Bette Davis Books

THis book examines the so-called fued between Bette Davis and Joan Crawford. It follows the girls lives from childhood, to their acting careers, and to their battles with their grown children. It is extremely thorough Mr. Considine interviews numerous actors, families, and the lovers of both Davis and Crawford. If you are a Joan Crawford or Bette Davis fan, this is the book to get

Came across this 1985 book recently and was thrilled! WONDERFUL rare photographs (every page) of BETTE DAVIS not seen in any other book. Includes a rare photo of Davis and Joan Crawford chatting on the set of What Happened To Baby Jane before "the differences between these two stars and their innate sense of competition with each other led to a tense atmosphere on the set." Another shot has the two reading the script for Hush, Hush Sweet Charlotte (Crawford fell ill and was replaced)-- a posed Crawford is all dressed up with flashy jewlery and a Pepsi, while Davis is all business studying the script in a simple outfit and hairdo. Bette considered herself an "actress" and Crawford a "star." Written before Ms Davis' death, the last page states that she had just recovered from a stroke. Even though the book ends with A Piano For Mrs Cimino, it still holds up against any other photo book on this classic actress. All kinds of amazing pictures and portraits. Now my favorite Bette Davis book!!!

As a big Bette Davis fan, I looked forward to reading this biography of her, particularly as it had been written by an individual who had also been a film critic. I was not disappointed. This is a very well researched, extensive book of the life of Bette Davis, her relationships, and her body of work. The author takes the reader through her early beginnings in Lowell, Massachusetts to her last breath in Paris, France. It is evident that for the author this was a labor of love.

Given the author's own connection to the film world, as well as the fact that he, himself, is a big fan of Ms. Davis, much of his writing is peppered with interesting insider information. It is the culmination of an amazing forty three years of research. Being a member of the cognoscenti, the author provides a great deal of colorful background that fleshes out her life, grounding it in the context of the time in which she lived and developed as the great star that she eventually became. He does this through extensive interviews of the people who had played a role in her life, news clippings, film reviews, and his own interviews of Ms. Davis.

The author takes the reader through her relationships, many of which were rocky, with her family, her fellow actors, directors, writers, producers, and studio heads. The author discusses her marriages, of which there were a four, and her lovers. It is, however, when discussing her films, her highs and her lows, that the author's knowledge really comes to the forefront. Having seen most of the films of which he writes, I especially enjoyed and was totally fascinated by all the background information, skullduggery, and behind the scenes hoopla that went on in the making of these films. I will definitely go back and see some of these films again, as they are now couched in a new light.

This fascinating book is, without a doubt, the definitive biography of Bette Davis, warts and all. The author succeeds in painting a three dimensional portrait of a feisty, determined woman, who brooked no nonsense when it came to her craft, but who also had a softer side, wanting to love and be loved. This is a woman who asserted herself and refused to countenance anyone who would try to make her be something that she wasn't. While this may not have made her very popular with those who lived or worked with her, this quality shone through in her films, making her one of the most popular and enduring superstars of all time. Bette Davis eventually became more than the sum of her parts. She became a legend.

Although I enjoyed the book, there was little new material presented. I read "The Lonely Life" many years ago and found that Mr. Sikov used this autobiography frequently as a resource. [He rightly referenced this throughout his book.] I consider many of Ed Sikov's statements and opinions questionable and uninformed. For example, he dismisses Eddie Cantor as "hard-to-take" with stale comedy routines. Some of this documents the way Mr. Cantor is intentionally presented on film but other negative statements appear to be opinions of Sikov. I have a different opinion. I've seen many Cantor musicals from the early 1930s and find him quite funny and very talented. This too, is a personal opinion but, in contrast, clearly cited as such as opposed to being presented as a universally accepted fact.

Another and more troubling instance involves the photograph Mr. Sikov uses to illustrate the physical beauty of Bette Davis despite the many opinions to the contrary stated and implied throughout her career. I agree that Bette Davis was beautiful but, unfortunately, I do not believe the photo of the lovely woman at a window used by Sikov is an image of Bette Davis. It may well be an early portrait of Patricia Neal.

