Bette Davis on Not Being Cast as Scarlett O'Hara in 'Gone With The Wind' | The Dick Cavett Show

In her second appearance on The Dick Cavett Show, 10-time Oscar nominee Bette Davis discusses her Southern accent and missing out on "the role of a lifetime" as Scarlett O'Hara.
Date aired - November 17th, 1971 - Bette Davis
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Dick Cavett has been nominated for eleven Emmy awards (the most recent in 2012 for the HBO special, Mel Brooks and Dick Cavett Together Again), and won three. Spanning five decades, Dick Cavett’s television career has defined excellence in the interview format. He started at ABC in 1968, and also enjoyed success on PBS, USA, and CNBC.
His most recent television successes were the September 2014 PBS special, Dick Cavett’s Watergate, followed April 2015 by Dick Cavett’s Vietnam. He has appeared in movies, tv specials, tv commercials, and several Broadway plays. He starred in an off-Broadway production ofHellman v. McCarthy in 2014 and reprised the role at Theatre 40 in LA February 2015.
Cavett has published four books beginning with Cavett (1974) and Eye on Cavett (1983), co-authored with Christopher Porterfield. His two recent books -- Talk Show: Confrontations, Pointed Commentary, and Off-Screen Secrets (2010) and Brief Encounters: Conversations, Magic moments, and Assorted Hijinks(October 2014) are both collections of his online opinion column, written for The New York Times since 2007. Additionally, he has written for The New Yorker, TV Guide, Vanity Fair, and elsewhere.
#thedickcavettshow #BetteDavis

[@gregcruse4647]

Bette was both magnificent and terrifying in equal measure

[@RobVespa]

The complete package. She's so glamourous, strong, charming, witty, interesting, and intelligent.

[@MrQbenDanny]

Bette played her Scarlett O'Hara in "JEZEBEL", and was good enough to win an Oscar. But, Vivien Leigh WAS Scarlett O'Hara.

[@jamesdrynan]

A woman for all seasons! Starting in 1930, she was a force to reckon with, taking on directors, studio moguls and the press.

[@anthonyhebisen]

“ I shall play Scarlett , but Larry won’t be playing Rhett .” - said the unknown actress Vivien Leigh to reporters two years before she even auditioned to play Scarlett . So confident , she merely stated it as fact. I wish I felt the moment Selznick first laid eyes on Vivien. He said it was the most amazing moment of his life .

[@katarzynamariamuszynska2811]

But I heard that his wife suggested to him that is some british actress unknown to Americans And Margaret Mitchell didn't like it Vivian Leigh as Scarlett

[@anthonyhebisen]

@@katarzynamariamuszynska2811 selznick had seen fire over England and deemed Vivien too British. However, larrys hollywood agent was Myron, davids brother. Larry was coming to Hollywood to do heights heights, and Vivien seized the opportunity to join him and introduce herself. Margaret mitchell didnt say much about to hiring of leigh. She might have been the one who said “ better an english girl than a yankee”

[@quintbromley2112]

In watching this you realize that we have lost something in the way of mutual respect, class and decorum over the years and, sadly, it's never coming back.

[@chuckcharles3113]

That's what the left wanted the last of 50 or 60 years ! No rules or responsibility for anything !

[@p.o694]

youre comment on the jim broen video tells me alot about you

[@quintbromley2112]

@@p.o694 Please share as I have no idea what you're talking about.

[@jchow5966]

I agree. But to be fair -people were probably saying this same thing 300 years agp. Nut i agree.

[@markc-ru4qz]

We've lost stars too all we have is a bunch of slobs

[@chrisr7597]

Sharp woman. Sense of humor to boot.

[@hollygolightly7475]

Great sense of humor🧡 could watch her all day

[@wadedavid4375]

Vivien Leigh was BORN to PLAY Scarlett O’Hara!

[@tcme11]

Vivien had many doubts about her voice and acting, some of which were supported by Larry. One of the most gorgeous faces in film acting ever. She understood how tonwork a camera. And a damn good actress as well.

