The Star 1952

[davidmorrocco]

I heard the movie The Star played by Bette Davis was really about Joan Crawford. So I had to purchase the DVD to add to my Joan collection. It’s so true. Bette Davis is playing Joan Crawford. You can see it from the quotes, mannerisms, clothes, the walk, the jesters and so much more. I felt that I was betraying Joan watching it. Here’s some juice I found out about the making of The Star. Davis used the phrase, "bless you!" in the film as a term of endearment. In reality, Bette Davis was making fun of Joan Crawford, who usually signed autographs that way and used the phrase to thank people. Bette Davis reported that she modeled her performance as the aging, has been, drunken 'star' actress in the film after Joan Crawford, a real actress who was Bette Davis' contemporary, competition, and a lifelong enemy which she publicly ridiculed throughout both their careers; to what extent this is true could be argued, but there's no question about her wearing the famous Crawford ankle strap shoes when she views her disastrous screen test. Joan Crawford was not impressed with Davis' portrayal commenting, "Of course I had heard she was supposed to be playing me, but I didn't believe it. Did you see the picture? It couldn't possibly be me. Bette looked so old, and so dreadfully overweight."  Screenwriters Dale Eunson and Katherine Albert were friends of Joan Crawford. After this film was released, Crawford ended their friendship.  The DVD also had special features that backed up the fact that Bette played Joan, no question about it. I personally will always love Joan, but I wanted to see for myself if the movie had any kind of references to Joan and yes, they are in almost every scene. Don’t hate me for watching Bette Davis portrayal of Joan Crawford because I am and always will be a true #1 Joan Crawford fan. I was just courteous and wanted to check it out for myself. 

[Admin]

Mar 2, 2021 9:42:16 GMT -6 davidmorrocco said:

I heard the movie The Star played by Bette Davis was really about Joan Crawford. So I had to purchase the DVD to add to my Joan collection. It’s so true. Bette Davis is playing Joan Crawford. You can see it from the quotes, mannerisms, clothes, the walk, the jesters and so much more. I felt that I was betraying Joan watching it. Here’s some juice I found out about the making of The Star. Davis used the phrase, "bless you!" in the film as a term of endearment. In reality, Bette Davis was making fun of Joan Crawford, who usually signed autographs that way and used the phrase to thank people. Bette Davis reported that she modeled her performance as the aging, has been, drunken 'star' actress in the film after Joan Crawford, a real actress who was Bette Davis' contemporary, competition, and a lifelong enemy which she publicly ridiculed throughout both their careers; to what extent this is true could be argued, but there's no question about her wearing the famous Crawford ankle strap shoes when she views her disastrous screen test. Joan Crawford was not impressed with Davis' portrayal commenting, "Of course I had heard she was supposed to be playing me, but I didn't believe it. Did you see the picture? It couldn't possibly be me. Bette looked so old, and so dreadfully overweight."  Screenwriters Dale Eunson and Katherine Albert were friends of Joan Crawford. After this film was released, Crawford ended their friendship.  The DVD also had special features that backed up the fact that Bette played Joan, no question about it. I personally will always love Joan, but I wanted to see for myself if the movie had any kind of references to Joan and yes, they are in almost every scene. Don’t hate me for watching Bette Davis portrayal of Joan Crawford because I am and always will be a true #1 Joan Crawford fan. I was just courteous and wanted to check it out for myself. 

I've seen "The Star" twice over the years, and I saw a general depiction of any aging star, but it didn't strike me as being particularly Joan-based. Could've been Bette herself in a few years---though she was probably feeling invincible 'cause '50s "All About Eve" had just been released! (Oh, that will never be ME!) Car-wreck, and then Bette meeting up with a simple boat captain and giving up her career---hardly Joan!

p.s. Eunson and Albert, the writers, were pissed off at Joan at this very time period because they'd asked her to talk their 17-year-old daughter out of marrying a car salesman. Instead, Joan had the two kids over to her house, where they were wed. Eunson/Albert never spoke to Joan again. (Their daughter, Joan Evans, had a life-long happy marriage to Kirby Weatherly and remained a life-long friend of Joan's.)