Doris Day (of Pillow Talk)

Introduction
“Those eyes, the intelligence, the intensity – she didn’t know how good she was.  She just knew she could do it…It’s like she genuinely felt if it’s that easy; there couldn’t be much to it.  It isn’t that easy for the rest of us.  She was a natural.” – Three-time costar Tony Randall.  Known most notably for her “girl next door” image with her beautiful blond hair, her innocent looks, and sweet disposition, Doris Day lit up the screen with each of the 39 films of her career.  When looking beyond her appearance, however, it is not difficult to recognizer her talent, both as an actress as well as a vocalist.  Day, like many other notable stars throughout the ages, serves as the classic example of an individual who was recognized at an early age for her obvious talent, whose name was changed for ease of pronunciation, who suffered unknown hardships in her personal life, and who persevered in spite of her set backs.

Early Years
"I was named by my mother in honor of her favorite actress, Doris Kenyon, a silent screen star of that year 1924." – Doris Day.  Day was born in Cincinnati, OH as Doris Mary Ann Kappelhoff on April 3, 1924.  She was the youngest of three children, though her oldest brother, Richard, died before she was born.  Even though she admits being shy, Day was Identified for her talents at an early age despite her kindergarten set back.  Her mother sewed her panties to her dress, making it impossible for her to use the bathroom when she desperately needed to.  The mishap resulted in a noticeable wet spot and an embarrassed Doris.  This could have led to her stage fright later on in life.  Her father, William, a piano teacher and performer, immersed Doris in music from infancy with his craft.  He wanted (nearly demanded) her to become a concert pianist.  Her mother, Alma, wanted her to pursue dancing, however.  When her father left the family for another woman, Alma enrolled Doris into a dance school to spite her former husband.  The rest, they say, is history.

Dancing Duo
While taking dancing lessons, Doris paired up with Jerry Docherty.  Both children were about 11 years old at the time, and they hit it off from the start.  The two became an instant hit and won every competition they entered.  Both mothers resolved to move to Hollywood so that the children could receive proper training.

Accident
On Friday the 13th, October 1937, the night before Doris and her family were to leave for Hollywood permanently, their friends threw the Days a going away party.  Doris left with some friends to grad a bite to eat.  On the way home, the driver became lost, and the car was struck by a train as they tried to find their way back home.  The driver and all three passengers were ejected from the car and hospitalized soon after.  Doris’ dancing career was over for good as she spent the next 18 months on crutches.  Once out of crutches, Doris tried to re-teach herself how to dance.  That desire to get back on her feet, however, resulted in a fall, re-breaking her leg.  Doris spent another year back in a cast.

Break-through Singer
Doris found solace in her two and a half years in a cast by singing along with the radio and with record album.  She especially enjoyed the music of Ella Fitgerald.  Her mother noticed Doris’ talent and pursued singing lessons.  Because of her obvious talent, her vocal coach gave her three lessons for the price of one.  It was Doris’ vocal coach, Ms. Grace Raine, who arranged for Doris to perform on a local talent program at a nearby Cincinnati radio station.  Doris was so well received that she was asked to return each week to sing “Day After Day”, which caught the attention of many at-home listeners.  Her experience in radio gave Doris the courage to venture further into the music business.  She auditioned to be the singer of Barney Rapp’s big band at age 16, though she told him that she was actually 18.  It was Rapp who gave her a name change so that it flowed better than “Doris Kappelhoff” and so that it fit on the marquee outside.  Since she became noticed around Cincinnati for singing “Day After Day”, Rapp came up with “Doris Day.”  She hated it!  Day later commented on her name change saying, “It sounded really cheap.  Like a burlesque singer.  ‘Doris Day and her Dove Dance,’ that sort of thing” (Freedland 24).

Love Mishap
After joining Rapp’s big band, Day soon caught the eye of the audience as well as the musicians.  She was smitten with and later married trombonist Al Jorden when she was just 17 years old.  Shortly after the wedding, though, Jorden began physically abusing his young wife.  Doris became pregnant shortly after the wedding, and Jorden immediately called for an abortion.  He even went as far as pointing a gun at Doris’ womb indicating his intentions for both mother and child.  The couple was divorced soon after the child, Terry, was born.

Les Brown
"She was every bandleader's dream, a vocalist who had natural talent, a keen regard for the lyrics and an attractive appearance." - Les Brown.  Barney Rapp’s band moved on without Doris during her pregnancy.  Once Terry was born, Doris contacted the station manager at WLW in Cincinnati to get back in the business.  Doris was later approached by Les Brown to sing in his “Band of Renown”  It was in 1945 with Les Brown’s band that Day recorded her first #1 hit song, ”Sentimental Journey.”  The song could not have been released at a more appropriate time: at the end of WWII as the troops made their weary journey back home to the United States.

• “Never thought my heart could be so yearny
• Why did I decide to roam?
• Gotta take that sentimental journey
• Sentimental journey home”

Day’s vocal idol covered the song on her 1947 album Ella and Her Fellas.

