LawrenceA Posted May 5, 2016 Share Posted May 5, 2016 It was announced today that the FX network has greenlit yet another anthology show from producer Ryan Murphy. Previously responsible for American Horror Story and the recent The People Vs. O.J. Simpson, this new show will focus on a different famous feud from the past each season. For this inaugural outing it will be on Joan Crawford vs Bette Davis, with AHS alum Jessica Lange starring as Crawford and Susan Sarandon as Davis. Thoughts and comments? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NickAndNora34 Posted May 5, 2016 Share Posted May 5, 2016 First of all, I love both Jessica Lange and Susan Sarandon. What great talents! I will most likely be tuning in to this one lol I found this audio clip of Bette talking about Miss Crawford, and she maintains the most professional tone and word choice. I don't know if we'll ever know the absolute truth behind this "feud," but from what I can gather, these two ladies were phenomenal actresses with very strong and dynamic personalities. It's only natural that this should cause friction between them. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaveGirl Posted May 5, 2016 Share Posted May 5, 2016 Great feuds are so entertaining. I like both ladies but will pass judgment after I see them in costume. Thanks for the update! I hope they do one about Bogart and Holden. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamesJazGuitar Posted May 5, 2016 Share Posted May 5, 2016 First of all, I love both Jessica Lange and Susan Sarandon. What great talents! I will most likely be tuning in to this one lol I found this audio clip of Bette talking about Miss Crawford, and she maintains the most professional tone and word choice. I don't know if we'll ever know the absolute truth behind this "feud," but from what I can gather, these two ladies were phenomenal actresses with very strong and dynamic personalities. It's only natural that this should cause friction between them. Nice little interview. Davis was funny as well as tactful. A lot of the initial so called friction was created by Jack Warner and WB studios. Jack signed Joan to a contract and one reason was to have a counter balance to Bette. This was a fairly common practice during the studio era; bring in a professional rival as a way to put current stars under contract 'in their place'. I don't think Bette ever took the bait since Bette was still queen of WB. Bette was offered the part in Mildred Pierce but declined. She was director Curtiz's first choice and after that he tried to get Stanwyck but finally settled on Crawford. That best actress Oscar for Crawford might have set Davis off to some degree (but I assume Davis kicking herself instead of Crawford). 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fedya Posted May 5, 2016 Share Posted May 5, 2016 First of all, I love both Jessica Lange and Susan Sarandon. What great talents! I will most likely be tuning in to this one lolWill you be drinking a Pepsi or a Coke as you watch? 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
midnight08 Posted May 5, 2016 Share Posted May 5, 2016 From what I heard Bette Davis and Joan Crawford were like sisters (just as close as Joan Fontaine and Olivia de Havilland). 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
speedracer5 Posted May 6, 2016 Share Posted May 6, 2016 Will you be drinking a Pepsi or a Coke as you watch? I may give this show a gander. However, I would drink a Coke, I loathe Pepsi. Plus, I am on Team Davis all the way, I prefer her over Crawford. I loved her Baby Jane character in What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? she was hilarious. However, when watching this show, I'll probably spike my Coke with some spiced rum! Lol. I think it'll enhance the viewing experience. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
speedracer5 Posted May 6, 2016 Share Posted May 6, 2016 First of all, I love both Jessica Lange and Susan Sarandon. What great talents! I will most likely be tuning in to this one lol I found this audio clip of Bette talking about Miss Crawford, and she maintains the most professional tone and word choice. I don't know if we'll ever know the absolute truth behind this "feud," but from what I can gather, these two ladies were phenomenal actresses with very strong and dynamic personalities. It's only natural that this should cause friction between them. In Bette Davis' hilarious 1971 Dick Cavett interview, Davis is discussing a serious wasp bite that she got on her arm. Dick Cavett jokingly asks if Joan Crawford put it there. Davis wouldn't directly address her feud with Crawford but then said something like "Oh Joan wouldn't do that, she'd probably use a gun." Lol! I think I've read that their feud started way back in the thirties when both ladies were fighting over Franchot Tone. I'm not sure if Crawford was married to Tone at the time when Davis supposedly had an affair with him during the making of Dangerous in 1935. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vautrin Posted May 6, 2016 Share Posted May 6, 2016 Beat the **** out of her, Bette. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sewhite2000 Posted May 7, 2016 Share Posted May 7, 2016 Which actress is playing which actress? My initial impression is Sarandon would be better as Davis and Lange as Crawford, but I could be wrong. I'm intrigued, but I imagine the whole plot is going to have to be highly speculative, as I just don't know that much detailed info is out there.. Is there any definitive book about the making of this film? I seem to recall Robert Osborne mentioning a couple of times that he was actually on the set for this movie, and both actresses were completely professional, although it would be more fun to think they were pulling hair and super-gluing each other's set chairs between takes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LawrenceA Posted May 7, 2016 Author Share Posted May 7, 2016 Which actress is playing which actress? My initial impression is Sarandon would be better as Davis and Lange as Crawford, but I could be wrong. Read the first post again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bogie56 Posted May 7, 2016 Share Posted May 7, 2016 I saw a play in London a few years ago called Bette & Joan with Greta Scacchi and Anita Dobson. It was a fictionalized take on the behind-the-scenes antics on the Whatever Happened to Baby Jane? set. It was quite amusing. Sarandon as Davis is a great choice. Here is a review from the Telegraph ... http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/theatre/drama/8506724/Bette-and-Joan-Arts-Theatre-review.html 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Princess of Tap Posted May 7, 2016 Share Posted May 7, 2016 Beat the **** out of her, Bette. Whatever Happened to Baby Jane was the best time I ever had in a movie theater. I was in grade school with my best friend and we almost got kicked out of the balcony because we couldn't stop screaming whenever Bette Davis was beating somebody up. When Bette served the pet parakeet to Joan Crawford, we screamed so much that the manager came up and told us that if we weren't quiet we'd have to leave. Bette has always been my favorite movie actress. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaveGirl Posted May 7, 2016 Share Posted May 7, 2016 Will you be drinking a Pepsi or a Coke as you watch? In honor of Alfred Steele, I shall be drinking Pepsi with some cognac added. Waiting to hear what drink others will be downing. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
