalf Hall last night. Prince Edward Wessex, the third son of Britains Queen Elizabeth II, was honored last night at Metcalf Hall with the Bette Davis Special Achievement Award for his work in film production ... The event included such speakers as actress Lauren Bacall, Dame Diana Rigg, Chancellor John Silber, Dr. Howard Gotlieb and Michael Merrill, the... (Boston University Daily Free Press, MA)
Daily TV guide Aug 1, 2009
Bette Davis won an Oscar for her role as a manipulative antebellum Dixie vixen. NR (1938). (Boston Globe)
Sandford Dody, ghostwriter for Bette Davis, Helen Hayes Jul 31, 2009
WASHINGTON - Sandford Dody - a ghostwriter who as alter ego, confidant, and shadow coaxed best-selling autobiographies out of Bette Davis, Helen Hayes, and other stars of stage and screen - died July 4 of pneumonia at Christ Hospital in Jersey City, N.J. He was 90 and lived in New York ... Introduced to the notoriously temperamental Bette Davis by mutual friend Kaye Ballard, Mr. Dody and the movie legend became friends, and the book, The Lonely Life (1962), was a pleasure to write. (Boston Globe)
No one wins when athletes say goodbye before it's time to leave Jul 25, 2009
Instead of listening to us, they ought take a lesson from Bette Davis: "I will not retire while I've still got my legs, and my make-up box.". To some people, grey-stubbled Brett Favre looks ridiculous chasing a job with the NFL's Minnesota Vikings at 39. (Sydney Morning Herald -- Sport)
Kaye Ballard Losing 10 pounds in 53 years! Jul 24, 2009
At Hollywood s Mocambo on the Sunset Strip, Kaye would do her impressions of James Cagney, Bette Davis, Joan Crawford and others. At times, Ethel Merman or Judy Garland would be in the audience shouting out, Do me. (Desert Entertainer, CA)
A speaking role Jul 24, 2009
Frederick, who joined in the call briefly, said she is inspired by Hollywood actresses from the golden age, such as Bette Davis and Greta Garbo. "My favorite review I've gotten so far was for 'Hollywood Dreams' - that I was 'Bette Davis on crack.' " Frederick laughed. (San Francisco Chronicle -- Entertainment)
Debbie Reynolds will perform Jul 23, 2009
"I do impressions, which are Bette Davis, Mae West, Katharine Hepburn and Barbra Streisand and I do Zsa Zsa Gabor teaching Paris Hilton how to slap a cop and stay out of jail. Paris Hilton is her grand-niece, you know.". Debbie Reynolds impersonating Barbra Streisand. (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, PA)
Daily television and radio guide Jul 23, 2009
Classic tearjerker about a dying socialite (Bette Davis). NR (1939). (Boston Globe)
Review: 'AFI Lifetime Achievement Award' Jul 18, 2009
Viewers who remember the AFI Awards when they were really a big deal (they've been around since 1973) will remember that the shows were lavish, the participants were major and the honorees themselves were legitimate legends: John Ford, Orson Welles, Alfred Hitchcock, Bette Davis. This year's show was filmed at a movie studio, done up to look like a big banquet hall. (San Francisco Chronicle -- Entertainment)
What's a girl to do? Jul 17, 2009
In "All This, and Heaven Too," Bette Davis' viewpoint unfolds in a series of confessional letters. In "A Letter to Three Wives," Sjogren notes, "The voiceover is completely radical and strange. ... (It) turns into these weird sort of machine-like odd, objectified hallucinations.". (San Francisco Chronicle -- Entertainment)
Man in the Moon Jul 13, 2009
There are five Forest Lawn cemeteries in the greater Los Angeles area, the viewing audience was helpfully informed by reporters and commentators on all the networks and cable channels; this one is in the Hollywood Hills, and is the resting place of Lucille Ball, Marvin Gaye, Bette Davis, and many other stars. The parade of passing never ends; a month ago, David Carradine was buried there. (New Yorker)
The unrivaled year for moviemaking: 1939 Jul 12, 2009
