She enjoyed being asked that question, most likely. After her film career wound down, many gossips were still discussing the gulf between the de Havilland sisters, thus generating press, even if negative.
@blueseaview 22 In theory it seems very good & very healthy. But the application is NULL. They were broken since infancy. Some parents don't deserve children my friend for obvious reasons. It has been repeated over & over again since the beginning of TIME. In the Bible GODS WORD, GOD says that children are a BLESSING a gift. IT is up to the parents to value that beautiful GIFT/BLESSING. A Arnold Bourbon Amaral
during filming of Hush Hush Sweet Charlotte, Olivia supposedly teased Bette with '"watch it or I'll bring up Joan Crawford" Bette shot back "you do and I'll bring up Joan Fontaine"
Fontaine was never de Havilland's legal name, she was not adopted by George Fontaine. She was born Joan de Beauvoir de Havilland; her sister was Olivia Mary de Havilland, both daughters of Walter Augustus de Havilland. Therefore, Fontaine IS a stage name.
Kaylon - i responded to a post you made in another thread - that post of yours is strange since your post here indicates that you know the fundamentals
It's fascinating how they grew to look more and more like each other as they got older when there wasn't any striking resemblance between their younger selves.. Anyway, I love both!!! RIP Joan and long life to Olivia.
@@mscarolynnigro they also had the same nose and the same mouth. Aside from hair color and eye shape, they looked a lot alike, especially in black and white photos.
I think Olivia not telling Joan about her mother's death flipped Joan. She couldn't be as gracious and understanding after that. And rightfully so. So sad that their parents set them up as competitors that way.
@BrittnyShrub. Joan knew her mother was dying and staying with Olivia. Joan was traveling from place to place at the time working. Why didn't she call Olivia and check on her mother every few days? Had she, it would not have been two weeks after the fact that she found out about her mother's death.
Gorgeous women and actresses. Sibling rivalry is caused by parents. When parents favor one child over another and pit them against each other they cause rivalry.
Both Joan and Olivia are hollywood royalty, nobody knows what happened between them so we can not assure who was the mean and the nice one, they both seem classy, genuine and talented to me
YES! Thank you. I've enjoyed them both for over seventy years, but has to admit I favor Olivia de Havilland who was a more versatile actress, and seemed to play a wider variety of roles with greater depth.
Olivia enjoyed a career earlier than Joan, then was eclipsed by Joan who had three Academy Award nominations and a win before Olivia had her first Oscar. I think Olivia was the hardest worker but Joan was a natural talent and I think the better performer.
Joan defied the odds to become a success in Hollywood. The family appeared to have thought she'd ruin the de Havilland brand, thus forcing Joan to adopt a stage name. This meant she had no career boost outside whatever informal training she had prior to entering show business, not able to ride the coattails of Olivia. Joan, in fact, was nearly run out of Hollywood before her career took off. Joan then won the Oscar for her performance in Suspicion, she had married before Olivia and given birth to a child before Olivia did. Being the second child born to the family but the one achieving all the firsts was upsetting, most likely, to the family. Fontaine is underrated as an actress, has never gotten the credit she deserves for the drive she showed in getting her career off the ground.
Yep. She wouldn’t even allow Joan to use the de Havilland name even though that literally was her name. Instead she used her stepfather’s name - a man she admitted abused her. Just imagine!
My sister and I were treated differently by our mother, there were 5 years between us, I was the older. My mother didn't want us to have a friendship, but we figured our her crap. At 14 and 9 we agreed not to believe anything our mother said to each about the other; always check with each other before getting upset and if there were issues then work them out together. When we saw my mother treating one of us unfairly, we stuck together and watched out for each other. We refused to let our mother drive us apart. That often meant leaving her out of the equation. It's so easy to fall into the traps that crappy parents set for their kids, children don't even know what's happening till it's often too late. It's sad that the De Havilland sister's mother effed up their relationship for a lifetime.
It's so interesting hearing the similarities in speech between Joan and Olivia. I always felt Joan was the more down-to-earth sister. Both were wonderful actresses.
@Texaslawhorn Olivia picked up an annoying affectation later in her career where she'd e-nun-ci-ate verrrry carrrefulllly and rrrrollll her vowels; too grand by half!
