The Passionate Life of Bette Davis

by Lawrence J. Quirk

The illuminating, comprehensive biography of Bette Davis, one of the most electrifying Hollywood stars ever to grace the silver screen.With a career spanning six decades and more than eighty films, Bette Davis is synonymous with Hollywood legend. From her incandescent performance as Margo Channing in All About Eve , to her terrifying, psychopathic Jane Hudson in What Ever Happened to Baby Jane , Davis generated electricity wherever she appeared, whatever she did—and not just on the silver screen. Her personal life was as passionate as her career and was so fiery that it eventually consumed her.In this landmark biography, Lawrence J. Quirk takes us behind the scenes of all of Davis’s movies, from her early unpromising roles, to her commanding presence at the pinnacle of stardom, to her degrading exploitation in horror films at the end of her career. Quirk delves into Davis’s four unhappy marriages, as well as her frosty, manipulative relationships with her three children. Also revealed are her many affairs through the years with leading men, bit players, servicemen during World War II, and, very late in her life, much younger men, who repaid her by using her and deserting her. Intense, volatile, ruled often by her emotions, Bette Davis was described by one critic as "a force of nature that could find no ordinary outlet."Fasten Your Seat Belts brilliantly explores the life and career of Bette Davis to show us the fascinating original she was.

Genres: Biography, Nonfiction, Film

Hardcover

First published December 4, 1990

Reviews

[Mikey B. · Rating 4 out of 5]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6jAOU...


The author, Lawrence J. Quirk, is definitely knowledgeable on cinema. We are provided with many personal anecdotes of the directors, actors, actresses, and technicians who were on the film sets with Bette Davis over her long career.

As many know Bette Davis was not one to hold back her feelings and opinions. We are provided with ample evidence of this throughout the book. The zingers just fly. Here’s one when she was in her 70’s acting with Lillian Gish, an actress even older.

Page 439 (my book)
"She [Lillian Gish] ought to know about close-ups. Jesus, she was around when they invented them! The bitch has been around forever, you know!”

Conflicts, as in screaming and shouting matches, on the set were to be expected when Bette was around. Some of the staff, including inexperienced directors would retreat, some refused to work with her again.

Both directors William Wyler and Edmund Goulding argued vociferously with her but managed to win out in many cases. When challenged, Bette would give in when confronted with a good idea. She made many of her best films with the two above named directors.

It wasn’t always antagonistic; there were many actors and actresses who spoke very positively of Bette Davis – and they enjoyed working with her. But woe to any actors who tried to upstage her!

She was definitely one of a kind with a strong kinetic film presence. Yes she was a prima donna, and her acting style could become melodramatic.

The book can be too scatological – like high school kids talking about sex – but I suppose this reflects the Hollywood milieu.

We are given an upfront portrayal of who Bette Davis was – the good and the not so good. She was totally dedicated to her craft – to the detriment of her children who came along when she was well into her thirties. Bette Davis was in over 80 films – many as a star or co-star. At over 400 pages the book was too long for me (ok I got it at a book sale).

[Tania · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book doesn't even deserve a review. It's pure TRASH.

The source of all the gossip and sexual content was Jerry Asher, who used to work in the publicity department at MGM and later as fan magazine writer and press agent. He attended all the Hollywood parties and had a big mouth. He was friend and confidant of Joan Crawford, who found him a job at MGM in the first place. Years later he repayed her by spreading gossip about her too.

This book was published in 1990 and unfortunately has been used as a reference by all the biographers who came after.

To give you an idea of the value of this book I'll just say it contains a very detailed description of Clark Cable's penis. And with this I rest my case.

[Carly · Rating 2 out of 5]

If you want a 500+ page book chronicling each and every Bette Davis role in excruciating detail, complete with a critical cinematic lens, this book is for you. If you want a book that provides a lurid narrative of Bette Davis’s personal life, do not pick up this book. While personal anecdotes are smattered throughout, this is more an encyclopedia of movie roles.

[C.S. Burrough · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've read five Bette Davis biographies and find it impossible to rate one higher than the others. Inescapably, many details are rehashed across all of them. This one I liked, not much more or less than the others I've read. However, if I were recommending which ones to include in your coverage (there are so many), this would make my list.

All the fabulous comical caricatures have redefined our memories of this wonderful actress. Just watch her actual films, though, and you'll rediscover that she was nowhere near as over the top as you might have recalled, she had far greater dramatic subtlety and nuance than her impersonators have led us to believe.