Bette Davis starred in four movies in 1939: Dark Victory, Juarez, The Old Maid, and The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex. Character actor Thomas Mitchell starred in five and won a supporting actor Oscar for his drunken doctor in Stagecoach. (Boston Globe)
Michael Jackson's final resting place a mystery Jul 11, 2009
If Jackson is buried there, he would join other celebrities such as Liberace, Gene Autry, Bette Davis and Andy Gibb. Recently deceased actor David Carradine and "Tonight Show" sidekick Ed McMahon also are buried there. (WSVN-TV Miami, FL)
S.F.'s signature weather, fog great for movies Jul 11, 2009
Fog Over Frisco (1934): Bette Davis is an off-her-rocker San Francisco heiress who gets involved with the mob in this early studio example of a film shot partly on location. Just about every night scene has rolling fog in it. (San Francisco Chronicle)
Mystery surrounds star's burial Jul 11, 2009
Some reports suggest that Jackson could be buried at Forest Lawn - the last resting place of celebrities including Liberace, Bette Davis and actor David Carradine, who was found dead in a Bangkok hotel room last month. Last week, Jackson's brother Jermaine said he wanted the body to be buried in the grounds of the singer's former home - the sprawling Neverland ranch, 150 miles north-west of Los Angeles. (BBC News -- Entertainment)
Jackson motorcade reaches LA memorial service site Jul 8, 2009
The Forest Lawn Memorial Park Hollywood Hills cemetery is the final resting place for such stars as Bette Davis, Andy Gibb, Freddie Prinze, Liberace and recently deceased David Carradine and Ed McMahon ... The Forest Lawn Memorial Park Hollywood Hills cemetery is the final resting place for such stars as Bette Davis, Andy Gibb, Freddie Prinze, Liberace and recently deceased David Carradine and Ed McMahon. (Florida Times-Union)
Jackson private service at LA's Forest Lawn, final resting place for many stars Jul 8, 2009
Forest Lawn is the final resting place for dozens of actors, musicians and other notables, including Liberace, Gene Autry, Bette Davis and Andy Gibb. Recently deceased actor David Carradine and "Tonight Show" sidekick Ed McMahon also are buried there. (FOX61, CT)
Michael Jackson's public memorial begins in LA Jul 8, 2009
The Forest Lawn Memorial Park Hollywood Hills cemetery is the final resting place for such stars as Bette Davis, Andy Gibb, Freddie Prinze, Liberace and recently deceased David Carradine and Ed McMahon. (Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. (WSVN-TV Miami, FL)
Jacko's final resting place? Jul 7, 2009
True to the location, some of the city's biggest names in entertainment including silver-screen legend Bette Davis, "I Love Lucy" star Lucille Ball and as of last month late-night talk-show sidekick Ed McMahon. The cemetery is an offshoot of Forest Lawn's sprawling main location in the Glendale area whose long list of notable residents include film icons Humphrey Bogart and Clark Gable as well as jazz legend Nat King Cole and Western novelist Louis L'Amour. (iAfrica.com)
Prominent Bostonians describe their perfect day Jul 4, 2009
All the while Bette Davis is saying, With all my heart I still love the man I killed. 8 p.m. Realize that I am child of the universe and that every day, in every way, is perfect. (Boston Globe)
A guide to the arts outdoors Jul 3, 2009
Isn t it a pity that Bette Davis and Lucille Ball never shared the screen. Anyhoo, movies start at sunset, and you might be better off sampling chef Daniel Bruce s cuisine than packing your own. (Boston Globe)
Movie review: Depp is dead-on as Dillinger Jul 2, 2009
She emerges as a powerhouse in the classic Hollywood tradition, with looks like Olivia de Havilland's and the attitude of Bette Davis. Pay close attention to the scene in which FBI interrogators beat up Billie. (San Francisco Chronicle)
Dead end at Wisteria Lane Jun 29, 2009
Plenty of big speeches and channelling Bette Davis. As all the women of the lane drive across the countryside with Edie's ashes, it becomes clear this show is on its last legs. (Sydney Morning Herald -- Entertainment)
