Bette Davis tribute by Meryl Streep

A short Bette Davis tribute narrated by Meryl Streep. It aired on TCM.

[@TodayWasAGoodDay9]

Bette is the best! I never tire of watching her on screen.

[@rkaasm]

There will NEVER be another Bette Davis. Rest in Peace Miss Davis

[@VladSicoe]

Imagine, what an honor to be admired by Bette Davis, herself! One of the greatest actresses of all time to admire and to tell you she hopes to some day work with you. Doesn't get any better than that!

[@mmjhcb]

Vlad Sicoe When Ms. Davis wrote that to Streep she probably would have worked with Dumbo the Flying Elephant. She loved to work. She wanted to work. She was so far beyond Streep, but hey! If it's boxoffice, it's boxoffice. Hepburn sure didn't ask to work with her.

[@laxus9451]

Lets ask streep and winger

[@mmjhcb]

laxus 94 Ask what? You don't bother with punctuation (even capital letters), so no one knows what you're saying anyway.

[@jslasher1]

Winger, who?

[@MikeWalker]

'and after you kissed me, i always used to wipe my mouth....WIPE MY MOUTH!!!!!!!'. Stop the film anywhere in that particular take...... that's believing your lines... Jaw dropping.

[@glenn20081965]

She certainly broke the mould and smashed that ceiling. Greatest actress of all time.

[@LB-pg3no]

I agree...the greatest actress in the history of cinema!!!!

[@superhitchcock44]

Bette and Meryl. Two of the best actresses in Hollywood ever!!!!!! Two greatest female stars! Mrs. Davis was a lady with too much talent. She had a too strong and powerful character!

[@debbiepaterson7026]

Bette Davis there won't be anyone like her again I'm a big fan and love anything to do with her

[@poeticjournalism]

"you see, no one ever called me darling before" gets me every time. the greatness of that line really depends on the talent of the actress...anyone could've made that line disposable as hell, but the great Bette knew exactly what she was doing...you knew EXACTLY what she felt when she was saying that line.

[@mawvee088]

Bette is one of the greatest. Love her! Meryl is one of the greatest living actresses today. It would have been really nice to see those two work together, but I'm glad Meryl said she's worked with Bette through an inspiration :)

[@noelgibson4274]

Bette Davis knew talent when she saw it.

[@mmjhcb]

Noel Newton She wanted to work. If she truly admired Streep, well even the greats can make mistakes.

[@sfden50]

Bette was always the 1st person to recognize and praise great talent. She saw what Streep had from the get go. When you think of them together, both the top actor of their own era, it's almost too much tangible talent to fully comprehend.

Loved when Meryl says that since her remembers, they were working together since she was a little girl, 'cause Davis inspired her since her childhood. The biggest and actual dame of the cinema humbly recognizing the grandiosity of her forerunner.

[@David-dz3ig]

Very well said! I couldn't have said it any better.

Thank you, David Duryea

[@Deva7]

I've been working with Davis too! Also with Hepburn. We talk all the time.

[@rosscityofliverpool.983]

When the credits roll to start a film and the name Bette Davis appears you are in for one hell of a ride, great star and a great talent.

[@AnnaGirardini]

Well, you have to "fasten your seatbelt!" ;)

[@TheMagickdavid]

Annarosa Girardini; it's going to be a bumpy night 😁

[@lauracorley2232]

bette davis best actress for all time my queen

[@dianamichaelamidday561]

I absolutely love Betty Davis and Meryl Streep to know that Betty Davis was a great inspiration to Meryl in her amazing career it's just simply mind-blowing to know that one of the most Dynamic performers had such an impact another great talent

[@CarlyMK95]

Meryl Streep's voice is soo calming. I could listen to her speak all day. Ahhh Bette Davis and Meryl Streep 2 of the best actress's ever.

[@sametoyoutoo8509]

Wow Betty was stunning

[@gymnastix]

And Davis wasn't afraid, in 1962, to take out an ad in "Variety" selling herself, after many thought her career over. She was hired for "What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?" and wasn't afraid the appear grotesque. In fact, her boldness started a trend of older actresses playing horror films.

[@orhugs]

That letter almost made me cry. How much more considerate could you get? To boost a young womans confidence so much by sending her a few sweet lines.

[@johnvilanova4962]

Bette Davis - we love you!!!

[@Dehthatiele]

+John Vilanova Ladies with an attitude!!!!!! =)

[@user-iz5hd8cu7v]

Thanks to Meryl for such tribute. Love them both

[@classicmovieclub9760]

I find it sooo sweet Bette wrote to her and Meryl was so happy - cute! great tribute

[@T2NDC]

bette davis and meryl steep: top of the top!!! :)

[@chilvari]

Bette Davis is my favorite actress! She had me at "All About Eve" which was actually my first Bette Davis Film. I'm simply in love with her performance and her work ethic! I want to be an actress as well and I'm really inspired but her. I want to find my own path in life; my own style of acting. But I do hope to reach a deep level of understanding of what it truly means to perform, just like Bette Davis because she can perform like no other. She was a performer in the true sense of the word.

