Bette Davis vs. Joan Crawford

[Snarky Oracle!]

From Follies of God, Have never seen this pic before - The Letter

One of my favorite photos. And from one of my favorite scenes from one of my favorite BD movies.

I've watched five of Bette Davis' movies and five of Joan's movies... and I have to say that while Bette Davis was more showy and emotional in her performances, I kind of like Joan's more low key/naturalistic acting a bit better.

Both actresses were wonderful, but comparing them is like comparing apples and oranges. Both are wonderful, but so different from one another.

In fact, I think Joan's more low key/subtle take in Whatever Happened to Baby Jane was a wise choice because the twist at the end was more of a surprise.

The differences were somewhat superficial. As Crawford said to her maid in BABY JANE, "We're sisters, Elvira; we know each other very well." Even director Vincent Sherman, who claims believably that he boinked both actresses (and forgiven by his "remarkable" wife) describes the two stars as "sisters under the skin."

Bette was more theatrical, acting-wise, but then Joan was pretty darn theatrical in her own way. When I was a kid, I used to find Crawford to be duller, while Bette was electric. But something I've long realized is that while Hepburn was righteously always telling The Truth, Bette Davis was often telling the truth even when she was lying... But Crawford was lying -- even when she was telling the truth. (Their scripts notwithstanding).

That ultimately makes Crawford's characterizations even more mesmerizing: she is the darker of the divas.

Only a few years ago did I realize I had more of Joan's movies on DVD than I did either Kate of even Bette...

I tend to be somewhat apathetic to Kate's early work -- she has that tweedy, mid-twentieth century lesbianic thing about her which paled in comparison to Joan's & Bette's abject cinema bitches. But I warm to Hepburn as she ages, the actresses taking on a quavering dignity, while Crawford & Davis did horror movies (not all of them good). And their careers just kind of faded away. Bette & Joan could never have done LION IN WINTER or even LOVE AMONG THE RUINS in the way Hepburn did them.

 

[Toni]

Crawford used to make herself sympathetic in movies and life. Davis used to make herself antipathetic in movies and life (and didn´t give a damn about it). Hepburn was in her own bubble, and, very likely, the only one of the three that truly enjoyed her profession.

"Guess what´s for dinner today? Ratatouille!!"​

 

[Snarky Oracle!]

 

[Snarky Oracle!]

I wonder if Crawford molested Farrow's daughter...​

​

Mia Farrow says Joan Crawford was ‘scary in person’ and she gave off a ‘strange vibe’​

Actor Mia Farrow has revealed that she was scared by Hollywood icon Joan Crawford when she met the star earlier in her career.

Farrow, best known for her roles in Rosemary’s Baby (1968) and The Great Gatsby (1974), spoke about meeting various legends like Vivien Leigh and Katharine Hepburn, in a recent discussion with Interview magazine.

Speaking to Tony Award winner Cole Escole, Farrow opened up about an uncomfortable experience with Crawford, who won the Best Actress Oscar in 1946 for her role in Mildred Pierce.

Farrow, 80, explained that she met the star at Fox studios while she filming the TV series Peyton Place and Crawford was making the now acclaimed psychological-horror film What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962).

Crawford at the time was married to Alfred Steele, who was then the president of Pepsi. As a result, Crawford began sending large quantities of the beverage to Farrow’s trailer.

“I don’t particularly like Pepsi Cola, but a lot of Pepsi Cola kept coming to my trailer, more than anyone would ever want. And then she came over to see me and I got a strange vibe from her,” Farrow explained.

Continuing, she said: “So I’m back in New York, and she knew my mother. I hung up people’s coats for my mom when they came into the house. And I hung her coat and out falls a flask of alcohol. She grabbed it like that, and she put it in her handbag. She drank quite a lot. Then she invited me to her apartment. I thought it was a party, but I arrived, and I was the only one there.”

Farrow, who was only 17 at the time, said that everything was green in Crawford’s apartment and there was “very low lighting”. Feeling uneasy about the scenario Farrow excused herself and pretended she was ill.

“So I just made up a lie that I wasn’t feeling very well and I didn’t want to give her any diseases. I think I said the word ‘diseases’ as I walked out of the room. I was scared of Ms. Crawford.”

Crawford died in 1977, having blazed a career as one of the magnetic and diverse actors of her generation. Her part in Whatever Happened to Baby Jane? is the stuff of Hollywood infamy due to the tensions between herself and co-star Bette Davis. The backstage drama between the pair was dramatized in the FX series Feud with Jessica Lange as Crawford and Susan Sarandon as Davis.

Story by Greg Evans, The Independent

 

[ClassyCo]

Farrow, 80, explained that she met the star at Fox studios while she filming the TV series Peyton Place and Crawford was making the now acclaimed psychological-horror film What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962).

So these were in production at the same time? BABY JANE came out in 1962, and PEYTON PLACE didn't start on TV until 1964.