[@jmad627]

I absolutely love her, and wish I had met her.

[@billzuhdi6373]

Class act! Love Bette, one of the Greats

[@juliestrom412]

Wow what a dame! Great!!!❤

[@judowrestlerka]

When class still existed.

[@hashimabdullah2271]

She’s not classy at all

[@ericsilva-gomez2481]

She is the very opposite of classy

[@greggc.touftree5936]

The entire interview of this on youtube elsewhere. It's very much worth watching her 2 (3?) that are you youtube at this time, when she was with Cavett ofc. These conversations and that which was with Katherine Hepburn should be tied down to corporate accounts, they should be free to be viewed by all. A glimpse in to the minds of national treasures long gone. (Yes I say this despite knowing the dark site of Davis' life)

[@hypolyxa7207]

Shhhh don't tell the main channel so they copyright strike the interview.

[@jennifersman7990]

It is, this is probably the best interview she ever did. Cavett was at his best when he let his guests tell their stories and speak their minds at their own pace

[@commanderkeen3787]

Burt Reynolds says in his memoirs that he had a close friendship with Bette Davis. A few interesting anecdotes there. She despised Joan Crawford

[@jennifersman7990]

But some years after Crawford died, Bette said she respected Joan for her professionalism so perhaps there would’ve been a reconciliation

[@markc-ru4qz]

I love her mink poncho and hat!!!!!!

[@kengaskins5083]

Vivien Leigh is still my favorite actress. Loved her in 'Waterloo Bridge' in particular. 'Gone With The Wind' was a great movie, but it was too long for my taste even as an epic. I also liked Leigh in 'A Street Car Named Desire' and 'St. Martins Lane'. Bette Davis is also one of my favorites. Loved her first in 'Of Human Bondage' with Leslie Howard ; they both put in excellent performances. Then there was 'Dark Victory', and 'Jezebel' to name a few. I thought she was HOT in an unconventional way like Katherine Hepburn, another outstanding actress. Personally, Stanwyck, Crawford, Streep, Julianne Moore, Kate Winslet, Helen Mirren, Emma Thompson and Glenda Jackson are also my favorites. I thought Audrey Hepburn was the most elegant. The most sensual had to be Greta Garbo The most beautiful for me would be Heddy Lamarr, Vivien Leigh, and Rosalind Russell in that order. The one actor/actress who never seem to get a bad script was Sidney Poitier, though he had to fight discrimination I'm sure. It's a testament to him & his agent. The guy was a very good actor and a class act.

[@stephenremington8448]

As an English person I think the southern US accent is the easiest the way words stand out. Ah preefer mah bahsickle to mah cahrr, never hayv to chenge the ol. I didn't realise someone called Mitchell wrote Gone With The Wind, well aware that 'Columbo' Thomas Mitchell was in it.

[@javiervalverde2374]

Stephen, I've always thought the Southern US accent has a lot of resemblance with the Cockney accent in London and upper class Southern accent with some parts of the UK. What's your opinion about this?

[@stephenremington8448]

@@javiervalverde2374 I would like to agree about cockney but I can't see it much myself, maybe very slightly, but I do get how it's like a good working class accent, accent of the people. The upper class southern does sound beautifully refined, like upper class English accents can, but were you think of a geographical Englsh location especially?

[@annalisavajda252]

Well many comments about how classy sassy ladies like Bette are no longer around but keep in mind great films like Gone With The Wind are not around now either. It was cancelled deemed "racist" because Scarlett didn't beat her house workers enough to seem realistic apparently. Society has lost it's senses now.

[@sheismymom]

Bette Davis as Scarlett O'Hara could have been amazing I love Vivien Leigh though.

[@okyou8706]

I actually liked “Parachute Jumper” w/ Douglas Fairbanks Jr. 😅

[@cliffordroberts5783]

Bette Davis had a wicked sense humour 😂

[@bsjeffrey]

i'm pretty sure she has bette davis eyes.