[@erniebakeswell9623]

made me cry. so much of what's valuable in art goes unnoticed in the rush to proclaim one's own ego. Meryl being Meryl still does proclaim her own ego slyly. but along the way Bette Davis gets some credit for being one hell of an actress who through a long career consistently raised the level of performance in every film she graced. heat, fire, passion, sparks shot through her eyes and body from a volcanic center but the diction was always crystalline. brava bravissima!

[@EvaSofie]

Because you totally wouldn’t mention getting a letter from one of your biggest inspirations.

[@dianavictoriaaljadeff8949]

Two of my alll time favourite Hollywood actresses.

[@tamarexxe]

Now Voyager! God Bless Bette Davis, the greatest of the great. From a time when there were dozens of Great Hollywood Actors and Actresses, she stood and stands apart as the greatest of them all. Along with Hepburn and Stanwyck, but she stands just a little ahead of even them.

[@Rhiaanon]

Bette and Meryl are two of the greatest actors (male or female) of all time!

[@michaelneel4828]

She was truly a Great actress & one hell of a woman !!!

[@nauort23]

Even though I think Meryl Streep's praise might mean more than James Woods', his tribute to B.D. on TCM is even better. When he starts to describe that scene in Now, Voyager that's shown here, and can't even hold it together just talking about it... That's the effect Bette Davis has on people. She could somehow make a young man from another generation identify with an old maid character that she played before he was even born. She continues to amaze me--even more so, the older I get.

[@louiseglass3352]

My two favorite actresses born decades apart. Meryl Streeps tribute to Bette moved me very much. Both actresses own the parts they play and their talent shines above the other actors they work with. I wish they could have done a film together. Thank you Turner Classic Movies for Meryl’s tribute and the clips from many of Bette Davis’s movies.

[@LB-pg3no]

Bette was by far the best actress in the history of cinema! Streep studied her but cant come close to the extraordinary performances that Bette gave us!!! Bette will remain the greatest, nobody can come close to her very gifted talent!

[@markrichards6863]

I agree, followed closely by Barbara Stanwyck. They both played tough characters.

[@dannysimion]

She is one hell of an actress and I loved her in roles that were never your stereotypical damsel in distress or housewife shoes...she dared to play roles that were out of the box and challenge the perception of what women can do in Hollywood! Very much like Meryl Streep in her roles. :)

[@sharoninglima1217]

There will never be another like Bette Davis. Shes my favorite actor. Committed, intelligent, unique, professional and just one of a kind. Bette was always unusually beautiful and the GOAT. ❤❤

[@JustAThought155]

Wow!!! This short clip has exposed me to the depths of Ms. Bette Davis’s talent! Wow! Indeed she should have been honored on the British level of artistic honor: Dame Bette Davis!!!

[@tarottime3219]

Bette Davis ! I love her!!!

[@Ninums]

How glorious is this! Two giants of the screen who, as it turns out, adore each other. We share the same birthday, Bette and I, and I too learned how to terrify a man from watching her. I've been doing it ever since. I don't even have to try. Now I believe I'm turning into 'Baby' Jane Hudson, which is more terrifying. I have loved Bette since I was a small child. Every movement of those expressive eyes captivates me. They have a life of their own. That husky voice, so exciting when castigating some poor devil. Did she finesse the art of camp? Maybe. I might take the day off, slip into something scandalous and watch old Bette Davis clips well into the evening. Join me.

[@jaywolf4183]

Bette Davis had a strong personality; she wasn't pretentious; she was honest & informative to the new generations of what's behind the movie industry. She never sugar coded anything, not even her own life. She was a very good actor & very funny. Maybe the funniest woman. This narrator woman(Merl Strip) is EVERYTHING OPPOSITE of Bette Davis.

[@LB-pg3no]

Meryl Streep is a pretentious little weasel! I dont like her acting...her ego is not her amigo....Bette was A REAL PERSON...TOLD THE TRUTH AT ALL TIMES, AND WAS EXTREMELY TALENTED LIKE NO OTHER!!!

[@jmc2284]

Streep in no Bette Davis.

[@GuilhemGatien]

Magnifique Bette Davis ! La meilleure ! The Best !

[@glennsepulveda4856]

The greatest actress on screen!..

[@novalis]

Wow, the "Whipe my mouth!"-scene was the best thing I've seen in ages. Had to see it over and over and over again!

[@CapricornDavo]

Bette did it her way, and so does Meryl!! GREAT Tribute!