The issues I've raised may be of minor importance but they caused me to question the veracity of other assertions in the book. All in all, though, an enjoyable read!

"Dark Victory" is not only another biography about Bette Davis, but also a culmination of previous biographical work on the cinema star. Sikov filters the pre-existing material, looking for consistency then uses this, as well as hundreds of items from the Davis archives, as a basis for the chronology used in his work.

The chronicling of Davis' reign at Warner Brothers is the highlight of the book, although more information about her relationships with and observations of other stars might have made this a more interesting work. Instead, Sikov focuses on proving that the stereotype of Davis as a driven indomitable actress is absolutely true. Although this seems a natural angle, it flatly leads the reader to this conclusion by tireless psychiatric observations (of Davis, her mother, or especially her father) through the narrative, rather than allowing this revelation to discreetly prove true through example.

There are very few photos used in this book. Instead "famous shots" of the actress referred to in the text are described, rather than provided.

Another bothersome element in the text is the scattered non-sequitur-like celebration of gays in cinema (either stars or crew). Though this is a fascinating area of study, it seems well out of place in a Davis biography, given that this particular actress did not have homosexual tendencies, unlike her peers Crawford or Hepburn. It also seems strange that, in the mentioning of Davis as a pop-culture icon, that no mention of her importance to women occurs. However, it is well-known that Davis brought a new dimension to female roles by not portraying the sex goddess or ingenue, but instead the independent head-strong woman - which only served as a precursor to the more raw, gritty depictions of women in the 50's and 60's.

I have enjoyed this biography, and can say it is a good read. Its flip chatty tone keeps the text moving. However, it isn't exactly the glorious rendition parlayed by other reviewers, and it left me wanting to know more, rather that feeling sated with information about the great star, as well as tired of reading dissections of Davis' perceived neuroses.

Ed Sikov's masterful biography accomplishes something I thought to be nearly impossible; it is a book that is as entertaining as the legend it captures so beautifully. Cinema buffs will love the way he disects and analyzes her movies ( minor complaint, I would have liked to have seen more deconstruction of the performances in Now Voyager ). I've read the odd criticism here and there that he spends too much time on the movies themselves at the cost of details regarding the actress, but that criticism falls flat, in that the subtle point being made is that Miss Davis, to a large extent, WAS the movies she made. It is also to the author's credit that he takes to task previous biographers at certain points, as well as those contemporaries who were unfair in certain criticisms of the actress.

Where Sikov really triumphs is in allowing his marvelous...no FABULOUS! sense of humor to scream through on nearly every page. This is an author I want to have dinner with!

A great read, a thorough biography, and a book that captures the texture of the one and only Miss D.

Fasten your seatbelts. Every thing about Bette Davis was bumpy and Dark Victory is the best bio about her yet.

First, I want to say that it to Ms. Davis' credit that after almost 20 years following her death a new biography of Bette Davis is published. Don't expect to see bios of Sandra Bullock or Demi Moore 1 year after their deaths!

I have read many, many bios of Ms. Davis - from the nasty, overly sarcastic and sexist one from Barbara Leaming (how many times can you use 'gimcrack' in a book) to the childish, subjective one by Lawrence Quirk (how did he know the size of the genitals of many of Ms. Davis' partners) to the well balanced and thorough one by James Spada (my personal favorite).

This recent bio is very, very good. Although not always detailed - it provides many insights and understanding into the real personality, private demons and public persona of Ms. Davis that has not been revealed in previous bios. I would highly recommend the purchase of this book.

