June 9 THE LITTLE FOXES

It’s the turn of the century in the Deep South, and the Hubbard siblings are embroiled in
their own money-driven, power-hungry civil war. Most calculating of the group is Regina,
who, along with her brothers, demands an ownership share of a cotton mill expected to yield millions. Proving that blood is not thicker than greed, the Hubbards will stop at nothing to push their unscrupulous deal through—even if it means destroying everyone around them! Bette Davis, Herbert Marshall, Patricia Collinge, Teresa Wright, Dan Duryea. Samuel Goldwyn/RKO Radio Pictures; directed by William Wyler; screenplay by Lillian Hellman with additional dialogue by Dorothy Parker. Not rated, 115 minutes, B&W, 1941. Nominated for nine Academy Awards, including Best Actress and Best Picture.

June 16 Marked Woman

In order to put her kid sister Betty through college, Mary Dwight works as a hostess in a clip joint that offers gambling, liquor, and “female companionship” to its big spender clientele. When ruthless gangster Johnny Vanning takes over the club, the girls are forced to kick back on their earnings in exchange for protection. A crusading DA persuades Mary to testify against her mobster bosses when Betty is murdered by Vanning—even if it leaves her a marked woman. Bette Davis, Humphrey Bogart, Lola Lane, Isabel Jewell. Warner Brothers/First National Pictures; directed by Lloyd Bacon; screenplay by Abem Finkel and Robert Rossen. Not rated, 96 minutes, B&W, 1937.

July 7 Jezebel

Julie Marsden is a beautiful Southern Belle who derives pleasure in defying the social conventions of 1850’s New Orleans. Her fiancé, a successful banker and social advocate, grows weary of the constant embarrassment and breaks their engagement to take a job in New York, eventually marrying a sweet Yankee woman. Far from being defeated, Julie determines to win him back in a game that pits North against South amid a deadly epidemic of yellow fever that claims a surprising victim. Bette Davis, Henry Fonda, George Brent, Fay Bainter. Warner Brothers/First National Pictures; directed by William Wyler; screenplay by Clements Ripley, Abem Finkel and John Huston. Not rated, 103 minutes, B&W, 1938. Davis won her second Best Actress Oscar for her performance as the mercurial Julie.

July 14 Dark Victory

Judith Traherne, a vivacious member of Long Island society, is determined to find happiness after learning she is suffering from a brain tumor. Hiding her fear with deceitful gaiety, she falls in love with one of her doctors, Frederick Steele. After a whirlwind courtship, Steele proposes marriage and encourages her to find peace in the simple pleasures of life. Ensconced in an idyllic New England farm enjoying their newlywed life, they determine to win a victory over the encroaching forces of darkness with courage and dignity. Bette Davis, George Brent, Geraldine Fitzgerald, Humphrey Bogart, Ronald Reagan. Warner Brothers/First National Pictures; directed by Edmund Goulding; screenplay by Casey Robinson. Not rated, 104 minutes, B&W, 1939. Nominated for three Academy Awards, including Best Actress and Best Picture.

July 21 The Letter

The wife of a rubber plantation administrator shoots a man to death and claims it was self-defense. Her poise, graciousness and stoicism impress nearly everyone she meets. Her husband is certainly without doubt; neither is the district officer; and her lawyer’s misgivings are only borne of a natural skepticism. But this is Singapore and the resident natives, resentful of British rule, have no compunction about undermining the accused murderess. The appearance of a mysterious letter threatening blackmail contradicts the events, casting a shadow on the colonial culture. Bette Davis, Herbert Marshall, James Stephenson, Freida Inescort, Gale Sondergaard. Warner Brothers/First National Pictures; directed by William Wyler; screenplay by Howard Koch. Not rated, 95 minutes, B&W, 1940. Nominated for seven Academy Awards, including Best Actress and Best Picture.

July 28 All About Eve

From the moment she glimpses her idol at the stage door, the seemingly innocuous Eve Harrington worms her way into the life of the legendary actress Margo Channing. Eve soon makes herself indispensable to Margo’s circle of friends, eventually becoming her understudy on stage as well as in life. Only the acerbic theatre critic Addison DeWitt sees through Eve’s manipulative pattern of deceit. But the cunning Eve will only settle for her ultimate goal—to eclipse Margo as the greatest star on Broadway. Bette Davis, Anne Baxter, George Sanders, Celeste Holm, Gary Merrill, Thelma Ritter, Hugh Marlowe, Marilyn Monroe. Twentieth Century Fox; written and directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz. Not rated, 138 minutes, B&W, 1950. Nominated for 14 Academy Awards including Best Actress; received the Oscar for Best Picture.

August 4 Mr. Skeffington

Whose face—ravaged and grotesque—is in the mirror? Surely it’s not that of Fanny Skeffington, the prettiest woman in New York? Fanny always used her beauty to manipulate her way through life. She’s encouraged dozens of suitors, even after her loveless marriage to banker Job Skeffington, which she only agreed to in order save her brother Trippy from an embezzlement scandal. But now, diphtheria has robbed her of her only attribute, and without her looks, she’s lost. Bette Davis, Claude Rains, Walter Abel. Warner Brothers/First National Pictures; directed by Vincent Sherman; screenplay by Julius J. & Philip G. Epstein. Not rated, 145 minutes, B&W, 1944. Nominated for two Academy Awards, including Best Actress.

August 11 Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?

This over-the-top, cult thriller rejuvenated the careers of Bette Davis and Joan Crawford, playing heavily on their own Hollywood legends while adding realism to a twisted tale of sibling rivalry. Davis plays the former child vaudeville star turned wrinkled hag Jane Hudson, whose movie star sister, Blanche, eclipsed her fame. Now confined to a wheelchair after a devastating automobile accident, Blanche is held prisoner in the crumbling mansion she shares with the demented Jane, who terrorizes Blanche with maniacal control while embarking on an absurd campaign to revive her career—
curly-haired wig and all. Bette Davis, Joan Crawford, Victor Buono, Maidie Norman. Warner Brothers-Seven Arts Association; directed by Robert Aldrich; screenplay by Lukas Heller. Not rated, 134 minutes, B&W, 1962. Nominated for five Academy Awards, including Best Actress.