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84-540: The canteen was co-founded by the actors Bette Davis and John Garfield . The East Coast counterpart was the New York City –based Stage Door Canteen , which featured Broadway stars and was also celebrated in a film, Stage Door Canteen (1943). In 1942, Hollywood's entertainment industry members joined forces to form the Hollywood Canteen. Actors Bette Davis and John Garfield are credited with organizing

168-462: A cultural icon of the time. The most common uniform is a red and black short saloon-style skirt above the knee dress accompanied with a matching pillbox hat , but different colors and styles are possible. Another title for a cigarette girl is candy girl. Aside from serving cigarettes and other novelties, the attractive girls acted as eye candy and were often employed to flirt with male customers as well. Cigarette girls usually consented in

252-515: A "Hall of Honor" at its first anniversary gala (held in November 1943). The plaques commemorated those film industry representatives who were serving in the war. An array of stars appeared in cameo roles , many of them musical, in the Warner Bros. film, Thank Your Lucky Stars (1943). Each star had been paid $ 50,000 by the studio, which was subsequently donated to the Hollywood Canteen. By 1944,

336-587: A "vacation". However, in England, Davis signed a contract with British film production company Toplitz, to make the film I'll Take the Low Road in England with Maurice Chevalier for a $ 50,000 salary. On September 9, 1936, Warner Brothers filed a legal injunction against Davis in England which forbade her from appearing in film productions without their consent. While on a shopping spree in Paris, Davis publicly declared to

420-737: A 1929 production by the Provincetown Players of Virgil Geddes ' play The Earth Between ; however, the production was postponed by a year. In 1929, Davis was chosen by Blanche Yurka to play Hedwig, the character she had seen Entwistle play in The Wild Duck . After performing in Philadelphia, Washington, and Boston, she made her Broadway debut in 1929 in Broken Dishes and followed it with Solid South . After appearing on Broadway in New York,

504-581: A New England innkeeper, and Vermont dentist's son. Davis and Farnsworth were married at Home Ranch, in Rimrock, Arizona , in December 1940, her second marriage. In January 1941, Davis became the first female president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, but antagonized the committee members with her brash manner and radical proposals. Davis rejected the idea of her being just "a figurehead only". Faced with

588-463: A boarding school in Ashburnham, Massachusetts , where she met her future husband, Harmon O. Nelson, known as Ham. In 1926, a then 18-year-old Davis saw a production of Henrik Ibsen 's The Wild Duck with Blanche Yurka and Peg Entwistle . Davis later recalled, "The reason I wanted to go into theater was because of an actress named Peg Entwistle." Bette Davis interviewed with Eva Le Gallienne to be

672-416: A building operated by CNN are located on the site, which is just south of Sunset Boulevard . Noted celebrities who donated their services at the Hollywood Canteen are listed. Several references to the Hollywood Canteen often erroneously list the address of The Hollywood Guild and Canteen , a similarly titled but distinct establishment, which was located at 1284 North Crescent Heights Boulevard in

756-464: A complete rut." Recalling the episode many years later, Davis remarked that Laughton's advice had influenced her throughout her career. By this time, Davis was Warner Bros.' most profitable star, and she was given the most important of their female leading roles. Her image was considered with more care; although she continued to play character roles, she was often filmed in close-ups that emphasized her distinctive eyes. All This, and Heaven Too (1940)

840-508: A five-year contract, and she remained with the studio for the next 18 years. Davis's first marriage was to Harmon Oscar Nelson on August 18, 1932, in Yuma, Arizona. Their marriage was scrutinized by the press; his $ 100 a week earnings ($ 1,885 in 2020 dollars) compared unfavorably with Davis's reported $ 1,000 a week income ($ 18,850). Davis addressed the issue in an interview, pointing out that many Hollywood wives earned more than their husbands, but

924-446: A foundation, donating nearly $ 1 million to veterans hospitals and other philanthropic causes. Jules Stein succeeded Davis as president in May 1966. The structure where the canteen was once located no longer exists. In December 1966, by which time it had been converted into the "Off-Hollywood Boulevard" theater, a bulldozer leveled it into a parking lot . Currently, a parking garage and

