| THE FINAL YEARS |
| IN 1983 BETTE STARRED IN THE PILOT OF THE NEW TV SERIES HOTEL, BUT AFTER ONLY TWO EPISODES SHE WAS ADMITTED TO HOSPITAL WHERE A MASTECTOMY WAS PERFORMED. NINE DAYS AFTER HER OPERATION SHE SUFFERED A STROKE AND DOCTORS SAID SHE WOULD NEVER WORK AGAIN. IT WAS TO BE THE START OF HER LONG FIGHT AGAINST ILLNESS AND THE START OF HER DECLINE. BUT THE DOCTORS DIDNT KNOW BEST! AND UNDAUNTED SHE FOUGHT BACK. ALTHOUGH A BROKEN HIP FURTHER SET HER BACK. NEARLY TWO YEARS LATER SHE WAS BACK AT WORK IN "MURDER WITH MIRRORS" A NOT TOO HAPPY EXPERIENCE AS BETTE ALIENATED THE REST OF THE CAST . HELEN HAYES CLAIMED IT HAD PUT HER OFF MAKING ANOTHER FILM EVER! (HER CO-STAR IN THE WHALES OF AUGUST, LILLIAN GISH WOULD SAY THE SAME 2 YEARS LATER) AND SIR JOHN MILLS, ANOTHER CO-STAR CLAIMED HE WAS "TERRIFIED, AND I WAS IN THE WAR!" BETTE SOLDIERED ON AND BEGAN WORK ON HER BOOK THIS N THAT,IN 1984. |
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| HOTEL (CLICK ON THE PIC TO SEE MORE OF BETTE ON TV) |
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| CLICK ONTHE BOOKS TO SEE MORE |
| IN 1985 BETTE WAS DEVESTATED BY THE PUBLICATION OF HER DAUGHTER'S MEMOIR "MY MOTHERS KEEPER" UNLIKE FELLOW STAR DAUGHTER CHRISTINA CRAWFORD, BETTE'S DAUGHTER "BD" DIDNT EVEN HAVE THE GRACE TO WAIT UNTILL HER MOTHER WAS DEAD. THOUGH NOWHERE NEAR AS BAD AS "MOMMIE DEAREST" IT WAS A SEVERE BLOW TO THE AILING BETTE. TO COPE SHE THREW HERSELF INTO WORK , THOUGH FAR FROM WELL, AND EMBARKED ON THE TV MOVIE "AS SUMMERS DIE" SHE THEN FOLLOWED THIS UP WITH AN APPERANCE AT THE OSCARS TO PRESENT PAUL NEWMAN WITH BEST ACTOR OSCAR. THOSE WHO HAD NOT SEEN HER IN A WHILE WERE SHOCKED AT HER APPEARANCE AND BY THE FACT SHE SEEMED MUDDLED AND HER STROKE VERY MUCH APPARENT AS SHE SLURRED HER WORDS. IN 1986 STILL SMARTING FROM BD'S TREACHERY SHE THREW HERSELF BACK INTO WORK AND FILMED "THE WHALES OF AUGUST" WITH LILLIAN GISH. ONCE AGAIN FILMING WAS NO PICNIC AND BETTE WAS BECOMING MORE DIFFICULT, IF NOT IMPOSSIBLE TO WORK WITH. SHE REDUCED POOR LILLIAN GISH TO TEARS ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS AND REFUSED TO PROMOTE THE FILM AFTER MANY CRITICS CITED LILLIAN'S AS THE BETTER PERFORMANCE . 1986 ALSO SAW BETTE PUBLISH HER BOOK " THIS N THAT" IN WHICH SHE FOUGHT BACK AT DAUGHTER DEAREST, REBUKING HER IN PRINT. HAVING CUT BD FROM HER WILL AND REPLACED HER WITH HER ASSISTANT KATHRYN SERMACK SHE THEN EMBARKED ON ONE THE MOST AGGRESSIVE PUBLICITY TOURS EVER SEEN FOR A BOOK LAUNCH . SHE APPERED ALL OVER AMERICA AND EUROPE ON ANY TV SHOW THAT WOULD HAVE HER AND SHAMELESSLY PLUGGED HER BOOK. NEEDLESS TO SAY IT BECAME A BEST SELLER! |
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| THE WHALES OF AUGUST (WITH LILLIAN GISH) |
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| BETTE PRESENTS AT THE OSCARS |
| IN 1988 AN AILING BETTE BEGAN WORK ON WHAT WOULD BE HER LAST FILM "WICKED STEPMOTHER2 IT WAS A SAD MISTAKE. SHE WAS VERY FRAIL AND SICK AND IT SHOWED. OFTEN LOSING HER BALANCE AND FORGETTING HER LINES. SHE WAS JUST TOO ILL TO WORK. TO MAKE MATTERS WORSE IT WAS A BAD FILM. AFTER SEEING HERSELF IN THE FIRST FOOTAGE SHE WAS SO HORRIFIED SHE LEFT THE SET. LEAVING HER DIRECTOR TO SALVAGE WHAT HE COULD OF THE FILM BY REPLACING HER WITH BARBARA CARRERA! |
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| ON THE SET OF WICKED STEPMOTHER (HER LAST FILM) CLICK ON THE PICTURE TO SEE THE WICKED STEPMOTHER GALLERY |
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| UNLIKE HER ARCH RIVAL JOAN CRAWFORD BETTE WASNT AFRAID TO LET HER AGE SHOW. SHE WORE HER WRINKLES LIKE BATTLE SCARS. AND DESPITE HER AILING HEALTH WAS STILL VERY MUCH PART OF THE HOLLYWOOD SCENE. |
| IN 1989 AFTER THE DISASTER OF WICKED STEPMOTHER BETTE FLEW TO SPAIN FOR THE SAN SEBASTIAN FIL FESTIVAL, SHE WOULD NEVER RETURN. TAKEN ILL IN SPAIN SHE WAS FLOWN TO THE AMERICAN HOSPITAL IN PARIS WITH, SUSPECTED FLU. SHE NEVER RECOVERED AND ON THE 6TH OCTOBER 1989 THE WAR FINALLY ENDED FOR BATTLEING BETTE . SHE WAS BURIED WITH HER BELOVED MOTHER AND SISTER AT FOREST LAWN IN HOLLYWOOD AND APPROPRIATELY HER PLOT OVERLOOKS THE OLD WARNER BRO'S BURBANK LOT. THE PRESS GAVE HER A SEND OFF FIT FOR A QUEEN AND TRIBUTES POURED IN FROM EVERYONE. EVERYONE, THAT IS, EXCEPT HER DAUGHTER DEAREST , WHEN ASKED TO COMMENT SHE SAID "AS FAR AS I'M CONCERNED MY MOTHER DIED YEARS AGO" |
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| BETTE 'S LAST PUBLIC APPERANCE IN SPAIN |
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| BETTE'S LAST TWO PUBLICITY PICTURES |
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