Although I enjoyed the book, there was little new material presented. I read "The Lonely Life" many years ago and found that Mr. Sikov used this autobiography frequently as a resource. [He rightly referenced this throughout his book.] I consider many of Ed Sikov's statements and opinions questionable and uninformed. For example, he dismisses Eddie Cantor as "hard-to-take" with stale comedy routines. Some of this documents the way Mr. Cantor is intentionally presented on film but other negative statements appear to be opinions of Sikov. I have a different opinion. I've seen many Cantor musicals from the early 1930s and find him quite funny and very talented. This too, is a personal opinion but, in contrast, clearly cited as such as opposed to being presented as a universally accepted fact.

Another and more troubling instance involves the photograph Mr. Sikov uses to illustrate the physical beauty of Bette Davis despite the many opinions to the contrary stated and implied throughout her career. I agree that Bette Davis was beautiful but, unfortunately, I do not believe the photo of the lovely woman at a window used by Sikov is an image of Bette Davis. It may well be an early portrait of Patricia Neal.

The issues I've raised may be of minor importance but they caused me to question the veracity of other assertions in the book. All in all, though, an enjoyable read!

"Dark Victory" is not only another biography about Bette Davis, but also a culmination of previous biographical work on the cinema star. Sikov filters the pre-existing material, looking for consistency then uses this, as well as hundreds of items from the Davis archives, as a basis for the chronology used in his work.

The chronicling of Davis' reign at Warner Brothers is the highlight of the book, although more information about her relationships with and observations of other stars might have made this a more interesting work. Instead, Sikov focuses on proving that the stereotype of Davis as a driven indomitable actress is absolutely true. Although this seems a natural angle, it flatly leads the reader to this conclusion by tireless psychiatric observations (of Davis, her mother, or especially her father) through the narrative, rather than allowing this revelation to discreetly prove true through example.

There are very few photos used in this book. Instead "famous shots" of the actress referred to in the text are described, rather than provided.

Another bothersome element in the text is the scattered non-sequitur-like celebration of gays in cinema (either stars or crew). Though this is a fascinating area of study, it seems well out of place in a Davis biography, given that this particular actress did not have homosexual tendencies, unlike her peers Crawford or Hepburn. It also seems strange that, in the mentioning of Davis as a pop-culture icon, that no mention of her importance to women occurs. However, it is well-known that Davis brought a new dimension to female roles by not portraying the sex goddess or ingenue, but instead the independent head-strong woman - which only served as a precursor to the more raw, gritty depictions of women in the 50's and 60's.

I have enjoyed this biography, and can say it is a good read. Its flip chatty tone keeps the text moving. However, it isn't exactly the glorious rendition parlayed by other reviewers, and it left me wanting to know more, rather that feeling sated with information about the great star, as well as tired of reading dissections of Davis' perceived neuroses.

Ed Sikov's masterful biography accomplishes something I thought to be nearly impossible; it is a book that is as entertaining as the legend it captures so beautifully. Cinema buffs will love the way he disects and analyzes her movies ( minor complaint, I would have liked to have seen more deconstruction of the performances in Now Voyager ). I've read the odd criticism here and there that he spends too much time on the movies themselves at the cost of details regarding the actress, but that criticism falls flat, in that the subtle point being made is that Miss Davis, to a large extent, WAS the movies she made. It is also to the author's credit that he takes to task previous biographers at certain points, as well as those contemporaries who were unfair in certain criticisms of the actress.

Where Sikov really triumphs is in allowing his marvelous...no FABULOUS! sense of humor to scream through on nearly every page. This is an author I want to have dinner with!

A great read, a thorough biography, and a book that captures the texture of the one and only Miss D.

Fasten your seatbelts. Every thing about Bette Davis was bumpy and Dark Victory is the best bio about her yet.

First, I want to say that it to Ms. Davis' credit that after almost 20 years following her death a new biography of Bette Davis is published. Don't expect to see bios of Sandra Bullock or Demi Moore 1 year after their deaths!

I have read many, many bios of Ms. Davis - from the nasty, overly sarcastic and sexist one from Barbara Leaming (how many times can you use 'gimcrack' in a book) to the childish, subjective one by Lawrence Quirk (how did he know the size of the genitals of many of Ms. Davis' partners) to the well balanced and thorough one by James Spada (my personal favorite).