@@andrewthornhill7042 yes, there was definitely a haughtiness to Olivia. Came in well for some of her later parts though, like cousin Miriam in "Charlotte." I did enjoy Olivia's interviews later in life.
My older sister is similar. Our parents separated when I was born and I think as a 3-year-old she was devastated and blamed the 'new intruder' and has never subconsciously gotten over it. She is always very dismissive of me when we're physically in the same space and usually critical of my life choices.
Joan is adorable! So sweet, sensitive and so beautiful! I’ve beeb thinking a lot these last days about her relationship with her sister... so sad that they didn’t make up before Joan’s death. I still hope Joan forgave her before dying and passed away with her heart in peace.
Yeah sorry I'm late to comment. I've just binge watched 'Feud' so am fascinated with the real life characters on the show, including Olivia De Havilland and by extension, her sister who is mentioned on the show. The way Joan talks about Olivia is actually clearly indicative that she loves her but is hurt by things, which is really sad. It seemed she really wanted a relationship that was a bit warmer and I hope there would be forgiveness at some stage too.
7:20 - If Joan's fiancé could undermine her in that way even before they were married, imagine what that relationship would have been like afterwards! I'm so glad she had enough self esteem to break off that engagement without thinking twice! Every time she had a success in film or won an award she must have wondered if he was watching. 😊
Both sisters deserve credit for not dragging the public into their private lives. You want a peek inside anyway, and you get there using the "insights" of a trashmonger. They had class, you have a lowly mind.
The first born is usually the favorite (like in this case). Not in MY own experience. My parents have always preferred my younger sister, I guess it's because I was always the odd one in the family, very different from both my mother and father. Funny how that shapes you into a very individualistic person, very authentic and determined to forge your own path without anyone's help.
Firstborns are the favorite as long as they meet the expectations of the parents. I am the eldest but my mom favored the second born while dad aligned with the youngest. The parents made constant comparisons and encouraged rivalry. Interestingly, the siblings stayed near the comfort and security my parents offered them with little fuss while I had to scrape by and forge my own path.
It says it's A: female opera singer b: a female singer of popular music and c: a self-important person who is temperamental and difficult to please (typically used of a woman)
@@sundari4786 Primogeniture ruled in the world that the de Havilland sisters were brought up, and the mother focused her efforts on setting up Olivia for a Hollywood career. Joan was expected to marry but not overshadow the older sibling. Just as Joan was fading, her career saw an upswing after playing in Rebecca and Suspicion, eclipsing Olivia's stardom. Also, the mother wasn't happy having become pregnant in rapid succession in a marriage that was floundering.
Exactly correct. Patti Andrews stated that they all loved each other, but did not like each other. They did not like each other's friends, boyfriends, etc.
All these years, I was a tad curious about this feud. Joan concisely sums it all up here in a matter of minutes. Her insight even confirms mine on the subject of gossip, sibling rivalry, and the hidden motives of each... The key word is scapegoat. Everybody seems to need one.
things happen in families , that's sad , never-the-less they're both wonderful and had marvelous careers ! what fabulous movies they took part in , and what great parts they played , and to the hilt !
@giovannifunaro5408. Joan said she knew their mother was dying and was ready to go but Olivia wanted her to have surgery to see if she could be helped. The mother died and Olivia sent Joan a telegram that she didn't receive until two weeks after her mother's death. I look at it this way: Joan knew her mother was dying and she was staying with Olivia while Joan was traveling from place to place working. Why didn't Joan call Olivia every few days to check on her mother? Had she, it would not have been two weeks after the fact until she found out about her death.
It’s sad that for all her accomplishments interviewers just want to focus on her feud with her sister. I think she had allot of class & tried to be a good sport. Both are very beautiful & accomplished. I would’ve rather like to hear about the movies she made & costars.
I'm sure she changed her last name to Fontaine to prove that she could earn acting parts with her own talent and not be accused of riding her sister Olivia's coat tails. Both were extremely awesome, first rate actresses, I equally appreciate their achievements...