I like to make my own mind up about the subjects of biographies and usually can. As a woman she was renowned for being earthier than her professional nemesis Joan Crawford and boasted of that, making her perhaps the more arrogant of the two yet no less adorable.

That Bette Davis was no saint becomes clear enough after covering a few biographies, that she was no monster either is also clear. She was a fascinating woman and a great, great star.

[TriCedratops]

I'm abandoning this one at the end of Chapter 7 but not due to the book itself. It's well researched, well written, and a thus far a fantastic look at Bette Davis' career and some details of her personal life.

I'm on a mission to chisel my way through the unread books on my shelf and this one has been occupying space for many years now, leftover from a phase of early Hollywood infatuation some years back. Despite being well written, my interests have changed and I don't want to carry this one through to the end.

[Jo Ann Mitchell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent Bette Davis biography

I really enjoyed this book of Bette Davis’s life and film career. She was a strong willed woman and lived life in her own way. After reading the book I find parts of Davis’s life was very sad and her only real joy seemed to be her work on the stage and in the movies. No doubt she was a gifted actress as can be seen in her many roles. It is sad that she couldn’t seem to find love and contentment in her marriages. Some of her choices were not the best for her. It seemed her mother Ruthie ruled her life for a long time and didn’t always make wise choices for her. This isn’t meant to be judgmental as her father was a cold, soulless and heartless person who divorced her mother. I am sure Ruthie with two young daughters to support did the best she could under the circumstances. Ruthie recognized Bette’s talent and was determined for her to succeed. Bette Davis is my favorite actress but after reading this book I realize she was a very temperamental and a hard woman to get along with. I saw how cruel she could be with those she disliked yet so kind and giving to those she did like. In my opinion the movie business is a harsh world and you have to be very determined and strong willed to survive. For sure, Bette Davis fit that description. She was too strong willed I think for any lasting relationship with any man. I think down deep she was always seeking true love but somehow it alluded her in her life. It is sad that she and her daughter became estranged. It must have been very difficult for those children growing up in a household with so many fights and disagreements continually. Glad her daughter and son found happiness in good marriages unlike their mother. Bette lived life in her own way up to her death. Bette let her true self be revealed as a woman in all her magnificent performances in her many roles. She showed us her beauty and soul in these performances. They are a testament to her legacy.

[Malcolm Frawley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Perhaps the definitive Bette Davis biog, if for no other reason than the author interviewed many of the participants himself. One of the major Hollywood stars of the 20th century, Davis was a difficult person. To put it mildly. But her ambition, drive & talent dragged her to the top in spite of what even she regarded as far from classic beauty. Quirk takes us through her life from production to production. Along the way, Davis had 4 husbands & several children, both biological & adopted. And I do mean along the way. Her career remained her major focus throughout her life, to the point where her biological daughter was excluded from her will, but appeared not to care. Bette's behaviour, at times, is hard to stomach but she rose to prominence, & then stayed there for decades, in a Hollywood that no longer exists. If you're a film buff who can remember those golden years you will probably enjoy this.

[Alan Duran · Rating 4 out of 5]

Following on the heels of "Joan Crawford the Essential Biography by Lawrence J. Quirk & William Schoell, I picked up Quirk's biography on Bette Davis. It was very interesting to read about Davis, since she was a contemporary star when I was growing up and only knew her as old, or at least what children see a old.In comparison to Crawford, Bette's films are not as fun as Crawford's. Bette shot for serious too much and some of those serious movies just seem dated now. My take on Bette and Joan is that, to make an analogy, is that Bette Davis is more Johnny Depp and Joan Crawford was more Tom Cruise. The book contains a lot of gossip and I believe I could have done without the gossip on Clark Gable's male member issues. These Old Hollywood women endured a lot and credit must be given to both Bette and Joan for fighting the system to keep working in Hollywood.

[Lauren Mun]

One of the best biographies I’ve read!

This book is unique because the author has not only interviewed many of the people quoted that worked with Davis, he also had the opportunity to interview Davis herself, which is something I’ve not seen in a biography (so far).

He wrote that he had spent 43 years researching Davis with the intention of writing her biography, and it truly showed. The care and respect put into the telling of her story shine through, and I especially loved the snippets where the author quoted his own published reviews of films she starred in.

While sometimes the pace dragged a bit going too in depth on the plots of her many movies, other parts did not hold back on Old Hollywood gossip (my favorite) and quotes that perfectly showcased her larger than life persona.

