Star, the

Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation presents "THE STAR" (1952) (89 min/B&W) -- Starring: Bette Davis, Sterling Hayden, Natalie Wood, Warner Anderson, Minor Watson, June Travis

Directed by Stuart Heisler

Margaret Elliot (Bette Davis) is a bankrupted washed-up Hollywood Oscar winning star living in the past and not accepting the reality. After another great deception trying to get her career back, she gets drunken and is jailed. She is bailed out by Jim Johannson (Sterling Hayden), a young actor promoted by her that gave up the career to buy a repair shipyard. Jim loved her and tries with Margaret's daughter Gretchen(Natalie Wood) to make Margaret see that her glorious days of Hollywood star are over. She needs to be and live with the two people who really love her, him and her daughter.

But Maggie wants to regain her star status on her own terms, and does whatever she needs to for that great ingénue role that has eluded her for so many years

There were some great lines uttered by has-been movie queen, Margaret Elliot. There were many more to come.

Davis turned in a realistic performance as the aging star and conveyed the frustrations that many older performers feel when they realize the truth about their failing careers.

Nominated Oscar for Best Actress in a Leading Role (Bette Davis)

Interestingly, this 1952 performance earned Davis her 9th Oscar nomination.

* Special Footnote: -- In the scene where a drunken Margaret Elliot takes her Oscar for a ride in her car, Bette Davis used one of her own Oscars.

BIOS:
1. Stuart Heisler (Director)
Date of Birth: 5 December 1896 - Los Angeles, California
Date of Death: 21August 1979 - San Diego, California

2. Bette Davis [aka: Ruth Elizabeth Davis]
Date of Birth: 5 April 1908 - Lowell, Massachusetts, USA
Date of Death: 6 October 1989 - Neuilly-sur-Seine, Hauts-de-Seine, France

3. Sterling Hayden [aka: Sterling Relyea Walter]
Date of Birth: 26 March 1916 - Upper Montclair, New Jersey
Date of Death: 23 May 1986 - Sausalito, California

4. Natalie Wood [aka: Natalia Nikolaevna Zakharenko]
Date of Birth: 20 July 1938 - San Francisco, California
Date of Death: 29 November 1981 - Santa Catalina Island, California

Mr. Jim's Ratings:
Quality of Picture & Sound: 4 Stars
Performance: 4 Stars
Story & Screenplay: 4 Stars
Overall: 4 Stars [Original Music, Cinematography & Film Editing]

Total Time: 89 min on DVD ~ Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation ~ (June 14, 2005)

Edina would have been proud! I just love when Bette drives drunk with her Oscar! Or how about when she cuts down those 2 women who recognize her working in a shop? "Didn't you used to be...?"

Some of the reviews I've read didn't seem to know that The Star was an Independent film. Of course not like them classy ones we see's now at our cinemas and all. All kidding aside, she took this role because it was a good one and she knew she could relate to it, I think that's why I like her. She was just honest almost to a brutal degree. I just recently watched Now, Voyager for the first time and often forget that she was a very good actress, we often forget that because of the gay camp value that she is assigned with.