10 Pettiest On Set Movie Feuds
1. Bette and Joan Fight To The Death
The feud to end all feuds, the bitter rivalry between screen greats Bette Davis and Joan Crawford can be traced back to 1933, when Crawford’s divorce stole newspaper inches from Davis’ first marquee movie role.
From there, the two were foes professionally and personally, with torrid tales of stealing lovers and jobs from one another. In a killer blow, Davis played a washed up actress in The Star, a character heavily based on Crawford.
The masterpiece of pettiness came after their sole joint project, the deliciously camp melodrama What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? Davis was nominated for an Oscar; Crawford wasn’t. So the latter rang around all the other nominees and offered to accept the prize on their behalf should they be unavailable.
Winner Anne Bancroft was otherwise engaged on the night, and so Crawford triumphantly swept to the stage, rubbing Davis’ loss in her face in the most public manner imaginable. Crawford was criticized for refusing to work the publicity circuit due to her disdain for Davis, and possibly negatively affected the box office by failing to play ball.
You can’t put a price on revenge, though.