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TV Media Weekly | March 25 - 31, 2017 By Jacqueline Spendlove TV Media H ollywood has seen its share of high-profile ri- valries over the years, but few are as iconic as that between Joan Crawford and Bette Davis. The decades-long en- mity between two of the silver screen's greatest actresses has become the stuff of legend. It's all playing out right now on FX, thanks to Ryan Murphy, a life- long fan of Davis's and the cre- ator of megahits "Glee" and "American Horror Story," as well as the executive producer of the Emmy-winning "American Crime Story." Each season is set to por- tray a different famous feud, and this first season gives a detailed account of what went on be- tween Crawford and Davis, played by Jessica Lange ("Ameri- can Horror Story") and Susan Sa- randon ("Thelma & Louise," 1991), respectively, during the one project the stars worked on together. "Feud: Bette and Joan" premiered earlier this month, and a new episode airs Sunday, March 26, on FX. You have to look way, way back for the earliest evidence of bad blood between the actresses: It all began in the early '30s, when the two were still young and fresh and in the meat of their careers. Their mutual antipathy lasted until Crawford's death in 1977, and, while it wasn't neces- sarily evident by way of overt al- tercations, the sniping and shade- throwing made for frequent tab- loid fodder. The women were two of the most talented and sought-after actresses in Hollywood during their youth, and both were Old Hollywood starlets to a T, with four marriages apiece and multi- ple scandalous affairs under their belts. Middle-age did them no fa- vors, however, and by the 1960s, their glamorous, Oscar-winning careers had all but fizzled out. The 1962 release of "What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?" was the saving grace of both their careers, and their intense rivalry was a major contributor to the film's success. The psychological thriller was nominated for five Academy Awards (winner of one), spawned the psycho-biddy sub- genre and has become a cult clas- sic. "There was never a rivalry like theirs," said Catherine Zeta-Jones ("Chicago," 2002), in character as the legendary Olivia de Havil- land, in the show's trailer. "For over half a century, they hated each other, and we loved them for it." "Feud" covers some of the most storied battles of their rival- ry, most of which took place dur- ing the filming of "Baby Jane." The series features other Holly- wood figures as well, including the film's director, Robert Aldrich (Alfred Molina, "The Da Vinci Code," 2006), and his calculating assistant, Pauline (Alison Wright, "The Americans"); Jack L. Warner (Stanley Tucci, "The Hunger Games," 2012), head of Warner Brothers Studios; actress and gossip columnist Hedda Hopper (Judy Davis, "A Passage to India," 1984); and Davis's daughter, B.D. Hyman (Kiernan Shipka, "Mad Men"), who was also cast in "Baby Jane." Though the barbed comments and catty behavior are well docu- mented, these aren't what inter- ested Murphy about the Davis- Crawford rivalry. The series delves deeper into an examination of what fame and the pressures of Tinseltown can do to a person — particularly women, and particu- larly in that era when, however talented, they were often pushed to the sidelines once their youth and beauty started to fade. "What was really interesting to explore was the idea of what a tragedy the last 15 years was in the lives of these women, and how they deserved so much more," Murphy said during a pro- motional panel moderated by "CBS This Morning's" Gayle King. Lange went on to explain what her research for the show re- vealed that, though their animos- ity was indeed very real, Craw- ford and Davis's fights were ex- aggerated to promote the film. "As long as they kept the pot boil- ing, the publicity was there," she said. "There were a lot of people that pitted them against each other for a lot of reasons," added Sarandon during a visit to "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon." "There weren't that many choices for these gals, 'cause they were older, and they were two good parts. So they thought, yeah, they'll give it a shot, and that's what happens when you get older — you don't get lead parts unless you're play- ing someone who's dying or has Alzheimer's or something." Sadly, things aren't much bet- ter in the industry today, as is evi- denced in the plasticky counte- nances, enhanced body parts and public meltdowns splashed across various entertainment outlets at any given time. "It's a show about Hollywood, of course, but I think it's also about the female condition to- day," Murphy told Yahoo TV. "The issues that those two women faced in the early '60s — ageism, sexism, misogyny — are still hap- pening today." "When we started [in the busi- ness], you were over by 40," Sa- randon said at the publicity pan- el. "If you had kids, you were no longer seen as sensual or sexy. That wasn't just insinuated to me. That was told to me." Lange and Sarandon, break- ing these barriers as A-list stars still going strong at 67 and 70 years old, respectively, are the perfect vehicles to tell Crawford and Davis's story. Watch a new episode of "Feud: Bette and Joan," airing Sunday, March 26, on FX. Alfred Molina as seen in "Feud: Bette and Joan" Two Old Hollywood actresses duke it out in 'Feud: Bette and Joan' 2 | Cover story A/Grindstone Charlie's B/Norris Insurance 1 x 4"

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