Bette Davis Speaks Her Mind | Carson Tonight Show

[Music] thank you Don we are back now very often nowadays if anybody has been in the entertainment business 5 years they say you know here's a star but I think a star is really determined by how long you've been around and where you are held in a steam by your peers and Betty Davis is probably one of the most respected admired actresses and indestructible of all of them she's had two Oscars 10 nominations numerous Awards she recently received the Legion of Honor medal and the Cesar award from France would you welcome please Miss Betty Davis [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] uh I know maybe you thought I was standing too long enjoying it too much but I wish to stand up again may I you sir may you want to show that you want to show this no no not uh are you saying to yourself I'm a little overdressed I think it's it's beautiful yes well I'll tell you why this is the dress that Norman Nolan Miller made for me for my trip to Paris for all the awards it was announced in some of the gossip columns here in Hollywood that I had a rare dress one columnist knew it was made by Nolan thought he should have mentioned it so I want to give noan because I want to tell you that night in Paris well we're becoming the fashion capital of the world let me tell you and Nolan's dress rocked them in Paris and it was particularly fun because they had a lot of clips from a documentary from England and there was Jezebel in the red dress and then when the film was over you walked out it just happened I had a red dress that was great fun so anyway Nolan thank you for my my beautiful dress well it is gorgeous I that I I only you could make that so dramatic I really shouldn't say uh say thank you Nolan it costs a hell of a lot of money this is something as it well should have Nolan Miller uh Nolan no it's not going to cost you anything after a while 20 years ago Nolan Miller out of Des designing School came to Hollywood hired by Aaron Spelling mhm I was we were doing a pilot 20 years ago Aaron and I and it was very amazing that many years later that Nolan and Aaron and I were doing the hotel pilot I was the first person he was to dress and of course all those awful rumors about me he was absolutely panicked but he made the most beautiful clothes so that was the beginning what awful rumors about you what awful rumors about you oh my dear that I um when I was when I did Eve uh Mr mant was a telephone by 01 12 or 15 directors and said my dear you're insane just prepare yourself she will walk on the set with a yellow pad and a pencil and there won't be one line of yours left he said but there was one person who said differently and I said who was that an he said Willy wer said he'll you will have ball directing her the others unfortunately um I had to do that with there was no there was no other way now there wasn't if I was to remain in films now being the modest person I am and we're talking about Paris and all right uh you bought you bought me a gift I no oh no I wanted to show you was this the this gorgeous government metal that that was given to me I think it's just lovely hold it up now aren't you going to ask why the French would decorate me well I can imagine they decorated it for because they admire and respect your ability for an artist oh Johnny you weren't my straight man at all oh well you know Jerry Lewis personally that's why they decorated I suppose by now you're wondering if you're going to get a chance wondering right now if you're going to get a chance to say anything I will shut up in well I thought don't tell me you got your own show too tonight I thought I thought maybe tonight I would kind of let you sort of see if you thought I could do it yeah well you can do it well well during the evening you keep on thinking CU I'm kind of auditioning for Jones Jones now in in case yeah you had done what I hoped you yes say why would the French government Play Straight why would why would the French government give you award in case you in case in case you did ask me I wrote down from the scroll that came that came with this all right and this is what I am I am in com commander commander commander commander the lord of the order of the order days art the artist we a oh you speak French Mar a a days L and it was presented to me by the minister of culture I will not pretend it was not a very thrilling moment in my life we have another country give me I think that's very nice no going you're going to take a [Music] break we're going to take a break you know you you may have your show back we'll just take a break and we'll come right [Applause] back hereo cigarette [Applause] zigarette wo a what kind is it I don't the famous scene from Now Voyager righten Paul Henry writing the two cig that was an example of one of the directors that called up man witz the one that directed Voyager he never thought of the two cigarettes I'd like to announce right now or anything else I might isn't therapy wonderful though just recently at a big see I have not shut up yet have I that's all right so at at this huge festival for me for three weeks in New York he was one of the speakers I wish to God I could have been in the audience to hear what he had to say yeah now I'm trying to get a report about it I haven't succeeded yet it'll be coming in I'm going to he came to see a play of mine he came to see me and Miss Mett in Philadelphia came backstage and I was so amazed and horrified he said well I didn't let you know because you might have been too nervous with me in the audience oh God s what was the did you actually said in picker Peter Peter Peter right no that was never said no no no and and but