"Old Acquaintence", "The Heiress."
I loved when Bette shook her in "Old Acquaintence." I understand that the Divine Ms. Davis couldn't stand her. I can see why. I guess she was annoying in real life, too.
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she herself was annoying a very affected actress.
I dont get why Bette's character was so mean to Tina. could she have not been a loving "aunt"?
nice socks, man.....
Plus Bette rejected her lesbian advances and she was extremely jealous of Davis professionally by 1939. Only a few years earlier, she treated Davis poorly as the queen bee actress in the theater troupe they were both in when Bette was barely starting out.
It was funny how Davis was aged a lot more during the 20 years of the story and Hopkins looked mostly the same. Read about the making of this film.(Fasten Your Seatbelts by Lawrence Quick) Hopkins was horrid and used all her upstaging tricks and changed the portrayal of Delia to be more sympathetic than the writer and director wanted it. She did not want to look like a beotch as a character. It backfired and the show was held tightly by Davis. Bette contained herself while working and had to scream it out when she got home for the day with George Brent there to comfort her in the sack.
It was funny how Davis was aged a lot more during the 20 years of the story and Hopkins looked mostly the same.That's obviously deliberate, though. Charlotte is embittered with the years while Delia, who has gotten everything she has ever wanted (except for Clem, and then she gets him by default by stealing his daughter from Charlotte) flourishes with her personal comfort and security.
Your phrase 'stealing his daughter' jogged my memory. Last month I saw To Each His Own with Olivia DeHavilland (sp?), also about a war pregnancy and the mother's child being stolen although she'd found a way to raise it (in that case, a boy). In both, I totally sympathized with the birth mother although I have a very tender spot for adoptive parents, being one myself. I suppose it's the facts of the case.
Both movies were very touching.
I think you've got Miriam mixed up with Joan Crawford. Joan's the one who put the moves on Bette. It wasn't that Bette didn't like Miriam as it was that Miriam hated Bette, mainly because Bette had an affair with her husband Anatole Litvak and didn't care if Miriam knew it. Also Bette got every part that Miriam ever tried out for and she would only get Bette's scraps. I think Bette agreed to do the two she did with her just to toy with her.
shareActually Bette did dislike Miriam. In the interview with Bryant Gumball. Bette says so herself. It's available on YouTube, sorry I didn't post the link but you shouldn't have any problem finding it. The whole interview isn't one of my favorites. He kept trying to get her to talk about painful personal things and I felt he was terribly disrespectful to her. There are a couple of very good interviews available, one with Dick Cavett, and one with Letterman. It's obvious she liked both of them and as a result it feels as if we are witnessing a conversation between friends rather than a Q&A. As cringe worthy as the B.G. video is, she does say some things that I hadn't heard before so it's worth a look.
shareThe snippet about Miriam putting the moves on Bette is in the biography Bette Davis : Larger than Life by Schickel, Richard. While I have heard the Joan Crawford rumor, it wasn't mentioned in that biography.
share"The Richest Girl in the World", "Wise Girl" and Woman Chases Man"
I find her very annoying too!
She played several warm, sweet characters too.
shareShe's quite entertaining as comic relief though, and I wonder that's how it was supposed to be. It certainly was in 'Acquaintance' and 'The Heiress.' I didn't mind her in those films, because her character was supposed to be annoying, and she hammed it up perfectly.
In this movie though, she was just plain insufferable.
But you are, Blanche. You are in that chair!
And don't forget her role as the annoying mother-in-law in The Mating Season!
shareMiriam Hopkins did play a sympathetic role as Martha Dobie in "These Three".
shareShe was also exceptionally annoying in 'The Children's Hour'. A good character actress...
‘Six inches is perfectly adequate; more is vulgar!' (Prime of Miss Jean Brodie Re: An open window).
I forgot she played Martha in "These Three". Funny that she wss the wicked aunt in "The Children's Hour". "These Three" was good, but knowing that the story wasn't about a heterosexual affair, it seems to lack something when compared to "The Children's Hour".
shareI dislike Miriam Hopkins in most everything, I usually find her with a bad case of the "cutes" and rather self-infatuated with her supposed charm (THE SMILING LIETUANT being the worse case of this I've seen) but I give her credit here, she is sensational in this role and IMO the best "rival" on film Bette Davis ever had for holding her own against Bette every step of the way.
shareHopkins was always annoying, right up until her last film THE CHASE (playing Robert Redford's mother). A good actress, but a bit much to take.
shareI agree with the notion that Davis brought out a better performance by Hopkins.
shareHer performance was laughable. Juxtaposing her against Davis just highlighted her lack of range or talent. I disliked her character too, Delia was insufferable and I wished something bad would happen to her. Hayes code be damned.
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“Daydreaming subverts the world.” ~ Raoul Vaneigem
I've seen Miriam in many movies from comedy to serious and have NEVER found her to be annoying. If she and Bette hated each other, they certainly don't show any hatred anytime they are paired. Of course, a good actress puts aside personal feelings. I think Miriam has been greatly underrated.