Anne Roberts Nelson, influential TV executive Jun 26, 2009
While she was building her career, she was also raising three children with her husband, Harmon Oscar Nelson Jr. They had married in 1946, eight years after he and actress Bette Davis divorced. He died in 1975. (Boston Globe)
And the Oscar Nominees Are... Movies You've Seen! Jun 25, 2009
But since 10 was the magic number, there was room for two transcendent weepies, Dark Victory (Bette Davis loses her sight) and Love Affair (Irene Dunne loses her legs), plus a musical, The Wizard of Oz, a western, Stagecoach, and a romantic comedy, Ninotchka all of which are close to being the definitive examples of their genres. Since the 1944 crop, it's been five Best Picture nominees. (Time.com)
LETTER: Obama breaking the law 'in the public interest' Jun 25, 2009
The Question wrote on Jun 24, 2009 4:21 PM:" (To the tune of "Bette Davis Eyes") "Oh, hee-sss got Jimmy Swaggart tears. " ". (Mattoon Journal-Gazette, IL)
Wistful songwriter learns about life on Broadway Jun 19, 2009
A Catered Affair has its origins in a Bette Davis movie with a screenplay by Gore Vidal, and the book had been simmering in Harvey's consciousness for some time. " When Feinstein was starring in the hit musical Hairspray, Bucchino wrote the songs. "I had the luxury of having a year to develop the musical, and 90 per cent of what I wrote ended up in the show," he says. "Harvey is a brilliant artist, and it was a very organic collaboration. (Sydney Morning Herald -- Entertainment)
PALIN DOESN'T WANT YOU TO FORGE... Jun 5, 2009
Cary Grant, Grace Kelly, Bette Davis clothes. The famous ruby-red shoes. (New York Post -- Gossip)
The Populist Patriotism of Gore Vidal May 25, 2009
Nina Vidal was a composite of Bette Davis and Joan Crawford, a kind of Mommie Dearest who married the main chance, in her case the moneybags Hugh D. Auchincloss, thus making Gore Vidal a stepbrother to the future Jackie Kennedy Onassis through a concatenation of upper-class remarriages. Vidal draws the appropriate lesson: Oh, what a tangled web is woven when divorcees conceive. (The American Conservative)
Room of Her Own May 25, 2009
Equality had extracted a measure of femininity, not because women were wearing gray flannel but because, as Bette Davis confessed in All About Eve : The things you drop on your way up the ladder so you can move faster, you forget you ll need them again when you get back to being a woman. And in the last analysis nothing s any good unless you can look up just before dinner or turn around in bed and there he is. (The American Conservative)
Simon Cowell: 'I'm quite odd. I do get very dark moods'... May 23, 2009
" It's because I just want to be on my own for a while. I relish it. I'm almost ecstatic. 'But I have very close relationships with my ex-girlfriends, which is quite strange. I talk to them all the time. It's one of the reasons I haven't felt the need to suddenly get into another relationship. I'm single now and it's good.' Are you, well, a particularly sexual man? 'Yeah, but it's all about chemistry. And when you have that it's incredible,' he says. Big breasts? 'Not necessarily.' Lap-dancers?... (The Drudge Report)
* [HARDCOVER: UK] Game, set and love match May 17, 2009
He went on to become a close confidant of screen star Bette Davis, of whom he said: We were always easy and natural in each others company. Not exactly family, but almost. (Taipei Times, Taiwan -- Sports)
Prison Film Festival Offers Guilty Pleasures May 11, 2009
The 1933 prison drama, with Spencer Tracy as a convict and Bette Davis as his moll, is being shown as part of the Con Film Festival, running through May 21 at Film Forum in lower Manhattan. "20,000 Years" is based on a book by Brown's predecessor, Lewis E. Lawes, a noted reformer who became the nation's first celebrity prison warden with a long-running radio show. (New York Post -- Entertainment)
