When Kathryn Sermak was summoned to work for Bette Davis, she had no idea who she was so she brushed up by reading the actress\u2019s 1962 memoir,\u00a0The Lonely Life<\/em>.<\/p>\n A surfer girl from Southern California whose previous employment as personal assistant for HH Princess Shams Pahlavi made her uniquely qualified to be constant aide for the fabled movie queen, Sermak and the lady she called Miss D struck a close friendship during the 10 years they worked and traveled together, assuring Davis she would not be lonely for the rest of her days.<\/p>\n Now with a new generation discovering the late screen icon thanks to the success of the FX series\u00a0Feud: Bette and Joa<\/em>n, which documented Davis\u2019 alleged rivalry with Joan Crawford while the two filmed the classic chiller\u00a0What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?<\/em>, there\u2019s renewed interest in her personal life, as well.<\/p>\n Sermak has helped quell the need by publishing a memoir of her own.\u00a0Miss D & Me: Life with the Invincible Bette Davis<\/em>\u00a0(Hachette Books, $27) which details the last decade in the life of the great star when Sermak was mentored by Davis and witnessed her unflinching work ethic and personal style before the actress died of breast cancer in 1989.<\/p>\n Sermak spoke with\u00a0Palm Springs Life<\/em>\u00a0about working for the legendary star, the truth about the famous feud with Crawford, and how her public image differs from the Davis she knew.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Palm Springs Life:<\/strong><\/em>\u00a0You worked as Bette Davis\u2019 assistant both while she made movies and in her daily life. How different was she on film sets than in real life?<\/strong><\/p>\n Kathryn Sermak:<\/strong>\u00a0She was the same person, but when you\u2019re home, you\u2019re home and when you\u2019re at work, you work. There\u2019s a different demeanor. She loved film. She, by the time I worked for her, had 50 or 60 years experience, more than most of the other people in the set. There were no games and laughing and there was a good reason for that. She said you stand by me and talk to no one. The crews adored her because they knew she knew her craft.<\/p>\n PSL<\/em>: Due to the popularity of the TV series\u00a0Feud: Bette and Joan<\/em>\u00a0earlier this year, there has been a lot of speculation about how the alleged rivalry with Joan Crawford began. What caused it in your opinion?<\/strong><\/p>\n KS:<\/strong>\u00a0First we should discuss whether it\u2019s true or not. I can only tell you what Miss Davis told me. She respected Joan and said she was a total professional. The two actresses she said she\u2019d never work with again were Miriam Hopkins and Faye Dunaway, but not Joan Crawford. Warner Brothers created the feud for publicity. The reason I know is I have photographs of the two of them. One thing that made her uncomfortable is Joan would send her gifts. She was sending her gifts every day. There was also Franchot Tone. Miss Davis had a crush on him and had made a film with him [1935\u2019s\u00a0Dangerous<\/em>, for which Davis won her first best actress Oscar]. She said when he came back from lunch he still had lipstick marks on him from Joan. But that\u2019s not what created the feud. It was done for publicity and they made a fortune off of it. Then when Miss D was up for the Oscar for\u00a0Baby Jane<\/em>\u00a0and this was one she really wanted to win, Joan went around to the other nominees offering to accept the awards if they couldn\u2019t attend.<\/p>\n PSL<\/em>:<\/strong>\u00a0How do you think she\u2019d have felt about the depiction of her?<\/strong><\/p>\n KS:<\/strong>\u00a0Miss Davis would say, \u201cThank you very much.\u201d It introduced Miss Davis and Joan Crawford to a whole new generation. Young people are turning on Turner Classic Movies. She\u2019s gotten a lot of fans because of it. She has a Facebook page followed by a million people. Young kids email me who\u2019ve seen more of her films than I have.<\/p>\n PSL<\/em>:<\/strong>\u00a0How accurately did Susan Sarandon portray her?<\/strong><\/p>\n KS:<\/strong>\u00a0I couldn\u2019t say, as I was only seven when Miss D made that film. What I can tell you is the Miss D I knew and work with for 10 years and being with her on all those film sets is not the one I saw portrayed in the\u00a0Feud<\/em>. Miss D was highly professional, always on set an hour before her call time with her legal pad, going over every detail and discussing things with the director, stagehands, etc.<\/p>\n PSL<\/em>:<\/strong>\u00a0Which of her film performances seemed most like the woman you knew?<\/strong><\/p>\n KS:<\/strong>\u00a0Unfortunately, I have not seen all of Miss D\u2019s movies, as we were always busy working. I did see enormous amounts of film clips from all the award shows where she was honored for her career. Miss D was an actress while filming and played that character. Once we left the set, she was Miss D, a New England Yankee, as I stated in my book. She loved her family, cooking, and her home when not working on a film. She was not reality TV like we have today. Miss D was a real person who acted parts; she never played herself from what I have seen.<\/p>\n PSL<\/em>:<\/strong>\u00a0What about her would most surprise people who think they know her from her films and television appearances?<\/strong><\/p>\n KS:<\/strong>\u00a0I think most people might not know the fun-loving side of Miss D. She would play practical jokes on friends.<\/p>\n PSL<\/em>:<\/strong>\u00a0Since you\u2019re signing your book in Palm Springs, I wonder if there are any stories about Miss D and her visits to the Coachella Valley.<\/strong><\/p>\n KS:<\/strong>\u00a0She would go to La Quinta a lot. Our hide-a-way was at the home of Helen Ann [a painter Sermak had introduced to Davis] over in Rancho Mirage. I tell this story: Aaron Spelling sent a driver with five-dozen red roses down and the script for\u00a0Hotel<\/em>\u00a0[a TV series Davis appeared in in 1983] to Miss D. She looked through the first pages and had me call get Aaron. I gave the phone to Miss D and she said, \u201cAaron, I don\u2019t believe you wrote this script. But next time you take that money you spent on the limo driver and roses and you give it to the writer and have him write me a better script.\u201d<\/p>\n