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91-476: George Brent (born George Brendan Nolan ; 15 March 1904 – 26 May 1979) was an Irish-American stage, film, and television actor. He is best remembered for the eleven films he made with Bette Davis , which included Jezebel and Dark Victory . Brent was born in Ballinasloe , County Galway , Ireland on March 15, 1904, to John J. and Mary (née McGuinness) Nolan. His father was a shopkeeper and his mother

182-601: A "vacation". However, in England, Davis signed a contract with British film production company Toplitz, to make the film I'll Take the Low Road in England with Maurice Chevalier for a $ 50,000 salary. On September 9, 1936, Warner Brothers filed a legal injunction against Davis in England which forbade her from appearing in film productions without their consent. While on a shopping spree in Paris, Davis publicly declared to

273-771: A 1929 production by the Provincetown Players of Virgil Geddes ' play The Earth Between ; however, the production was postponed by a year. In 1929, Davis was chosen by Blanche Yurka to play Hedwig, the character she had seen Entwistle play in The Wild Duck . After performing in Philadelphia, Washington, and Boston, she made her Broadway debut in 1929 in Broken Dishes and followed it with Solid South . After appearing on Broadway in New York,

364-596: A New England innkeeper, and Vermont dentist's son. Davis and Farnsworth were married at Home Ranch, in Rimrock, Arizona , in December 1940, her second marriage. In January 1941, Davis became the first female president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, but antagonized the committee members with her brash manner and radical proposals. Davis rejected the idea of her being just "a figurehead only". Faced with

455-677: A Secretary (1936) then Warners gave him top billing in God's Country and the Woman (1936) with Margaret Lindsay . Brent made Mountain Justice (1937) with Hutchinson and The Go Getter (1937) with Anita Louise . Warners then put Brent in his first male-orientated movie: Submarine D-1 (1937) with Pat O'Brien and Wayne Morris. In November 1937 he became an American citizen. Brent made Gold Is Where You Find It (1938) with Olivia de Havilland , then made Jezebel (1938) with Davis - only he

546-533: A Sinner (1931), Fair Warning (1931), and Charlie Chan Carries On (1931). At Universal he was seventh-billed for Ex-Bad Boy (1931) and fifth for The Homicide Squad (1931), then was in the Rin Tin Tin serial The Lightning Warrior (1931) at Mascot Pictures . Brent was signed by Warner Bros. in 1931, where he played Barbara Stanwyck 's leading man in So Big! (1932), establishing him as

637-469: A boarding school in Ashburnham, Massachusetts , where she met her future husband, Harmon O. Nelson, known as Ham. In 1926, a then 18-year-old Davis saw a production of Henrik Ibsen 's The Wild Duck with Blanche Yurka and Peg Entwistle . Davis later recalled, "The reason I wanted to go into theater was because of an actress named Peg Entwistle." Bette Davis interviewed with Eva Le Gallienne to be

728-787: A comedy Out of the Blue (1947) and Columbia for The Corpse Came C.O.D. (1947) with Blondell. Universal teamed him with Yvonne De Carlo in Slave Girl (1947). Brent was one of several names in Christmas Eve (1947) for Benedict Bogeaus and Luxury Liner (1948) at MGM, a remake of the 1933 film in which Brent had appeared. He went to Republic to star in Angel on the Amazon (1948) and in Universal's Red Canyon (1949) played

819-480: A company owner, comes down from 2nd class to invite Thorndyke (and Milli) to take tea with him tomorrow. Thorndyke turns him down, but Milli is delighted to accept. After the ship docks at Cherbourg, Bernhard goes to his wife's cabin, but she locks the door and refuses to see him. Bernhard is called away by a medical emergency before he can break the door down. Meanwhile, Stevanson is very pleased to encounter opera singer Luise Marheim (Verree Teasdale). Stevanson sends

910-464: A complete rut." Recalling the episode many years later, Davis remarked that Laughton's advice had influenced her throughout her career. By this time, Davis was Warner Bros.' most profitable star, and she was given the most important of their female leading roles. Her image was considered with more care; although she continued to play character roles, she was often filmed in close-ups that emphasized her distinctive eyes. All This, and Heaven Too (1940)

1001-517: A daughter, Suzanne (born August 3, 1950), and a son, Barry (born November 26, 1954). Brent also had an affair with Bette Davis , a frequent Warner Bros. co-star. He suffered from emphysema and died of natural causes in 1979 in Solana Beach, California . Bette Davis Ruth Elizabeth " Bette " Davis ( / ˈ b ɛ t i / ; April 5, 1908 – October 6, 1989) was an American actress of film, television, and theater. Regarded as one of

