Joan Crawford Movies vs Bette Davis Movies

Bette Davis and Joan Crawford are two of the greatest actresses ever.  Both are listed in AFI’s Top 10 of Classic Screen Legends….Davis ranked 2nd….while Crawford comes in 10th place.  Their greatness can not be argued.  Still we felt it would be fun to look at their entire careers and see who has the statistical edge.  So…we looked at all of their movies and put them in this massive table.  Below the table is our breakdown of their stats in 6 different categories.  Not sure this proves anything…but it is cool to see their movies listed together.

Joan Crawford Movies vs Bette Davis Movies Can Be Ranked 6 Ways In This Table

The really cool thing about this table is that it is “user-sortable”. Rank the movies anyway you want.

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65 thoughts on “Joan Crawford Movies vs Bette Davis Movies”

  1. BRUCE 1 We have had on this site a lively and friendly debate about the relative greatness of Crawford/Davis and I suggested that Crawford was the more popular but Davis was the better actress. I’ve now found tentative support for my theory.

    2 I have just been watching an 8 part 2017 TV mini-series called Feud with Jessica Lange playing Joan and Susan Sarandon as Bette. In one scene Jack Warner and director Robert Aldrich are discussing why it is important to have BOTH Davis and Crawford in Whatever Happened to Baby Jane and the two men conclude that “Joan will draw in her legion of worldwide fans to the movie but Bette will make the film itself GREAT.”

    3 Hedda Hopper interviews Crawford and Davis jointly about Whatever Happened to Baby Jane? and enquires who will get top billing to which Joan immediately replies “Bette of course as she has the title role.” However although Baby Jane was in fact Crawford’s brainchild she initially wanted Davis more than Davis wanted her.

    4 Later Aldrich tells Joan that if instead of being glamorous she had been more down to earth in the 1956 Autumn Leaves it would have earned “another million at the box office,” to which Joan immediately hit back “It would have earned another TWO million if you had gotten me Brando as I wanted.” Naturally it pleased me that one of my very top idols albeit in vain had wanted to reach out to another of my favourites to help sustain her box office career though I read elsewhere that Mr. M rudely rejected Joan’s approach saying “I’m not interested in mother-son roles.” whereas the part was of Joan’s scripted younger lover that ultimately went to Cliff Robertson.

    5 Anyway for any movie buff this mini-series is well worth a look-in and I see that IMDB gives it an 86% rating. However the strong language of Davis/Crawford might have made even John McClane blush!

    Reply

    1. Hey Bob. Thanks for the mini-review of Feud. I will have to check that one out. Good points on Joan and Bette. They will always be connected together. Glad you were able to use this Joan vs Bette page. Funny about John McClane blushing. Good feedback as always.

      Reply

  2. 1 LUPINO: I assume that the recent references to “Bob” in the latest exchanges on this subject mean me and not Bob Cox. My stance is that Joan was probably the bigger box office star and that Bette was the more skilled actress. However each was very successful in both departments

    2 I’m a great tennis fan and the big talking point at the moment in that sport is the rivalry between Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. Sadly although whilst those two players greatly respect each other their fans in debating on social media who of the pair is the GREATER are very abusive to each other and about the player whom they don’t support.

    3 This has prompted the former No 1 US tennis player Andy Roddick to register his disgust and to say that the fans should “Stop torturing themselves and others and accept that BOTH players are Greats and simply settle down and enjoy the fabulous tennis from the pair while it’s still available.” That’s advice from which maybe we in the opposing Crawford/Davis camps also could benefit though no mater how heated a debate gets we happily refrain from subjecting one another to personal abuse.