This recent bio is very, very good. Although not always detailed - it provides many insights and understanding into the real personality, private demons and public persona of Ms. Davis that has not been revealed in previous bios. I would highly recommend the purchase of this book.

The reviews on this site called the book "a hoot." I hate that geriatric expression. I should have known better. This story would have made an excellent magazine article or a Golden Girls episode but there just isn't enough here for a book. Bette Davis spews some funny lines here and there but Fuller is no writer and not even an interesting character. In fact, she's really out there. I'm sure Ms. Davis thought she was a total nutcase. I also can't believe that Fuller had the audacity to take this even further and perform it on the New York stage - playing herself no less! In a way, I think it's quite sad because Ms. Davis was heartsick at the time for her daughter's scathing, tell-all book. I'm sure she never dreamed that a country bumpkin like Fuller would also capitalize from her name years later.

Still, as we learn in the book, Fuller is all about believing in communications with the otherworld. If that's true, I'm sure Ms. Davis has already made contact, hopefully depositing a couple of choice words and a poltergeist-ish bop to Fuller's noggin. Her dull-as-dirt husband or one of those hayseed handymen should have knocked some sense into this woman the minute she mentioned picking up a pen.

I read one reviewer saying what a bad read this was and I just can't believe he/she would?!?!?!?!?! I have read this book 3 times and I think it gets better each time. I have also seen the play twice and enjoyed it both times. I have lent the book out to about 6 people and they all enjoyed it too. Its one of those books you don't have to really think about it. Its humourous airy fun..........its no Shakespeare, but just a damn good time. Bravo to Miss Elizabeth Fuller for allowing us into her time with Bette Davis. I know if I had this legendary star with me for a month I would have written something too. Its the only true way you really learn about the real person beneath the star facade.

You should defintly get this book! Its a lot of fun it shows Bette is witty and of course bitchy! lol Its great fun and well worth it. I could see her saying "brother or christ" definitly get this book its a lot of fun!

Who could ever be ready to have Bette Davis, in the flesh, come and stay in our own home? What was supposed to be a few days turns into months for our admirable author, who tries to the best of her ability to do the impossible - please Ms. Davis.

Ms. Fuller lives many of our dreams come true when she takes on what turns to be an arduous task. It doesn't take long for the movie queen to wear out her welcome. Though Bette keeps Ms. Fuller hopping, the end result is a beautiful book of an inside day to day look at one of our most beloved stars. Davis fans should love it.

This is a delightfully funny little book in which author/psychic Elizabeth Fuller shares her experiences with her legendary house guest - Bette Davis, who stayed with Fuller and her husband and small son for a month! Amusing episodes include Liz taking Bette to McDonald's (she promised her son a visit) and the attention Davis attracted. Bette and the author watched JEZEBEL together one evening as it aired on the telly. I liked the book because it gives us insight into the real Bette Davis, who could be very child-like and just as vulnerable as anyone. Well worth reading!

This is a well-written and exhaustively researched book about Bette Davis. The narrative of her complex life is always entertaining and is presented in chronological fashion. Her career serves as the backdrop for this analytical recounting of her colorful life. The focus, however, remains on Bette Davis, the woman, and her story is skillfully told.

The portrait of Ms. Davis that emerges from the pages of this book is a sympathetic one, despite the author's presentation of Ms. Davis as a flesh and blood woman with many issues. It is a biography that will keep the reader turning its pages, as it is so eminently readable. Moreover, the black and white photographs that are included in the book serve to augment the reader's enjoyment. Fans of Bette Davis, as well as those who appreciate well-written biographies and memoirs, will find much to like about this book.