I all the Impressions always used to do you go P Peter Peter well that was started by Arthur Blake who was the original great great great one he's the one that did the arm and I was horrified to realize later I did this elbow thing a lot yes yeah he showed me that but he's the one that said Pizza Pizza his uh his impersonation of Mrs Elena Roosevelt knitting at a girl scout scout rally was absolutely the most Sensational thing he was one of the great impressions of time from here it came you know not just all the outward thing yeah right what is this I'm going to show audience a picture you can look at that on the Monitor and it what do you remember says this was a picture put out by un it says Charming Betty Davis Universal featured player did you hate to you know then what yeah little public city Stills did you why didn't somebody unearth that earlier they could have done me great harm my God I didn't remember did you hate taking pictures like that well I never did that's why I'm really amazed at that you sure that let me see that what do you mean you sure that's you say I'm afraid you're right yes I did one set of bathing suit pictures with Joan blondelle once and then once I rode on top of a balloon or something for some kind of thing but I never did these you never did no and I was very very glad they couldn't haul them out later yeah but I'm terribly glad I didn't do nudes oh God imagine those being hauled out later would they have asked you in those days to do nudes no they they wouldn't have asked anybody nor would they have gotten anybody yeah nowadays it seems to be rather common it's just a it's a must if a man and woman look at each other yeah that same evening yes I just finished the film they U I didn't realize that scene was in the film until I saw it the other night yes same thing clothes come off delicately of course you know exactly what they look like underneath I don't know why they're so modest yeah so you don't think that should just do a a nude scene just just to do it oh of course you know you don't either no I think it's awful no yeah I don't think it's very interesting to many people to be very serious did you ever do a bubble bath scene did that didn't that ever come up no no I never was asked to get into a bathtub yeah interestingly enough I'm going to make a film uh not too long from now in Hamburg Germany and there is a scene in which I get into a bathtub aha uh not new not new oh come on God forbid at my age and hacked up as I am I do not wish to be new but but but I read that and I thought my God this is the end okay no Peter Peter never happened Arthur Blake how about the line what a dump well that is in uh Beyond the Forest and I make very very little of it I just say what a dump and Ed would all be of course he put that on on the map that line right right and he gave me a great thing when I do my Betty Davis show all over the world of film and on the stage that's how I start out every show it's wonderful sit down and just look around and say what a [Laughter] dump that's a good opening but you know sometimes it was very embarrassing when the theater was and it you felt very badly when it was beautiful but it was a mo I tell you what was great about about it they did they knew from then on they could have fun with me right and they didn't have to sort of respect this old Legend they could really have fun and we had fun you were you were nominated you got two Oscars you were nominated for 10 others is there a picture that you thought maybe should have won that you didn't yes three okay I lost out to Doc Victory because that was the great Gone With the Wind Year ah and I was Gone with the Wind and uh I feel that I should have had it the Oscar for Margot Channing oh yes uh unfortunately unfortunately uh I was not under contract with Fox Miss Baxter was so as the studios always used to do they send notes around if it was there people and say Marilyn Mon George Sanders this is right so uh uh I think I lost by some votes that I would not have lost by if Fox hadn't done that yeah so I was I was s but the last one I was definitely robbed of Miss Crawford went to New York and said to all the nominees on on the stage who might not be able to get to Hollywood I will accept your Oscar for you and she went she P Pac New York to find people had not vote for me CU I think I lost by a very few votes for Jane that was whatever happened to Baby James but there she stood there Janes stood with Miss Ban's Oscar clutched to her bosom it had it had become hers yes it had become hers she also traveled with it for one year no no no one year with pepsicola and she told miss banro that she would bathe this Oscar in all the Waters of the world so she got back to New York Miss banro is still doing mother courage gave a party on the stage of mother courage after a performance one night right and gave the Oscar to miss Bank finally she got it she had it for a year well you got a lot of goodu worth waiting for yeah of course oh yeah what what what picture did you make that you thought was a total disaster total disaster I I loed beond the forest you really yes I was I was not young enough to play that girl you you would you felt that when I played that girl I would have gotten to Chicago years ago absolutely years ago and the tragedy was that Joseph cotton was the husband and who in the world wants to leave Joseph cotton yeah in the book it was a great book interestingly enough and Eugene plette was perfect casting for this aor Eugene pet who talk like this yeah that awful husband so I begged not to play it and uh that was the last picture I made for war did you fall in love with any of your Leading Men I was more apt to