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1008-478: A home once owned by the estate of silent film actor Dustin Farnum . It was here that Anne "Mom" Lehr, wife of retired film executive Abraham Lehr, provided free meals and bunk beds for servicemen beyond the end of the second World War . Lehr also had her own rotation of volunteers, and was able to elicit contributions throughout the war from generous celebrities and benefactors as well, such as Tom Breneman (who paid for

1092-560: A long period of ill health, but she continued acting until shortly before her death from breast cancer, with more than 100 film, television, and theater roles to her credit. Ruth Elizabeth Davis, known from early childhood as "Betty", was born on April 5, 1908, in Lowell, Massachusetts, the daughter of Harlow Morrell Davis (1885–1938), a law student from Augusta, Maine, and subsequently a patent attorney, and Ruth Augusta (née Favór; 1885–1961), from Tyngsborough, Massachusetts. Davis's younger sister

1176-447: A portrait photographer. The young Betty Davis later changed the spelling of her first name to Bette after Bette Fischer, a character in Honoré de Balzac 's La Cousine Bette . During their time in New York, Davis became a Girl Scout where she became a patrol leader. Her patrol won a competitive dress parade for Lou Hoover at Madison Square Garden. Davis attended Cushing Academy ,

1260-506: A salary disagreement, and bears no resemblance to the de Havilland legal case. In 1937, Davis starred with Humphrey Bogart in Marked Woman , a contemporary gangster drama inspired by the case of Lucky Luciano , and a film regarded as one of the most important in her early career. She was awarded the Volpi Cup at the 1937 Venice Film Festival for her performance. Davis's portrayal of

1344-518: A sewing kit, and articles of clothing. By the end of 1942, vice-president John Garfield noted that the canteen was serving approximately 5,000 guys each night on weekends; and 20,000 throughout the rest of each week. In September 1943, Sgt. Carl Bell, a Purple Heart recipient from Rising Star, Texas , was the 1,000,000th serviceman to visit the Hollywood Canteen. He received kisses from many female stars, including Dietrich, Grable, Lana Turner , and Deanna Durbin . Jean Gabin , Dietrich's boyfriend at

1428-461: A skull fracture he had suffered two weeks earlier having accidentally fallen down a flight of stairs. A finding of accidental death was reached. Highly distraught, Davis attempted to withdraw from her next film Mr. Skeffington (1944), but Jack Warner, who had halted production following Farnsworth's death, persuaded her to continue. Although she had gained a reputation for being forthright and demanding, her behavior during filming of Mr. Skeffington

1512-544: A strong-willed 1850s Southern belle in Jezebel (1938) won her a second Academy Award for Best Actress . This was the first of five consecutive years in which she received the Best Actress nomination. During production, Davis entered a relationship with director William Wyler . She later described him as the "love of my life", and said that making the film with him was "the time in my life of my most perfect happiness". The film

1596-520: A student at her 14th Street theater. However, she felt Davis was not serious enough to attend her school, and described her attitude as "insincere" and "frivolous". Davis auditioned for George Cukor 's stock theater company in Rochester, New York. Though he was not very impressed, he gave Davis her first paid acting assignment – a one-week stint playing the part of a chorus girl in the play Broadway . Ed Sikov sources Davis's first professional role to

1680-492: A successful novelist. Davis felt that Hopkins tried to upstage her throughout the film. Director Vincent Sherman recalled the intense competition and animosity between the two actresses, and Davis often joked that she held back nothing in a scene in which she was required to shake Hopkins in a fit of anger. In August 1943, Davis' husband, Arthur Farnsworth, collapsed while walking along a Hollywood street and died two days later. An autopsy revealed that his fall had been caused by

1764-526: A swimming pool); Greer Garson (who donated a bamboo bar); and Lew Ayres (who wrote a check for $ 750, when the guild's bank account was overdrawn). When the home was razed in 1948, several news articles failed to distinguish between the two "Hollywood Canteens", which led to a persistent confusion between the two organizations. Anne Lehr died in 1951. In 1946, Davis received an award from the War Department for Meritorious Service on behalf of her work for

