Bette Davis: A Biography

by Barbara Leaming

Book Overview

"By turns moving and chillling, Leaming's fascinating life story of Davis consistently transcends the 'star' genre to establish itself as serious biography." SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE From Barbara... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0671709550
• ISBN13: 9780671709556
• Release Date: January 1992
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster
• Length: 397 Pages
• Weight: 0.70 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.3" x 6.4" x 9.6"

Customer Reviews

cold hard fact

Fans of Bette Davis won't like it because it is not flattering. Author is somewhat cold, but the dirt dished here is probably best served cold and objectively. Flew through this book in one night.

greatly researched

miss leaming should be applauded on one fact and that is she has done her homework on davis and mananged to do something that other writers werent able to do crack beyond that strong female -image and see the real woman who had tenderness ,vulnerability and heartache, but have to agree with other reveiwer the writing gets a little flat- but kudos for ther research all the way ,good but her greatest is her bio on katharine hepburn which reads like a great novel!!!!111

A better slant on a brilliant but bitter star...

...and what a star.You can read the bio anywhere...born 1908 to hard-boiled New England family...could have been child of wealth but for divorced parents...coddled and championed at every turn by mother Ruthie, who had Hollywood dreams of her own...finally hit it big at Warner Brothers, where she spent 18 years arguing over contracts, scripts, directors and co-stars (thanks, Mother Ruthie, for making her believe that everything should go her way)...ended Warners 1949 and except for "All About Eve" and much later "Baby Jane", career steadily declined with lack-luster self-productions and horrid, intermittent screen appearences...finally another chance on TV, especially "Hotel", but lost again, this time to stroke...vicious book by adored daughter B.D.,...at the end, the brilliant and acclaimed "Whales of August" with Lillian Gish...cancer, more debilitations, distant daughter, paid companions (notably Kathyrn Sermak---read "This 'n That" by Michael Herskowitz for that story)...strong-willed and determined to the end not to exhibit weakness...death 1989 at 81.What for me made this book different was the detailed but not over-bearing descriptions of each of her film experiences and how they both mirrored her life at the time and provided fodder for her future actions---whether in present or past tense, she always seemed to be playing out one of her screen performances.Two backdrops also made for enjoyable reading......her mother Ruthie's insatiable push to make Bette a star--and, vicariously through her daughter, herself as well--and Ruthie's constant meddling in all (but one--thank you William Grant Sherry, B.D.'s father) of her daughter's marriages, and as many of Bette's personal and professional affairs as she could wiggle herself into...Bette learning from her mother how to cruelly dominate, first her own sister Barbara and then everyone else who happened to cross her path as well, then unsuccessfully attempting to do the same to B.D. (and despite "Mother's Keeper", she adored her B.D. to the very end)There are so many iterations on a life--Bette is no exception-- that one can read. What makes the difference is presentation of the material in both an informative and enjoyable format. This book held my attention from the very start.

An absorbing biographical case study of a complex woman

Theater and film professor Barbara Leaming presents Bette Davis, the informative biography of one of the most well-known actresses of the twentieth century. Leaming draws upon Bette Davis' private diaries, scrapbooks, unpublished letters, and the testimonies of friends, lovers, fellow actors, family members, as well as others who knew this truly great and complex lady. Covering both the highs and lows of her life, including her troubled marriages, and her legal battles with Warner Bros., Bette Davis is an absorbing biographical case study of a complex woman and her enduring contributions to classic American cinema.