Second Marriage, Second Divorce
Day started seeing tenor sax player George Weidler, who replaced Les Brown’s former tenor sax player, in 1943.  The couple saw each other off and on for three years before marrying on March 30th, 1946.  Meanwhile, Day signed a solo contract with Columbia Records and began working with notable radio personality and comedian Bob Hope.  Day’s work with Hope and her contractual obligations with Columbia kept her in New York while Weidler worked in Los Angeles on a contract with CBS.  The couple split on amicable terms and still maintained a good and very close (wink-wink) relationship after their separation.

From Radio to Film
After Day’s second marriage and second divorce, she accepted a role in her first film, Romance on the High Seas.  While the film is not worth noting, both today and in its time, Day was recognized for her talent as an actress.  Day moved on to perform as an actress and a singer in musical such as Tea for Two (1950), Lullaby of Broadway (1951), On Moonlight Bay (1951), By the Light of the Silvery Moon (1953) and Calamity Jane (1953)

Life as a Freelance Actress
In 1951 Day married her third husband and current agent, Marty Melcher, who was a non-musician (which seemed to do the trick).  It was Melcher who decided Day would be better off not renewing her contract with Warner Brothers.  Day’s newfound freedom in her career allowed her to accept roles that may have been out of her normal routine such as Alfred Hitchcock's The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956) in which she teamed up with actor James Stewart (from our first film of this class, Philadelphia Story).  It was her work in Hitcock’s film that Day received an Oscar for Best Song for her performance in “Que Sera, Sera (Whatever Will Be, Will Be).”  The song went on to hit #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 and quickly replaced “Sentimental Journey” and “It’s Magic” as Day’s signature song.

From Film to Television
Day was separated with her third husband on April 20th, 1968.  This time, however, the separation left Day a widow rather than a divorce.  Melcher died unexpectedly at the age of 53 from what was thought to have been a ruptured appendix.  After her late husband’s death, Day discovered (to her chagrin) that he had committed her to a television series in which she was reluctant to take part.  Day was successful in her role as a sitcom actress in “The Doris Day Show” and lead the program as co-executive producer with her son Terry for five years.  It was for this series that Day receieved a Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Television Series in 1969.  After her work in “The Doris Day Show,” Day went on to star in three other series from 1971 to 1986 – "The Doris Mary Anne Kappelhoff Special" (1971), "Doris Day Today" (1975), "Doris Day and Friends," (1985).

Awards and Accolades

• appeared in 39 films, released 29 albums, spent a total of 460 weeks in the Top 40 charts
• ranked the “biggest box-office star” for four years (1960; 1962–1964)
• 1959 – Academy Award nomination for Pillow Talk
• 1989 – Golden Globe
• 1989 – received the Cecil B. DeMille Award for lifetime achievement in motion pictures
• 2004 – George W. Bush awarded Day the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest honor awarded a civilian.  Upon accepting the award Day said, "I am deeply grateful to the President and to my country. ... To come from Cincinnati, Ohio, for God's sake, then to go to Hollywood, and to get this kind of tribute from my country. ... I love this country so much."
• Honorary Academy Award and Kennedy Center Honors Awards
• 2008 – Grammy for Lifetime Achievement
• 2010 – Legend Award from the Society of Singers in recognition for her lifetime achievement in the recording industry

Pillow Talk

• won the Academy Award for Best Writing (Original Screenplay)
• nominated for Best Actress in a Leading Role (Doris Day)
• nominated for Best Actress in a Supporting Role (Thelma Ritter)
• nominated for Best Art Direction-Set Decoration, Color (Richard H. Riedel, Russell A. Gausman, Ruby R. Levitt)
• nominated for Best Music, Scoring of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture
• named to the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress for being “culturally, historically or aesthetically” significant
• gross of $ 18,750,000 at the Box Office
• 92% on RottenTomatoes.com

Works Cited

Dorisday.com.  n.p., 2012.  Web.  26 May 2012.

Freedland, Michael.  Doris Day: the Illustrated Biography.  London: Carlton Publishing Group, 2000.  Print.

Kaufman, David.  Doris Day: the Untold Story of the Girl Next Door.  New York: Virgin Books, 2008.  Print.

Santopietro, Tom.  Considering Doris Day.  New York: St. Martin’s Press, 2007.  Print.

Rock Hudson: A Brief Biography

Rock Hudson, co-star of the film "Pillow Talk" with Doris Day, was born November 17, 1925.  He was originally named Roy Harold Scherer, Jr. by his mother, Kay Scherer, and he was born in Winnetka, IL.  Hudson's career began in 1948 when his career was launched by Hollywood director Raoul Walsh.  He acted in the film "Fighter Squadron."  Beginning as a pretty face, Hudson became famous for his comedic talents which began with the film "Pillow Talk" in 1959.

