The very direct Bette Davis

Bette Davis often played unlikable characters, such as Regina Giddens in The Little Foxes (1941).

“When a man gives his opinion, he’s a man. When a woman gives her opinion, she’s a bitch.’’

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“If you’ve never been hated by your child, you’ve never been a parent.’’

Bette Davis (1908-1989), a mega star of “The Golden Age of Hollywood.’’ Born and educated in Massachusetts, she remained very much a New Englander in manner. Her last husband, out of four, was the actor Gary Merrill, with whom she starred in the famous film All About Eve (1950). They were divorced in 1960 after a decade of marriage after having lived together for much of the 1950s in a mansion in Cape Elizabeth, Maine. After the divorce, she left the Pine Tree State but Mr. Merrill mostly remained there and indeed became very active in Maine politics.

Memorable Davis movie lines:

“What a dump!’’ in Beyond the Forest (1949)

”Fasten your seatbelts; it’s going to be a bumpy night’’ — in All About Eve (1950)

Cape Elizabeth Lights, Cape Elizabeth, Maine

— Photo by Stefan Hillebrand