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1848-603: A vulgar waitress in Of Human Bondage (1934). Contentiously, she was not among the three nominees for the Academy Award for Best Actress that year, and she won it the following year for her performance in Dangerous (1935). In 1936, due to poor film offers, she attempted to free herself from her contract, and although she lost a well-publicized legal case, it marked the beginning of the most successful period of her career. Until

1932-481: A witch if she had lived two or three hundred years ago. She gives the curious feeling of being charged with power which can find no ordinary outlet". The New York Times hailed her as "becoming one of the most interesting of our screen actresses". She won the Academy Award for Best Actress for the role, but commented that it was belated recognition for Of Human Bondage , calling the award a "consolation prize". For

2016-612: The Hollywood Victory Committee and beyond. The Canteen offered food, dancing and entertainment for servicemen and was staffed by members of the entertainment industry. Davis served as Canteen president through the end of the war. In 1983, Davis received the Distinguished Civilian Service Medal from the Department of Defense for her work with the Hollywood Canteen. She appeared as herself in

2100-479: The Hollywood Victory Committee , which was associated with the Screen Actors Guild and chaired by James Cagney , in which entertainers were often sent out to military camps and on war bond drives. She requested and received consent to contact members directly regarding their participation in the Hollywood Canteen. The first fundraiser for the new canteen came the month prior to its opening, courtesy of

2184-549: The 22-year-old Davis moved to Hollywood in 1930 to screen test for Universal Studios. She was inspired to pursue a career as a film actress after seeing Mary Pickford in Little Lord Fauntleroy . Davis and her mother traveled by train to Hollywood. She later recounted her surprise that no-one from the studio was there to meet her. In fact, a studio employee had waited for her, but left because he saw no-one who "looked like an actress". Davis failed her first screen test, but

2268-546: The American favorite of Japanese moviegoers—because to them, she "represented the admirable principle of sad self-sacrifice." In 1942, numerous Hollywood entertainment industry members joined forces to form the Hollywood Canteen . Davis and John Garfield were the driving force who were credited with organizing the canteen, along with the aid of 42 unions and guilds in the industry, plus thousands of celebrity volunteers from

2352-404: The Hollywood Canteen and its thousands of volunteers had entertained more than 3,000,000 in uniform. Once the canteen was officially closed, they had a remainder of funds totaling more than $ 500,000, including profits from the titular film. The committee and directors aimed to establish a fund that would continue to aid veterans . After closing, for the next two decades, the canteen continued as

2436-551: The Hollywood Canteen. In 1983, the United States Department of Defense presented Davis with the Distinguished Civilian Service Award for her "dedicated, continuing support of the American armed forces". Bette Davis Ruth Elizabeth " Bette " Davis ( / ˈ b ɛ t i / ; April 5, 1908 – October 6, 1989) was an American actress of film, television, and theater. Regarded as one of

2520-669: The Woman , Warner Bros. was incurring excessive production costs because the film was being made in Technicolor , and the Technicolor cameras were rented. In late June, the studio put Davis on suspension for refusal to work, and replaced her in the film with Beverly Roberts . During negotiations with Warner Bros. regarding her salary and signing Davis for the female lead in Danton , Davis abruptly traveled to England with her husband, Harmon Nelson, on

2604-544: The accounting firm Price Waterhouse. The next year, A Midsummer Night's Dream became the only film to win a write-in Oscar, for Best Cinematography . The next year, her performance as a down-and-out troubled actress in Dangerous (1935) received very good reviews, and landed Davis her first Best Actress nomination and win. E. Arnot Robertson wrote in Picture Post that, "I think Bette Davis would probably have been burned as

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2688-421: The canteen had become so popular that Warner Bros. produced a movie titled Hollywood Canteen , just as its predecessor had done the previous year. Starring Joan Leslie and Robert Hutton as fictional characters, the film also featured a plethora of stars—many of whom had volunteered at the real canteen—playing themselves. It was written and directed by Delmer Daves . Warner Bros. donated 40% of proceeds from

2772-474: The canteen, inspired by Garfield's visit to Manhattan 's Stage Door Canteen (operated by the American Theatre Wing ). Davis and Garfield began enlisting an executive board of directors (later including Bob Hope ), who in turn elected a slate of officers which included Davis as president and Garfield as one of its vice-presidents. They would both maintain their elected positions throughout the entirety of