It's not as if Susan Boyle's gone all Joan Collins May 9, 2009
The movies love nothing more than a good duckling-to-swan transformation: In Now, Voyager, Bette Davis took off her glasses and tamed her brows, and suddenly Paul Henreid was lighting cigarettes for two. In The Heiress, Olivia de Havilland grew out of her mousy spinster's dresses into a glamorous creature bent on ruining Montgomery Clift's life. (Globe and Mail -- Entertainment)
15 Reasons to Love Turner Classic Movies May 3, 2009
There were revelations aplenty, especially in the early-'30s Warner melodramas; they instructed a new generation of old-film fans in the urban snarl, panache and breathless efficiency of the young James Cagney, Barbara Stanwyck and Bette Davis, plus a bunch of directors that scholars had mostly ignored. But TNT was clogged with commercials, sometimes 15-20 mins. (Time.com)
New on DVD: Streisand, 'Stranded' and a thriller May 1, 2009
According to the 1938 New York Film Critics Circle and Danny Peary's essential Alternate Oscars, Sullavan was the year's best actress over Bette Davis, who won the Oscar for Jezebel. And for Fitzgerald fans, there's some ear-friendly dialogue. (USA Today -- Life)
New Barrymorein 'Grey Gardens' Apr 15, 2009
SHOWCASE :: Erie's Entertainment Web Site. Chautauqua Institution adds Creedence Clearwater Revisited for Aug. 14. (Erie Times-News, PA)
Author revisits 'Gone With the Wind' Apr 12, 2009
A feminist film critic, she earned her spurs with her book "From Reverence to Rape" (1974), which defended the "woman's film" and argued that Hollywood's image of women had regressed, from the strong, take-charge characters of the 1930s and 1940s - the ones played by Bette Davis, Barbara Stanwyck and Jean Arthur - to the Doris Days and Bond girls. You can't escape your raising, though, and Haskell, born in Morehead City, N.C., was raised proper in old-time Richmond, Va. (Athens Banner-Herald)
No doubt about this quality film Apr 10, 2009
Streep is without question the greatest living actress, and ranks with Katharine Hepburn and Bette Davis as the finest leading woman who ever lived. Hoffman has quickly joined Tom Hanks, Sean Penn, Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe as the best character actors of the past 10 to 15 years. (Erie Times-News, PA)
The Bookworm: Mosley’s ‘Long Fall’ gets off track toward end Apr 5, 2009
Suffice it to say, there are some very odd, unbelievable characters that belong more in an old Bette Davis movie than in a modern-setting mystery. Excited Mosley fans will want to read The Long Fall, if for no other reason than to meet McGill. (La Crosse Tribune, WI)
Charita Goshay: The new price of cigarettes will make you choke Apr 1, 2009
Is there any moment on film more seductive than when Paul Henreid lights Bette Davis cigarette in Now, Voyager. But we ve come a long way, baby. (Medfield Press, MA)
Changing Places Mar 30, 2009
No sooner has Susan s head burst through the church roof than she is captured by the Army and removed to a secure facility, where, to her dismay, she is stored as a potential weapon of war a rare female monster, according to the general in charge of the program, who may be too young to remember Bette Davis. Susan takes her place amid a batch of other beasts, all commandeered by the state: a white-coated scientist with the manners of a No. (New Yorker)
Judy's spirit lives on in 'Old Fashioned Christmas' at Thorny (3) Mar 29, 2009
In this riotous night of comedy and song, Holmes brings an all new version of The Judy Show to life with her version of the Twelve Days of Christmas (Cocktails), Carol Channing exploring the true meaning of the season in The Carol of the Bells, and, by popular demand, the hysterical reading of Bette Davis s Winter in Michigan and much more. Joining Judy on the stage are veteran performers and Thorny Theatre favorites Larry Lazzaro and Jerome Elliott in rousing renditions of holiday standards. (Desert Entertainer, CA)
