Tag Archive

Phone Call From A Stranger (1952)

By Alexander Inglis

In a town full of starlets, Bette Davis was always an actress. Her most memorable work spans a very few years, just before and just after the beginning of WWII. Davis Davis lobbied for the role of Marie Hoke in Phone Call From A Stranger (1952) believing it was a juicy plumb with opportunities for… »

Old Acquaintance (1943)

By Alexander Inglis

An unexpectedly stylish comedy, underpinned by a hen-pecked husband and deliriously egomaniacal wife, Old Acquaintance (1943) zips along like a bubbly champagne slipping down the back of the throat, occasionally going the wrong way causing a serious cough or two. Vincent Sherman was relatively new to directing, having joined Warner Bros in 1939 directing, as… »

Dark Victory (1939)

By Alexander Inglis

Justly celebrated since its original release, Dark Victory (1939) continues to delight fully 70 years later. Though Bette Davis is in virtually every scene – this is not exactly an ensemble picture – she never outstays her welcome as her moods swing from… »

The Great Lie (1941)

By Alexander Inglis

In The Great Lie (1941), dashing Pete Van Allen (George Brent) is an ace flyer … and playboy society drunk. On a bender, he hooks up with snooty upper class concert pianist Sandra Kovak (Mary Astor); before the night is over, they are married… »

The Old Maid (1939)

By Alexander Inglis

The Old Maid isn’t just remarkable for being made in 1939 — the year of Gone With The Wind and The Wizard of Oz — but also for being the same year Bette Davis also starred in Dark Victory, one of her most indelibly famous films. Edmund Goulding, who would turn 50 during the filming… »