2856-655: The character of Regina Giddens, a role originally played on Broadway by Tallulah Bankhead (Davis had portrayed in film a role initiated by Bankhead on the stage once before – in Dark Victory ). Wyler encouraged Davis to emulate Bankhead's interpretation of the role, but Davis wanted to make the role her own. She received another Academy Award nomination for her performance, and never worked with Wyler again. In 1943, Davis told an interviewer that she had molded her film career on her motto, "I love tragedy," and ironically, until Pearl Harbor , she had been recognized as

2940-634: The completion of filming Watch on the Rhine (1943). However, she was present for opening night. Irene Dunne presided over a Hollywood Canteen committee luncheon at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles, in which local merchants and vendors gathered to discuss various supplies to donate for the following week's opening. On Saturday, October 3, 1942, the Hollywood Canteen opened its doors. Thousands of soldiers, sailors, and other servicemen arrived to partake in

3024-487: The disapproval and resistance of the committee, Davis resigned, and was succeeded by her predecessor Walter Wanger . Davis starred in three movies in 1941, the first being The Great Lie , with George Brent. It was a refreshingly different role for Davis as she played a kind, sympathetic character. William Wyler directed Davis for the third time in Lillian Hellman 's The Little Foxes (1941), but they clashed over

3108-441: The early 1940s, several of Davis's film choices were influenced by the war, such as Watch on the Rhine (1943), by Lillian Hellman, and Thank Your Lucky Stars (1943), a lighthearted all-star musical cavalcade. Davis performed a novelty song, "They're Either Too Young or Too Old." Old Acquaintance (1943) reunited her with Miriam Hopkins in a story of two old friends who deal with the tensions created when one of them becomes

3192-511: The end of the night. Enlisted men needed only their uniforms to enter the facility. The food, refreshments (no alcohol), cigarettes, dances, autographs, and entertainment were all free. Stars were required to pay $ 50 to sit in the bleachers; otherwise, be willing to work the floor. There were two small corner tables for individuals who were neither servicemen nor celebrities. These were known as "The Angel's Tables", and cost $ 100 each. The stars were seen multitasking in various roles from one night to

3276-405: The endeavor and amended their by-laws, which then enabled those individuals to volunteer their time and labor free of compensation. Numerous carpenters, electricians, plumbers, and other trades within the industry worked alongside the stars with donated materials to refurbish the building. Actor Richard Whorf painted murals along the walls, maintaining the western theme . Davis also contacted

3360-653: The festivities. Eddie Cantor was the master of ceremonies on opening night, while president Bette Davis gave a speech thanking everyone from all the unions and guilds for their hard work and contributions. The venue opened Monday–Saturday evenings from 7pm to midnight. On Sundays, it was open from 2 to 8pm. There's a new entertainment show every hour and a half, at which point the next wave of waiting servicemen shuffle inside. More than 3,000 celebrities and industry personnel volunteered to be anything, from hostesses, waiting staff, busboys, cooks, and dishwashers to cigarette vendors , soda jerks , dancing partners, and mopping at

3444-561: The film Hollywood Canteen (1944), which used the canteen as the setting for a fictional story. Warner Bros. donated 40% of proceeds from the film to both the Hollywood Canteen and the Stage Door Canteen in Manhattan . Davis showed little interest for the role of repressed spinster Charlotte Vale in the drama film Now, Voyager (1942), until Hal Wallis advised her that female audiences needed romantic dramas to distract them from

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3528-470: The film premiere of The Talk of the Town (1942), starring Cary Grant , Jean Arthur , and Ronald Colman . At the behest of publicist Bob Taplinger, each ticket was coupled with an invite to the afterparty at Ciro's nightclub. Proceeds went directly to the Hollywood Canteen, and were estimated to be over $ 5,000. Davis was remanded on medical bedrest for exhaustion a week prior to the grand opening , following

