{"id":254,"date":"2019-10-08T22:07:12","date_gmt":"2019-10-08T22:07:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/34.223.111.131\/bette-davis\/?p=254"},"modified":"2022-01-26T22:17:06","modified_gmt":"2022-01-26T22:17:06","slug":"the-divine-diva-bette-davis-remembered-by-elite-from-stage-and-screen-at-the-hollywood-museum","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/bettedavis.com\/index.php\/2019\/10\/08\/the-divine-diva-bette-davis-remembered-by-elite-from-stage-and-screen-at-the-hollywood-museum\/","title":{"rendered":"THE DIVINE DIVA, BETTE DAVIS, REMEMBERED BY ELITE FROM STAGE AND SCREEN AT THE HOLLYWOOD MUSEUM"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cThe Tribute was a fitting salute to a Hollywood legend. Bette Davis was one of a kind!\u201d remarks Knots Landing diva and Daytime Emmy Winner, Donna Mills as she joined a\u00a0plethora of fans and friends celebrating the career of Bette Davis, with one of the now famous Hollywood Museum Lobby Legacy tributes hosted by\u00a0Donelle Dadigan\u00a0with special guest Kathryn Sermak who was Miss Ds confidant, friend and the author of the book MISS D AND ME (Hachette Books) and the first look at the TCM Wine Clubs BETTE DAVIS MALBEC WINE. Thank you to all the wonderful artists who came to honor the devine Ms D, such as\u00a0Diana Lansleen\u00a0(Y&R \/ Days of Our Lives),\u00a0Elaine Ballace\u00a0(The Rich & the Ruthless), Ieva Georges (Criminal Minds), Kathy Kolla (Astrid Clover), Anita Pointer (The Pointer Sisters),\u00a0Kate Linder\u00a0(Y&R), Kathy Garver (Family Affair), Kat Kramer (Producer),\u00a0Tracy Weisert\u00a0(The Neighbors\/Joe Dirt 2), Tyrone Dubose (Unsung), Virginia Montero (Lopez), including special messages from Alison Arngrim, Ernest Hardin Jr, Kathy Garver, Lily Tomlin,\u00a0Anson Williams, Shari Belafonte, Joan Van Ark, the late Rip Taylor, and more.<\/p>\n

\"Celebrity
Celebrity Patrons Donna Mills, Anita Pointer, Kathy Garver, Ernest Hardin, Jr., Kathryn Sermak, Donelle Dadigan, Alison Arngrim, Kate Linder, Kat Kramer, Elaine Ballace, and Tracy Weisert<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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Among those who offered memories of the one whose eyes spawned their own hit song were Alison Arngrim, who recalled that her wigmaker for LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE, took inspiration from Bette\u2019s hair on WHAT EVER HAPPENED TO BABY JANE. Alison commented, \u201c\u2026they would have me an unlit cigarette, I was 12 then, and not allow me to leave the make up trailer until I did my best Bette impersonation, \u201cWhat a Dump.\u201d Kathy Garver (Family Affair) shared a story of how excited she and her mother were to find that Kathy would be contributing her voice to an animation projects with Ms Davis and how they dressed up that day to meet her, only to find that she had done her part in NY already. Ernest Hardin, Jr, spoke lovingly of a woman who was truly color blind. Despite fans writing in that they would never go to on elf her films again if she dared to share a co-starring credit with a \u201cN word,\u201d declared Ernest. \u00a0\u201cMs Davis could care less and insisted the title remain WHITE MAMA, despite studio objections.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"President
President and Founder of The Hollywood Museum, Donelle Dadigan, welcomes Patrons to the Lobby Tribute to Bette Davis<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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Along the same theme, Shari Belafonte shared an\u00a0anecdote about not wanting to accept a role with under five lines on the pilot for the series HOTEL, but later found it was the best decision she ever made. \u00a0Befriended by Ms Davis, she was later offered a role after she found out that Ms Davis\u00a0too\u00a0them that the show needed some color and to hire Ms Belafonte as a regular. Actress, Joan Van Ark, recalled how working with Ms Davis on one of her first films, THE JUDGE AND JAKE WYLER, proved memorable when Ms Davis (Not even in the scene) brought Joan and the director together to suggest how a beautiful wide brimmed hat with veil would solve the problem of giving too much\u00a0information away too early in the film Joan said\u00a0\u201cI will never forget what she did for me. What she\u00a0taught me about\u00a0\u2018camera\u2019\u00a0\u2026 what a gift she gave me.\u201d Actor, Director, Producer, Anson Williams conveyed \u201cRon Howard and I had a movie in development at NBC entitled Skyward. We wanted one of the two stars to be the first disabled actress in history to star in a network movie of the week. We cast a seventeen-year-old girl named Suzy Gilstrap. The President of the network said the only way it could work is \u2018if you get Bette Davis to play the other lead.\u2019 Ms. Davis had never been in a MOW and given that this was the first big project for Ron as a director and myself as a producer, we were told that the task of casting her was simply impossible. \u00a0Except that \u2026 she accepted and made the movie happen. \u00a0The film premiered at The Kennedy Center with Ms Davis in attendance.<\/div>\n
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A great start for two up and coming directors and producers \u2026 and I\u2019m glad to say, neither of us have been out of work since.\u201d<\/div>\n
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NBC Skyward Promo:<\/div>\n