What film did Bette Davis deserve an Oscar for?

For 1941’s The Little Foxes, she was up against Joan Fontaine (the winner) for Suspicion, Olivia de Havilland for Hold Back the Dawn, Greer Garson for Blossoms in the Dust, and Barbara Stanwyck for Ball of Fire. Had Fontaine won for Rebecca, I’d give this one to Bette.

For 1942’s Now, Voyager, she was up against Greer Garson (the winner) for Mrs. Miniver, Katharine Hepburn for Woman of the Year, Roz Russell for My Sister Eileen, and Teresa Wright for Pride of the Yankees. Bette should’ve gotten this one.

Nominated for 1944’s Mr. Skeffington (not a favorite), she didn’t stand a chance. Ingrid Bergman won for Gaslight, but Barbara Stanwyck was also nominated for Double Indemnity, which I would pick for runner-up.

She should have won for All About Eve, Now, Voyager and The Letter. I love Hepburn in The Philadelphia Story, though.

She was arguably robbed for Eve. Baxter should have been nominated in the Supporting category. Nobody even remembers who Judy Holliday was now. Her only real competition was from Gloria Swanson.

She was nominated for The Star (1952), which I forgot in the poll. She was up against her nemesis Joan Crawford (for Sudden Fear), Shirley Booth (the winner) for Come Back Little Sheba, Julie Harris for Member of the Wedding, and Susan Hayward for With a Song in My Heart.

I don’t think she could’ve reasonably expected to win for Baby Jane. Anne Bancroft, Kate Hepburn, and Geraldine Page were all nominated for performances in iconic films that year.

[quote] Nobody even remembers who Judy Holliday was now.

Yes, that is the most important criterion. What a wise comment!

You forgot Of Human Bondage

I don't know either how she was so shocked to not win for Jane when she didn't pick up any precursor (I know there were less back them). I'm guessing she was surrounded by people telling her what she wanted to hear..

Of Human Bondage was the film that made her a star. But I think her finest performances were The Little Foxes, The Old Maid and All About Eve.

She was suitably scary in Baby Jane. I'd give her one for every movie in the poll. She was THAT good.

The Letter is one of my favorite Bette Davis movies and both the beginning and the ending are stand outs. I'd give her the Oscar for this film (even though her Davis mannerisms are aflutter all over the place).

I don't think the critics awards were taken as indicators of the Oscars back then. And the Globes were just a big party where everyone got shitfaced and awards were handed out to those who bothered to show up. The Globes only started to become a huge TV, celebrity must attend event in the early 90's.

Baby Jane was the surprise hit of the year. That and possible sentiment over Davis and her comeback performance could have easily swung it her way. It would not be surprising if she came in second that year.

R9 Bitchy Bette's got a gun!

Davis gave her worst performance ever in Hush, Hush, Sweet Charlotte. Didn't have any big stars to prop her up.

All About Eve has one of the best screenplays of any movie ever, and Davis had classic dialogue and a wide emotional range to work with. There are many comic moments as well as deadly serious ones.

She deserved every award available that year.

Remember that Davis had some theater experience, but she started in very early talkies where the actions and movement were all over done. Davis took the role in Of Human Bondage and insisted on looking sick and near death—the public was shocked and moved. Most actresses at the time would have never done that. She was a film actor trail blazer in many ways. She was never afraid to suffer for her art.

Little Foxes is probably one of her most underrated performances

DO NOT READ this post if you are a Bette-phile.

Miss bette Davis was a ham and a bully. The only decent movies are those where William Wyler kept her selfishness under control.

I’d probably say out of Eve and Jane she should have won for All About Eve. Margot Channing is a much more sympathetic character. Although a lot of people felt Davis was playing herself.

As another post said, her competition for Whatever Happened to Baby Jane was too strong. Both Bancroft and Page deserved to win that year above Davis.

I would have voted for giving her Oscars for All About Eve and The Letter.

All About Eve is a superb film and Davis deserved it. Now, Voyager was sentimental twaddle but I loved every minute.

All About Eve. The movie itself is brilliant and successfully “meta,” and I think that possibly overshadows Davis’s great performance. She always had her own odd mannerisms and manners of speaking as well as the early cinema melodramatic style of acting, but in All About Eve she was fully mature as a woman and an actress, confident, and she delivered brilliantly—dialogue and emotional authenticity. For me it absolutely defines all Bette Davis was capable of achieving. It’s her crowning glory and it’s brilliant. She is unquestionably the star of every scene she is in and somehow manages those scenes to feel both over the top campy and emptionally authentic and heartfelt.

LOVED her and so many of her movies. I would have loved her to get one for All About Eve and The Letter, for sure. I agree that WEHT Baby Jane was not even close that year.

She deserved a special Oscar for the song Whatever Happened to Baby Jane she sang on the Andy Williams Show.

R12 , 2 time Oscar winner Olivia De Havilland, the doyenne of the DL , is not a big enough Star ?

So the consensus seems to be that she was robbed for All About Eve.

Why did Davis feel that Baby Jane was the one she was robbed of? Did her dislike of Joan Crawford blind her?

Why was Baxter nominated for Best Actress instead of Best Supporting Actress? You'd think Davis would be pissed about that.

OP's question really should be "In what Movie did Bette Davis give her greatest or most memorable performance?"

Awards have just as much to do with the politics and popularity of the time (if not more) as performance. Time is the true measure.

All About Eve! Absolutely!!

Because the movie wasn't called All About Margo r24.

I find her generally electric in this performance........

The acting in Feud disappointed me but it did accurately show Bette’s commitment to and immersion in her roles. For Baby Jane, she made herself ghoulish and poured her heart into a bizarre, macabre character who could have been funny had Bette not made her absolutely tragic. That may be why she felt she deserved the award. Her acting made the movie something far greater than it should have been. All About Eve was a great script, as well.

I love her in Baby Jane, but every actress in that category gave a brilliant performance.

I need to watch The Star again. It doesn't get a lot of love, but I remember liking it.

What about Dark Victory?

She was up against Vivien Leigh for GWTW when she was nominated for DV. It's a great little movie, and she would've had a real chance if she'd been nominated any other year.

She is a crap actress who is irrelevant now and only remembered by ancient gays.

Supposedly Vivien Leigh only won by a handful of votes over Davis in 1939.

R33 Yes, Bette Davis was a total talentless D-lister who is only famous now in the memories of gay men.

Fucking idiot.

None! She was shit.