Kaylon - like many actors with successful family members - Joan used a STAGE name which goes on the marquees - not her real name - so a legal name change is not required to accomplish this ps - after reading your post in another thread - i returned to add that Estela's post in no way suggests that Joan's name change was a legal one
I don't care what anyone says. Joan seemed way more fun and relaxed, Olivia always came off as so self-righteous. Just like her mother, Olivia had to move off to Paris to be more "cosmopolitan" and "sophisticated". Joan returned to the same climate she grew up in, and it reflects in her breezy personality.
My first boss (72, when I was 16) showed up - with his buddy - in Saratoga, CA, to take Joan and Olivia out for a double date back in the early 1930s. Their mother opened the door, and according to Norm (my dearly departed boss), he and his buddy were looked over a couple of times and summarily dismissed as potential dates. 😂
Their mother, despite raising the children in the US, didn't want them to fully assimilate themselves into the culture. They were raised as proper little English girls and the adult figures in their lives were all full of themselves.
What a shame that they couldn’t resolve their feud before they died Forgiveness heals so much I still regret the years my little sister and I didn’t see each other but thank God we made up before she passed and we really started to love each other
Today would have been Joan's 105th Birthday ... I always thought that Joan and Olivia didn't look alike until I saw them in a Picture together ... For Example, this Video's Thumbnail ... Then you see all the similarities ... Although Joan had a long Career in Film and TV ... She was Unbeatable as an Ingenue ... I wish that She had made 100 Movies between 1937 and 1947 ... She was Very good throughout her Entire Career ... but there was something Very Very Special about her during those years ... You were Drawn Right In ... I have Rebecca (1940) tied with two other movies for the Best Movie Ever ... And Suspicion (1941) is in my Top Five Movies ... In these two movies she costarred with two of Hollywood's biggest stars, Laurence Olivier (May 22 1907 - July 11 1989) and Cary Grant (January 18 1904 - November 29 1986) ... Yet both Movies were Hers ... Olivier and Grant were Subordinate Players ... How unusual (!) ... A few of her Biggest Movies are listed below: The Man Who Found Himself (1937) ** Damsel In Distress (1937) * Maid's Night Out (1938) ** The Women (1939) Gunga Din (1939) Rebecca (1940) ** Suspicion (1941) ** The Constant Nymph (1943) * Jane Eyre (1943) ** Ivy (1947) * Born To Be Bad (1950) * Ivanhoe (1952) * The Bigamist (1953) * Beyond A Reasonable Doubt (1956) * Voyage To The Bottom Of The Sea (1961) The Witches (1966) * * Personal Favorite ** Personal Favorite + So Happy Birthday Joan Fontaine ... You Live Forever (!) ... Great Interviews (!) ... Thanks for posting (!) ... October 22 2022 (2214 hrs)
Joan Fontaine was a savvy businesswoman who was picky, almost to a fault, as to which projects she would choose. This is why she had a seemingly small body of work early on. That's also the reason she routinely went on suspicion. By the time she won the Oscar, she was pretty much doing a picture a year, working at a pace that was comfortable for her. Joan was particular about working for Hitchcock, which was a smart move that truly put her on the map.
and Gone with the Wind! I always heard that Joan came in to try out for Scarlett, but when she was instead offered the "secondary" role of Melanie, she very snippily suggested they give it to her sister Olivia!! At that time, there was speculation that GWTW might bomb and lose money, so she was hesitant about being involved in a risky project. Her loss!!!!
De Havilland sisters so talented, so beautiful. 2:37 - 2:43 Redgrave sisters both nominated same year 1966 for Best Actress. They brought their mother, Lady Redgrave, to the Oscars.
Both r known to play demure,soft spoken, doe eyes ladies on screen! But the truth can't b further, they r both v strong willed woman!! Lioness n Tigeress indeed!! 😂
What did their feud prove and accomplish? They could of spent many years together enjoying each other. I lost my sister 20 years ago and wish everyday that she was still here. I miss her so much
Hollywood will make a film of there relationship I guarantee you this!! Both ladies were and to me are amazing and have started in so many of my favourite 30s 40s 50s and 60s. Rebecca and the heiress are two films any actor would be proud of and which still stir emotion in the viewer
Both beautiful and wonderful actresses; it's terrible they couldn't humble themselves to forgive each other by never reconciling and carrying this acrimony to their graves.
