The Hope College Knickerbocker Theatre will show four films featuring Bette Davis every Monday from Nov. 18 to Dec. 9 at 7 p.m.
The series will screen “Of Human Bondage,” “Now, Voyager,” “The Man Who Came to Dinner” and “All About Eve.” The Dec. 9 event will include a live Zoom conversation with Kathryn Sermak, who was Davis’ assistant for 10 years and wrote the book “Miss D & Me: Life with the Invincible Bette Davis” and co-established the Bette Davis Foundation.
Davis, generally acknowledged as one of the greatest actors of all time, was known for her intense style of acting and her physical transformations. She made her Broadway debut in 1929. She then signed with Warner Bros. and premiered in many movies, receiving several awards including the Emmy Award and other nominations along the way. In 1935 she won her first Academy Award for Best Actress. She became the first person to earn five consecutive Academy Award nominations for acting, all in the Best Actress category, eventually winning twice. By 1942 she was the highest-paid woman in the United States.
“Of Human Bondage” will open the series on Nov. 18. The 1934 drama-romance film stars Davis opposite Leslie Howard. Based on the novel by W. Somerset Maugham, the story centers on Philip Carey, a young man with a clubfoot who dreams of becoming an artist. He falls in love with Mildred Rogers, a tea-room waitress, who is beautiful and manipulative, leading him into an obsessive relationship. When Philip proposes to her, Mildred declines, telling him she will be marrying Emil Miller, a loutish salesman, instead. Philip begins to forget Mildred when he becomes involved with Norah, an attractive and considerate romance writer working under a male pseudonym. She slowly helps him resolve his painful addiction to Mildred. However, just when it appears that Philip is finding happiness, Mildred returns.
The series will continue on Nov. 25 with “Now, Voyager,” a 1942 drama-romance film co-starring Paul Henreid and Claude Rains, and directed by Irving Rapper. Controlled by her wealthy mother, Charlotte Vale (Davis) becomes despondent and spends time in a sanitarium, emerging transformed. On a cruise, she has an affair with married architect Jerry Durrance. Returning home, she confronts her mother with her independence, leading to disaster. Inheriting the Vale fortune, Charlotte feels guilty and returns to the sanitarium, where she befriends Tina, a depressed girl abandoned by her mother — Jerry’s wife.
The third film, “The Man Who Came to Dinner,” will show on Dec. 2. The 1942 romantic-comedy also stars Ann Sheridan, Monty Woolley and Richard Travis. Lecturer Sheridan Whiteside slips on the ice on his way into the home of a prominent Ohio family. The local doctor says that Whiteside, having broken his leg, must remain confined. He begins to meddle with the lives of everyone in the household, including his personal assistant, Maggie (Davis), with hilarious results for everyone.
The series will close with Davis in her most iconic role in “All About Eve,” showing Dec. 9. The 1950 drama-comedy also stars Anne Baxter and includes a young Marilyn Monroe. Eve Harrington (Baxter) is waiting backstage to meet her idol, talented but aging Broadway star Margo Channing (Davis). It seems innocent enough as Eve explains that she has seen Margo in every performance of her current play. Margo and her friends take Eve under their wing, but only theater critic Addison DeWitt (George Sanders) sees when Eve’s fandom turns to obsession.
The live Zoom conversation with Sermak will immediately follow the screening of “All About Eve.” Sermak was just 23 when Davis hired her as her assistant, and they worked together for 10 years until Davis’ death. Sermak wrote “Miss D & Me: Life with the Invincible Bette Davis” at Davis’ request, sharing stories about the legendary actress. In 1997, she started the Bette Davis Foundation with Davis’ son.
Every movie night includes a giveaway of a signed edition of the book and exclusive Bette Davis coffee.
Tickets for all films are priced at $10 each. Tickets will be sold at the door.
To inquire about accessibility or if you need accommodations to fully participate in the event, please email accommodations@hope.edu. Updates related to events are posted when available at hope.edu/calendar in the individual listings.
The Knickerbocker Theatre is located in downtown Holland at 86 E. Eighth St. between College and Columbia Avenues.