Stardust: The Bette Davis Story (TV 2006)

Combining unprecedented access to Davis' vast personal archives with original interviews, this documentary reveals a startling portrait of one of hollywood's most gifted and enigmatic stars.

Directors:

Peter Jones, Mark A. Catalena

Writer:

Peter Jones

Stars:

Susan Sarandon, Bette Davis, Ruthie Davis

Won 1 Primetime Emmy. Another 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Susan Sarandon	...	Narrator
Bette Davis	...	Herself (archive footage)
Ruthie Davis	...	Herself (archive footage)
Michael Merrill	...	Himself
James Woods	...	Himself
Marion Sherry	...	Herself
Vincent Sherman	...	Himself
Cecil Clovelly	...	Himself (archive footage)
Conrad Nagel	...	Himself (voice) (archive footage)
Casey Robinson	...	Himself (voice) (archive footage)
George Arliss	...	Himself as Montgomery Royle (archive footage)
Leo Rosten	...	Himself (voice) (archive footage)
Jack L. Warner	...	Himself (archive footage)
Ellen Burstyn	...	Herself
Jane Fonda	...	Herself

Storyline

A standard biography of the famed actress recounting her childhood, early films and her rise to stardom. Her father abandoned the family when she was quite young and she remained close to her domineering mother. As she became more popular she had many fights with Jack Warner, the head of Warner Brothers studio, but eventually managed to exert greater control over her career. She was nominated for several Oscars. Her private life life included several failed marriages and she was deeply hurt when her daughter, who was her closest companion for several years, wrote a tell-all and unflattering memoir of her life.

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Plot Keywords:

actress | character name in title

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Genres:

Documentary | Biography

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Certificate:

TV-14

Details

Official Sites:

Turner Classic Movies [us]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

3 May 2006 (USA)

Also Known As:

Die Bette Davis-Story

Company Credits

Production Co:

Turner Classic Movies (TCM), Turner Entertainment, Peter Jones Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

89 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Black and White Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Goofs

This documentary claims that Arliss saw Bette in a play,"The Wild Duck". In fact, character actor Murray Kinnell after working with Davis advised Arliss to have her read for him, as he knew Arliss was looking for a specific type for a film and Kinnell thought that Davis might suit Arliss. Arliss was unfamiliar with Davis but had worked with Kinnell in the theater as well as on film.

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Connections

Features Marked Woman (1937)

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Soundtracks

"Star Dust"
Music by Hoagy Carmichael
Lyrics by Mitchell Parish
Performed by Nat 'King' Cole

User Reviews

Excellent documentary on one of the greatest stars of the golden era

It would be difficult to do a bad documentary on Bette Davis - she was such a dynamic actress and woman and never boring - but this beautifully produced documentary, "Stardust: The Bette Davis Story" is over the top in excellence, paying great attention to the actress' private life as well as her movie career. Using photos, film clips, interviews with family, Davis herself, and voiceovers from coworkers, a picture emerges of Davis as a driven actress, a perfectionist, a wonderful homemaker and ultimately, a very lonely woman.

Her son Michael, who unlike her spoiled daughter B.D., loved his mother very much, states that she drank quite a bit. This was probably much less true in her heyday and exacerbated as she aged. That perhaps contributed to her becoming increasingly more difficult to work with as the years went on. Like many great stars, without the cushion of a studio, with the loss of creative control/choice that comes with moving into character roles, Bette Davis became less secure. It became more important for her to be able to intimidate the director and those around her. During the major part of her career, she was surrounded by top directors and stars - these now became people with less talent than herself, and as a result, the later films suffered. Fortunately, though, she went out with a bang, with "The Whales of August."

Bette Davis had an indomitable spirit throughout her life. She gave us some great films and brilliant performances. "Stardust" gives us insight into the woman behind them.