film lover 293 Posted May 7, 2016 Share Posted May 7, 2016 sewhite2000--There are two good books. Shaun Considine's 'Bette & Joan: The Divine Feud" (1989) is a dual biography of the two, leading up to the filming of Baby Jane and the attempted re-teaming of them in 1965's "Hush...Hush, Sweet Charlotte. Good book. "Dark Victory" (2008) by Ed Sikov is maybe the best biography of Davis available. Edit; on Amazon, are 10 copies of Hardback DV available for 50 cents plus shipping. copies of TDF are 75 cents plus shipping. Thought you would be interested. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vautrin Posted May 7, 2016 Share Posted May 7, 2016 Whatever Happened to Baby Jane was the best time I ever had in a movie theater. I was in grade school with my best friend and we almost got kicked out of the balcony because we couldn't stop screaming whenever Bette Davis was beating somebody up. When Bette served the pet parakeet to Joan Crawford, we screamed so much that the manager came up and told us that if we weren't quiet we'd have to leave. Bette has always been my favorite movie actress. Yeah, Bette really got her whacks in in that film. Maybe real life catharsis taking place in a movie. Get it all out. I really don't have a problem with Joan, but whenever the subject of the feud comes up, I can't help myself. Don't mess with Mother GD. I prefer Pepsi to Coke, but Coke is okay. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sewhite2000 Posted May 8, 2016 Share Posted May 8, 2016 Sorry, Lawrence, I missed your specific casting info somehow. I know I get exasperated when another poster on here asks a question about or repeats something I've just said previously in the same thread as if, you know, they didn't even READ what I just wrote, so apologies for not reading your post more carefully. On the other hand, I'm a little pleased with myself for correctly guessing which actress would be playing which role. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mr6666 Posted May 10, 2016 Share Posted May 10, 2016 "At its best, ['Feud'] could reveal the ugliness of the way Hollywood treats aging actresses, their desperation to work even in fairly grotesque roles just for the sake of working," Beauchamp said. "These women had portrayed incredible three-dimensional protagonists on screen. They were the stars of those movies, and their stories were what brought people to the theaters."..... http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-et-mn-0509-bette-davis-joan-crawford-feud-20160506-snap-story.html 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cmovieviewer Posted August 18, 2016 Share Posted August 18, 2016 Catherine Zeta-Jones has been added to the cast, playing Olivia de Havilland: http://www.tv.com/news/catherine-zeta-jones-is-returning-to-television-after-20-years-147138471400/ For those interested, here's another article on the production: http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/ryan-murphy-anthology-feud-starring-890863 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
im4cinema2 Posted August 21, 2016 Share Posted August 21, 2016 I'd like to see them make a movie of Joan in her younger days. How she struggled with her mother to make ends meet and then going to New York to be chorus girl and her break in the 1920's. Her friendship with Bill Haines and her early triumphs and romances. The film could end where Mommie Dearest begins with Joan's adoption of Christina. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
im4cinema2 Posted August 22, 2016 Share Posted August 22, 2016 In the interviews I've seen Joan was always "kind" and gave Davis credit for being very professional. Like wise Davis always indicated that although they weren't exactly bosom buddies they just had different spheres and opinions on things and everything was kept at a cool professional distance and level. So there! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MiddleGround17 Posted August 22, 2016 Share Posted August 22, 2016 wow! That is so bizarre. So again my question does remain: how were people aware of this Feud? or where they even aware of it before the baby Jane filmed? I'm 90% sure that people outside of the industry were aware of the feud long before Baby Jane and I'd assume that word got out because of two things. 1) People outside of Hollywood probably heard about the slowly-building rivalry through the gossip columns of Hedda Hopper and Louella Parsons, leading all the way up to production on Baby Jane. 2) People that worked on the movie talked about the experience, so it got spread around Hollywood and people within the movie industry. With the influence Hopper and Parsons had in their columns for so long, I think it's hard to ignore their surefire contributions to public awareness of the rivalry. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LawrenceA Posted October 1, 2016 Author Share Posted October 1, 2016 Here's a short article with some pics of the two leads in costume: http://www.darkhorizons.com/photos-lange-sarandon-filming-fxs-feud/ 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RipMurdock Posted October 3, 2016 Share Posted October 3, 2016 In honor of Alfred Steele, I shall be drinking Pepsi with some cognac added. Waiting to hear what drink others will be downing. yur so witty. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EugeniaH Posted July 5, 2017 Share Posted July 5, 2017 I didn't see this mentioned anywhere else here, so sorry if this is repeat news, but I found it interesting that Olivia De Havilland brought a lawsuit against Ryan Murphy and FX over her portrayal in "Feud", just before her 101st birthday on July 1. I'm sure the timing wasn't a coincidence. Here's the article in Variety: http://variety.com/2017/tv/news/olivia-de-havilland-feud-lawsuit-fx-ryan-murphy-1202484973/ 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts