jacobs-greenwood Bette Davis is a serious literary writer who's enjoyed mild success. She returns to her hometown to visit her childhood friend, played by Miriam Hopkins, who's married to John Loder. Hopkins's character yearns for a life of her own, outside of the trappings of her husband and daughter, and is inspired by her friend's visit to try and get her trashy romance novel published. Davis helps her out and, of course, Hopkins becomes a big success, much to the chagrin of Davis and her now neglected husband Loder.Years later, Davis is dating Gig Young, whom she thinks is about to propose to her but who has actually now fallen for Hopkins's daughter Dolores Moran. Hopkins's character wants to reconcile with her own estranged husband Loder, who is uninterested but does seem attracted to Davis's worldly sophistication. The career woman Davis gets an opportunity to be a martyr as she allows Young to pursue Moran, and then a savior for Moran, who almost makes a mistake with Philip Reed's character.Anne Revere plays a writer who figures out the relationship between the two women and more. My favorite exchange in this film (filled with great lines) is when Revere's character comments to Davis's that "at least when you (Davis) publish a book, it's a good thing, and not like grinding out some sausage." She then recognizes that Hopkins's character (to whom she was obviously referring) has overheard and (embarrassed) says "maybe I should just slit my throat" to which Hopkins, not missing a beat, replies "well, there's a knife on that table over there".Roscoe Karns also appears as a reporter; Esther Dale plays Davis's longtime maid and confidant.One of the things that makes this film so enjoyable is the on screen loathing between Davis and Hopkins, no real friends off the screen either, though they share a great final, "reconciliation" scene together - the derivation of the film's title.Directed by Vincent Sherman, this John Van Druten play was converted into a screenplay by Van Druten and Lenore Coffee. Later remade as Rich and Famous (1981) with Candice Bergen and Jacqueline Bisset.

Edgar Allan Pooh . . . then two OLD MAIDS will be great, Warner Bros. decided in 1943. In this thematic sequel to OLD MAID (1939), Miriam Hopkins and Bette Davis reprise their roles from the earlier film, with even a JEZEBEL reference thrown into the mix. This time the functions of biological and nurturing mother are switched, as it's Hopkins popping out the daughter but Davis becoming the De Facto mom. In another new wrinkle, screenwriters decide to double the number of Great Loves in the sterile life of the Davis character, and to engineer a series of implausible circumstances to have Hopkins' family snuff out ALL of Davis' opportunities for Love Connections. No doubt this was on the direct orders of the U.S. War Department's censors, who reigned supreme over every nuance of Hollywood flicks during the early 1940s. The prospect of Bette Davis birthing baby after baby on the Big Screen was viewed by the Top Brass as a less enticing reason for G.I.'s to fight their way home than Lana Turner and Betty Grable's bare legs. Though Ms. Davis' "Kit" makes a big point of nixing P.J. bottoms here, military censors were unmoved by her Nocturnal Bare-Leggedness

bkoganbing Old Acquaintance started as a Broadway play by John Van Druten and ran 170 performances during the 1940-41 season. It is the quintessential star vehicle and two Broadway legends, Jane Cowl and Peggy Wood played the rival women on stage. On screen the film version stars Bette Davis and Miriam Hopkins and in this instance it really helped to have two women who positively loathed each other in real life. Helped enormously with their performances.The two are childhood friends and rival authors, Bette is a writer of seriously acclaimed classics that just don't sell and Miriam is the Jacqueline Susann of the pair, a writer of potboiler trash fiction that the public eats up. For reasons never explained by the film, Miriam nurses a pent up jealousy over Bette which Davis patiently bears throughout most of the film which takes place over a twenty year period in their lives. Davis rightly can't figure it out, Miriam is the one with the husband and child both of whom she smothers with her overbearing personality. The Broadway play which took place in only one setting, the Davis character's apartment was considerably expanded for the screen and I will say that the play's stage origins are barely noticeable. The play and the film are strictly vehicles for the two stars, the other players would dare not intrude even if their parts permitted. Old Acquaintance in the hands of players less capable of Davis and Hopkins would be a disaster. But with the two of them it is one camp treat.

evanston_dad I didn't much like this Bette Davis women's picture from 1943.It starts out promisingly enough, with Davis as a successful writer paying a visit to childhood friend Miriam Hopkins. Always competitive, Hopkins decides she wants to be a writer too, and finds tremendous success writing popular entertainments while Davis struggles to find an audience for her more artistic endeavors. If the film had continued to examine the relationship between these two artist friends, it might have been engaging. However, it instead goes off on a bunch of standard-issue romantic tangents, all of it the stuff of dull soap opera, none of it very interesting, that feels like a hundred other movies you've seen before from the same time period.Davis gives one of her best performances up to a point, until the material abandons her. The less said about Hopkins' hysterically unfunny performance, the better.Grade: C