3612-420: The film to both the Hollywood Canteen and the Stage Door Canteen in New York. The canteen opened its doors for the final time on the afternoon of Thursday, November 22, 1945, which was Thanksgiving Day . More than 5,000 G.I.s flowed in and out, enjoying turkey dinners and entertainment. Kay Kyser and Bette Davis led a chorus of " Auld Lang Syne " in commemoration of the past three years of service, in which

3696-719: The first person to accrue ten Academy Award nominations (and one write-in) for acting, and was the first woman to receive a Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Film Institute . In 1999, Davis was placed second on the American Film Institute's list of the greatest female stars of classic Hollywood cinema . After appearing in Broadway plays, Davis moved to Hollywood in 1930, but her early films for Universal Studios were unsuccessful. She joined Warner Bros. in 1932 and had her critical breakthrough playing

3780-454: The greatest actresses in Hollywood history, she was noted for her willingness to play unsympathetic, sardonic characters and was known for her performances in a range of film genres, from contemporary crime melodramas to historical and period films and occasional comedies, although her greatest successes were her roles in romantic dramas . She won the Academy Award for Best Actress twice, was

3864-497: The hopes of getting tips from wealthy businessmen. The modern image of the cigarette girl developed in the 1920s with the urbanization of the United States. Though largely not seen other than in speakeasies and supper clubs , cigarette girls were frequently shown in Hollywood films and soon became well-established among the general public. The cigarette girl of the nightclub became a staple figure of film and theatre. With

3948-452: The horrors of egocentricity on a marathonic scale". Despite these reviews, Mr. Skeffington was another box-office hit and earned Davis another Academy Award nomination. In 1945, Davis married artist William Grant Sherry, her third husband, who also worked as a masseur. She had been drawn to him because he claimed he had never heard of her and so was not intimidated by her. The same year, Davis made The Corn Is Green (1945), based on

4032-507: The late 1940s was redeemed with her role as a fading Broadway star in All About Eve (1950), which has often been cited as her best performance. She received Best Actress nominations for this film and for The Star (1952), but her career struggled over the rest of the decade. Her last nomination came for her role as the psychotic former child star Jane Hudson in the psychological horror film What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962). In

4116-481: The late 1940s, she was one of American cinema's most celebrated leading ladies. She was praised for her role in Marked Woman (1937) and won a second Academy Award for her portrayal of a strong-willed 1850s southern belle in Jezebel (1938), the first of five consecutive years in which she received a Best Actress nomination; the others for Dark Victory (1939), The Letter (1940), The Little Foxes (1941), and Now, Voyager (1942). A period of decline in

4200-540: The latter stage of her career, Davis played character parts in films like Death on the Nile (1978) and shifted her focus to roles in television. She led the miniseries The Dark Secret of Harvest Home (1978), won an Emmy Award for Strangers: The Story of a Mother and Daughter (1979), and was nominated for her performances in White Mama (1980) and Little Gloria... Happy at Last (1982). Her last complete cinematic part

4284-427: The length of time a studio contract could be legally enforceable, which at the time was seven years. In her later years, Davis would falsely claim in interviews that she set the path for de Havilland's legal victory; however, this is grossly inaccurate. Warners' 1936 injunction against Davis was due to her attempt to unlawfully breach her contract to work for another production company because she and Warners were having

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4368-553: The marriage. After more than 20 film roles, she had her critical breakthrough playing the role of the vicious and slatternly Mildred Rogers in the RKO Radio production of Of Human Bondage (1934), a film adaptation of W. Somerset Maugham 's novel. It earned Davis her first major critical acclaim, although, contentiously, she was not among the three nominees for the Academy Award for Best Actress that year. Many actresses feared playing unsympathetic characters, and several had refused

4452-437: The melodrama Housewife . When Davis was not nominated for an Academy Award for Of Human Bondage , The Hollywood Citizen News questioned the omission, and Norma Shearer , herself a nominee, joined a campaign to have Davis nominated. This prompted an announcement from the Academy president, Howard Estabrook , who said that under the circumstances, "any voter ... may write on the ballot his or her personal choice for

4536-461: The next. Davis was seen handing out cigarettes to the soldiers. Laird Cregar was said to have gotten "dishwasher hands" from being at the sink too long. Betty Grable did the Jitterbug with dozens of cadets . Abbott and Costello brought laughter to the troops, and live music was ubiquitous. Maria Riva , Marlene Dietrich 's daughter, recalled an anecdote where her mother decided to wash dishes and

