In 1936, Bette Davis walked into an English courtroom and called her contract with Warner Bros. “slave labor.” The judge mocked her. She lost everything. And she won a revolution.
For four years, Warner Bros. controlled every aspect of her career. Bette had just won an Oscar for Dangerous in 1935. She was famous, successful, and completely trapped.
If she refused a part, the studio could suspend her without pay and extend her contract even further. If she wanted to act in the theater, they could stop her. They even claimed the rights to photographs taken in her own home.
Worst of all, they could force her to make terrible films.
When Jack Warner was asked in court if Bette was obligated to play roles she considered “cheap and nasty,” he replied coldly: “Yes, she must.”
Then came God’s Country and the Woman.
Bette read the script and knew instantly it was another forgettable movie that would bury her talent under mediocrity. She had already fought too hard to establish herself with dramatic roles like Mildred Rogers in Of Human Bondage.
She turned the film down.
The studio suspended her immediately.
During her suspension, Bette received an offer from an English producer promising better scripts and true creative work. She knew that accepting would violate her contract with Warner.
She accepted anyway.
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To read the rest of how a BAD CONTRACT trapped Ms. Davis, read the rest here:
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Photo: Bette Davis | From her Facebook page
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=1393684405457029&set=pb.100044464478297.-2207520000&type=3
