Bette Davis in the late 1940s and early 50s

Colorized a few photos of the legendary Hollywood actress when she achieved international acclaim and whose makeup and hairstyle would become her signature look for years  to come, espcecially in her 1950 movie "All About Eve".  Here's one photo starting in 1948/49

Bette Davis' signature look in All About Eve, 1950, where she was nominated for an Oscar best actress award but lost.

Bette Davis (1908 - 1989)

Colorized a few photos of a Bette Davis in promotional stills for her 1938 movie Jezebel, winning her second Best Actress Oscar after Dangerous in 1935.

She played a southern belle in that movie and after that, was seriously considered and popularly preferred in a survey for the role of another southern belle Scarlet O'Hara in the 1939 Gone With The Wind. Unfortunately for her, she was already in her 30 at the time. and the studio needed someone younger. Interesting to note that among all the hollywood actresses who aspried for the role (Paulette Goddard, Carole Lombard, Susan Hayward, Lana Turner, Tallulah Bankhead, etc), the studio head David O. Selznick offered the role of Scarlett to Hedy Lamarr who refused it. But when Vivien Leigh (1913 - 1967)arrived in Hollywood, studio bosses were not only impressed with her acting but that she looked a lot like Hedy. She got the part.

Bette Davis (1908 - 1982), ca late 1930s

Colorized a low resolution photo of screen legend Bette Davis (1908 - 1982). The original shows her with a dark hair, but I colorized her hair blonde.

Bette Davis, ca 1936, colorized by Alex Y. Lim

Bette Davis (1908 - 1989) colorized and composited by Alex Y. Lim

The tragedy of screen and beauty legends when getting old is not so much losing their beauty, as being remembered how they look when they lost it.  Here's a colorized Bette Davis from a photo by Ron Galella in 1980 with a superimposed photo of her youth by MGM's glamour photographer George Hurrell in 1939.

Bette Davis circa 1924-25

If taken in 1924, this would put Bette Davis in her late teens.

Bette Davies, Colorized Photo 1954

Here's a more familiar Bette Davis taken in 1954

Colorized Bette Davis circa 1940 - 1941

Here's a colorized promotional still of Bette Davis taken circa 1940-1941. Not much else is known about the specific movie.

 

Colorized Bette Davis 1939

George Hurrell was well known as a glamour photographer for several Hollywood studios, notably MGM. Here' one with Betty Davis in 1939 during the same photo shoot as the earlier posted shot but at a different angle and colorized with a different dress color, more intense(warmer) skin tone, lighting,& with eye shadow.

 

Colorized Bette Davis

It was said that the difference between Joan Crawford and Bette Davis, aside from looks, was that Bette Davis could shed tears just from cue, while Joan needed to listen to a really sad story before any tear will fall. There goes a hint on who was the better actress. Too bad, Bette Davies did not have the voluptuous curves of Joan nor the self-aware flamboyant elegance. But Bette's face more than made up for what lacked below the neck. It was said that if looks could kill, Bette's eyes were enough, considered the most expressive eyes in Hollywood. There's is even a rock hit by the name " Bette Davies Eyes" by Kim Carnes. Here's another colorized Bette Davies by the glamour photographer George Hurrell. It's probably the closest you can get to a seductive Bette among the few of her photoshoots Admittedly, Bette never really cared about her looks, and you can see that with the very few creatively alluring photos that Joan had tons of.

 

Colorized Bette Davis in her 20s

Here's another Hollywood vintage from the number one arch enemy of Joan Crawford - the legendary Bette Davis. Not as dashingly seductive as Joan, the two-time Oscar awardee made her mark more as a character actress, though both excelled as dramatic icons. Here is my colorized young Bette Davis in her mid-late 20s. I don't exactly like colorizing props and backgrounds unless absolutely necessary and this one has flowers in front of and right beside the subject. No choice but to colorize the flowers as well.