I've already shared this video in the Bette Davis vs. Joan Crawford thread, but I figured it wouldn't hurt to share it here as well. Be Kind Rewind is, without the slightest doubt, my absolutely favorite YouTube channel. It's the only one that I'm subscribed to that I actually watch the new videos when they pop up on my feed. This lady has done some extensive research on the topics she chooses to make her videos on. They are practically professional-level mini-documentaries that could easily be included as bonus features on DVD and Blu-ray releases, or used for some more in-depth film study.
This particular video that I've linked below pulls the layers back on the feud circling actresses Bette Davis and Joan Crawford. At roughly fifty minutes long, it is basically a documentary about the two women, discussing their individual careers and any possibility of any genuine feud existing between the two of them.
There is often speculation that Davis and Crawford fought over actor Franchot Tone in the mid-thirties. He had costarred with Davis in
Dangerous, for which she won her first Oscar, but he was carrying on an off-screen affair with Crawford, whom he later married. Many side with the theory that their feud was initiated over their mutual desire to have Tone. Other than that, it seems their paths did not regularly cross until Crawford left MGM for Warner's in 1943. She took over two roles Davis left out in the wind in
Mildred Pierce and
Possessed. Some feel Davis was irked that Crawford won her Oscar for
Mildred Pierce, a film many feel Davis would not have declined has she realized it was Oscar-worthy material. Outside of this, their paths seldom crossed during their time at Warner's in the latter half of the forties, although some speculate that Davis was somewhat stiffed that while her career with the studio was declining, Crawford's was steady.
Both Davis and Crawford considered the fifties a particularly dry time for them professionally. Crawford's filmography during this era is somewhat stronger than Davis's, but neither of them were making huge landmarks in cinema. It was Crawford that was the force behind their teaming up for
What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?, a film riddled with controversy. Apparently there are many documented accounts that filming of the movie went mostly fine. There were a few squabbles, but nothing serious enough that could not be solved through small chats... or so they say. From what exists, it seems that their differences came to the strongest point during the filming of
Hush...Hush, Sweet Charlotte. Most Davis biographers agree she never wanted to work with Crawford again, and that her actions towards Joan were deliberately orchestrated to usher Joan out of the picture. Barbara Stanwyck, Loretta Young, Katharine Hepburn, and Vivien Leigh were all tabled as possible replacements for Crawford, but Davis wanted Olivia de Havilland, so that's who got the part.
The whole controversy over the 1963 Academy Awards is where things got really petty. Joan, who was furious that Bette was nominated and she was not, took the opportunity she saw before her to accept on the behalf of either Anne Bancroft or Geraldine Page, both then-starring on Broadway, if either lady were to win. Crawford had also volunteered to announce the Best Director Award at the ceremony, cementing her at least a few minutes on stage. Of course, Bancroft won for her outstanding performance as Annie Sullivan in
The Miracle Worker, opening the door for Joan to accept for her. Davis went to her grave believing Joan had steered the votes away from her and over to Bancroft, although this theory can certainly be tested. Newspapers from the era seemed to shift their predictions on who the winner that year would be, and it is unlikely that Crawford was able to sway enough votes among the academy members to make any significant difference in the outcome.
The chapter concerning the Oscars is really the root of the juicy rivalry, or at least in my opinion. It infuriated Bette, and that's why she did everything in power to get Joan off
Hush...Hush, Sweet Charlotte. In hindsight, we will never know the entire truth concerning the feud existing between Bette Davis and Joan Crawford, but this video below gives us a very good insight to what most likely is/was the truth of the matter.
