Academy pays tribute to Bette Davis

Apr 10, 2008 by Ian Evans

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, in association with the Film Department of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, will present A Centennial Tribute to Bette Davis on Thursday, May 1, at 8 p.m. in the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater. Hosted by Robert Osborne, the program will honor the legendary actress with an evening featuring clips of her indelible screen performances as well as onstage discussions with several of her colleagues, friends and family, including Joan Leslie, James Woods, Kathryn Sermak, Gena Rowlands, and Davis’s son, Michael Merrill.

Davis received ten Best Actress nominations, including five consecutive nominations between 1938 and 1942; she took home Oscars® for her performances in Dangerous in 1935 and Jezebel in 1938. Her final Academy Award® nomination was in 1962 for her role in What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?

She was elected the Academy’s first female president in 1941, although her tenure was brief and contentious. A staunch supporter of the war effort, Davis was one of the founders of the Hollywood Canteen and an active fund-raiser on the home front.

Tickets for the Academy’s A Centennial Tribute to Bette Davis may be purchased online at www.oscars.org, in person at the Academy box office or by mail. Doors open at 7 p.m. All seating is unreserved. The Academy is located at 8949 Wilshire Boulevard in Beverly Hills.

A Centennial Tribute to Bette Davis continues with a screening series at LACMA’s Leo S. Bing Theater.

Friday, May 2, at 7:30 p.m.

  • Jezebel (1938)
  • The Old Maid (1939)

Saturday, May 3, at 7:30 p.m.

  • All About Eve (1950)
  • Of Human Bondage (1934)

Friday, May 9, at 7:30 p.m.

  • The Letter (1940)
  • Beyond the Forest (1949)

Saturday, May 10, at 7:30 p.m.

  • Now, Voyager (1942)
  • Old Acquaintance (1943)

Saturday, May 17, at 7:30 p.m.

  • The Little Foxes (1941)
  • Payment on Demand (1951)

Friday, May 23, at 7:30 p.m.

  • Dark Victory (1939)
  • Marked Woman (1937)

Saturday, May 24, at 7:30 p.m.

  • The Star (1952)
  • The Catered Affair (1956)

Saturday, May 31, at 7:30 p.m.

  • What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962)
  • The Nanny (1965)