Hudson had a rocky childhood.  His biological father left him and his mother during the Great Depression and moved to California.  Hudson's mother re-married an ex-Marine in 1934.  Wallace Fitzgerald adopted Hudson and changed his name to Roy Fitzgerald.  Hudson's new father was abusive towards him and his mother, Kay.  This caused Hudson to stay away from home as much as possible.  In high school, Hudson became the best of friends with Jim Matteoni and Pat McGuire.  The three of them loved theater and worked on sets for school productions.  They all went to the service together during World War II.  Hudson joined the Navy in 1944.  He served as an airplane mechanic, among other things.  When he returned from his service, he worked for the local post office in his home town.  His mother felt his life ought to move forward, so she moved the two of them to Pasadena.  She had divorced Fitzgerald.  California meant opportunity for Film Stardom.

Hudson had professional photographs taken, and sent them to different agencies.  His good looks got him picked up by agent Henry Willson.  He was a scout for Selznick at the time, and got Hudson in with director Raoul Walsh.  Willson was eager to mold Hudson's good looks into Hollywood "pay dirt" by making him marketable.  He began by changing his name to Rock Hudson.  Rock was for the Rock of Gibraltor, and Hudson was after the Hudson River.  Hudson hated the name, as Doris Day hated her stage name.  The two joked often after they met about the names.  Hudson would call Day "Eunice", and Day would call Hudson "Ernie" because these were the names the two would have chosen themselves.  His first film "Fighter Squadron" did not fare well.  However, Hudson managed to get a two year contract with Universal Films in 1949.  During this time in Hudson's career, he married Phyllis Gates.  They divorced not too long before "Pillow Talk."  After a string of serious roles, Hudson desperately needed a new take on his public career.  When initially approached for "Pillow Talk", Hudson seriously considered turning it down.  He lacked confidence in his ability to be funny.  While whorking on "Pillow Talk", Hudson received a piece of valuable advice that would make him a huge star.  He was told to remain absolutely non-comedic while doing comedy.  Hudson did well with his straight and serious face, and the timing fell together for him naturally.

Hudson and Day went on the co-star in two more romantic comedies, and the public loved their chemistry.  Day and Hudson remained friends up until Hudson passed away.  Hudson played in many films once his career as a comedic actor had been established.  Eventually he cut his ties with his agent Henry Willson.  He also spent time on the hit show "Dynasty."  It was at that time in 1984 that Hudson was diagnosed with AIDS.  He was very sick until his death in 1987.  During his years in Hollywood, the tight knit community knew of but never really spoke of Hudson's sexual preferences.  It wasn't until his death the press openly reported on his past relationships.  Being close friends with Elizabeth Taylor meant that Ms. Taylor, in honor of Hudson, launched the Hollywood and public awareness of the social problem of AIDS.  Rock Hudson gave a face to the cause, and many people from Hollywood rallied along with Ms. Taylor to recognize the problem.  Hudson left behind many friends.  However, his last relationship which was with Marc Christian, relvealed this opinion of Hudson:   "He was one of the manliest men I ever knew.  Even in private there wasn't an ounce of effeminacy in him whatsoever.  None of his masculinity was ever put on.  If anything can be said in Rock's favoer about his image, it's that what you saw on the screen is basically what he was in private."  Rock's image remains at least an image of comedy, as we see in the film "Pillow Talk." Hudson was known to be a genuine and nice guy.  Although his ex-wife wrote of incidences of abuse their marriage, after his death, many that worked with Hudson had strong positive opinions about his character.  He was known as generous to a fault and an excellent listener.  Most people felt that having Hudson for a friend was an honor. It was said that discussing or making jokes about his homosexuality was out of the question for everyone that knew him.  Hudson played a significant role in history when he died of AIDS.  He left behind a legacy of friendship and Hollywood acting talent.  His death raised awareness of a major impending health epidemic.

Sources:
Oppenhimer, Jerry.  Idol Rock Hudson.  New York: Random House, Inc., 1986.

Gates, Phyllis.  My Husband, Rock Hudson.  New York: Doubleday & Company, Inc., 1987.

Clark, Tom.  Rock Hudson Friend Of Mine.  New York: Pharos Books, 1990.

"Pillow Talk" 50th Anniversary Film Presentation.  Film Commentaries.

Rock Hudson: 1925-1985

Hollywood Leading Ladies: Questions for the Panel of "My Man Godfrey"

In my research of Carole, I was never able to find any type of bragging about her art/talent or any other part of her life.  She would talk about others and praise them, but never take creidt herself. She accepted praise graciously.

Hollywood Leading Ladies: Questions for the Panel of "My Man Godfrey": "Men can brag, but that's where a woman can't do what men do, and still be feminine.  No man will endure listening to a girl boast about how...

Hollywood Leading Ladies: What a dump! (apologies to Bette, and Albee)

I usually just wathc films to relax, but this class has eally opened my eyes to other ways films can be used.  These scenes and the artistry of the time were remarkable.  Diane

Hollywood Leading Ladies: What a dump! (apologies to Bette, and Albee): I mentioned my admiration for LaCava's (or more appropriately, his production designer's Charles D. Hall and special effects person John P....

