Jezebel

Director: William Wyler William Wyler

Overview

Jezebel was, in 1938, widely regarded as Warner Bros.' "compensation" to Bette Davis for her losing the opportunity to play Scarlett O'Hara in Gone with the Wind. Resemblances to the two properties are inescapable: Jezebel heroine Julie Morrison is a headstrong Southern belle not unlike Scarlett (Julie lives in New Orleans rather than Georgia); she foolishly loves a man (played by Henry Fonda) who is betrothed to another; and she makes a public spectacle of herself by wearing an inappropriate red dress at a ball, just as Scarlett O'Hara brazenly danced with Rhett Butler while still garbed in widow's weeds. There are several other resemblances between the two properties, but it's important to note that Jezebel is set in the 1850s, several years before Gone with the Wind's Civil War milieu; and we must observe that, unlike Scarlett O'Hara, Julie Morrison is humbled by her experiences and ends up giving of her time, energy and health during a deadly Yellow Jack outbreak. Bette Davis won an Academy Award for her portrayal of Julie Morrison; an additional Oscar went to Fay Bainter for her portrayal of the remonstrative Aunt Belle (she's the one who labels Julie a "Jezebel" at a crucial plot point). The offscreen intrigues of Jezebel, including Bette Davis' romantic attachment to director William Wyler and costar George Brent, have been fully documented elsewhere. Jezebel was based on an old and oft-produced play by Owen Davis Sr.

Product Details

Release Date:	08/27/2019
UPC:	0883929692477
Original Release:	1938
Source:	Warner Archives
Presentation:	[B&W]

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Bette Davis	Julie Marsden
Henry Fonda	Preston Dillard
George Brent	Buck Cantrell
Margaret Lindsay	Amy Bradford Dillard
Donald Crisp	Dr. Livingstons
Fay Bainter	Aunt Belle Bogardus
Richard Cromwell	Ted Dillard
Henry O'Neill	Gen. Theopholus Bogardus
Spring Byington	Mrs. Kendrick
John Litel	Jean La Cour
Gordon Oliver	Dick Allen
Janet Shaw	Molly Allen
Theresa Harris	Zette
Margaret Early	Stephanie Kendrick
Irving Pichel	Huger
Lou Payton	Uncle Cato
Jesse Graves	Black Servant
Charles B. Middleton	Officer
Fred Lawrence	Bob
Suzanne Dulier	Midinette
Eddie "Rochester" Anderson	Gros Bat
Georgia Caine	Mrs. Petion
Matthew "Stymie" Beard	Ti Bat
Georges Renavent	De Lautrec
Ann Codee	Mme. Poulard the Dressmaker
Sam McDaniel	Driver
Trevor Bardette	Sheriff at Plantation
Al Bridge	New Orleans Sheriff
Maurice Brierre	Drunk
Daisy Bufford	Black Flower Girl
Frederick Burton	First Director
Davison Clark	Deputy Sheriff
Frank Darien	Bank Bookkeeper
Jack George	Orchestra leader
George Guhl	Fugitive Planter
John Harron	Jenkins
Philip Hurlic	Erronens
Edward McWade	Second Director
Louis Mercier	Bar Companion
Tony Paton	Drunk
Jacques Vanaire	Durette
Charles Wagenheim	Customer

Technical Credits

Robert Bruckner

Abem Finkel

John Huston

Clements Ripley

William Wyler	Director
Henry Blanke	Associate Producer
Robert Bruckner	Screenwriter
Alexis Dubin	Songwriter
Abem Finkel	Screenwriter
Leo F. Forbstein	Musical Direction/Supervision
Robert M. Haas	Art Director
Ernest Haller	Cinematographer
John Huston	Screenwriter
Orry Kelly	Costumes/Costume Designer
Warren Low	Editor
Johnny Mercer	Songwriter
Orry-Kelly	Costumes/Costume Designer
Clements Ripley	Screenwriter
Max Steiner	Score Composer
Hal B. Wallis	Executive Producer
Harry Warren	Songwriter

Editorial Reviews

Jezebel, which wrapped up as Gone With the Wind was entering pre-production, was either Bette Davis' feature-length screen test for Scarlett O'Hara or a consolation prize for not getting the part. Regardless, she handles the title role with the catty, manipulative cruelty that characterized many of her best performances. As her beau, Henry Fonda appears a little uncomfortable in the period piece. Ultimately, the film's success is wrapped around Davis' steely performance and the elegant production values: it is filmed in evocative black-and-white, and the cinematography uses light and shadow to build texture and mood and to help us forget that Davis' scandalous red dress is left up to our imaginations. Composer Max Steiner's music (he also composed the score for Gone With the Wind) is atmospherically effective. The film's study of the conventions and gender roles of the antebellum South occasionally makes the film feel more like a socio-historical document than a drama. Jezebel was nominated for five Academy Awards, including Best Picture, winning for Davis and for Fay Bainter as her aunt.

All Movie Guide - Dan Jardine