168. Color her Ferocious: BETTE DAVIS COLORING BOOK

Color her feisty, fiery and ferocious!
Bette Davis (b.1908/d.1989) was a stage actress before making the move to the silver screen in 1930. Her first films ("The Bad Sister", "Seed"), didn't create any ripples so she was dropped from her Columbia Pictures contract. She was picked up by george Carliss who cast her as the lead in "The Man Who Played God", and her career took off. In 1934, she played the shrew, Mildred, in "Of Human Bondage" and won critical acclaim. She became well known for playing unsympathetic characters but was praised for her ability to shift from role to role--be it in comedy, historical drama, crime stories or romances. She would earn 10 Oscar nominations, winning two (Best Actress in "Dangerous" and "Jezebel"). Not only was she the 1st female president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, but she was also the 1st woman to receive a Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Film Institute. At the height of her fame, many authorized merchandise were produced to cash in on her popularity as a Hollywood celebrity. Her last appearance was in "Wicked Stepmother" (1989). She died in France the same year, later in October. Her memory lives on in this coloring book I picked up from a U.S. thrift shop and in the 80s song that Kim Carnes popularized and which I kept imitating as I type this entry:

"She'll tease you
She'll unease you
Just to please you
She's got Bette Davis eyes.."