1) The Internet tells me that today is Bette Davis’s birthday. So of course the only thing to do is settle down and watch Jezebel. Not just because she won her second Oscar for her performance, or because it was likely my first cinematic obsession, but because the plot hinges on a yellow fever epidemic. So appropriate for these times!
1a) That waltz at the Olympus Ball! Both the waltzes! Truly Max Steiner was one of the greatest Hollywood composers.
2) Of course the rest of the cast was just as remarkable: Fay Bainter as her aunt, Donald Crisp as the doctor, Margaret Lindsay as her Yankee rival, and the ubiquitous Spring Byington. A dear friend is very fond of Richard Cromwell, who plays Henry Fonda’s brother; it’s this performance that gave me the line “Fine as frog’s hair!” In recent months I’ve become much more admiring of Theresa Harris, who plays Bette’s maid Zette. Theresa’s performance opposite Barbara Stanwyck in Baby Face is nothing short of fantastic.
3) Later on I might screen The Letter and of course All About Eve.