[@thebohemianlover]

my 2 favorite actresses of all time from the best channel ever created. best. thing. ever.

[@HitheLineFighton]

I cried the first time I saw this on TV ~ not ashamed to say it ~ Bette Davis is THE Greatest Female Actor of All-Time! Thank you for posting this.

[@brendapurvis4803]

my mum loved Bette Davis. The first time I watched what ever happened to baby Jane. with my mum. I became a fan to. She was the best there is. love her.

[@gymnastix]

And Davis was one of the early 'big" film stars to recognize the value of television, wasn't afraid the then-new medium would cheapen her image, in fact praised soap operas and TV films as providing some better opportunities than theatrical releases.

[@lost_comment]

bette davis and meryl streep-two of the greatest so cool that bette thought highty of streep.

[@oscarulisestorresornelas9914]

I like to watch this video often. I hear a very happy Meryl Streep specially when she says that thanks to all Betti Davis achievements the actresses of her generación had It a Little easier!

[@nucciahm]

Thanks for this video ... I love Bette Davis ... she is the best actress of the world..

[@juanb.9653]

Bette Davis and Meryl Streep the two best actresses of my generation. No question about it.

[@catman3552]

Bette,I bow to you,the queen,you're the best!

[@hairyscotman]

very nice tribute...BETTE was something....we'll never see the likes of her again...

[@vondamorphew3505]

One of her lines brings a smile every time, “I’d like to kiss you, but I just washed my hair.”

[@darellgrant8753]

...bye

[@stephenfermoyle4578]

every time !!

[@carag2567]

WOW. Just...wow. It feels very humbling to see one of my top three favorite actors speaking with such respect and reverence for another one of my top three favorite actors. What an honor to be able to consume both of their art. Toni Collette is the third.

[@thewomaninthemoon]

I watch Meryl Streep and Bette Davis movies with my niece all the time and she absolutely loves them!I've taught her well. =)

[@Rocketjay12]

Very nice tribute from Streep. How eloquent! Bette Davis was very special and will always be missed by this fan.

[@tamarexxe]

One of the three great actresses. The Greatest of the big three in fact. Bette Davis, Katherine Hepburn, and Barbara Stanwyck. Such genius will never again grace the silver screen.

[@Molly-kv5si]

Both amazing actresses! Bette Davis was someone I look up to

[@EJperfection]

I always comeback to watch this video! Very time i listen Meryl talk about THE GREATEST ACTRESS EVER LIVE makes my heart smile :)

[@bruce92106]

I use to wipe my mouth! Wipe my mouth! Gone, but not forgotten. Bette Davis was, and always will be, a force to be reckoned with. I love how she still inspires young actors and actresses still today. I have to watch a good ole BD movie at least once a year. RIP Miss Davis! 😘 Everyone loves you! ❤

[@hannahdeforest9148]

I find this absolutely fascinating because now that I think about it, I can see many sparks of Bette Davis- like performances by Meryl Streep. I just never made the connection before. Now I know why some of Streep’s performances felt so familiar when I first started watching her movies! Lovely tribute.

[@dibogcol100]

Long life to the Star!

[@obsesseddelphini]

wow! this is such a lovely, sincere tribute. Both Meryl Streep and Bette Davis are absolutely phenomenal and the bit in Meryl Streep's speech at the awards when she says about being mentioned in the same breath as Bette Davis is the same as what Kate Winslet said about Meryl Streep at the 81st Oscars in one of her speeches!

[@michaelangelovoices]

Beautiful.

[@MistyBlue102]

The two best actresses ever!

[@jmc2284]

Bette Davis is the greatest female actor of all time. No one will ever come close. She just lit up the screen.

[@xtinaandravenfan]

Meryl is the Bette Davis nowadays for me. Shes such a phenomenal actress. I think her and Bette act quite similarly they both have done very dramatic film roles. Meryl is one of my favourite actresses along with Bette! xx

[@vanimoraes409]

Uma diva, homenageando outra, que coisa mais linda, essas duas, marcaram minha vida, assim como outras (os) atores americanos. Sem palavras, somente agradecimentos, pelas atuações.

[@JennyferMendeslambertucci]

adoro os filmes da diva Bette Davis e amo Metyl Streep......

[@virginiastock5518]

Bette Davis, the Greatest actress of all time.

[@RosieHarp]

I love how Bette Davis could literally flash her eyes when she was doing a scene where she was angry. Amazing woman

[@misr91]

A beautiful tribute from another legend Meryl Streep - GOD BLESS THEM BOTH...

[@willyboy6126]

Two of America's (and world's) greatest treasures... *Bette Davis & Meryl Streep* !

[@jmsplummer]

This is amazing. I've always said Bette Davis and Meryl Streep were my favorite actresses of all time. It's funny how I came across a video of Meryl Streep doing a tribute about her.