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1092-613: A film they had been assigned, Mandalay , and were replaced by Lyle Talbot and Kay Francis . Brent's salary was then $ 1,000 a week. He was top-billed in From Headquarters (1933) with Margaret Lindsay ; Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer borrowed him to play Myrna Loy 's leading man in Stamboul Quest (1934). In September 1934, Chatteron filed for divorce. Brent was top billed in Housewife (1934) with Bette Davis, who

1183-552: A fine dinner and champagne, Exl takes Milli to his cabin and tries to force himself on her in return for a diamond bracelet. She flees to the arms of her elevator operator and realizes that she prefers to be poor but honorable. After Bernhard delivers a baby, he confronts his wayward wife. She tells him she never loved him. When Stevanson tries to intervene, Bernard punches him and leaves. Stevanson then has his things moved to another suite, much to Sybil's distress. Sybil finds Stevanson dining with Luise. He tells Sybil their relationship

1274-512: A five-year contract, and she remained with the studio for the next 18 years. Davis's first marriage was to Harmon Oscar Nelson on August 18, 1932, in Yuma, Arizona. Their marriage was scrutinized by the press; his $ 100 a week earnings ($ 1,885 in 2020 dollars) compared unfavorably with Davis's reported $ 1,000 a week income ($ 18,850). Davis addressed the issue in an interview, pointing out that many Hollywood wives earned more than their husbands, but

1365-559: A leading man. Bette Davis had a small role. Brent appeared in The Rich Are Always with Us (1932) with Ruth Chatterton (who became his second wife that year), in which Davis again had a supporting role. It was followed by Week-End Marriage (1932) with Loretta Young , The Purchase Price (1932) with Stanwyck, Miss Pinkerton (1932) with Joan Blondell , The Crash (1932) with Chatterton, and They Call It Sin (1932) with Young. Paramount borrowed Brent for

1456-564: A long period of ill health, but she continued acting until shortly before her death from breast cancer, with more than 100 film, television, and theater roles to her credit. Ruth Elizabeth Davis, known from early childhood as "Betty", was born on April 5, 1908, in Lowell, Massachusetts, the daughter of Harlow Morrell Davis (1885–1938), a law student from Augusta, Maine, and subsequently a patent attorney, and Ruth Augusta (née Favór; 1885–1961), from Tyngsborough, Massachusetts. Davis's younger sister

1547-451: A portrait photographer. The young Betty Davis later changed the spelling of her first name to Bette after Bette Fischer, a character in Honoré de Balzac 's La Cousine Bette . During their time in New York, Davis became a Girl Scout where she became a patrol leader. Her patrol won a competitive dress parade for Lou Hoover at Madison Square Garden. Davis attended Cushing Academy ,

1638-517: A salary disagreement, and bears no resemblance to the de Havilland legal case. In 1937, Davis starred with Humphrey Bogart in Marked Woman , a contemporary gangster drama inspired by the case of Lucky Luciano , and a film regarded as one of the most important in her early career. She was awarded the Volpi Cup at the 1937 Venice Film Festival for her performance. Davis's portrayal of

1729-494: A second star located at 1612 Vine Street for his work in television. Brent was married five times: to Helen Louise Campbell (1925–1927), Ruth Chatterton (1932–1934), Constance Worth (1937), Ann Sheridan (1942–1943), and Janet Michaels (1947–1974). Chatterton, Worth, and Sheridan were actresses; Chatterton and Sheridan were Warner Bros. players. His final marriage to Janet Michaels, a former model and dress designer, lasted 27 years until her death in 1974. They had two children:

1820-461: A skull fracture he had suffered two weeks earlier having accidentally fallen down a flight of stairs. A finding of accidental death was reached. Highly distraught, Davis attempted to withdraw from her next film Mr. Skeffington (1944), but Jack Warner, who had halted production following Farnsworth's death, persuaded her to continue. Although she had gained a reputation for being forthright and demanding, her behavior during filming of Mr. Skeffington

1911-684: A star of big budget films. RKO used him as Hedy Lamarr 's leading man in Experiment Perilous (1944). For Hal Wallis he did The Affairs of Susan (1945) with Joan Fontaine then Tomorrow Is Forever (1946) at International with Claudette Colbert and Orson Welles . He returned to RKO for The Spiral Staircase (1946), a huge success. At Universal he was teamed with Lucille Ball in Lover Come Back (1946), then he made Temptation (1946) with Oberon and Edward Small at International. Brent went to Eagle Lion to make

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2002-555: A strong-willed 1850s Southern belle in Jezebel (1938) won her a second Academy Award for Best Actress . This was the first of five consecutive years in which she received the Best Actress nomination. During production, Davis entered a relationship with director William Wyler . She later described him as the "love of my life", and said that making the film with him was "the time in my life of my most perfect happiness". The film