Hollywood Leading Ladies: Let There be Light (1946)

Thank you for that info.  I would enjoy seeing his take on it as I just finished a portfolio in w233 on this subject.  See you on Tues.  Diane
Hollywood Leading Ladies: Let There be Light (1946): While driving home from work Thursday afternoon I heard a story about John Huston ( Maltese Falcon, African Queen, etc.) on NPR's All Th...

Let There be Light (1946)

While driving home from work Thursday afternoon I heard a story about John Huston (Maltese Falcon, African Queen, etc.) on NPR's All Things Considered.  Apparently, Huston's 1946 film Let There be Light was never released because of its controversial nature in showing the realities of war-related PTSD.  The film is available for free in its entirety at the National Film Preservation Foundation's website through August.  It's a pretty interesting watch, especially as we celebrate Memorial Day.  Enjoy your three-day weekend!

What a dump! (apologies to Bette, and Albee)

I mentioned my admiration for LaCava's (or more appropriately, his production designer's Charles D. Hall and special effects person John P. Fulton) re-creation of an East River NYC dump.   The opening shots look like plausible location shots, but the later shots from Godfrey's "office" show how they accomplished the feat.

What sold the opening shots for me, were those shadows from the bridge on the building below--and the natural light that creates the shadows--indicates that its outdoors.  If one compares the shot above with the one below, the placement of the far building changes from fronting the bridge to standing behind it.  With that in mind, it's easier to see the half-bridge structure they built to marry with the masked matte shot they would later process into the scene.

It's somewhat harder to see through the window, but clearly the building has changed locations in the office window view of the bridge.  The tug's reappearance twice in the scene betrays the more obvious projection shot used here.

Screwball women and Noir fatales

I'm impressed with last night's discussion of My Man Godfrey and the connection we elaborated in the film between class and gender, which the title itself alludes to.  We also noted Irene's (Lombard's character) development from childish naif (read womanish and elitist in the film's terms) to understanding (even if still slightly ditzy)  human. 

   It's a pattern we've seen with our other women, though here the arc presents a more positive cast that takes the character from innocence to maturity.  The previous arc have a punitive note in which the characters are chastened for their various flaws (Tracy's lack of compassion, Julie's rebelliousness, Phyllis's . . . ummm Phyllisness--a fatal flaw) which they must disavow.  The subtext is that they need to become more woman-like to become human.  Irene must grow up and, in the process, become less childishly womanish--i.e., less self-pitying--to become a compassionate, mature woman.  The implication in Godfrey seems to be that maturity involves masculinity--which might explain Irene's ability to dictate the action at the end.  In any case, it's notable that Irene, according to this reason, must become more "manly" (in the film's terms--compassionate and mature), and our previous woman characters must become less so (again in the various terms those films set out).

The other thing that occurs to me is the similar pattern in screwball and noir of willful and controlling women paired with malleable and unaware men.  In screwball, of course, this eventually works out, as the two opposites move toward a workable middle ground beneficial to both characters; in noir they eventually clash and destroy each other.  One might take it further and note the almost sequential appearance of the two genres (screwball in the thirties and noir in the forties) and suggest that screwball transmorgrifies into noir, a harder claim to prove but one that appeals nonetheless.

Questions for the Panel of "My Man Godfrey"

"Men can brag, but that's where a woman can't do what men do, and still be feminine.  No man will endure listening to a girl boast about how smart she is." -Carole Lumbard

I brought up this quote in reference to Ms. Lombard's career.  Off screen, did she follow this particular rule of the game that she spoke of in her career as an actress?  We were able to assess that her character in "My Man Godfrey" was quite naive and genuine.  I don't think Irene could be too boastful about her intelect.  However, she certainly had a smart heart when it came to remembering the 'forgotten' man.

Gregory LeCave was first a cartoonist and animator before directing and writing for comedic hollywood films.  We discussed how the experience impacted the film "My Man Godfrey".  The opening credits did prove to be spectacular with their animation.  However, I am amazed that the individuals we have been discussing seem to all have a myriad of experiences under the belts.  Hollywood seems to have been an exciting place to work where one could do a certain thing, and then change to another.

Walter Neff Lives?

Few people know it, but apparently Walter Neff survived and somehow eventually escaped a long sentence.  A credit to the penal system, he eventually assumed the role he apparently coveted--Everybody's Favorite Dad. Check him out in action (at 3 min), as he dispenses helpful advice. I didn't note it initially, but I should mention Katie's(his daughter-in-law's)career conflict that the plot centers on. Katie's career questions reflects the shifts Basinger points out in her analyses of later women's roles.