 

[Toni]

I wonder if Crawford molested Farrow's daughter...​

​

Mia Farrow says Joan Crawford was ‘scary in person’ and she gave off a ‘strange vibe’​

Actor Mia Farrow has revealed that she was scared by Hollywood icon Joan Crawford when she met the star earlier in her career.

Farrow, best known for her roles in Rosemary’s Baby (1968) and The Great Gatsby (1974), spoke about meeting various legends like Vivien Leigh and Katharine Hepburn, in a recent discussion with Interview magazine.

Speaking to Tony Award winner Cole Escole, Farrow opened up about an uncomfortable experience with Crawford, who won the Best Actress Oscar in 1946 for her role in Mildred Pierce.

Farrow, 80, explained that she met the star at Fox studios while she filming the TV series Peyton Place and Crawford was making the now acclaimed psychological-horror film What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962).

Crawford at the time was married to Alfred Steele, who was then the president of Pepsi. As a result, Crawford began sending large quantities of the beverage to Farrow’s trailer.

“I don’t particularly like Pepsi Cola, but a lot of Pepsi Cola kept coming to my trailer, more than anyone would ever want. And then she came over to see me and I got a strange vibe from her,” Farrow explained.

Continuing, she said: “So I’m back in New York, and she knew my mother. I hung up people’s coats for my mom when they came into the house. And I hung her coat and out falls a flask of alcohol. She grabbed it like that, and she put it in her handbag. She drank quite a lot. Then she invited me to her apartment. I thought it was a party, but I arrived, and I was the only one there.”

Everybody is a stalker upon Mia. What did she expect, a surprise party in her honor? Poor, poor Joannie...

Farrow, who was only 17 at the time, said that everything was green in Crawford’s apartment and there was “very low lighting”. Feeling uneasy about the scenario Farrow excused herself and pretended she was ill.

So Mia is used to pretending. Finally the truth comes out.

“So I just made up a lie that I wasn’t feeling very well and I didn’t want to give her any diseases. I think I said the word ‘diseases’ as I walked out of the room.

So Mia is used to lying. Again, truth comes out.

I was scared of Ms. Crawford.”

Oh you better be because some day you´re gonna meet again down there...

 

[Snarky Oracle!]

So these were in production at the same time? BABY JANE came out in 1962, and PEYTON PLACE didn't start on TV until 1964.

Yeah, the time frames don't match up. And Alfred Steele died in 1959, after only three years of marriage.

But then, it's 60+ years ago, so I guess we can excuse the anachronisms.

Even Ann Helm, originally cast as Crawford's daughter in STRAIT-JACKET (before Joan got her fired for being too sexy to play that daughter) said Crawford was deeply offended when Helm walked onto the set with a "Diet Coke" (which wasn't available until the '80s, so we have to assume that Helm meant "a Tab" --- Coca-Cola's diet product in 1963).

So, hey, nobody's perfect.

So Mia is used to lying. Again, truth comes out.

I think that's what Mia is doing with this interview: admitting to "lying" to prove she's "honest" about lying to neutralize suspicion that she's still lying about Woody Allen after one-third of a century.

(And to establish that everybody wants to fukk her family. And always has).

Oh you better be because some day you´re gonna meet again down there...

Yes. She will.

Perhaps ironically, her intimating than Joan wanted to be intimate with her is probably true.

 

[ClassyCo]

Yeah, the time frames don't match up. And Alfred Steele died in 1959, after only three years of marriage.

But then, it's 60+ years ago, so I guess we can excuse the anachronisms.

Even Ann Helm, originally cast as Crawford's daughter in STRAIT-JACKET (before Joan got her fired for being too sexy to play that daughter) said Crawford was deeply offended when Helm walked onto the set with a "Diet Coke" (which wasn't available until the '80s, so we have to assume that Helm meant "a Tab" --- Coca-Cola's diet product in 1963).

So, hey, nobody's perfect.

Quite true. A leniency in the memory of facts from 60+ years ago are in order. I know I forget stuff that happens earlier the same day, so I get it.

 

[Snarky Oracle!]

Quite true. A leniency in the memory of facts from 60+ years ago are in order. I know I forget stuff that happens earlier the same day, so I get it.

Especially when you and your family are constantly getting molested by big stars. It just muddles the brain (time frames, details, etc.)...

Y'know, trauma and shit.

 

[Barbara Fan]

From Follies of God



Joan poured drinks of 100 proof vodka served in huge glasses. She refused to let me have any ice, tonic, or water. Just straight vodka. Not even any ice. This was to be the pattern of the week. Whenever we were home, she kept the vodka coming, though I kept trying to pour mine into plants, flower vases, or down the sink, when she wasn’t looking. She kept a sharp eye on me most of time. Although I had told her that I was going to write a general article about my impressions of Hollywood, she obviously intended for me to concentrate on her. She spent hours showing me her clothes, including the nightgowns she had had made, chiffon shorties in different pastel colors, one for every night of the week. On the front of each was embroidered “Good morning, Alfred darling.”--From Helen Lawrenson's "The Troubling Truth About Joan Crawford" for VIVA, August 1978.

Photo Credit: Reg Davis