Jezebel (1938)

Julie Marsten (Bette Davis) is a spoiled young woman who is engaged to Preston Dillard (a young Henry Fonda)in the pre-civil war South (New Orleans). When her fiance doesn't jump to fulfill her request to accompany her to a dress fitting for a ball gown (something that gentlemen just didn't do) she decides to exhibit her displeasure by purchasing a scarlet red dress for the occasion. At this ball only white dresses are worn by the young ladies to showcase their "innocence". Her Aunt (Fay Bainter) and Uncle implore her not to wear the dress as does her fiance. She insists on wearing the dress and when she arrives at the ball is shocked at the unwelcome reception she receives in her defiance of the unwritten dress code. Everyone steps away and/or turns away from Julie and her escort. Julie wants to go home, but her fiance is not letting her out of the situation that she has put herself in and insists that she take her medicine and dance. The dance sequence in which they are the only ones left on the dance floor is awesome. Her look of embarrassment at being kept there and his of steady control are priceless. He makes sure that she has learned her lesson. Even though Preston breaks up with Julie after the dance, she believes that he will come back to her.

A year later he does come back...with a wife! Preston comes back to help with the Yellow Fever outbreak that is occurring in the New Orleans area and drops by Julie's house as she is having a dinner there. Julie is devastated by his marriage to Amy (Margaret Lindsay) and tries to use an old suitor, Buck Cantrell (George Brent)a man who loves her, to get back at Preston. Her old flame ends up getting killed in a duel over words that were said as a result of her shenanigans, she is still up to her old tricks. She feels awful about what happened and when Preston gets Yellow Fever, she decides that she is going to try to make it up by putting herself in danger by nursing Preston back to health.

This movie was great. Bette Davis is one of my favorite actresses and this was a fantastic film that I had not yet seen (hard to do). There were some interesting things happening in this film such as the fact that the people thought that by firing off cannons, that the air would be expunged of the Yellow Fever. There was also abolitionist talk when Preston and his wife came down from the North with another point of view on slavery. Keep in mind that this is a Hollywood film, but it is interesting to see how the "Hollywood South" worked.

Bette Davis was up for the Scarlett character in "Gone With the Wind" but did not get the part. One of the rumors is that Warner Brothers would not lend her out to David O. Selznik for the part and she was upset, so they gave her this part in Jezebel. In the old days, actors had contracts with studios and the studios had ultimate control as to what movies their employees worked in. They were often put in movies that they did not want to be in and the studios could make or break their career. This movie was filmed as "Gone with the Wind" was in pre-production. It seems to have worked out for Ms. Davis as she took the Oscar for her role as the scheming Julie. Fay Bainter also received an Oscar for her portrayal of Aunt Belle.

Thanks to Ron for suggesting this movie!

105 Minutes. Not Rated. I give this movie FOUR STARS!!

Love the old trailer!!