Phyllis's Place

We might say that from the perspective of 1944 Phyllis makes a bad woman because she refuses to be relegated to a woman’s world (i.e., the kitchen and the grocery story).  She’s tired of everyone putting things on the top shelf where she can’t get them.  Notice we never see her in her kitchen where her maid works—only in Walter’s, which isn’t a real kitchen at all but a kitchenette on one side of his cramped apartment (that Phyllis apparently would prefer—“sounds wonderful,” she says of his corner drugstore breakfast).  She also isn’t much on the usual goal of a women in film of being a mother and having a family, even though she already has a ready-made one that she’s managed to “promote” herself to over the first Mrs. Dietrichson.  Notice she was a working woman before, as a nurse, another “woman’s job,” which Phyllis likely noted wasn’t going to get her anywhere.  Phyllis saw where she was “supposed” to be (i.e. in a home, as a mother) and figured out a way to get there.  Significantly, once she is there, she discovers it’s not what she really wants either, so she keeps “climbing” to get to that “top shelf,” where the men are.

What is it that Walter wants?  What does he get out of the deal?  He gets Phyllis, of course, but oddly the first thing he stipulates is they can’t be seen together.  He prefers having her whenever he wants at---the grocery store?  Has she been demoted?  That was exactly where she didn’t want to be, yet she finds herself back there, listening to other women complain about why “they” (read men) always put things on the top shelf where she can’t get them.  Besides beings obsessed with his plan of “crooking” the wheel as he’s always fantasized, Walter finds a way to control Phyllis by making her part of his perfect plan (“nothing sloppy, nothing weak . . . everything perfect, straight down the line”).  Phyllis initially seems taken with Walter’s command, and repeats his instructions, “straight down the line.”
However, things go awry, of course, in part, because he discovers Phyllis has plans of her own—(always the problem for Phyllis, who’s never been officially allowed plans of her own, especially if they don’t involve being a mother and a wife).  The return grocery store trip is telling.  In that scene, it’s Walter who realizes things (i.e., Phyllis) have slipped out of his control, and now he’s on that ride Keyes told him about—“straight down the line.”  The panicked look on his face at the end of the scene says it all: he’s cooked.
Consequently, he has to come up with a new plan, one that Phyllis can’t be a part of.  Interestingly, in their final meeting, a reprise of their first clandestine meeting in her husband’s house (which they reminisce about), Phyllis does betray her womanliness after all, unable to protect herself—from her feminine softness finally for her lover, who, as it happens, has other plans.  Walter betrays no such feminine softness, and gives it to her at close range--after she admits her deceit and declares her love.  Oddly, though, Walter does show himself a better “parent” than Phyllis (since he theoretically fills her father’s vacated place), protecting Lola from her evil stepmother and providing her a chance at happiness in the end by giving Sachetti a nickel to repair the damage Phyllis lies have done.

Femme Fatales--Women in A "Man's" Film

This week we'll be watching Billy Wilder's masterful and epoch-making Double Indemnity.  Though most might not give it preeminence as the first film noir (Huston's Maltese Falcon usually gets that honor), it still gets the title of the earliest, "pure" noir.  Falcon has the atmosphere and the femme fatale, but her allure is no match for Spade's self-mastery.  Walter Neff is not made of the same stuff, though he thinks he is.
      We'll watch this week to see how this strong-willed woman fares when set alongside our previous heroines.  Obviously, the cinematic worlds each inhabits are very different--Tracy Lord in the romantic comic world and Julie in the historic melodrama.  Both of those genres are typically associated with the feminine.  Film noir, however, is associated and largely inhabits the sphere conventionally defined as masculine.  Consequently, Phyllis Dietrichson struggles against and is presented through men, something we should recall when attempting to reach conclusions about her character.   Jeanine Basinger, in A Woman's View, asserts that DI tells the story of a treacherous, beautiful, blond, deadly woman of experience who lures a willing man into sex and murder" (193).   That sounds like the description Walter Neff--and his pal Keyes--would offer.  Should we accept that characterization or is it more complicated?
     Further, in the previous films, the heroines eventually learn to accept their previous headstrong ways as improper, and conform to more socially acceptable (i.e., submissive) personalities.  Does something equivalent happen with Stanwyck's character in Double Indemnity, or how does it work in this instance?

Jezebel Wronged?