[@IanThaddiam]

Much under-rated comment.

[@felixthelmocevallosmorales41]

DICK CAVETT 19 DE NOVIEMBRE DE 1936 85 AÑOS (86)

[@debbiejamieson7913]

I've watched a few different interviews of Bette Davis and I have to say she talks over people and can be quite rude. But still love her in Jezebel and All about eve, Now voyager etc

[@christschool]

Look at the ring on her finger. That's the biggest emerald I've ever seen!

[@musicartlover963]

That emerald ring is beautiful

[@poetcomic1]

Bette was not gorgeous like Vivien Leigh but it is worth remembering the FIRST sentence of GWTW, the novel is "Scarlett was not pretty..."

[@mandyno5328]

Whatever it is said from the novel, vivien is the main reason gone with the wind movie was top notch success

[@DEWwords]

God damned smart.

[@felixthelmocevallosmorales41]

BETTE DAVIS 05 DE ABRIL DE 1908 06 DE OCTUBRE DE 1989

[@katarzynamariamuszynska2811]

Who She will play? Scarlett?

[@musicartlover963]

That fur coat is beautiful

[@johnpickford4222]

@quintbromley2112: Mutual respect, class and decorum are words not associated with Bette Davis. She just doesn’t have any of the three.

[@mikehill3728]

She's so charismatic and you almost want to believe her when she gives you the wrong definition of precocious.

[@rah62]

No, you're wrong. She's absolutely correct about the original definition of precocious: "having developed certain abilities or proclivities at an earlier age than usual".

[@kathydethman7218]

She was no Scarlett O'hara.

[@lucadantiga5316]

"Jezebel" is better

[@rebelwithoutaclue8164]

Vivien was perfect, this old battleaxe would have ruined the show. Everything happens for a reason.

[@michaelmayoh656]

Vivien Leigh was beautiful, but if you read the book it starts Scarlett wasn't beautiful !but the men loved her

[@nickbigd]

That sort of unkind remark is unfortunate. I agree VL was perfect for the part, but Bette was no battleaxe.

[@patriciamichelin7355]

First of all, Bette Davis was in her 20's when Gone With the Wind was filmed so she was NOT and old battleax. That is a very rude and classless statement to make. You should be ashamed. I guess your mother never taught you that if you can't say something nice, say nothing at all.

[@patriciamichelin7355]

I never said Bette Davis was a battleax! My reply regarding Bette is on a different reply. I am a big fan of Bette Davis and would not say anything against her. So before you go telling someone off and lecturing them, make sure you know who and to what you are replying to. I have made the same mistake in the past. Please just learn to be more careful as I did. Ok? 😊

[@Ccyawn123]

​@michaelmayoh656 David Selznick had the wisdom to know that Rhett Butler would not have chased someone who wasn't beautiful for 12 years, despite the books opening line. And the movie is all the better for it.

[@DR-mq1vn]

Am I the only person who doesn't like Bette Davis? She comes across as so full of herself. Moreso than other actresses.

[@holdencaulfield2417]

Yes. You're the only one.

[@patriciamichelin7355]

Yes. You care one of few. There is no doubt that between her and Katherine Hepburn that they are the two greatest actresses to have lived. The number of nominations and awards between them justifies their status. It's a shame that you cannot separate your personal feelings about someone and still recognize their greatness.

[@Qwerty-db1js]

You are allowed to dislike her. But try watch more of her films. She is quite terrific in most of her films.

[@Qwerty-db1js]

@@patriciamichelin7355 Maybe it's just me, but Bette Davis is more versatile than Kate Hepburn who is a tad overrated (I say this as a fan of classic cinema).

[@patriciamichelin7355]

@@Qwerty-db1js I do agree with you that Bette Davis is much more versatile than Kate Hepburn who really to me, only excels in dramatic roles whereas Davis can do just about anything. If forced to choose between the two I would choose Bette.