Bette Davis

Born on April 5, 1908, Bette Davis would be turning 101 if she were alive today. My favorite actress from the movies of the 1930s and '40s, Ms. Davis holds the record for the longest consecutive run of Best Actress Oscar nominations. And the nominees are: Jezebel in 1938 (she won); Dark Victory in 1939; The Letter in 1940; The Little Foxes in 1941; Now, Voyager in 1942. She sat the next year out but was back for another nomination in 1944 for Mr. Skeffington. Davis wasn't much of a singer (imagine Marianne Faithfull as a speech therapist) but she did record several tunes later in her career and, typically, she gives them everything she's got. Using a few of those songs, here's a mix I made last year in honor of Bette Davis' 100th birthday.

side one:
01. Now, Voyager [theme ] - National Philharmonic Orchestra w/ Charles Gerhardt
02. Loneliness - Bette Davis
03. Hands Across the Sea - The Nickelodeons at Paul Eakins' Gay Nineties Village
04. Singin' In the Rain - Gus Farney
05. Purple Rose - Bette Davis and Hiram Sherman
06. Hollywood Baby - Lost Acapulco
07. Smích - Bittová & Fajt
08. Until It's Time For You to Go - Bette Davis
09. Horses of Instruction - The Gentlemen Losers
[ listen ]

side two:
01. Horses of Instruction [continued] - The Gentlemen Losers
02. And Here You Are - Stuff
03. All About Eve [dialogue from the car scene] - Bette Davis
04. Cherokee - Jo Ann Castle
05. The Merry-Go-Round Broke Down - The Sande & Greene Fun-Time Band
06. I've Written a Letter to Daddy - Bette Davis
07. Jennifer's French Movie - Johnny Williams & His Orchestra
08. Bað - Jóhann Jóhannsson
09. Thäis I - This Mortal Coil
10. Life Is a Lonely Thing - Bette Davis
11. The Letter [theme] - National Philharmonic Orchestra w/ Charles Gerhardt
12. El Capitan - Jack Dorsey w/ the Mammoth 89 Key 'Gavioli' Fairground Organ
[ listen ]

[ Bette Davis: April 5, 1908 — October 6, 1989 ]