Just as Julie in the film Jezebel is unfairly shunned for her headstrong ways, the biblical Jezebel in the view of some has gotten an equally unfair reputation.
  The following is from a much longer article by scholar Janet Howe Gaines : "When Jezebel’s name is mentioned again, the Bible writer makes his most alarming accusation against her. Ahab has died, as has the couple’s eldest son, who followed his father to the throne. Their second son, Joram, rules. But even though Israel has a sitting monarch, a servant of the prophet Elisha crowns Jehu, Joram’s military commander, king of Israel and commissions Jehu to eradicate the House of Ahab: “I anoint you king over the people of the Lord, over Israel. You shall strike down the House of Ahab your master; thus will I avenge on Jezebel the blood of My servants the prophets, and the blood of the other servants of the Lord” (2 Kings 9:6–7). King Joram and General Jehu meet on the battlefield. Unaware that he is about to be usurped by his military commander, Joram calls out: “Is all well, Jehu?” Jehu responds: “How can all be well as long as your mother Jezebel carries on her countless harlotries and sorceries?” (2 Kings 9:22). Jehu then shoots an arrow through Joram’s heart and, in a moment of stinging irony, orders the body to be dumped on Naboth’s land.
   From these words alone—uttered by the man who is about to kill Jezebel’s son—stems Jezebel’s long-standing reputation as a witch and a whore. The Bible occasionally connects harlotry and idol worship, as in Hosea 1:3, where the prophet is told to marry a “wife of whoredom,” who symbolically represents the people who “stray from following the Lord” (Hosea 1:3). Lusting after false “lords” can be seen as either adulterous or idolatrous. Yet throughout the millennia, Jezebel’s harlotry has not been identified as mere dolatry. Rather, she has been considered the slut of Samaria, the lecherous wife of a pouting potentate. The 1938 film Jezebel, starring Bette Davis as the destructive temptress who leads a man to his death, is evidence that this ancient judgment against Jezebel has been transmitted to this century. Nevertheless, the Bible never offers evidence that Jezebel is unfaithful to her husband while he is alive or loose in her morals after his death.
   In fact, she is always shown to be a loyal and helpful spouse, though her brand of assistance is deplored by the Deuteronomist. Jehu’s charge of harlotry is unsubstantiated, but it has stuck anyway and her reputation has been egregiously damaged by the allegation. When Jezebel herself finally appears again in the pages of the Bible, it is for her death scene. Jehu, with the blood of Joram still on his hands, races his chariot into Jezreel to continue the insurrection by assassinating Jezebel. Ironically, this is her finest hour, though the Deuteronomist intends the queen to appear haughty and imperious to the end. Realizing that Jehu is on his way to kill her, Jezebel does not disguise herself and flee the city, as a more cowardly person might do. Instead, she calmly prepares for his arrival by performing three acts: “She painted her eyes with kohl and dressed her hair, and she looked out of the window” (2 Kings 9:30). The traditional interpretation is that Jezebel primps and coquettishly looks out the window in an effort to seduce Jehu, that she wishes to win his favor and become part of his harem in order to save her own life, such treachery indicating Jezebel’s dastardly betrayal of deceased family members. According to this reading, Jezebel sheds familial loyalty as easily as a snake sheds its skin in an attempt to ensure her continued pleasure and safety at court.
   Applying eye makeup (kohl) and brushing one’s hair are often connected to flirting in Hebraic thinking. Isaiah 3:16, Jeremiah 4:30, Ezekiel 23:40 and Proverbs 6:24–26 provide examples of women who bat their painted eyes to lure innocent men into adulterous beds. Black kohl is widely incorporated in Bible passages as a symbol of feminine deception and trickery, and its use to paint the area above and below the eyelids is generally considered part of a woman’s arsenal of artifice. In Jezebel’s case, however, the cosmetic is more than just an attempt to accentuate the eyes. Jezebel is donning the female version of armor as she prepares to do battle. She is a woman warrior, waging war in the only way a woman can. Whatever fear she may have of Jehu is camouflaged by her war paint."

Bette Davis

Ruth Elizabeth Davis was born on April 5, 1908 in Lowell, Massachusetts to Harlow Morrell Davis , a lawyer, and Ruthie Favor Davis. Her birth name was Ruth, but she was called Bette as a child and kept the name throughout her career. Bette came from Balzac's novel "Cousin Bette”. Just before her tenth birthday, Bette's father left her, her mother and younger sister Barbara.

Although her mother had little money, Ruth enrolled Bette and her sister in boarding school. Bette started acting in plays and taking drama classes while she was in school. She graduated with the idea that she would start acting, but she got very little encouragement, and was not considered very beautiful. (Moseley 23) After graduation, Bette enrolled in John Murray Anderson's Dramatic School. In 1929, her first Broadway debut was in "Broken Dishes." She also landed a role in "Solid South." In 1930, she moved to Hollywood to screen test for Universal.

After six small films, Bette's contract with Universal was not renewed. She began planning her return to Broadway, but a phone call from Warner Brothers changed her mind. In 1932, she signed a seven-year contract with Warner Brothers. The film "The Man Who Played God" (1932) started Bette’s path to fame. She played the character Mildred in "Of Human Bondage" (1934), which was her first critically acclaimed hit. Her role in "Dangerous" (1935) led to her nomination for a Best Actress Oscar. She became the first Warner Brothers actress to win the award. (Official Site)

Although she was having great success, Warner Brothers continued to cast Bette in poor-quality films, and in 1936, three years before her contract was up, Bette challenged the studio by going to England to make films. (Official Site) The studio suspended her, and Warner Brothers and Bette battled it out in court. Bette lost the fight and was forced to honor her contract and return to Hollywood. Warner Brothers got the message though; they offered a new contract and began offering her better roles. In 1939 she won her second Oscar for “Jezebel” (1938) and also received Oscar nomination for the next five years in a row. (Encyclopedia)