2093-525: A student at her 14th Street theater. However, she felt Davis was not serious enough to attend her school, and described her attitude as "insincere" and "frivolous". Davis auditioned for George Cukor 's stock theater company in Rochester, New York. Though he was not very impressed, he gave Davis her first paid acting assignment – a one-week stint playing the part of a chorus girl in the play Broadway . Ed Sikov sources Davis's first professional role to

2184-492: A successful novelist. Davis felt that Hopkins tried to upstage her throughout the film. Director Vincent Sherman recalled the intense competition and animosity between the two actresses, and Davis often joked that she held back nothing in a scene in which she was required to shake Hopkins in a fit of anger. In August 1943, Davis' husband, Arthur Farnsworth, collapsed while walking along a Hollywood street and died two days later. An autopsy revealed that his fall had been caused by

2275-616: A telegram ordering the purchase of German-American Steamship shares, causing other passengers to also rush to buy the stock. When the third-class passengers want to pool their meager funds to do the same, Thorndyke reluctantly offers to handle the transaction. Milli enjoys dancing in second class, although she fails to persuade Schultz to buy her a present. When Schultz's business acquaintance, jewelry dealer Exl (Theodore von Eltz), comes along, she gets him to invite her up to first class. This disappoints an elevator operator (Barry Norton) who has fallen for her and promised to show her New York. After

2366-623: A vulgar waitress in Of Human Bondage (1934). Contentiously, she was not among the three nominees for the Academy Award for Best Actress that year, and she won it the following year for her performance in Dangerous (1935). In 1936, due to poor film offers, she attempted to free herself from her contract, and although she lost a well-publicized legal case, it marked the beginning of the most successful period of her career. Until

2457-488: A witch if she had lived two or three hundred years ago. She gives the curious feeling of being charged with power which can find no ordinary outlet". The New York Times hailed her as "becoming one of the most interesting of our screen actresses". She won the Academy Award for Best Actress for the role, but commented that it was belated recognition for Of Human Bondage , calling the award a "consolation prize". For

2548-476: Is empty; a maid suggests that she might board at Cherbourg. Milli Lensch (Alice White), a winsome young blonde who is traveling in third class, but eager to make her way up in the world, flirts with old Edward Thorndyke (C. Aubrey Smith). Thorndyke was once a wealthy textile manufacturer, but he was ruined by Stevanson and is now seeking to start over in America. Schultz, one of Thorndyke’s former employees and now

2639-430: Is over and he will "write her a check" to be rid of her. In his stateroom, Sybil kills Stevanson with the pistol she stole from Bernhard's desk. Bernhard arrives moments afterwards and takes the blame. When Morgan cannot make him defend himself, she becomes greatly agitated and reveals that, five years ago, she had a husband and two children. After he left her for another woman, she tried to kill herself and her children. She

2730-575: The Abbey Theatre . He fled Ireland with a bounty set on his head by the British government, although he later claimed only to have been a courier for guerrilla leader and tactician Michael Collins . According to Ballinasloe Life (volume 2, issue 4, Oct/Nov 2012), the Irish War of Independence careers of three different men named George Nolan (Brent and two others; one from County Dublin and

2821-711: The Hollywood Victory Committee and beyond. The Canteen offered food, dancing and entertainment for servicemen and was staffed by members of the entertainment industry. Davis served as Canteen president through the end of the war. In 1983, Davis received the Distinguished Civilian Service Medal from the Department of Defense for her work with the Hollywood Canteen. She appeared as herself in

George Brent - Misplaced Pages Continue

2912-887: The 1920s, including running several of his own stock companies. He appeared in productions of Abie's Irish Rose (on tour for two years), Stella Dallas , Up in Mabel's Room , Elmer the Great , Seventh Heaven , White Cargo and Lilac Time . He acted in stock companies at Elitch Theatre , in Denver, Colorado (1929), as well as Rhode Island, Florida, and Massachusetts. In 1930, he appeared on Broadway in Love, Honor, and Betray , alongside Clark Gable . Brent moved to Hollywood and made his first film for 20th Century Fox , Under Suspicion (1930). He continued in supporting roles for Fox in Once

3003-559: The 22-year-old Davis moved to Hollywood in 1930 to screen test for Universal Studios. She was inspired to pursue a career as a film actress after seeing Mary Pickford in Little Lord Fauntleroy . Davis and her mother traveled by train to Hollywood. She later recounted her surprise that no-one from the studio was there to meet her. In fact, a studio employee had waited for her, but left because he saw no-one who "looked like an actress". Davis failed her first screen test, but

