S2 E38

"Nobody's as good as Bette when she's bad!"

So heralded a famous movie tagline from the 1940s, and nothing could be more appropriate for today’s film, Lillian Helman's tale of mendacity in the moonlight, 1941's “The Little Foxes”. In this classic film, the one and only Bette Davis plays Regina Giddens, a woman whose ambition knows no boundaries, and whose determination knows no limit. Many film scholars herald Davis’s performance as the greatest of her career…. and we agree. Delivered in mask-like makeup with an icy and lethal hardness, it is a bold and brave performance, and one that ultimately earned her a fourth consecutive Oscar nomination. It is also one that would also irreparably damage her working relationship with her favorite director, the incomparable William Wyler.

We dive deep into the fascinating production history of this 1941 adaptation of Lillian Hellman's play, originally starring Tallulah Bankhead on Broadway. The film represents a pivotal moment in Hollywood storytelling, where female ambition collides with societal constraints in early 20th century Alabama. The resulting power struggle leads to one of cinema's most disturbing acts of passive murder – Regina simply sitting motionless while her husband suffers a heart attack, refusing to retrieve his life-saving medication.

What makes this film truly exceptional beyond Davis's performance is Gregg Toland's pioneering deep-focus cinematography, allowing multiple story elements to unfold simultaneously in razor-sharp clarity. We analyze how this technique elevates key moments, particularly the famous staircase scene, creating a visual language that perfectly complements the moral complexity of the narrative.

The film's supporting cast deserves equal attention – from Herbert Marshall's principled Horace to Teresa Wright's awakening Alexandra and Patricia Collinge's heartbreaking Birdie. Together they create a rich tapestry of characters navigating a world where foxes prey on those with "tender grapes," as suggested by the biblical source of the film's title.

Whether you're a classic film enthusiast or discovering this masterpiece for the first time, this episode reveals why "The Little Foxes" continues to resonate – showing us that sometimes the most devastating victories are the ones that leave you with everything you wanted and nothing you need. Listen now to understand why this film deserved far more than its zero wins from nine Oscar nominations, and why Davis's performance should have earned her a third Academy Award.

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