4620-552: The offer. Davis, on the other hand, did not want Flynn cast as Rhett Butler . Newcomer Vivien Leigh was cast as Scarlett O'Hara, de Havilland landed a role as Melanie, and both of them were nominated for the Oscars, with Leigh winning. Jezebel marked the beginning of the most successful phase of Davis's career, and over the next few years, she was listed in the annual Quigley Poll of the Top Ten Money-Making Stars , which

4704-705: The part as written, and wore a gray wig and padding under her clothes, to create a dowdy appearance. The critic E. Arnot Robertson observed: Cigarette girl In Europe and the United States, a cigarette girl was an attractive young woman who sold or provided cigarettes from a tray held by a neck strap, a common casual occupation until supplanted by vending machines in the 1950s, especially at nightclubs , but also at restaurants, bars, casinos, and other social gathering places. The cigar girl would also sell cigars , and either would also peddle other items such as candy, snacks, drinks, and chewing gum from her tray. Her typical charm, wit, and flirtatiousness made her

4788-406: The play by Emlyn Williams . Davis played Miss Moffat, an English teacher who saves a young Welsh miner ( John Dall ) from a life in the coal pits by offering him education. The part had been played in the theater by Ethel Barrymore (who was 61 at the play's premiere), but Warner Bros. felt that the film version should depict the character as a younger woman. Davis disagreed, and insisted on playing

4872-483: The press that she intended to defy Warner Bros' legal injunction and make the film in England. On October 14, 1936, the British court held a hearing regarding the studio's injunction against Davis. Mr Justice Branson issued his decision on October 19, ruling in favor of Warner Bros. Justice Branson dismissed Davis's representative's claims that she was an "underpaid slave" held under a "life sentence", and ruled that Davis

4956-518: The reality of their lives. It became one of the better known of her "women's pictures". In one of the film's most imitated scenes, Paul Henreid lights two cigarettes as he stares into Davis's eyes, and passes one to her. Film reviewers complimented Davis on her performance, the National Board of Review commenting that she gave the film "a dignity not fully warranted by the script". She received her seventh Oscar nomination for Now, Voyager . During

5040-505: The repeal of Prohibition in 1933, speakeasies across the US closed and cigarette girls soon found employment in more popular business destinations. Cigarette girls were a common sight in restaurants, clubs, bars, airports, and casinos in the 1930s and 1940s in the United States. From the end of World War II to the 1950s, cigarette girls further expanded into sporting events and the lobbies of theaters and music halls during intermissions. With

5124-448: The rest of her life, Davis maintained that she gave the statue its familiar name of "Oscar" because its posterior resembled that of her husband, whose middle name was Oscar, although, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences officially makes reference to another story. In her next film, The Petrified Forest (1936), Davis co-starred with Leslie Howard and Humphrey Bogart . In

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5208-581: The role, but Davis viewed it as an opportunity to show the range of her acting skills. Her co-star, Leslie Howard , was initially dismissive of her, but as filming progressed, his attitude changed, and he subsequently spoke highly of her abilities. The film's director, John Cromwell , allowed her relative freedom. "I let Bette have her head. I trusted her instincts." Davis insisted that she be portrayed realistically in her death scene, and said, "The last stages of consumption, poverty, and neglect are not pretty, and I intended to be convincing-looking." The film

5292-406: The situation proved difficult for Nelson, who refused to allow Davis to purchase a house until he could afford to pay for it himself. Nelson was able to enforce his wishes because, at the time, the husband had the management and control of the community property, which included the wife's earnings, and the wife could not obtain credit without her husband's consent. Davis had several abortions during

5376-462: The spring of 1936, Davis asked Warner Bros. to loan her out to RKO to make Mary of Scotland . Warner Bros. refused, and assigned Davis to two films that were written specifically for her: God's Country and the Woman , and Mountain Justice . However, as God's Country and the Woman was going into production, Davis refused to work, and demanded a salary increase on her contract with Warner Bros. At

