Bette Davis and "A Stolen Life"

Bette Davis and "A Stolen Life"

Over the years there has been a strong connection between Hollywood and Laguna Beach, both as a location used for filming or as a place of respite. Hollywood stars, directors, writers, and cameramen were a common sight in the town's early days. Of those who chose to buy property here, no star with that Laguna connection had a stronger tie to the Academy Awards than Bette Davis.

From the 1930s on she used Laguna as a haven from the demands of work. She loved to be on the beach, walk around town, shop in its stores, and contributed to the village in a number of ways. One of those ways was to appear in two movies where Laguna Beach served as a backdrop for scenes. "Now Voyager" in 1942 and "A Stolen Life" in 1945 were both shot during war-time.

Her acting skills were widely recognized by Hollywood. Bette Davis was nominated 11 times and won two Academy Awards. Five of those nominations were in consecutive years, from 1939 to 1943, and included a nomination for her role in "Now Voyager." None of the top name actors received Academy nominations for "A Stolen Life," which was panned by the critics but was one of Davis' biggest financial successes at the box office. In October 1941 she was chosen as the first female president of the Academy, a position she quit after two months when it became clear she believed they wanted her only as a figurehead. And to top it all off she claims to have given the name "Oscar" to the statuette presented by the Academy. She said that from the backside the award resembled her husband Oscar. (She married Harmon Oscar Nelson in 1932 and divorced him in 1939.) That claim has been disputed over the years.

For the 1946 movie "A Stolen Life" a lighthouse was erected on the beach at Treasure Island. The catch is that only the bottom part of a lighthouse was actually built at that site, while the majority of the scenes were shot at a studio. The movie's special-effects photography did receive an Academy nomination. Davis played both parts of look-alike sisters, both in love with male lead Glenn Ford. Ford was newly out of the Marine Corps, and Davis was instrumental in his selection for the lead. Rounding out the cast as the lighthouse keeper was Walter Brennan, whose career included three Oscars for best supporting actor.

Filming of "A Stolen Life" made news in Laguna for another reason, too. In February of 1945 frantic calls came in reporting that two ships had been wrecked and were washing ashore near Treasure Island. This being wartime, the Navy and Coast Guard were right on top of it only to discover the wrecks were barges that had been used in filming the movie.

AN ITINERANT RESIDENT

Bette Davis participated in Laguna life. She was frequently in the audience at the Playhouse and at the Pageant of the Masters. Years later she would write a sizeable check to help in the building of the local hospital. In fact during the filming of A Stolen Life she and Glenn Ford attended the opening of the second annual Laguna Beach Ceramics Society show when it opened in the lower gallery of the Art Association. Later that year she and fiancé William Grant Sherry were judges at the Ceramic Societys large costume ball held at the Hotel Laguna. She was a good friend of one of the board members, Russell Leidy, and had helped finance his ceramics business. In fact it was at his oceanfront home that she and her mother attended a cocktail party on Oct. 20, 1945.

At that party she met for the first time William Grant Sherry, on leave from the navy and a local artist. One month later she made him her third husband. Sherry also participated in the community. In early 1945 he had painted a poster that was used for the local Red Cross fund drive. The original hung in the window of Laguna Hardware. And in 1950 he appeared as a bronze statue of Hercules in the Pageant of the Masters. The Bette Davis name is associated with several Laguna Beach properties. She bought houses for her mother, sister, and husband. At one time she and her mother lived at 397 Jasmine Street.

The house she bought for her mother at 671 Sleepy Hollow Lane is the house she spent more time in than any other and was a frequent place of escape for rest from her career. She bought a house at 406 Agate Street for her sister Barbara and was furious when she turned the house over to her second husband, whom she later divorced. It wasn't until February of 1947 that she bought the house at 1991 Ocean Way at the foot of Diamond Street. Before this it was called the Prisk house after the man who built it. On the outside of the fireplace was hung a large iron P. Soon after buying the house, the actress replaced the letter with a D. She bought it just before the birth of her daughter. She also bought the house at 340 Diamond Street as a studio for her husband.

Davis never stayed in one house for very long. Since her arrival in Hollywood in 1930 she had rented 25 houses over a period of nine years, sometimes moving twice a year. She didn't buy a Hollywood house until 1939 even though Hollywood was her primary residence. She also owned a home in New England. And to round out local properties associated with her name in the 1950s she and fourth husband Gary Merrill rented a house in Emerald Bay.

Her mother Ruth was living in a house at 655 Ramona Way when she died. Brennan, who played the part of the lighthouse keeper in "A Stolen Life," bought a lot in Lagunita in April of 1945. It is unclear if he ever built a house there. His wife also must have fallen under the charm of Laguna because she and a friend on Nov. 15, 1945, opened Specialties Food Store at 133 N. Coast Highway. They planned to sell a large variety of natural and health foods.

THE BOOK COVER OF AN ADAPTATION FROM THE FILM.

Sources for the story: Articles from the South Coast News, old phone books, the website imdb.com, and the following books, James Spada's "More Than A Woman," Barbara Leaming's "Bette Davis: A Biography," Charles Higham's "The Life of Bette Davis," Boze Hadleigh's "Bette Davis Speaks," and "This 'N That" and "The Lonely Life," both by Bette Davis.

The actress and Glenn Ford, her co-star in "A Stolen Life."