40s divas: The inflated rivalry between Bette Davis & Joan Crawford
In 1930s and 40s Hollywood, a “star” wasn’t just an actor — they were a meticulously crafted corporate asset. The Hollywood Studio System treated stars as a blend of Greek gods and manufactured products — untouchable, yet owned by the studio.
Two of the finest stars of this period were Bette Davis and Joan Crawford, two polar opposites who nevertheless became inextricably linked due to their famous “feud.” Joan Crawford started her career as a glamorous flapper girl in 1920s silent frolics. Bette Davis struggled until she realized her screen persona was about making impossible-to-like characters relatable. What linked both women was their position as the top stars of their era — two A-listers who provided Depression and wartime audiences with the perfect silver screen projection of their most cherished collective desires and fantasies.
This series examines Bette & Joan not just from the point of view of their long-rumored rivalry, but their careers themselves: mirrored on soundstages and managed by Hollywood, where truth and artifice about both women blended into iconic legend that still reverberates in the annals of classic Hollywood cinema.
Series Films
Mildred Pierce (1945)
Directed by Michael Curtiz
March 5, 2026
Michael Curtiz (Casablanca) directs Joan Crawford in her Oscar-winning role in this film noir classic of the price of the “rags to riches” dream. Mildred, a single mother hell-bent on freeing her children from the stigma of economic hardship, pulls herself up by her bootstraps and becomes the well-heeled owner of a successful restaurant chain.
The Letter (1940)
Directed by William Wyler
March 12, 2026
The Letter begins with a bang — literally — as Bette Davis’ character guns down a man in seemingly cold blood on a rubber plantation in Malaysia. Charged with murder, she shockingly pleads self-defense, and the drama shifts to a mysterious letter that may hold the key to the truth of the crime.
The Golden Weenies: Divas Oscars Party
March 15, 2026
Lights, camera, HOT DOGS?! That’s right, darlings — join us for second annual Cinematheque’s Oscar Viewing Party at Tubby Bar on March 15 and experience Hollywood glamour, Calgary-style.
A Woman’s Face (1941)
Directed by George Cukor
March 19, 2026
What is the price and worth of a person if not beauty? George Cukor and Joan Crawford answer this question in A Woman’s Face, a crime film noir drama that showcases Crawford’s dramatic abilities after years of largely mediocre roles. Crawford stars as Anna Holm, a terribly disfigured Swedish woman and small-time criminal in Stockholm. Unexpectedly, she receives a miracle: Anna’s scarred face is restored to perfect beauty with cutting-edge surgical techniques. As she navigates her new lease on life and the possibilities that come with beauty, her past returns to haunt her.
Now, Voyager (1942)
Directed by Irving Rapper
March 26, 2026
The “Women’s Picture” genre of the 1940s reaches its wish-fulfillment pinnacle in Now, Voyager. Bette Davis gives a performance for the ages as Charlotte Vale, a mentally frail spinster living under the thumb of her domineering mother (Gladys Cooper).
What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962)
Directed by Robert Aldrich
April 2, 2026
The most representative film of the “hag-ploitation” genre, What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? famously cast two old-school divas, Joan Crawford and Bette Davis, in what became a classic psychological horror thriller. Former child star Baby Jane Hudson (Bette Davis) lives with her sister Blanche (Joan Crawford), a former Hollywood queen. Bound by mutual love and hate, Baby Jane’s increasing madness leads to shocking consequences.
