She never gives a bad interview. A marvel to watch and listen to. Also, she looks fantastic here at 72 and is sharp as a whistle. Sadly, that all changed once she suffered her first stroke around 1982/83.
She looks 'fantastic' here because she had her one and only facelift -- very risky because of her heavy smoking and drinking -- in 1978-79. Check out Wygant's interview w/Davis and deHaviland in 1964 and you'll see that she looks older there -- 16 years prior, than she does in this interview. And Davis suffered those strokes because of her heavy, heavy smoking. Something she refused to give up even AFTER the strokes. Having said that, of course she was a great actress, and I agree, never gave a bad interview, but she was in total denial about her addictions.
Ruth Elizabeth «Bette» Davis (Lowell, Massachusetts, 5 de abril de 1908-Neuilly-sur-Seine, París, 6 de octubre de 1989) fue una actriz estadounidense de teatro, cine y televisión. 🎤🎤🎭🎭🎥🎥⏱️⏱️📺📺📺📺⏱️⏱️🎥🎥🎭🎭🎤🎤
As much as I love Bette Davis, her performance was awkward and wooden. It's the only time that I didn't find anything redeeming in her performance except that she is Bette Davis-she seemed completely disinterested & underplayed considerably, which Davis seldom did. It's been said that she wasn't thrilled about being directed by Ritchie and Potsie, to say nothing of the heat. ...Marion being cast probably wasn't lost on her either, adding to the whole Happy Days correlation. Ross played well the anxious yet doting Mom in a similar but more serious manner than her Marion Cunningham role. The young actress in the wheelchair, Suzy Barbieri nee Gilstrap (Julie), was terrific-as was she in a Little House episode filmed the same year. Handsome actor Ben Marley (Scott), was also very good, as was Howard Hesseman. Being filmed in Texas, Mrs. Wygant was as usual spot-on in what there is of the interview...such a sweet and lovely person. A 40ish, Dallas based English teacher & character actress Irma P. Hall; (Midnight in the Garden of Good & Evil, Soul Food, Meet The Browns, The Ladykillers, Jayne Mansfield's Car, Patch Adams, Beloved), portrayed the school Principal. Suzy Barbieri (Julie), went on to become a Producer, Casting Agent, & Production Assistant. Apparently, a follow-up film: Skyward Christmas, appeared the following year (1981), with Audra Lindley cast in the Davis role. 👍🏽💯🤔
The story she tells about being wanted for Gone with the Wind is not true. She started telling this lie when nearly everyone connected with the film was dead so no one could refute her. Producer David O'Selznick literally had the pick of every actress in Hollywood as they ALL wanted that role, Bette included. But he chose Vivian Leigh. He could have picked Davis but he did not want her.