3094-559: The American favorite of Japanese moviegoers—because to them, she "represented the admirable principle of sad self-sacrifice." In 1942, numerous Hollywood entertainment industry members joined forces to form the Hollywood Canteen . Davis and John Garfield were the driving force who were credited with organizing the canteen, along with the aid of 42 unions and guilds in the industry, plus thousands of celebrity volunteers from

3185-790: The Gander (1935) with Kay Francis , then was borrowed by RKO to make In Person (1935) with Ginger Rogers . At Warners he was top billed in the comedy Snowed Under (1936), then Walter Wanger borrowed him to play Madeleine Carroll 's leading man in The Case Against Mrs. Ames (1936). At Warners he was reunited with Davis in The Golden Arrow (1936) and Francis in Give Me Your Heart (1936). Columbia borrowed him to support Jean Arthur in More Than

3276-637: The Woman , Warner Bros. was incurring excessive production costs because the film was being made in Technicolor , and the Technicolor cameras were rented. In late June, the studio put Davis on suspension for refusal to work, and replaced her in the film with Beverly Roberts . During negotiations with Warner Bros. regarding her salary and signing Davis for the female lead in Danton , Davis abruptly traveled to England with her husband, Harmon Nelson, on

3367-554: The accounting firm Price Waterhouse. The next year, A Midsummer Night's Dream became the only film to win a write-in Oscar, for Best Cinematography . The next year, her performance as a down-and-out troubled actress in Dangerous (1935) received very good reviews, and landed Davis her first Best Actress nomination and win. E. Arnot Robertson wrote in Picture Post that, "I think Bette Davis would probably have been burned as

3458-661: The character of Regina Giddens, a role originally played on Broadway by Tallulah Bankhead (Davis had portrayed in film a role initiated by Bankhead on the stage once before – in Dark Victory ). Wyler encouraged Davis to emulate Bankhead's interpretation of the role, but Davis wanted to make the role her own. She received another Academy Award nomination for her performance, and never worked with Wyler again. In 1943, Davis told an interviewer that she had molded her film career on her motto, "I love tragedy," and ironically, until Pearl Harbor , she had been recognized as

3549-494: The disapproval and resistance of the committee, Davis resigned, and was succeeded by her predecessor Walter Wanger . Davis starred in three movies in 1941, the first being The Great Lie , with George Brent. It was a refreshingly different role for Davis as she played a kind, sympathetic character. William Wyler directed Davis for the third time in Lillian Hellman 's The Little Foxes (1941), but they clashed over

3640-446: The duration of the war. His final film for Warner Bros. was My Reputation his fifth and last film with Barbara Stanwyck , filmed from November 1943 to January 1944; except for previews for military audiences, it was not released until 1946. Brent acted on radio during this period. While Brent returned to his acting career after WWII, he never recaptured his former popularity but during the immediate post war period he still remained

3731-493: The early 1940s, several of Davis's film choices were influenced by the war, such as Watch on the Rhine (1943), by Lillian Hellman, and Thank Your Lucky Stars (1943), a lighthearted all-star musical cavalcade. Davis performed a novelty song, "They're Either Too Young or Too Old." Old Acquaintance (1943) reunited her with Miriam Hopkins in a story of two old friends who deal with the tensions created when one of them becomes

George Brent - Misplaced Pages Continue

3822-524: The father of the star, Ann Blyth . At the same studio he was third lead in Illegal Entry (1949) then had the lead in a "B" The Kid from Cleveland (1949). He supported Colbert in Bride for Sale (1950) at RKO. The budgets of Brent's films continued to shrink. He did two for Lippert Pictures : F.B.I. Girl (1951) and The Last Page (1952), the latter shot in England with Diana Dors . There

3913-574: The film Hollywood Canteen (1944), which used the canteen as the setting for a fictional story. Warner Bros. donated 40% of proceeds from the film to both the Hollywood Canteen and the Stage Door Canteen in Manhattan . Davis showed little interest for the role of repressed spinster Charlotte Vale in the drama film Now, Voyager (1942), until Hal Wallis advised her that female audiences needed romantic dramas to distract them from

4004-744: The first person to accrue ten Academy Award nominations (and one write-in) for acting, and was the first woman to receive a Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Film Institute . In 1999, Davis was placed second on the American Film Institute's list of the greatest female stars of classic Hollywood cinema . After appearing in Broadway plays, Davis moved to Hollywood in 1930, but her early films for Universal Studios were unsuccessful. She joined Warner Bros. in 1932 and had her critical breakthrough playing