5460-433: The time, Davis was earning $ 1,250 per week. Jack Warner offered Davis an increased salary of $ 2,250 per week, which Davis refused. Davis's agent, Mike Levee, said: "She's a very stubborn young lady. I asked her how much she wanted, and she said $ 3,500 a week, plus all radio rights and permission to make outside pictures. I told her, 'Whoa, that's too much!'" Meanwhile, due to Davis's refusal to continue with God's County and

5544-534: The time, would often dodge the spotlight and remain in the kitchen. One night, while Dietrich was sweeping up near closing time, a soldier approached, commandeered the broom to assume sweeping duties, and stated, "Look, honey, you have to do this enough at home." Although segregation still occurred elsewhere in the 1940s, including USO policies , both the Stage Door and Hollywood Canteens permitted integrated socialization and mixed dancing . The canteen also unveiled

5628-759: The war and thus, the Hollywood Canteen's duration. Other officers included Jean Lewin as secretary, Al Ybarra as treasurer, and musicians' union leader J.K. Wallace as another vice-president. Davis also requested the assistance of Jules Stein , head of the Music Corporation of America , to help as a financial advisor . Garfield, Davis, and the rest of the elected officers then sought an establishment for their West Coast canteen. They found an abandoned nightclub, formerly known as "The Red Barn" or "Rio Grande Hall". They also enlisted support from 42 different guilds and unions within Hollywood's creative community , who sponsored

5712-403: The winners", thus allowing, for the only time in the Academy's history, the consideration of a candidate not officially nominated for an award. The uproar led, however, to a change in academy voting procedures the following year, wherein nominations were determined by votes from all eligible members of a particular branch, rather than by a smaller committee, with results independently tabulated by

5796-555: Was Barbara Harriet (1909–1979). In 1915, after Davis's parents separated, Davis and her sister Barbara attended a spartan boarding school named Crestalban in Lanesborough, Massachusetts , for three years. In the fall of 1921, her mother, Ruth Davis, moved to New York City, using her children's tuition money to enroll in the Clarence White School of Photography , with an apartment on 144th Street at Broadway. She then worked as

5880-497: Was a success, and Davis's characterization earned praise from critics, with Life writing that she gave "probably the best performance ever recorded on the screen by a U.S. actress". Davis anticipated that her reception would encourage Warner Bros. to cast her in more important roles, and was disappointed when Jack L. Warner refused to lend her to Columbia Studios to appear in It Happened One Night , and instead cast her in

5964-607: Was a success. This led to speculation in the press that she would be chosen to play Scarlett O'Hara , a similar character, in Gone with the Wind . Davis expressed her desire to play Scarlett, and while David O. Selznick was conducting a search for the actress to play the role, a radio poll named her as the audience favorite. Warner offered her services to Selznick as part of a deal that also included Errol Flynn and Olivia de Havilland , but Selznick did not consider Davis as suitable, and rejected

6048-582: Was arranged for Davis, for the 1931 film A House Divided . Hastily dressed in an ill-fitting costume with a low neckline, she was rebuffed by the film director William Wyler , who loudly commented to the assembled crew, "What do you think of these dames who show their chests and think they can get jobs?". Carl Laemmle , the head of Universal Studios, considered terminating Davis's employment, but cinematographer Karl Freund told him she had "lovely eyes" and would be suitable for Bad Sister (1931), in which she subsequently made her film debut. Her nervousness

6132-487: Was compiled from the votes of movie exhibitors throughout the U.S. for the stars who had generated the most revenue in their theaters over the previous year. In contrast to Davis's success, her husband Ham Nelson had failed to establish a career for himself, and their relationship faltered. In 1938, Nelson obtained evidence that Davis was engaged in a sexual relationship with Howard Hughes , and subsequently filed for divorce, citing Davis's "cruel and inhuman manner". Davis

6216-742: Was compounded when she overheard the chief of production, Carl Laemmle, Jr. , comment to another executive that she had "about as much sex appeal as Slim Summerville ", one of the film's male co-stars. The film was not a success, and her next role in Seed (1931) was too brief to attract attention. Universal Studios renewed her contract for three months, and she appeared in a small role in Waterloo Bridge (1931), before being lent to Columbia Pictures for The Menace , and to Capital Films for Hell's House (all 1932). After one year, and six unsuccessful films, Laemmle elected not to renew her contract. Davis