[@jpmonroe9603]

Me too, James Plummer. However, I must now add Kathy Bates after seeing her in "Dolores Claiborne." She gave a phenomenal tour-de-force performance even better than "Misery" for which she won an Oscar.

[@PateOnACrumpet]

Without doubt the two greatest actresses Hollywood has ever known

[@EJperfection]

Beautiful tribute! Very touching.. For me Meryl is the greatest now in our time and Bette Davis is the greatest in her time. So both are the GREATEST of all time! :))

[@meshuggepup]

thanks so much for sharing this. A wonderful tribute to Miss Davis. Makes me appreciate the incomparable Miss Streep even more.

[@adelgado75]

The studio system was brutal. The actors had to make whatever film the studio gave them. And if the too many of the films flopped they dropped you from contract.

[@manasmaisnam606]

Ya. Worst part was that the period which the studios put the actors under suspension used to be added on to the contract period. So, a contract might keep on extending with the actor caught in its web. Bette was the 1st to challenge it. She could not win, but Olivia de Havilland fought the same case later. And she won. Even today there is a de Havilland clause which stupulated that any contract period cannot be extended more than the number of calendar yr for which it was signed.

[@atolm1]

What en eloquent and heartfelt tribute, it really warmed my heart and further deepens my admiration of these two legends.

[@alnazemian]

Thanks for posting this. This is a great tribute! Bette Davis was the greatest film actress of the 20th century! Meryl Streep & Susan Sarandon agree!

[@wisdaniel]

I've never seen eyes like that, so big and expressive. She always down played her beauty throughout her life. It was her acting that she wanted to be known for. It was always about the "role". The characters she chose to play, her fight with Warner Brothers: always about the product. Never about the money or image.

[@louisethompson2044]

Bette Davis the Queen of the screen.miss Streep just as,amazing

[@misr91]

You are absolutely right! She was the first to play parts which most actresses couldnt or wouldnt want to attempt at the time IN Hollywood- "Some will wind up on the short end but not ME baby-I KNOW ALL THE ANGLES..." God Bless that AWESOME DAME...

[@sydhawdon9095]

Very refreshing to hear a woman talk about another woman with praise and admiration. Doesn't happen half as much as it should 💋

[@ethaneade4937]

I love Bette Davis's movie "Now voyager"

[@scotnick59]

As did/do millions of others!

[@markrichards6863]

The Letter Now Voyager Dark Victory The Corn Is Green In that order

[@grace_from_dogville]

Two Goddesses of Cinema! Separated by Generations but United by Talent!

[@Girl_Girl1488]

Omg it's two my favorite actresses! Memorible, gifted and incredible!

[@co1985mn]

Wonderful, Wonderful.... It's so Exciting to see these women. Wow..speechless.

[@absoluteacw]

Bette is strictly a one off. Her demeanor gargantuan, her delivery is relentless, wickedly divine!

[@meLovemi9100]

Thanks for Greate posting! Meryl & Bette Divine.

[@windstorm1000]

Terrific moving tribute from one great actress to another

[@dianapoveda3343]

Bette.Davis my favorite.actress.of.all times. Fabulosa, excelente,.espectacular.

[@nadiazayman779]

Lovely!

[@maleficentdiva]

what a wonderful tribute! love them both so much! :)

[@ClueFinderDirtDigger]

Wonderful :). Absolutely classic-- I love Bette.

[@jayiijay]

The two best film actresses ever, by far.

[@Slowlondon]

Don´t like Meryl Streep, but really deeply love Bette Davis.

[@GiovanniMariaTommaso]

There will never be another specific individual from the whole gamut of individuals that can duplicate another character/personality, only glimmers here and there and stunning shinning brilliant stars; Betty Davis, one of those of brilliance up above! Meryl, you have shown yourself to be as the fine protégé of wine that you were and have become in your own unique, individual, magnificent, presence on the silver screen; another brilliant star!

[@antonov7v]

It's shocking to discover how influential in fact was Bette Davis on shaping my free will and determination w/out ever thinking of it ! I grew up in a political system in which the young girl/woman had to conform to the rigid society's norms when even a laughter had to be measured to avoid misjudgment....I could not restrain my laughter and this how I became the woman I am today: courageous enough, determined and good spirited. Thank you Miss Bette Davis! Meryl, you are perfect!

[@aprilwearsgucci]

From one legend to another. They kind of remind you of one another. How sweet of Bette to write her a letter telling her that. A letter from your idol. Sad that they never got the chance to work togther. That would of been some movie. And how their are alot of young actress today that feels the same way about her like she did Ms. Davis. I hope I'm making sense. Meryl Streep and Bette Davis are what all actor/actress should aim to be.

[@debieMerylFan79]

I Love It!! :DD Meryl S. And Bette D. Are my two favorite actresses of all time!!!