Customer Reviews

Bette and Joan: The Divine Feud

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This is a wonderfully trashy book that focuses on the careers and lives of the great Joan Crawford and Bette Davis. It's by far the best book on either of them. Great book for anyone with a good sense of camp who enjoys these great actresses!

Oh, my, a book chronicling the legendary feud between Bette Davis and Joan Crawford! The same feud that inspired such quotes as 'Hollywood's first case of syphillis, I wouldn;t sit on her toilet' (Bette on Joan) and 'Some would call it Art. I would call it camouflage' (Joan on Bette's makeup)! A book chronicling not only the face-to-face fights but also the lives of the two most enduring legends of the Hollywood Machine??

Sign me up!!

When I got my hands on this book, I had expected it to be a sycophantically-observed tirade on Who Did What To Whom (A bit like Andrew Morton's Madonna, or Christina Crawford's Mommie Dearest), but happily Sean Considine has more than enough intelligence and talent not to allow this to happen. A huge, absorbing book, it literally takes each of these Uber-Divas in turn, and, chapter by chapter, charts their meteoric rise from very different beginnings to Hollywood Royalty-status, right to the lonely end of Ms. Crawford (she died first). Included are several wonderful asides about certain movies, and light is shed on some of the more over-exaggerated aspects of the stars' lives (such as Joan's children and Bette's fracas with Warner Bros). First-hand interviews with each of the stars preface the book, and I challenge anyone who is a fan not to find something new in here (for example, did you know that Joan was supposed to play Christopher Reeve's mother in Superman? Except she died before the movie casting people found out?).

Considine is clearly a fan of both women, but does a commendable job of keeping commentary unbiased and even, and, happily, gives it a hefty dose of dry observational humour, to boot. It's a meandering, hugely-detailed style of writing, and one, while not perhaps best suited to a stereotypical biography, here it works better than anything else could have. We know already pretty much everything we can know about these two women, and thanks to Considine's wit and superior talent as a biographer, we re-read it without being bored.

Photos are nothing special (though there are some lovely shots of young Bette, who, despite popular opinion, was a very beautiful young woman), but that's secondary when a story is so absorbing and well-told. Curl up with a hefty glass of vodka, send the children to bed (or give them to Carol-Anne to tie up, whatever :-), and enjoy this intelligently-told, totally engrossing story.

Highly recommended.

This book is the most intensely entertaining piece written about the very eccentric and hostile relationship between Bette Davis and Joan Crawford that I have ever read. As for the facts of the material, I would question the validity of some of the "truths" poured forth by this particular book. Overall it is a fun read and highly reccomended for those who are interested in the glitter and scandals of the Golden Era of film.

Bette Davis and Joan Crawford were two of the biggest stars of their time, and their time lasted several decades. Each appeared in important movies and were staples of the golden age of Hollywood. Both worked for Warner Brothers for a time, made one (and a half) film(s) together, and both ended their careers in a series of cheap horror flicks. Perhaps it is because of these similarities that they seemed to have a rivalry, although they often ignored or denied its existence. This book examines the careers of both women and the surprising parallels between them.

Crawford was a poor, fast flapper whose hard work paid off and landed her at MGM, the star factory. Her entire demeanor was manufactured and she played the role of a star both on and off screen. She had a tendency to reach out to even the least prestigious people on the set, even if her gestures seemed forced at times. Davis on the other hand came from the stage. She felt superior to Crawford and other actors who grew up on the screen. She was difficult to get along with at times, but always had a sense of humor about herself and strove to be a good actress. Their personalities clashed intensely and culminated when they starred together in Whatever Happened to Baby Jane? But the feud did not end there; it could only be ended in death.

This book is well researched with an extensive bibliography. It is very well written. The chapters are divided into segments which makes for quick and easy reading. There are plenty of quotes by fellow actors, family members, and members of the press to provide a general outlook on the ladies and not just one point of view. Although not all of their films are discussed, the important ones are here. A worthwhile read for both seasoned fans of the ladies and the casual classic film viewer, author Shaun Considine will not disappoint.

Here's a treat for you: the inside scoop of two legendary divas who ruled the screens while despising one another, who nearly came to blows on the set of the classic Whatever Happened to Baby Jane movie, and whose love hate relationship was as famous as their tormented lives behind the glamour. Take Inside Edition's tabloid style and add a touch of Entertainment Tonight's interview vault and you get a pretty good idea what's in store for you. Sure, the novel doesn't break any literary ground, but what do you expect when its theme is the over-the-top antics of its two subjects.-----Martin Boucher

This is a really well-written book---two bio's in one, parallel chronologies expertly interwoven, and bountiful barbs. Hilarious as well as poignant, this one volume brought these true legends much more to life than any of their individual auto/biographies I've read.

