OLD ACQUAINTANCE (1943)

OLD ACQUAINTANCE (1943) was the second collaboration of bitter rivals, Bette Davis and Miriam Hopkins. Leftover animosity while working together on THE OLD MAID (1939)  spilled over the production of OLD ACQUAINTANCE (1943) stirring up bad blood once again, between them. Mutual hatred for one another occurred when Davis had an affair with Hopkins' then-husband Anatole Livtak. Injecting humor to their volatile situation, both Davis and Hopkins allowed publicity photos to be taken of them facing each other, wearing boxing gloves with their film director standing between them.

PLOT SYNOPSIS (Spoilers Alert !!)

Critically- acclaimed Author Kit Marlowe (Bette Davis) REUNITES with her childhood friend Millie Drake ( Miriam Hopkins) when she returns to her hometown to give a lecture, apart of her lecture tour. As Millie's houseguest, Kit learns that her dear old friend is happily married and expecting a child. But Millie is not completely satisfied with being just a loving wife and expecting mother. Millie yearns for more out of life, she envies Kit's life, being a WELL-RESPECTED author. 

To Kit's surprise, she learns that her best friend has been writing a romance novel. Kit agrees to read her MANUSCRIPT and pass it to her publisher if she likes it. Kit confesses to Millie, that her book is not selling, even though its well-praised by critics. Millie injects that she knows that her books will sell because she knows what the public wants.

Fast-forwarding eight years finds that Millie had written eight romance novels, becoming a best-selling novelist. Since Millie's successful career, her MARRIAGE  has been DETERIORATING. Millie's other half, Preston Drake (John Loder)  has been taking on the occupational hazard of DRINKING, just to cope with his MISERABLE marriage.

 Secretly, Preston has been PINING for his wife's best friend Kit for years. At long last,  an opportunity has presented itself, Preston KISSES Kit's hand confessing his LOVE for her. Kit instantly RECOILS from his advances saying"Pres, I begged not you to ever say that to me." Instantaneously, Preston's eight-year-old daughter Deidre dashes in the room, eliminating the TENSION between Preston and Kit. However, Preston informs Kit that he meant every word he said to her, as he piggybacks Deidre out of the room.

Later that same evening, Kit decides to give Millie some MARITAL ADVICE, informing her that she needs to be CONSIDERATE to her husband. Immediately, Millie becomes DEFENSIVE, stating that she been a GOOD WIFE to him, giving him EVERYTHING, making him a definite department in her life, as she does her child. The old maid tries to sell her friend on the idea, that she knows more about MEN than she does. Kit continues to inject that a little HUMOR and TENDERNESS to a man who drinks to ESCAPE his life, maybe the solution.

After Kit makes her exit, Preston packs up his clothes and LEAVES Millie. After hearing the news, Kit promptly goes to the hotel where Preston is staying. Kit BEGS Preston to go back to his wife, but he refuses. Preston pours out his HEART and SOUL expressing his LOVE for her. Kit EXPLAINS to Preston that she can't be a HOMEWRECKER to her best friend's marriage. Kit continues to PLEAD  with Preston to return to Millie, but he rejects the notion. Preston asks Kit for a KISS goodbye, first, she refuses, then submits to a TENDER farewell clinch.

Kit greets Millie, when she arrives at the hotel, desperately trying to see her husband. Kit briefs Millie that Preston has gone up to his room and has given orders NOT to be DISTURB. Millie begins to breakdown in her DRAMA QUEEN fashion, expressing that she should have THROWN herself out the WINDOW like she planned. Millie weeps on, that she has lost everything. Kit reminds her that she still has her lovely home, her daughter, and her career. Millie decides to make a whole new life for herself without Preston. Millie PLEADS with Kit, that she would NEVER leave her, and that they will always be FRIENDS. Kit reassures Millie that they will remain FRIENDS  to their OLD AGE.

Ten years later, Preston reappears in Kit's life to tell her that he has joined the Army and planning to remarry.  Kit is genuinely happy for him that he has finally found the HAPPINESS that he has been searching for.  Kit tells Preston that she has a MAN in her life, who is ten years YOUNGER  than she is.  Kit had arranged her new beau, Rudd Kendall (Gig Young) to retrieve Preston's GORGEOUS 18-year-old daughter Deidre ( Dolores Moran), whom he hasn't seen in ten years. The REUNION  goes well between father and daughter, Kit suggests that Preston drop in on Millie before he leaves town. 

The following morning, Rudd presses Kit to MARRY HIM. With much reservation, Kit is hesitant to accept his marriage PROPOSAL, due to their age difference. Kit advises her young suitor to finds someone YOUNGER, who could give him children. Kit puts Rudd off, telling him that she will have an answer for him in a few days. Feeling REJECTED Rudd was on his way out of Kit's apartment when he runs into Deidre, who has come to visit Kit. Instantly, sparks fly between them.