Bette earned a reputation for being difficult to work with, but by 1942 she was the highest paid woman in America. Bette contributed to the war effort by helping to organize the Hollywood Canteen during World War II for soldiers passing through Los Angeles. In 1980, she was awarded the Distinguished Civilian Service Medal, the Defense Department's highest civilian award, for running the Hollywood Canteen. (Moseley 147)

Bette wrote two books about her life, “the Lonely Life” and “This 'N That”. “This 'N That” answered charges by her daughter that Bette was an alcoholic who had abused her children. (Encyclopedia) Bette was married four times. First was to Harmon Oscar Nelson on August 18, 1932 who she then divorced. Her second marriage was to Arthur Farnsworth in December 1940 (he died in August 1943). Her third marriage was to William Grant Sherry on November 30^th, 1945 and with him had her first child B.D. (Barbara Davis Sherry) Hyman. After her divorce from William, Bette married Gary Merrill in August of 1950 and the two adopted two children, Michael and Margot. (Higham 57)

With a career total of more than 100 films, Bette changed the way Hollywood looked at actresses. In the last five years of her life, Bette suffered from cancer and at the age of 75, Bette had a mastectomy due to breast cancer. Nine days later, she suffered a stroke. Although her health was failing, she continued to act until her death. Bette passed away October 6, 1989 in France.

References

Higham, Charles. Bette, The Life of Bette Davis. New York: Macmillan Publishing Company Inc., 1981. Print

Moseley, Roy. Bette Davis an Intimate Memoir. New York: Donald I. Fine Inc., 1987. Print.

n.p. “Bette Davis: The Official Site”. Version 1. The Bette Davis Foundation, n.d. Web. May 16, 2012

n.p. “Bette Davis Biography”. Version 1. Encyclopedia of World Biography, n.d. Web. May 16, 2012

Miss Davis

Bette Davis

While other actresses concentrated on being likable, Bette Davis set her sites on being memorable (Barbara Walters interview).  She often played villains in her films and is quoted in a memoir written by a close friend as asking: “Why am I so good at playing bitches?  I think it’s because I’m not a bitch.  Maybe that’s why Miss Crawford always plays ladies” (pg 149 Moseley).  But as Sarah stated, she did have a reputation as being difficult to work with so I’m sure some would beg to differ. 

            Miss Davis, that’s what she liked to be called, went through four failed marriages and was abandoned by her father. The result – she despised men.  This was the main reason for the falling out between her and her daughter.  No son-in-law could ever be good enough for Bette Davis’ daughter; she tried everything in her power to break the couple up, but to no avail.  At the age of sixteen, her daughter finally married the much older man (of which I could not find a date of birth) whom she was introduced to on a blind date (Moseley). 

At home, while Bette did have servants and housekeepers, when she was entertaining company she sent them all away so she could hostess her guests herself.  She enjoyed and took much pride in cooking for and serving her friends and family, especially during the holidays (Moseley).

Joan Crawford and Bette Davis feuded for years, especially on the set of What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? Joan Crawford was the widow of Pepsi’s CEO, so Bette had a Coca-Cola machine installed on the set.  “Joan got her revenge by putting weights in her pockets when Davis had to drag Crawford across the floor during certain scenes.”  Their bad blood was probably due in part to their similarities.  They had comparable reputations on set, they both had lonely personal lives and both of their daughters wrote demoralizing books about them (Fast Facts).

Throughout her career, Miss Davis starred in 122 titles, including both movies and television series.  She won 2 Oscars, one for her role in Dangerous and the other for Jezebel, which we are about to watch, and she was nominated for 8 others – the first person to ever receive 10 Oscar nominations.  Miss Davis was also the first woman to receive the American Film Institute’s Lifetime Achievement Award in 1977 (Fast Facts).  She was a true pioneer of her time.

Though her family and peers had a bad rapport with her, Miss Davis was still the highest paid woman of her time and her fans adored her.  Davis always respected her fans and was very grateful towards them.  She said being an actress for Hollywood is hard work with no gratitude, but a crowd begging for autographs and pictures is the real reward (Barbara Walters interview).

References

Davis, Bette. Interview by Barbara Walters. 1987. Web. 16 May 2012.  <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wBF4mQh17qM>.

"Fast Facts." Bette Davis, The Official Website. Web. 16 May 2012.  <http://www.bettedavis.com/about/facts.html>.

Moseley, Roy. Bette Davis an Intimate Memoir. New York: Donald I. Fine Inc., 1989.