6300-736: Was emotional during the making of her next film, Dark Victory (1939), and considered abandoning it until the producer Hal B. Wallis convinced her to channel her despair into her acting. The film was among the high-grossing films of the year, and the role of Judith Traherne, a spirited heiress suffering from a malignant brain tumor, brought her an Academy Award nomination. In later years, Davis cited this performance as her personal favorite. Dark Victory featured Ronald Reagan and Humphrey Bogart in supporting roles. Davis appeared in three other box-office hits in 1939: The Old Maid with Miriam Hopkins , Juarez with Paul Muni , and The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex with Errol Flynn. The last

6384-509: Was her first color film, and her only color film made during the height of her career. To play the elderly Elizabeth I of England , Davis shaved her hairline and eyebrows. During filming, Davis was visited on the set by the actor Charles Laughton . She commented that she had a "nerve" playing a woman in her 60s, to which Laughton replied: "Never not dare to hang yourself. That's the only way you grow in your profession. You must continually attempt things that you think are beyond you, or you get into

6468-436: Was in breach of her contract to Warner "for no discoverable reason except that she wanted more money". Davis was ordered to pay Warner Bros. $ 80,000 in restitution, and was also ordered to pay the studio's legal fees for filing the injunction in England. The British press offered little support to Davis, calling her overpaid and ungrateful. In 1943, actress Olivia de Havilland won a lawsuit against Warner Bros. regarding

6552-451: Was in the drama The Whales of August (1987). Davis was known for her forceful and intense style of acting and her physical transformations. She gained a reputation as a perfectionist who could be highly combative, and confrontations with studio executives, film directors, and co-stars were often reported. Her forthright manner, clipped vocal style, and ubiquitous cigarette contributed to a public persona which has often been imitated. Davis

6636-404: Was joined by Hedy Lamarr . According to Riva, Davis quipped, "Get those two krauts out of the kitchen!" Press agent Mack Millar consistently helped generate further publicity . Cantor donned a Santa Claus suit at the first Christmas gathering, and handed out a variety pack of gifts to each enlisted serviceman, which included cigarettes, candy, chewing gum, a diary, razor blades, a wallet,

6720-441: Was preparing to return to New York when actor George Arliss chose Davis for the lead female role in the Warner Bros. picture The Man Who Played God (1932). For the rest of her life, Davis credited him with helping her achieve her "break" in Hollywood. The Saturday Evening Post wrote, "She is not only beautiful, but she bubbles with charm", and compared her to Constance Bennett and Olive Borden . Warner Bros. signed her to

6804-466: Was said to be erratic and out of character. She alienated Vincent Sherman by refusing to film certain scenes and insisting that some sets be rebuilt. She improvised dialogue, which made the writer Julius Epstein rewrite scenes at her whim. Davis later explained her actions with the observation "When I was most unhappy, I lashed out rather than whined." Some reviewers criticized Davis for the excess of her performance; James Agee wrote that she "demonstrates

6888-424: Was the co-founder of the Hollywood Canteen , and was the first female president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences . Her career went through several periods of eclipse, and she admitted that her success had often been at the expense of her personal relationships. Married four times, she was once widowed and three times divorced, and raised her children as a single parent. Her final years were marred by

6972-455: Was the most financially successful film of Davis's career to that point. The Letter (1940) was considered "one of the best pictures of the year" by The Hollywood Reporter , and Davis won admiration for her portrayal of an adulterous killer, a role originated onstage by Katharine Cornell . During this time, she was in a relationship with her former co-star George Brent , who proposed marriage. Davis refused, as she had met Arthur Farnsworth,

7056-404: Was used in several screen tests for other actors. In a 1971 interview with Dick Cavett , she related the experience with the observation, "I was the most Yankee-est, most modest virgin who ever walked the earth. They laid me on a couch, and I tested fifteen men...They all had to lie on top of me and give me a passionate kiss. Oh, I thought I would die. Just thought I would die." A second test

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