4095-459: The greatest actresses in Hollywood history, she was noted for her willingness to play unsympathetic, sardonic characters and was known for her performances in a range of film genres, from contemporary crime melodramas to historical and period films and occasional comedies, although her greatest successes were her roles in romantic dramas . She won the Academy Award for Best Actress twice, was

4186-452: The horrors of egocentricity on a marathonic scale". Despite these reviews, Mr. Skeffington was another box-office hit and earned Davis another Academy Award nomination. In 1945, Davis married artist William Grant Sherry, her third husband, who also worked as a masseur. She had been drawn to him because he claimed he had never heard of her and so was not intimidated by her. The same year, Davis made The Corn Is Green (1945), based on

4277-514: The late 1940s was redeemed with her role as a fading Broadway star in All About Eve (1950), which has often been cited as her best performance. She received Best Actress nominations for this film and for The Star (1952), but her career struggled over the rest of the decade. Her last nomination came for her role as the psychotic former child star Jane Hudson in the psychological horror film What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962). In

4368-481: The late 1940s, she was one of American cinema's most celebrated leading ladies. She was praised for her role in Marked Woman (1937) and won a second Academy Award for her portrayal of a strong-willed 1850s southern belle in Jezebel (1938), the first of five consecutive years in which she received a Best Actress nomination; the others for Dark Victory (1939), The Letter (1940), The Little Foxes (1941), and Now, Voyager (1942). A period of decline in

4459-550: The latter stage of her career, Davis played character parts in films like Death on the Nile (1978) and shifted her focus to roles in television. She led the miniseries The Dark Secret of Harvest Home (1978), won an Emmy Award for Strangers: The Story of a Mother and Daughter (1979), and was nominated for her performances in White Mama (1980) and Little Gloria... Happy at Last (1982). Her last complete cinematic part

4550-576: The leading-man role in Luxury Liner (1933). Back at Warners, he was one of several studio names in 42nd Street (1933), playing the lover of Bebe Daniels . He returned to supporting female stars: Kay Francis in The Keyhole (1933), Chatterton in both Lilly Turner (1933) and Female (1933), and Stanwyck in Baby Face (1933). In October 1933, he and Chatterton refused to make

4641-427: The length of time a studio contract could be legally enforceable, which at the time was seven years. In her later years, Davis would falsely claim in interviews that she set the path for de Havilland's legal victory; however, this is grossly inaccurate. Warners' 1936 injunction against Davis was due to her attempt to unlawfully breach her contract to work for another production company because she and Warners were having

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4732-558: The marriage. After more than 20 film roles, she had her critical breakthrough playing the role of the vicious and slatternly Mildred Rogers in the RKO Radio production of Of Human Bondage (1934), a film adaptation of W. Somerset Maugham 's novel. It earned Davis her first major critical acclaim, although, contentiously, she was not among the three nominees for the Academy Award for Best Actress that year. Many actresses feared playing unsympathetic characters, and several had refused

4823-437: The melodrama Housewife . When Davis was not nominated for an Academy Award for Of Human Bondage , The Hollywood Citizen News questioned the omission, and Norma Shearer , herself a nominee, joined a campaign to have Davis nominated. This prompted an announcement from the Academy president, Howard Estabrook , who said that under the circumstances, "any voter ... may write on the ballot his or her personal choice for

4914-567: The offer. Davis, on the other hand, did not want Flynn cast as Rhett Butler . Newcomer Vivien Leigh was cast as Scarlett O'Hara, de Havilland landed a role as Melanie, and both of them were nominated for the Oscars, with Leigh winning. Jezebel marked the beginning of the most successful phase of Davis's career, and over the next few years, she was listed in the annual Quigley Poll of the Top Ten Money-Making Stars , which

5005-550: The other from County Offaly) were apparently conflated, which may explain some of the discrepancies regarding Brent's year of birth, life, and activities during the 1919 to 1922 period. Brent travelled from England to Canada and returned to the United States in August 1921. He decided to become a professional actor. He made his Broadway debut in director Guthrie McClintic ’s The Dover Road . He did numerous plays throughout

5096-530: The part as written, and wore a gray wig and padding under her clothes, to create a dowdy appearance. The critic E. Arnot Robertson observed: Luxury Liner (1933 film) The steamship Germania is setting sail from Bremen to New York, with a stop in Cherbourg . Dr. Veith is annoyed that he has been assigned to be the ship's doctor, as he would rather stay home with his family. His married friend and fellow ship's officer Baron von Luden tries to flirt with