fall in love with directors mhm I think I think uh it had a lot to do with u i like some a male who kind of took charge of me and told me what to do and it's very hard for me to find that yeah yeah who would think I needed that but I did strong you wanted a domineering strong personality yeah I did we're going to cut away but we're coming back stay where you are we are back talking with Miss Betty Davis okay another picture here another picture says with your mother at a Premiere movie premiere in 1931 strong influence in your life your mother mother was why I'm sitting here not from the stage mother standpoint but from the earning enough money that I could study in a dramatic school and doing all those years for me at Great sacrifice but that that is our first premiere dressed rather oddly you would say I didn't not and in my book oh it's an old kind of thing and mother's kind of odd and we hadn't learned to look like Hollywood yet we were very Yankees still and I have a strip of pictures in my book the lonely life that's the first one then there's the second one uh the third one is at the premiere of All About Eve and I have written and and by the now we really look rather rather sharp rather Sharp and uh uh under it I have written Pilgrim's Progress okay here's another picture Dark Victory 1939 and the gentleman of course is Ronald Reagan yes what's your memory about this well um I can't quite get over still referring to him uh and uh I was delighted to hear that you've not been invited to the White House neither have I well actually you have been invited by the re well I have not I have not well that's good he's sort of yes but we always we always referred to him as little Ronnie Reagan he did give one good performance Kings Ro we will hand that I think that but you know uh take a man's leg off it's it it's a lot going for you in those scenes yeah not a lot of sympathy but I have to say I have to say I think he is infinitely better than I ever thought he would be infinitely I think he shows quite a lot of guts upon occasion he has had some rather serious things to decide yes he has yes well good but I just don't hope I just hope he doesn't encourage a lot of other actors I think we shouldn't take over that P [Applause] you're having a lot of fun tonight aren't you yeah yes I am I'm very surprised no no listen wait wait no no no no no nothing to do with appearing with John Carson I'm surprised that I am I haven't done a great deal of this lately I'm taking to it like a duck takes the water again delighted wonderful wonderful did you ever get the old question and I may back you may have to have me again okay that's all right with me yes I may I may be back to the book have to take me on you writing another book you got another book in here are you writing another book uh oh for years we've been doing this book yeah so I may be back the publisher wants me he feels you're of Great Value to the sales I quite agree oh well then you can come here well you have helped a lot of books in your life well you can come here anytime and other things what other products do you think you've helped besides books [Laughter] wives no no oh yes well of course you and I must never get on that subject no we shouldn't no we since I paid alamon for 3 years to be's father did you really yes it's kind of a reverse twist isn't it yeah well that's how desperately I wanted to get rid of him and and to say that he was enjoying the uh our way of life was he did not want to give that up no no no poor man very generous po would you change anything in your life if you had to do it all over again to be very serious well if you want to be um I only wish I had been brought up on the present uh morale system really that it that it was that it was accepted that maybe you lived with somebody before you married them that's my upbringing my upbringing was that's why you married and you waited until then and uh on a dick cavat show which is rather famous show with some people he asked he asked uh he asked when I gave up my virginity was a rather shock to me sitting there yes I counted 10 and uh then I thought come on I said when when I married my first husband and then I waited a minute and I said it was hell waiting yeah but nowadays people right and I think it's very possible I might not have married some of the people I married I think I would have Mar married Gary yeah I think I definitely would have married Gary we had a great great deal in common you're talking about Gary Merl yes yeah yes I definitely would have yeah yes I was very much in love with Gary okay and I flatter myself he rather liked me too did you ever go out and you ever go out to a party some night and and get real silly and have too much to drink and do something really dumb no I would be I I there's too much of that strict Yankee upbringing wouldn't allow you to do that it wouldn't allow me to do that no no couldn't do that anyway I don't wouldn't like to be drunk and be you're out of control yeah yeah completely you always want to be in control well there have been about two times in my life that I have been had too much to drink I knew that and wasn't next day quite sure what I did M and I I never dared to ask yeah I never dared to ask better that way sometimes it's better that way it's awful for people to tell you how you beh when you found out you've swung the neighbor's cat through the plate glass window you know something like that it ruin your whole day ter like that we're going to cut away for a second we're coming back [Applause]

Channel: Johnny Carson

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Id: FAoCwLrPhrY

Length: 23min 0sec (1380 seconds)

Published: Mon Apr 22 2024