Preview of Coming Attraction--Jezebel

Trailer provided by Video Detective

Hepburn: Biography and Filmography

Family.  Katharine Houghton Hepburn was born 12 May 1907; the second of six children. The Houghton name was her mother’s family name and their wealth came from Corning Glass Works and Houghton Mifflin Publishers. Her father, Thomas, was a well-known urologist and surgeon who, along with Harvard’s Charles Eliot, founded the American Social Hygiene Association. The mission of the association was to inform the public about sexually transmitted diseases, at that time STD’s were called venereal diseases. Also a Katharine, Hepburn’s mother who was known as Kit, was an early women’s rights activist who was one of the founders of Planned Parenthood.

Childhood.  As a child, Hepburn climbed trees and wanted to be a boy. She cut her hair short and went by the name of Jimmy. Fulfilling her desire to exude a masculine character is something that Hepburn would reprise in Silvia Scarlet and Pat and Mike. When she was paddled for misbehavior, Hepburn learned not to cry. It was only then that the spankings stopped. At home, she was educated by private tutors. Therefore, when she arrived at college, she was socially awkward and did not know how to behave in regular social situations such as the dining hall.

Young Adulthood.  Hepburn attended an women’s school in Pennsylvania. It was at Bryn Mawr College that she discovered acting. Hepburn was a poor student until she learned that in order to be eligible to act in the school’s productions, one must earn good grades. Her interests outside of theatre include: writing, piloting a plane, painting, golfing, playing tennis, bicycling, gardening, and of course, swimming.

Men.  Hepburn was married to a wealthy Philadelphian Ludlow Ogden Smith. They had a brief marriage in 1927. Producer Leland Hayward was her next paramour, followed by the Aviator Howard Hughes. Hepburn met Spencer Tracy in 1940. It was Tracy “who was on to her,” and loved her for 27 years. Because Tracy was a married Roman Catholic, he would not divorce his wife Louise. Tracy’s home-life was compounded by the necessity of Louise’s care for their deaf child. Hepburn and Tracy were never seen in public as a couple, nor did they live together. They were left alone by the press for some reason which I cannot fathom. They lived in separately in homes nearby to one another until Tracy’s death in 1967. Hepburn never talked about Tracy in public until the death of his wife, Louise, in 1983.

Career.  Upon graduation from Bryn Mawr College, Hepburn worked with repertory companies when a scout noticed her work. Hepburn was fired from ‘Death Takes a Holiday’ and ‘The Animal Kingdom.’ When Hepburn made the jump to the movie making life in Hollywood, she made 43 films starting with RKO in 1932. In the beginning of her career, as a studio employee, she was cast as brittle, one-dimensional characters. This treatment soured her on the Hollywood movie scene, so Hepburn returned to the New York stage. Her first movie, ‘A Bill of Divorcement’ in 1932 was an unexpected hit. In 1933, ‘Christopher Strong’ Hepburn’s second film was a huge failure. 1933’s ‘Morning Glory,’ Hepburn won her first of four Oscar’s (The Academy Award). Tallulah Bankhead knelt when congratulating Hepburn on her performance as Jo in ‘Little Women’ in 1933. Hepburn’s other three Academy Awards were 1967’s controversial, ‘Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner?’, ‘The Lion in Winter in 1968, and On Golden Pond in 1981. Hepburn’s other outstanding films are: Little Women (1933), Alice Adams (1935), Stage Door (1937), Bringing Up Baby (1938), The African Queen (1951), The Rainmaker (1956), Long Day’s Journey into Night (1962), and The Trojan Women (1970). Her notable television movie was ‘Love among the Ruins (1975). Later stage productions include appearances in: Coco (1969), and The West Side Waltz (1991). Hepburn is also credited for several autobiographical writings and a television documentary. Hepburn starred in nine films with her long-time beau Spencer Tracy. The last film, “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner?” finished production only 17 days before Tracy died.

Comeback.  Hepburn’s comeback film was Philadelphia Story. She returned to Hollywood with the movie and play rights to Philadelphia Story: a gift from beau Howard Hughes, sold the script to MGM, and dictated the terms of the contract. Hepburn would, of course, star in the film, chose her male costars, and refused a salary. Instead, she kept the 25% interest in the film by putting up 25% of the production costs, and bought the screen rights.

Hepburn.  Katharine Hepburn was simple and direct. She enjoyed wood fires and kept one burning in her home “no matter how hot a day it was.” Hepburn was ‘wickedly smart and unapologetically opinionated,’ and ‘was a genuine Hollywood trailblazer who helped clear a path for today’s breed of business-savvy A-list women.’ Hepburn developed many of her own projects; rewriting scripts, selecting costars, and having financial interest in her projects. She was a style icon as well. Her trademark trousers and long-term affair with Spencer Tracy demonstrated her independence from convention in a time when stars were told who to date, how to dress, and which parts they would play.

Summary.  Hepburn’s progressive New England upbringing allowed her to embody determination and independence and to develop one of the most successful stage and film careers that lasted more than sixty years. As a role model, she made way for and led the next generations of ambitious, intelligent, and career savvy women. Hepburn died at her home in Fenwick, Connecticut at the age of 96 on 29 June, 2003.