Watching the detectives Mar 29, 2009
He's got Bette Davis eyes. CBS's "Eleventh Hour," NBC's "My Own Worst Enemy" and ABC's "Life on Mars" bring us soulful-eyed leading men who kick ass and take names as the world falls apart. (Salon)
Dickens meets 'Lost' in PBS's 'Little Dorrit' Mar 27, 2009
Ruth Jones is excruciatingly good as Arthur's childhood sweetheart, Flora, now a desperate widow who still dresses like a little girl, in the manner of Bette Davis in "What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?" And Andy Serkis - he was Gollum in "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy - is creepy and over-the-top as a French villain who knows and exploits valuable information. But the miniseries unquestionably belongs to Courtenay, who has been nominated for two Oscars (for "Doctor Zhivago" and "The Dresser"). (Boston Globe)
Stress case scenario Mar 26, 2009
The South Boston branch of the Boston Public Library ends its Bette Davis Film Series tonight with a screening of "Deception." As its title suggests, the movie is all about secrets and lies. It stars Lowell-born Bette Davis as a musician in a love triangle. (Boston Globe)
Life Begins At Forty Mar 20, 2009
Joan Crawford, Bette Davis, and Rosalind Russell climbed over the hill back to the top, Angela Lansbury tread the boards of Broadway, Lucille Ball became beloved on TV.. Although it is often said that there are only three ages for actresses ing;nue, district attorney, and matriarchal figure, many actresses became better known for their work after turning forty. (Suite101.com)
Sopranos creator Chase returning to HBO Mar 18, 2009
Real-life figures like John Wayne, Bette Davis and Billy Wilder will be part of the tale. Chase will write and executive produce the project, his first for TV since The Sopranos ended its HBO run two years ago. (MSNBC -- News)
An acting junkie who never says no Mar 14, 2009
And she's certainly believable as a pinup: With her curvy frame, dark hair and olive skin, Gugino could have held her own with dames like Barbara Stanwyck and Bette Davis. Maybe you think that actors appear in high-profile kids' movies because they need to juice their careers. (Globe and Mail -- Entertainment)
'Race to Witch Mountain' Mar 13, 2009
Even Bette Davis and Christopher Lee played second fiddle to the psychic siblings in "Return From Witch Mountain." But Dwayne Johnson is such a powerful -- and appealing -- personality that he barrels through "Race to Witch Mountain," leaving his child co-stars in the dust. Add that to the movie's overemphasis on violent action, and "Witch Mountain" is not as much fun as its 1970s predecessors. (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, PA)
Classic 'Witch Mountain' Star Set To 'Race' Mar 12, 2009
Richards said that "Return from Witch Mountain," the sequel that also starred Bette Davis and Christopher Lee, only solidified her thoughts as to why the original films resonate with younger moviegoers to this day. "I feel like every child wants to have powers -- they want to fly, levitate things and talk without moving their mouths," Richards said. (Click2Houston, TX)
Reagan's Star Shines on Turner Classic Movies Mar 6, 2009
Some of the notable movies in The Great Communicators acting career to be featured include: Dark Victory (1939), which earned Bette Davis an Academy Award; Knute Rockne All-American (1940), which earned him the nickname The Gipper; Kings Row (1942), which many consider his finest acting performance; and his final film, Hellcats of the Navy (1957), which co-starred his wife, Nancy. Reagan appeared in more than 50 feature films and numerous TV shows, including being host of two... (Newsmax)
Character actors hold films togethe... Mar 5, 2009
Face it, not all leading actors have the vocal trademarks or mannerisms of, say, John Wayne or Bette Davis. However, the best character actors realize theirs is not to overshadow the lead. (Suite101.com)