Preston decides to call upon his ex-wife like Kit suggested. Millie gets the WRONG  impression thinking Preston has come for a RECONCILIATION. All Millie's hopes to REUNITE with her ex-husband are DASHED when he informs her, that he is going to MARRY another woman. Afterward, Preston REVEALS to Millie, his well- kept SECRET, that he was once in love with Kit. He continues to add that Kit turned him down, out of LOYALTY to her best friend. Millie became so OUTRAGED to learn that her ex-husband was in love with her best friend, that she ordered him to leave.

 Kit could sense that something was terribly WRONG, after seeing Deidre in the hall of Millie's apartment. When Kit inquired about the situation, Millie was more than eager to tell her. Millie enlightened Kit that she knows that she STOLE Preston from her. Kit tries to explain to Millie, that she did not STEAL her HUSBAND, but Millie was beyond the point of reasoning. Kit decides to let loose on her MELODRAMATIC friend, unleashing the UGLY TRUTH that Millie is INSANELY JEALOUS of her. But before Kit would make her EXIT, she grabs Millie by the shoulders, shaking her VIGOROUSLY and tosses her back onto the sofa. Kit fakes a SMILE and quips "Sorry" as she exits. Millie, then becomes HYSTERICAL, pounding on the sofa.

Later that night, Kitt has made up her mind that she is going to MARRY Rud. Dressed to the nines, looking like a glamourized LILY MUNSTER, Kit descends down the staircase, leaving her young lover SPEECHLESS. Rud begins to tell Kitt that she was "right" about their relationship and that he has fallen in love with Deidre. Kitt couldn't believe what Rudd was telling her, especially since she was going to accept his marriage PROPOSAL. Rudd continues to inject that he has asked Deidre to MARRY him. 

Later, Kitt tracks down Deidre, trying to put out the FIRES that Millie's VENOM has caused. After some persuading, Kitt was able to calm Deidre, giving her blessing to marry Rudd. Kitt admits that she still LOVES Rudd, but she won't love him forever. Kitt proves that there are no hard feelings, when she personally delivers Deidre to the door, to be with her former young lover. Tears stream down Kitt's face as she watches Deidre and Rudd EMBRACE, from the taxi.

Kit returns home to find Millie waiting for her. Millie BEGS for forgiveness, telling Kit that she didn't mean anything she said. Kitt could feel the DESPERATION from her SELF-ABSORBED friend as well as her sincerity. Kit forgives Millie and offers a glass of champagne. Millie fills in Kit on her new novel about two lonely women friends like themselves, who end up ALONE. Kit suggests the book title to be "Old Acquaintance". They both agree, raising their glasses toasting to the new book title.

FILM FACTS:

OLD ACQUAINTANCE (1943) was remade theatrically in the 1980s as RICH AND FAMOUS (1981) starring Candance Bergen and Jacqueline Bisset.

Semi-retired Norma Shearer was Bette Davis's personal choice to play Millie Drake in OLD ACQUAINTANCE (1943), but Shearer refused to play a secondary role and have a secondary billing.

Bette Davis admitted that she enjoyed doing the infamous scene in OLD ACQUAINTANCE (1943) in which she shakes her rival Miriam Hopkins vigorously by the shoulders, then tosses her back in a chair and sarcastically says "sorry".

IMMORTAL DIALOGUE:

                   "My Fatal Beauty drives men wild ."

 THE CAST:
Bette Davis (Kit Marlowe), Miriam Hopkins (Millie Drake), Gig Young (Rudd Kendall), John Loder(Preston Drake), Dolores Moran (Deidre Drake), Philip Reed (Lucien Grant), Roscoe Karns ( Charles Archer), Anne Revere ( Belle Carter), Esther Dale (Harriet).
Directed by Vincent Sherman.

MY BOTTOM LINE ...

OLD ACQUAINTANCE (1943) is a potboiler on simmer, slowly bubbling with melodrama concerning friendships, secrets, and lies. The film's leading ladies, Bette Davis and Miriam Hopkins, both take center stage chewing up the scenery and their co-stars. Davis and Hopkins play lifelong friends, both are successful career women. Davis plays Kit Marlowe, a well-respected Author/ Playwright who has devoted her life to her career, proving a woman doesn't need a man to be successful. Hopkins plays Millie Drake, a bestselling Author, who sets the world on fire with her romance novels, proving she can have both a profession and a marriage. Of course, Millie is proven wrong when her nine-year marriage goes up in flames.

The onscreen chemistry between Davis and Hopkins ignites on the silver screen, as it did four years prior in THE OLD MAID (1939). There's no denying that their real-life toxic relationship assists in sparking fireworks in their heated arguments especially in the infamous scene, where Davis shakes Hopkins dramatically, then tosses her back into a sofa, then delivers the classic exit line "sorry". Unquestionably, this is a high camp, classic moment. Certainly, OLD ACQUAINTANCE (1943) is far from being one of  Bette Davis's finest films, but those of us, who enjoy melodramatic soap operas, this one is high on the list.

        Bette Davis in a publicity photo for OLD ACQUAINTANCE (1943).

Miriam Hopkins in a publicity photo for  OLD ACQUAINTANCE (1943).