Joan reached out to her sister a few times, more recently as she knew she was fading. She tried contacting Olivia but was turned down. Olivia ignored Joan when Joan graciously sent a note and flowers to Olivia, when Olivia's son, Joan's nephew, died.
@@javiervalverde2374 Their story was tragic, and I tend to agree with your assessment of both individuals. Joan said what she thought, was really blunt and I think Olivia was highly sensitive couldn't handle that trait in her sister. Olivia had always felt she had the upper hand over Joan, so when Joan won the Oscar in 1942, it was undoubtedly a heavy blow to Olivia's ego. Joan had already married before Olivia did.
@@texan903 Yes it's a tragic story. Thank you that you agree with me about both individuals. Most people would complain about my assessment and it's true. Glad you agree with it.
JOLIVIA JOLIVIA I once fought with my sister. We fought like two angry cats; two adult males had to break us up. It's been 40 years since that incident, but we still love each other and are very close.
They come alive, one and each of them. Great time in the entertainment industry when things were funny without vulgarity, attractive women and handsome men were beautiful without being vulgar. It is all lost.
Olivia always seemed fake to me. She was cloyingly sweet in interviews. Always seemed like she was a little defensive. Joan was very upfront and seemed genuine.
Olivia was a witch. serves her right. She used to beat Joan when they were kids, when Joan got her hand me downs Olivia tore it off of her, SHE was the aggressor. She had nothing to say is why she didn't talk about it, no damn high road. the bully is always quiet years later. But the victim ALWAYS remembers. I'm glad Joan was upfront about it.
@@tunde818 The only thing I had a problem with here is when Joan said her mother died and she didn't find out until two weeks later via telegraph from Olivia. Joan knew her mother was very ill when she went away to shoot the picture so she could have easily called Olivia (who apparently was with their mother) every few days to check on their mother's health. Seems Joan should accept some of the blame for not knowing about her mother's death.
it's a shame that they couldn't have worked things out , it had to have been important to both of them , and they were both so beautiful and talented and smart , but that was the curse they lived with and it cost both of them a lot !
It’s not abnormal for siblings to have some sort of rivalry. She admits that. But also tells of times they got along. As she said, media and the public didn’t care about that. The mother was responsible initially for the forming of their relationship.
Also they looked like twins in their old age. It’s crazy. That last interview with Joan from 89 she could be billed as Olivia and you’d never know until she spoke.
There was no feud. They were genuine sisters with likes and dislikes. They were friendly towards one another, but very different individuals. They were very reconciled before the end of Joan’s life. Visited and spoke with one another.
They weren't reconciled. Joan's publicist gave an interview shortly after Joan's death. She was pointed in her responses about the relationship between Joan and her children (Joan loved them, they regularly exchanged cards, which Joan was proud of and always kept but they weren't that close); and her sister, which the publicist said that Joan almost never talked about Olivia, except in passing remarks and that the women had not spoken in many years.
Dorothy Kilgallen, gosh she was a whip.. so smart! Raised by eccentric parents, that were raised in the later part of the Victorian era that probably did have some wealth I can see how Olivia and Joan were not raised with a lot of warmth. They look so much alike, but I always favored Joan's acting and movies. These women sound fascinating though and I would love to find and read Joan's book No bed of roses. Also the book Sisters,The Story of Olivia de Havilland and Joan Fontaine. Will have to look into my local library!
I’ve always wondered why Fontaine was so forthright and (I just assume) honest whereas DeHavilland legit never commented on their relationship publicly or with the press. It’s just crazy because nobody has anything bad to say about either of these women (a feat, really; they were obviously just hard-working, nice people) except the sisters themselves about each other. So it feels safe to assume this was just one of those things, and not a direct commentary on either being hard to be around or spoiled divas. Some siblings just don’t gel. Except for most of us we aren’t super famous Oscar winners with opinions anybody cares about.
Definitely Somewhat dysfunctional in their relationship.... And I am sorrowful for that.... Because they were both great actresses with much charisma and talent!
