Bette Davis Black and White

"From the 1930s to the 1960s, Bette Davis was not only Hollywood's brightest star but one of its most outspoken advocates on matters of race, promoting Black actors, joining Black political organizations, and taking on roles that highlighted the tragedy of American racism. In Bette Davis Black and White, Julia Stern explores this untold part of Davis's career. Stern also weaves into the book her own experience as a young viewer, telling the story of how she, a Jewish teenager in a white suburb, embraced Davis as her idol and learned from the Black performers in Davis's company. There was, for example, Ernest Anderson, whom Davis mentored and arranged to be cast opposite her in In This Our Life (1942), and who wrote a speech for his character that would become the signal expression of anti-racism in the movies of that decade. Stern discusses this and other Bette Davis films-notably The Little Foxes (1941), Jezebel (1938), and What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962)-against the history of American race relations. In Stern's hands, Davis's egalitarian politics, and the original way in which she and her Black costars collaborated, offer a window into mid-century American racial fantasy and the efforts of Black performers to disrupt it. She incorporates testimony from Davis's Black fans, including James Baldwin and C.L.R. James, as well as the African Americans who wrote letters to Warner Brothers praising Davis's work. Stern also grapples with an episode-at once dismaying and illustrative of Davis's contradictions-in which the aging star donned blackface"--
Bette Davis&;s career becomes a vehicle for a deep examination of American race relations. Bette Davis was not only one of Hollywood&;s brightest stars, but also one of its most outspoken advocates on matters of race. In Bette Davis Black and White, Julia A. Stern explores this largely untold facet of Davis&;s brilliant career.Bette Davis Black and White analyzes four of Davis&;s best-known pictures&;Jezebel (1938), The Little Foxes (1941), In This Our Life (1942), and What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962)&;against the history of American race relations. Stern also weaves in memories of her own experiences as a young viewer, coming into racial consciousness watching Davis&;s films on television in an all-white suburb of Chicago. Davis&;s egalitarian politics and unique collaborations with her Black costars offer Stern a window into midcentury American racial fantasy and the efforts of Black performers to disrupt it. This book incorporates testimony from Davis&;s Black contemporaries, including James Baldwin and C. L. R. James, as well as the African American fans who penned letters to Warner Brothers praising Davis&;s work. A unique combination of history, star study, and memoir, Bette Davis Black and White allows us to contemplate cross-racial spectatorship in new ways.