I really enjoyed this book, and I plan to read more from this author!

[Ken · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good Biography

A good biography of a rather complicated woman. The author does a couple of things I found a little disconcerting. One thing was his constant insertion of himself in the story, things like. “I talked to” or “when I talked to” felt a little unnecessary. Also. It seemed her bad behavior to people she worked with seemed to be somewhat glassed over early and highlighted more as she got older. perhaps it did get progressively worse. On a final note, I would have like to have read more on how her pictures did at the box office instead of just mostly critical reviews.

[Keith · Rating 3 out of 5]

1) BD is my personal all time favorite actress. 2) I didn’t really need to know that Messrs. Flynn, Power, Gable, Sanders, etc; we’re all in each others pants. 3) Didn’t really need to know that Clark Gables member smelled like cheese. 4) This is a bunch of “Cliff Notes” on BDs film history. 5) I should have bought a copy of The National Enquirer for all the allegations, innuendos and speculative bullsh*t. 6) BD is STILL my favorite actress.

[E.T. Rook · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought Fasten your Set Belts by Lawrence J. Quirk was a great bio on Ms.Davis. I can't believe I have never read it before. Unlike some other bios I've read lately, the passages on her films, with the synopses, and the inside scoop on her relationships with her directors, cast, and crew of her films grabbed my attention and kept it. What a career. Highly recommend this wonderful biography on one of Hollywood's most enduring, and quite frankly, talented, stars of the Golden Age.

[Kivrin · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good biography about a really complicated woman. Bette Davis was a brilliant actress. She could be gracious and vicious. Her acting career takes center stage (with lots of juicy--often explicit details), but her personal life is given attention as well. Very talented lady with lots of demons. Her later years were rather sad...but I'm sure she wouldn't appreciate anyone saying so!

[Meagan · Rating 2 out of 5]

I felt like I spent more time reading the plots of her movies than hearing anything about her actual life. In a chapter of reading 5 long film synopsis, it'll just be thrown in that she got divorced or got an abortion or that, by the way, her mother died. The bits that you learn about her are interesting. She must have been an exceptionally difficult person to know/love.

[Georgeann Knier · Rating 3 out of 5]

more than I needed to know

This book did not have to
Include as much as it did about every single movie and who was in them. I am pretty up with the old stars but many of the ones mentioned I didn’t know

[Patricia Long · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jumpy time lines, inadequate character development. REALLY could use a good editor.

[Lady Megan Fischer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Solid biography. Being a fan, I’m not sure I learned much that was new, but still a strong read and would be great for someone new to Bette Davis’ life and work.

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a long, detailed, and telling biography of a feisty, temperamental, and very talented actress. Clearly a long-time Bette Davis devotee, author Quirk is no slouch with the praise but ultimately provides an even-handed assessment of his subject, also offering substantial criticism for her poorer efforts and her cantankerousness with her co-stars, directors, and other film contemporaries. While not descending to the level of caustic sarcasm or sordid sensationalism, this biography pulls no punches when it moves away from her professional efforts and describes Davis' rather complex and difficult personal life. An authoritative text by a writer who has had close personal contact with both Davis and her contemporaries for decades, the book is very readable but an especially good choice for anybody interested in movies and Hollywood history.

[Angela Soto · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you are looking for a quick read relating the great Bette Davis's life, this book isn't for you. But if you are genuinely curious about her, and don't shy away from the truth, you definitely need to dive in. Though a bit tedious at times, the author overcomes that with some great information and revealing details of the life of this legendary actress. Don't expect it to be one sided, regardless of which side you are on. Quirk is definitely, in my opinion, fair and thorough in his presentation of the facts. I loved Bette Davis before I read the book. I still do. But I have a little more admiration and respect for her because now I think of her as a real person!

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

While providing some interesting interviews with actors who had worked with Davis, this book does not hold a candle to Dark Victory, by Ed Sikov. I found some of the material unnecessarily crude, but my biggest complaint revolves around author Lawrence Quirk; I honestly wondered why he devoted so many years to researching and writing this book when he didn't seem to particularly like Bette Davis or her work. He is particularly harsh about her appearance as she ages and his constant comments about her bulges and ravaged face were offensive. She deserved better.

[Pam Williams · Rating 3 out of 5]

A little trashy but very interesting (especially for Bette Davis fans like me).