Through comparison and contrast---more often than not in their own oblique or direct words---Considine captures Bette and Joan from angles not, I think, so fully considered in other works. One comes to a better understanding of their personalities and how each both affected, and was affected by, their numerous characters as well as each other in their endless arguments over which was the "actor" and which the "star."

Augumentatively orbiting each other for decades until their professional tangent in "Baby Jane", these two really did share much mutual respect and admiration, though seemingly less for the person and more for the performer. Virtually all of it, however, went unexpressed or unbelieved.

One wonders what might have been had these two followed the last sentiments of Jane to Blanche: "you mean all this time we coulda been friends?" But think of the tangalizing tale of Hollywood oneupmanship we would have missed if they had.

(note: there is no mention of Bette's death in this 1989 publication, which evidently preceeded it in October of the same year)

I absolutely loved this book!... The amazing thing was, I expected to hate Joan Crawford and love Bette Davis, but my reaction to the book was the exact opposite. Bette comes off so cold and callous as to be downright inhuman. Joan, on the other hand, is fascinating, passionate, and utterly, utterly human. The funny thing is, it is obvious to me that the author shares my initial prejudice; clearly, he intends for us to love Bette and hate Joan, but even so, Joan comes off far more interesting and sympathetic.

The person who comes off the worst is Joan's daughter Christina, author of "Mommie Dearest." She appears as nasty, vicious and a total brat, even as an adult. Again, the author clearly intends for us to side with Christina against Joan, but I empathized with Joan. For example, on page 275, the author tells us Joan employed "mental torture" on Christina. Yet his only three example are, Joan burned a pair of Tina's "tight toreador pants", made her do "messy housework" and, for her birthday, gave Christina a single earring, with the promise that she would receive the other earring at graduation if Christina got good marks. This is mental torture? It sounds like basic parenting to me. I wish more parents would burn their teenaged daughter's [ugly] clothes. It makes me think that all of "Mommie Dearest" is grossly exaggerated, written by a bitter, vengeful Christina who desperately wanted to tarnish her mother's image.

The author tells us that Joan made many attempts to befriend Bette Davis, and was constantly repulsed in the most vulgar manner. Bette, though a far greater actress, seems a total bore in real life, unconcerned about her husband(s), her children, or anything except her own genius. She never passed up a chance to humiliate Joan. I'd much rather spend an evening with Joan.

A fascinating page-turner which will rivet and delight any fan of Joan, Bette, and old Hollywood, Among the many tidbits are that Joan and Marilyn Monroe had a sexual encounter in the late 40's. This was confirmed several years ago in a front-page article in the L.A. Times describing recorded sessions between Marilyn and her psychiatrist (The psychiatrist's widow wanted the contents of the tapes publicized to protect her husband from widespread rumors implicating him in Marilyn's death). Consodine's description of the event is hilarious, although Marilyn's tapes revealed that Joan wanted a repeat performance and was NOT happy when Marilyn turned her down.
Pay no attention to the few tiresome, cynical complainers here who dismiss the book as boring second-hand gossip. It is NOT. The book is a huge treat. Recommended!

If you're a fan of Bette and Joan, you'll surely get a kick out of Shaun Considine's "The Divine Feud". It's filled with hilarious anecdotes, catty quips and perfectly distills the lives of these two Hollywood legends.

Bette Davis would have liked to think she had absolutely nothing in common with Joan Crawford. The truth would have it otherwise. Both stars ruled their respective movie studios with an iron fist, had numerous husbands--and even boyfriends in common; and both had daughters who wrote poisonous hatchet jobs about their upbringings.

Davis considered herself the "Actress" and Crawford the "Movie Star". They only came together for one very memorable movie, "What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?", which has gone down in history as one of the milestones of camp cinema. This book explores their individual careers and personal lives with great detail but never seems laboured or dry. The witty, chatty narrative of Considine gives the book an enjoyable tone. To be fair, the author also points out the various flaws and failings in his subjects--proving that life is always in shades of gray.

"The Divine Feud" is bound to be a must-own volume for the devotees of Ms Crawford and Ms Davis.

This book is the best book I've ever read! Bette Davis & Joan Crawford are two of the most fascinating women of all time (and not to mention two of the best actresses ever to hit the movies). If you are a fan of either of these two women, this book is for you! Both Davis & Crawford say some of the most shocking, predictable and honest things I have ever heard of in my life. After you read this book, you learn two things: Bette was the "actress" & Joan was the "movie star." Bette envied Joan's beauty while Joan envied Bette's talent. You really get a good look into both of these women's private lives & after reading this book, you feel as if you were their closest friend. You will not be able to put this book down; it's just that good!