“BETTE vs MIRIAM: WHEN STARS COLLIDED” - 3/30/2026 (133)

“BETTE vs MIRIAM: WHEN STARS COLLIDED” - 3/30/2026 (133)

From From Beneath the Hollywood Sign by Steve Cubine & Nan McNamara

March 30, 2026 · 40 min · Season 3 · Episode 133

About this episode

This episode explores the intense rivalry between Bette Davis and Miriam Hopkins, highlighting their contrasting backgrounds and acting styles.

“BETTE vs MIRIAM: WHEN STARS COLLIDED” - 3/30/2026 (133) What would Hollywood be without a good, old fashioned rivalry. It’s well documented that BETTE DAVIS and JOAN CRAWFORD were not exactly besties. But did you know that Davis had another rivalry that was even uglier and more intense? That’s right, the rivalry between Davis and her co-star in The Old Maid (1939) and Old Acquaintance (1943) was one for the ages. Completely different in upbringing, temperament, and acting styles, these two grand dames of the silver screen kept the gossip columnists’ tongues wagging with their petty, mean-spirited one-upmanship. And while Davis ended up the victor in the long run, as she had a longer and more successful career, Hopkins could give as good as she could take. This week, we explore the long-standing feud between these two great divas. SHOW NOTES: Sources: Miriam Hopkins: Life and Films of a Hollywood Rebel (2018), by Allan R. Ellenberger; The Lonely Life, An Autobiography (1962), by Bette Davis; This’n That, An Autobiography (1987), by Bette Davis with Michael Herskowitz; “Whatever I Did, I Did: The Obstinate Life of Bette Davis,” November 6, 2020, by Hadley Hall Meares, Vanity Fair…

People in this episode

Hosts: Steve Cubine, Nan McNamara

Topics covered

  • Hollywood rivalry
  • Bette Davis
  • Miriam Hopkins
  • film history
  • acting styles
  • gossip columns

Keywords

  • Bette Davis
  • Miriam Hopkins
  • Hollywood rivalry
  • The Old Maid
  • Old Acquaintance
  • film history
  • acting

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Vanity Fair, Wikipedia, TCM, IBDB, IMDBPro, Oscars

Books & works: The Old Maid, Old Acquaintance, Jezebel, Dark Victory

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