Readable, detailed and persuasive, this serious biography of Bette Davis offers a balanced, engrossing account of her colorful life. The author clearly recounts her dogged rise to screen stardom, her stormy marriages, and her often contradictory actions and statements. Many of the murkier incidents in the actress's life (namely the mysterious death of her second husband) are closely examined. Davis' acting, and the relative worth and importance of her many films get short shrift, but as a standard biography of a film star, Spada's book is quite solid. It's probably best read in tandem with Davis' autobiography, "The Lonely Life", and the memoir "Mother Goddam" to which she contributed notes and addendum. A more entertaining account of Davis, with better analysis of her films, is Lawrence Quirk's fan-oriented "Faster Your Seatbelts: The Tempestuous Life Of Bette Davis." Now, that book is truly a joy to read!

I appreciated the intricate details Spada provided in the telling of Davis' life story. What I could have done without were the implications that Davis caused the death of her husband as well as the brain damage from which her adopted daughter suffered! Apparently no accidents even peripherally connected with Davis can occur without making her bear the burdon of the blame. Is this amateur sleuthing or sensationalism or just mean-spiritedness? Makes you wonder if BD Hyman had a hand in the writing of this book.

James Spada has written a thoroughly detailed, well-researched novel about the life of one of the movies' most enduring stars. He spares no punches to Bette Davis, but, at the same time, offers better understanding of her motives in many situations. The chapters dealing with the last four years of her life were enough to bring tears to my eyes, as I could just imagine this wonderful woman hurting so badly from the betrayal of daughter B.D. Bette's son Michael, however, proves to be a loyal, forgiving son to her. The last line really sums it up when it says something to the effect of.....and she would be happy to know that her fans miss and respect her despite the fact that she was less than a perfect human being. This is a GREAT biography!!!

Thanks for the book and sending it so fast. Great Service!!

The name of the movie is "A Stolen Life." It costars Glenn Ford & was the only movie Bette ever produced when Warner Bros. allowed her to set up her own production company, BD Inc.

I'd like more but you covered it all so WELL!!!You should put this back in print it would sell sell sell AGAIN!!! Can you help me? One thing I'm DYING to know is the name of the movie Betty Davis played in where she plays an identical twin, and her sister drowns in the lake while they are out boating together alone, and the evil twin takes the idenity of the nice twin. Thanks. Also I'll be reading MORE of your other books and Ilook forward to it.Thank You.

affron's text is insightful; the frame enlargements are helpful and supportive of the text.

the most interesting aspect of this book could be its only failing. by choosing to study gish's silent work, davis and bridging the two with garbo, who acted in both silent and sound film, there is not a clear reason why affron selected these three. nor is there a clear connection between the three. not to mention, davis' filmography was the most accessible, as well as the most diverse (yes, that can be argued but how many of gish's films actually survive to disprove what i'm saying?) and davis could warrant a book all her own.

so, if it is of interest, read closely and draw your own conclusion. i will be doing it again very soon.

Written before the age of video and DVD, where images can be frozen or the real time of movement altered, this book features over 750 frame enlargements from the films in which Lillian Gish, Greta Garbo and Bette Davis appeared. These enlargements dissect the craft of each star's acting style, by reproducing moments, often close-ups, in a frame by frame study, and also documents the evolution and refinement of technique. The chapters on Gish are less interesting to me (a matter of personal taste), but the ones on Garbo and Davis are priceless. The films Garbo made were notoriously inferior to what she brought to them. Nowhere is this more evident than in her silent period, though Affron gives us images from films lost or unavailable to us. An example is A Woman of Affairs and the sequence where she embraces a bouquet of flowers from her lover. Affron's images convey the series of expressions that range from relief, panic at the thought of losing the bouquet again, and hysteria. The enlargements capture the transitions, and the "organic and spontaneous nature of her epiphany". The text which accompanies the frames is often hyperbolic and unnecessary. Garbo's sound era is best represented and finalised by the enlargements from Camille, since Affron does not cover Conquest, Ninotchka or Two-Faced Woman. Affron's chapters on Davis cover her apprenticeship with Warner Bros, highlights the three films she made with William Wyler - Jezebel, The Letter and The Little Foxes - as exercises in control and focus, and culminates in her triumph in All About Eve. There is an argument that reducing film performance, particulary ones from a talkie, is diminishing the accomplishment of the performer. While this book could be used as an alternative to the films the frames are taken from, I prefer to use it as a supplement to the films, and an opportunity to appreciate the beauty and talent of these extraordinary actors

