Bette Davis and Henry Fonda, Jezebel (1938)

I have loved every single Bette Davis movie I have ever seen except for one. Ironically, one of her most popular ones is my least favorite – What Ever Happened to Baby Jane… hate it! Halfway through the movie, I was like, “I don’t CARE what happened to her or any of the rest of them!” Well, I cared about the rat, but it was too late for him.

At least I can say this, I’ve never seen a bad Bette Davis performance.

Henry Fonda fares a bit better with me – I have never seen a Henry Fonda film I didn’t like and, like Bette Davis, I’ve never seen a bad Henry Fonda performance.

These two teaming up could only be something magical, which is (of course) exactly what Jezebel is. Magical. The costumes are stunning and the stars are stunning. Visually, it’s just a very beautiful movie. Fortunately, it’s as entertaining as it is beautiful.

Bette Davis gives the performance of a lifetime in Jezebel and you can’t help but be transfixed by her every move. Whenever I watch Jezebel, I think how stunningly she would have played the role of Scarlet O’Hara in Gone with the Wind. Not that Vivien Leigh wasn’t perfection, mind you… I’m just saying that Bette Davis could have played the role to perfection as well.

If you don’t believe me, watch Jezebel.

Below are a few fast facts related to this iconic movie:

• Reportedly, the emotionally-charged and artistic experience left Bette Davis very emotional. She cried for days after filming wrapped up.
• Bette Davis took 45 takes to perfect the scene where she lifts her riding skirt with her crop.
• Bette Davis realized that William Wyler was an extra special director when he insisted she come view the dailies with him. No actor had ever invited her to view dailies with them before.
• Bette Davis’ Oscar for Jezebel was sold at an auction in 2001 for $57,800. The buyer? Steven Spielberg – who then immediately donated it back to the Academy.
• Bette Davis credited director William Wyler for making her a box office-star after he directed her Oscar-winning performance in Jezebel.
• At one point William Wyler had considered casting his ex-wife (and Henry Fonda’s too, ironically enough) Margaret Sullavan as Jezebel. That would have, no doubt, caused an interesting set..
• Humphrey Bogart (who had just worked with William Wyler on Dead End, 1937)) warned Bette Davis that she would hate working with Wyler because of his habit of doing MANY retakes without suggesting anything for the actors to change! On her first day of shooting, Wyler took 28 takes to get one simple scene in the dress shop just right. She found the situation frustrating, BUT when she watched the rushes, she realized that her performance had gotten better with each successive take. Never underestimate the importance of a brilliant director!
• Because of excessive takes for each scene by Wyler, Jezebel ran a good 28 days behind schedule.
• To keep from falling further behind on schedule, writer John Huston was asked to direct the duel scene. This would mark his first time directing.
• William Wyler was known for never actors how he felt about a take was “printed” and it drove Bette Davis nuts. When she finally told him she needed more feedback and approval from her director, Wyler started saying “Marvelous, Miss Davis, just marvelous!” after each take. After a few times of this excessive flattery, she laughed and told him to go back to his old ways.
• On hearing that he was about to make a film with William Wyler, Humphrey Bogart (who had just made Dead End with the director and had not enjoyed it) told Henry Fonda “…don’t touch it. Don’t go in there!”.
• After winning the Best Actress Oscar for this film, Bette Davis was nominated for Best Actress for the next four successive years for Dark Victory (1939), The Letter (1940), The Little Foxes (1941) and Now, Voyager (1942).
• The only film in which Bette Davis gives an acting Oscar winning performance in a Best Picture nominee.