5187-406: The play by Emlyn Williams . Davis played Miss Moffat, an English teacher who saves a young Welsh miner ( John Dall ) from a life in the coal pits by offering him education. The part had been played in the theater by Ethel Barrymore (who was 61 at the play's premiere), but Warner Bros. felt that the film version should depict the character as a younger woman. Davis disagreed, and insisted on playing

5278-488: The press that she intended to defy Warner Bros' legal injunction and make the film in England. On October 14, 1936, the British court held a hearing regarding the studio's injunction against Davis. Mr Justice Branson issued his decision on October 19, ruling in favor of Warner Bros. Justice Branson dismissed Davis's representative's claims that she was an "underpaid slave" held under a "life sentence", and ruled that Davis

5369-525: The reality of their lives. It became one of the better known of her "women's pictures". In one of the film's most imitated scenes, Paul Henreid lights two cigarettes as he stares into Davis's eyes, and passes one to her. Film reviewers complimented Davis on her performance, the National Board of Review commenting that she gave the film "a dignity not fully warranted by the script". She received her seventh Oscar nomination for Now, Voyager . During

5460-495: The religion anthology series , Crossroads . He was cast in the lead in the 1956 television series Wire Service , which ran for 39 performances. After appearing on Rawhide and The Chevy Mystery Show , Brent retired. In 1978, he made one last film, Born Again . In 1960, Brent was inducted into the Hollywood Walk of Fame with two stars. He received a motion-pictures star located at 1709 Vine Street and

5551-453: The rest of her life, Davis maintained that she gave the statue its familiar name of "Oscar" because its posterior resembled that of her husband, whose middle name was Oscar, although, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences officially makes reference to another story. In her next film, The Petrified Forest (1936), Davis co-starred with Leslie Howard and Humphrey Bogart . In

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5642-581: The role, but Davis viewed it as an opportunity to show the range of her acting skills. Her co-star, Leslie Howard , was initially dismissive of her, but as filming progressed, his attitude changed, and he subsequently spoke highly of her abilities. The film's director, John Cromwell , allowed her relative freedom. "I let Bette have her head. I trusted her instincts." Davis insisted that she be portrayed realistically in her death scene, and said, "The last stages of consumption, poverty, and neglect are not pretty, and I intended to be convincing-looking." The film

5733-467: The ship's nurse, Morgan, but she is not interested. Veith says Morgan seems to have no friends and never leaves the ship when it is in port. Dr. Veith meets his old friend Dr. Bernhard (George Brent), who is desperate to sail on the sold-out ship because his wife Sybil (Vivienne Osborne) is on board, running away with her lover, the financier Alex Stevanson (Frank Morgan). Veith arranges for Bernhard to take his place. To Bernhard's surprise, his wife's cabin

5824-406: The situation proved difficult for Nelson, who refused to allow Davis to purchase a house until he could afford to pay for it himself. Nelson was able to enforce his wishes because, at the time, the husband had the management and control of the community property, which included the wife's earnings, and the wife could not obtain credit without her husband's consent. Davis had several abortions during

5915-412: The spring of 1936, Davis asked Warner Bros. to loan her out to RKO to make Mary of Scotland . Warner Bros. refused, and assigned Davis to two films that were written specifically for her: God's Country and the Woman , and Mountain Justice . However, as God's Country and the Woman was going into production, Davis refused to work, and demanded a salary increase on her contract with Warner Bros. At

6006-433: The time, Davis was earning $ 1,250 per week. Jack Warner offered Davis an increased salary of $ 2,250 per week, which Davis refused. Davis's agent, Mike Levee, said: "She's a very stubborn young lady. I asked her how much she wanted, and she said $ 3,500 a week, plus all radio rights and permission to make outside pictures. I told her, 'Whoa, that's too much!'" Meanwhile, due to Davis's refusal to continue with God's County and

6097-403: The winners", thus allowing, for the only time in the Academy's history, the consideration of a candidate not officially nominated for an award. The uproar led, however, to a change in academy voting procedures the following year, wherein nominations were determined by votes from all eligible members of a particular branch, rather than by a smaller committee, with results independently tabulated by

6188-521: Was Montana Belle (1952) with Jane Russell then two for Monogram: Tangier Incident (1953) and Mexican Manhunt (1953). Brent moved into television in the early 1950s guest starring in The Revlon Mirror Theater , Crown Theatre with Gloria Swanson , The Ford Television Theatre , Climax! , Fireside Theatre , Stage 7 , Studio 57 , Science Fiction Theatre , Celebrity Playhouse , Schlitz Playhouse and

6279-585: Was The Old Maid (1939) where Davis and Miriam Hopkins fought over Brent. Both films were directed by Edmund Goulding . 20th Century Fox borrowed Brent for a key support role in The Rains Came (1939). At Warners he supported James Cagney and O'Brien in The Fighting 69th (1940). Paramount borrowed him for Adventure in Diamonds (1940), where he had top billing over Isa Miranda . He