I honestly think that Across 110th Street could have been a really good film as opposed to one that now has the reputation of being a B Movie. Yaphet Kotto was great as Lieutenant Pope but he was one of the few individuals in this production who gave his role the appropriate subtlety. I love Anthony Quinn but found his Captain Mattelli to be way over the top. Honestly, the amount of racism on display in the relations between blacks and whites is truly frightening and clashes mightily with reality. Indeed, such levels of racial animosity were likely not ever present in a northern city after the end of The Civil War. It just did not sit right with me and prevented my truly enjoying the film. The topic, the conflict between the mob and the Harlem syndicate, could not be any more interesting, however. The same can be said of the intense amount of corruption that plagued the NYPD during the 1970s.

This is one of those 70's classics that i was so glad to see become available on dvd. The acting was excellent and the story line was very nice and the script was well written. Yaphett Kotto and Anthony Quinn gave a good performance. It was cool to see Paul Benjamin's character take out the mob guys at the end. Unfortunately, his partner's were brutally murdered early on in the film. This is one film i recommend having in your archives.

If you like old school blacksploitation films then you will love this. It is chock full of well know actors and the theme is outta sight!

It was worth seeing, but could have been so much better. Our story starts with the botched robbery of a "mafia bank in Harlem" which results in seven deaths, including two police officers. After that the focus splits and we follow three parallel stories as we watch the cops try to solve the crime, the mob try to remind the inhabitants that it is the mob that runs Harlem, and the thieves try to escape.

The main focus of the story is on the relationship between a violent, racist, older detective (Anthony Quinn) and his young, smart, honest, black counter-part (Yaphet Kotto).

Watching this movie you get the feeling that it was the "big studio" answer to the b-movie blaxsploitation craze. It has copious quantities of graphic violence (albeit lame 70s special effects type violence), it has racial tension, and it preaches a message of racial equality . . . and boy does it preach.

The story is interesting. The characters are very interesting and well developed (especially for this type of movie). You can't help but like this movie and want it to be better than it is. But boy does this movie preach . . . The white detective isn't just a racist, he isn't just an alcoholic, he isn't just a violent thug, no - just in case you didn't figure out that racism is bad and he is a "not good" character, they had to also make him be on the take.

If this movie had been just a little more subtle (and the above is only one example) it probably would have gotten four stars from me. I don't object to an "action movie" with a message. I do object to being beaten over the head repeatedly with the message. All in all, it's worth the effort to watch, if only so that you can speculate on how good it could have been

In 1972,this great action packed film was released, starring Anthony Quinn as NYPD Lt.Frank Matelli and co-starring Yaphet Kotto, Anthony Franciosa, Antonio Fargas to name a few of a brilliant cast, was in my opinion dwarfed by the screen release of "The Godfather". Time is running out on Matelli as he tries to find the Harlem perpetrators of a numbers bank armed robbery which goes awry as one of the held up "bankers" reaches for a gun and one of the perpetrators sprays them with machine gun fire, therefore conducting a massacre. Hundreds are arrested as Matelli's NYPD prescinct becomes chaotic.
Yaphet Kotto is a young detective lieutenant who the aging Matelli (Quinn) suspects is after his job. Anthony Franciosa plays a ruthless capo for the Mafia who still controls the numbers and prostitution rackets in the Harlem of the late 60's or early 70's. The leader of the black gangsters who's last name is Johnson,which is assumed to be an aging but still legendary Ellsworth "Bumpy" Johnson, the Harlem crime boss who works for the mafia and Franciosa.
I am glad this film was re-edited on DVD as it is definitely a classic that deserves to be watched by everyone who likes this genre.
Do not miss it.