Old age is no place for sissies

Celebrating the centenary of that legendary actress Bette Davis this weekend, it is worth pondering that it is not for her glamour that this diva is so lauded, nor her legendary feistiness in taking on the studio system and rival stars of that classic era.

It is for her brilliant acting that we remember Bette. She never would be typecast, and all her roles were significantly different. She acknowledged that she would never rival other stars of her day in landing the most desirable romantic heroine parts - she said, "I was never beautiful like Miss Hayworth or Miss Lamarr. I was known as the little brown wren. Who’d want to get me at the end of the picture?"

Nevertheless, Bette Davis was the star of many of my all-time classic films, from the magnificent All About Eve, The Letter and Now Voyager, to her later venture into camp cult movies like The Anniversary, The Nanny and of course Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?

Her aforementioned feuds with other leading ladies - notably Joan Crawford - make for entertaining reading; with Shaun Considine’s The Divine Feud being one of the best. Rumour has it that this will be turned into a stage play in London later this year...

Here are some of Bette’s pearls of wisdom:

• "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."
• "I will not retire while I’ve still got my legs and my make-up box."
• "Don’t get up. And please stop acting as if I were the queen mother!"
• "In this business, until you’re known as a monster you’re not a star."
• "I do not regret one professional enemy I have made. Any actor who doesn’t dare to make an enemy should get out of the business."
• "Everybody has a heart. Except some people."
• "Old age is no place for sissies"

Bette Davis - "Bumpy Night" (All About Eve)

Bette Davis - "Don't Let's Ask For The Moon" (Now Voyager)

Bette Davis and Joan Crawford - Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?

To celebrate the Bette Davis Centenary, Cable channel TCM (Turner Classic Movies) is screening a selection of her films every weekend throughout April, and is supporting a nationwide tour of selected UK cinemas.

Bette Davis tribute in The Telegraph