6370-634: Was Merle Oberon 's leading man in 'Til We Meet Again (1940), then starred in The Man Who Talked Too Much (1940) and South of Suez (1940). He supported Ann Sheridan in Honeymoon for Three (1941) and Davis in The Great Lie (1941). Columbia borrowed him for the lead role in They Dare Not Love (1941) with Martha Scott and Edward Small used him in two films, International Lady (1941) with Ilona Massey and Twin Beds (1942) with Joan Bennett . Brent made one final film with Davis, In This Our Life (1942), alongside de Havilland. He supported Stanwyck in The Gay Sisters (1942) and

6461-438: Was Barbara Harriet (1909–1979). In 1915, after Davis's parents separated, Davis and her sister Barbara attended a spartan boarding school named Crestalban in Lanesborough, Massachusetts , for three years. In the fall of 1921, her mother, Ruth Davis, moved to New York City, using her children's tuition money to enroll in the Clarence White School of Photography , with an apartment on 144th Street at Broadway. She then worked as

6552-652: Was a native of Clonfad, Moore, County Roscommon. In September 1915, he moved with his younger sister Kathleen to New York City. There, they joined their mother, who was living in the US after her separation from her husband. Brent returned to Ireland in February 1921, during the Irish War of Independence (1919–1922), and was involved in the Irish Republican Army . During this period he also became involved with

6643-506: Was a success, and Davis's characterization earned praise from critics, with Life writing that she gave "probably the best performance ever recorded on the screen by a U.S. actress". Davis anticipated that her reception would encourage Warner Bros. to cast her in more important roles, and was disappointed when Jack L. Warner refused to lend her to Columbia Studios to appear in It Happened One Night , and instead cast her in

6734-615: Was a success. This led to speculation in the press that she would be chosen to play Scarlett O'Hara , a similar character, in Gone with the Wind . Davis expressed her desire to play Scarlett, and while David O. Selznick was conducting a search for the actress to play the role, a radio poll named her as the audience favorite. Warner offered her services to Selznick as part of a deal that also included Errol Flynn and Olivia de Havilland , but Selznick did not consider Davis as suitable, and rejected

6825-582: Was arranged for Davis, for the 1931 film A House Divided . Hastily dressed in an ill-fitting costume with a low neckline, she was rebuffed by the film director William Wyler , who loudly commented to the assembled crew, "What do you think of these dames who show their chests and think they can get jobs?". Carl Laemmle , the head of Universal Studios, considered terminating Davis's employment, but cinematographer Karl Freund told him she had "lovely eyes" and would be suitable for Bad Sister (1931), in which she subsequently made her film debut. Her nervousness

6916-487: Was compiled from the votes of movie exhibitors throughout the U.S. for the stars who had generated the most revenue in their theaters over the previous year. In contrast to Davis's success, her husband Ham Nelson had failed to establish a career for himself, and their relationship faltered. In 1938, Nelson obtained evidence that Davis was engaged in a sexual relationship with Howard Hughes , and subsequently filed for divorce, citing Davis's "cruel and inhuman manner". Davis

7007-753: Was compounded when she overheard the chief of production, Carl Laemmle, Jr. , comment to another executive that she had "about as much sex appeal as Slim Summerville ", one of the film's male co-stars. The film was not a success, and her next role in Seed (1931) was too brief to attract attention. Universal Studios renewed her contract for three months, and she appeared in a small role in Waterloo Bridge (1931), before being lent to Columbia Pictures for The Menace , and to Capital Films for Hell's House (all 1932). After one year, and six unsuccessful films, Laemmle elected not to renew her contract. Davis

7098-736: Was emotional during the making of her next film, Dark Victory (1939), and considered abandoning it until the producer Hal B. Wallis convinced her to channel her despair into her acting. The film was among the high-grossing films of the year, and the role of Judith Traherne, a spirited heiress suffering from a malignant brain tumor, brought her an Academy Award nomination. In later years, Davis cited this performance as her personal favorite. Dark Victory featured Ronald Reagan and Humphrey Bogart in supporting roles. Davis appeared in three other box-office hits in 1939: The Old Maid with Miriam Hopkins , Juarez with Paul Muni , and The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex with Errol Flynn. The last

7189-509: Was her first color film, and her only color film made during the height of her career. To play the elderly Elizabeth I of England , Davis shaved her hairline and eyebrows. During filming, Davis was visited on the set by the actor Charles Laughton . She commented that she had a "nerve" playing a woman in her 60s, to which Laughton replied: "Never not dare to hang yourself. That's the only way you grow in your profession. You must continually attempt things that you think are beyond you, or you get into

7280-653: Was his co star. He was leading man to Jean Muir in Desirable (1935) then MGM used him for The Painted Veil (1934) with Greta Garbo . Brent supported Josephine Hutchinson in The Right to Live (1935), Francis in Living on Velvet (1935) and Stranded (1935). He then made two films with Davis, where she was top billed: Front Page Woman (1935) and Special Agent (1935). Brent appeared in The Goose and

7371-436: Was in breach of her contract to Warner "for no discoverable reason except that she wanted more money". Davis was ordered to pay Warner Bros. $ 80,000 in restitution, and was also ordered to pay the studio's legal fees for filing the injunction in England. The British press offered little support to Davis, calling her overpaid and ungrateful. In 1943, actress Olivia de Havilland won a lawsuit against Warner Bros. regarding

7462-451: Was in the drama The Whales of August (1987). Davis was known for her forceful and intense style of acting and her physical transformations. She gained a reputation as a perfectionist who could be highly combative, and confrontations with studio executives, film directors, and co-stars were often reported. Her forthright manner, clipped vocal style, and ubiquitous cigarette contributed to a public persona which has often been imitated. Davis

7553-500: Was preparing to return to New York when actor George Arliss chose Davis for the lead female role in the Warner Bros. picture The Man Who Played God (1932). For the rest of her life, Davis credited him with helping her achieve her "break" in Hollywood. The Saturday Evening Post wrote, "She is not only beautiful, but she bubbles with charm", and compared her to Constance Bennett and Olive Borden . Warner Bros. signed her to

7644-466: Was said to be erratic and out of character. She alienated Vincent Sherman by refusing to film certain scenes and insisting that some sets be rebuilt. She improvised dialogue, which made the writer Julius Epstein rewrite scenes at her whim. Davis later explained her actions with the observation "When I was most unhappy, I lashed out rather than whined." Some reviewers criticized Davis for the excess of her performance; James Agee wrote that she "demonstrates

7735-513: Was saved, but her babies died. Bernhard regrets that he did not meet her sooner. Sybil then jumps overboard, but not before leaving a note in which she admits killing Stevanson. Bernhard and Morgan decide to start a new life together as the ship pulls into New York. With Stevanson dead, the value of German-American Steamship shares plummets. The third-class passengers fear they are penniless – until Thorndyke reveals that he never invested their money. Mordaunt Hall , critic for The New York Times ,

7826-424: Was the co-founder of the Hollywood Canteen , and was the first female president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences . Her career went through several periods of eclipse, and she admitted that her success had often been at the expense of her personal relationships. Married four times, she was once widowed and three times divorced, and raised her children as a single parent. Her final years were marred by

7917-455: Was the most financially successful film of Davis's career to that point. The Letter (1940) was considered "one of the best pictures of the year" by The Hollywood Reporter , and Davis won admiration for her portrayal of an adulterous killer, a role originated onstage by Katharine Cornell . During this time, she was in a relationship with her former co-star George Brent , who proposed marriage. Davis refused, as she had met Arthur Farnsworth,

8008-583: Was the second male lead, with Henry Fonda playing Davis' main love interest. Warners put him in an action "B" film with Humphrey Bogart , Racket Busters (1938) then he was reunited with Francis in Secrets of an Actress (1938). He was in the military drama Wings of the Navy (1939) with de Havilland and John Payne. He appeared in Dark Victory (1939) with Davis, which was a huge success. So too

8099-619: Was top-billed in You Can't Escape Forever (1942) with Brenda Marshall and Silver Queen (1942) with Priscilla Lane . In 1942, Brent, an accomplished pilot who had tried and, because of age, failed to enlist in the armed services, temporarily retired from films to teach flying as a civilian flight instructor with the Civilian Pilot Training Program , and later became a pilot in the US Coast Guard for

8190-450: Was unimpressed, writing, "neither the story nor the dialogue live up to expectations. ... Mr. Mendes was evidently not inspired by the script furnished him and he fails to give more than a haphazard conception of the movement of the vessel, after the first quarter of the film. The attempt at levity is feeble and the clock-work-like manipulation of the happenings is often rather wearying." He felt there were "one or two competent performances by

8281-404: Was used in several screen tests for other actors. In a 1971 interview with Dick Cavett , she related the experience with the observation, "I was the most Yankee-est, most modest virgin who ever walked the earth. They laid me on a couch, and I tested fifteen men...They all had to lie on top of me and give me a passionate kiss. Oh, I thought I would die. Just thought I would die." A second test

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