    Reply

    1. Hello BOB,

      you are correct- I was of course thinking of you when reading CRAWFORD 🙂 By the way, I don’t even consider us on opposing sides. I really love both Bette and Joan, I will never forget the first time I saw Possessed (WB), “your” Joan simply blew me away in that opening scene! I am just not a big fan of her MGM movies, where, in my opinion, Joan suffered in chique gowns and unbelievable surroundings (most people still suffered from the effects of the great depression) in movie after movie. But give me her “bad Girl” Sadie Thompson or golddigger Chrystal or her Flämmchen from Grand Hotel any day!
      I really hope you enjoyed your trip to Berlin, I did reply to you once I read it, but I guess you had already left 😉

      Reply

      1. HI LUPINO
        1 Thanks for your reply No I didn’t think of you and me being on opposite sides but was just referring to the general Crawford/Davis divisions that have emerged in these debates. Naturally I’m on Joan’s side as she is among my very favourite stars of all time but I greatly admire and respect Davis too. Below is a short list of my most favourite stars though the pecking order can alter slightly from time to time depending on whose film I saw the last ! but overall the order would usually revert to the following –
        1/Richard Widmark
        2/Gregory Peck
        3/James Stewart
        4/Morgan Freeman
        5/Alan Ladd
        6/John Wayne
        7/Marlon Brando
        8/Glenn Ford
        WOMEN
        1/Deanna Durbin
        2/Joan Crawford
        3/Doris Day
        4/Julia Roberts
        5/Rhonda Fleming
        SELECTED OTHERS
        Charlton Heston
        Michael Caine
        Dirk Bogarde
        Denzel Washington
        Jane Russell
        Myrna Loy***
        Jean Simmons
        Betty Grable

        ***Don’t be fooled by some of the caustic comments you may have seen me make about Myrna as for the most part they were just to wind up Bruce. I do seriously disagree with him about Myrna being the Greatest Female Box Office star but I have always found her relaxing to watch and indeed when I was researching the net to locate more **** to throw at the Work Horse I became more acquainted with Myrna’s record on social issues and now admire her as a humanitarian as well as an actress.

        2 Yes my wife and I both enjoyed Berlin thank you and of course took the bus tour of both East and West and naturally visited the site of the Wall and the weather was very kind when we were there. Apart from listening to and watching German tennis star/now commentator Boris Becker whom I like I never have had much experience of the German people and found those in Berlin with whom we came into contact very friendly. That has not always been the case in other countries in which we’ve holidayed.

        3 Anyway as always great chatting to you and I hope all is going well with your work.

        Reply

  3. Hello Pierre! Nice to read from you again 😉
    I think you are referring to a movie Bette made in 1972 in Italy, costarring Silvana Mangano and, for the last time, Joe Cotten. It’s original title was Lo scopone scientifico, it’s german title is, translated into english, Satanic Games and as far as I know Bette’s presence led to the movie being called “The millionairess” for the english speaking market- were it was hardly distributed. Bonne nuit from germany!

    Reply

    1. hello Lupino
      exactly, this film was a big succes in France and Davies was very, very bad with the italian couple who always want to play cards with her to earn her money but she was simply the master…and the bourreau..
      good to read you again, but i have a question, when we where speaking of Danielle Darrieux, remembered ? i was speaking of a film which is called la “vérité sur Bébé Donge” did you see it ?
      DD is passed away this year after her birthday at 100 ans
      good night from France

      Reply

      1. Pierre,

        I know that beautiful Danielle Darrieux died this year- another legendary european actress gone…I have some difficulties placing -verite sur Bebe…is it perhaps a movie from the early 50’s costarring Jean Gabin? The one I’m thinking of is called Die Wahrheit über unsere Ehe/The truth about our marriage, and I have heard about it..Darrieux murdered her wealthy husband in that one. I have not seen it, though.

        Reply

        1. Lupino
          you are perfectly right, it is at the beginning of 50 and it is with Gabin and it is a film about L’amour fou and i think you got the good title in german;

          Reply

        2. Hey Lupino and Pierre…..good to read your comments which details how other parts of the world see and react to movies. I like seeing that viewpoint…..good stuff.

          Reply

    2. Hey Lupino…..I think you are correct. It did not make my page because it did not play in North American theaters…..but it does exist. It is also known as The Scopone Game. I imagine only die hard Bette Davis fans have seen this one. Thanks for the information.

      Reply

      1. “I imagine only die hard Bette Davis fans have seen this one”: Bruce, I think you are correct when speaking about the north american market, but as Pierre said, it was a huge success in France, while the movie had quite a few TV showings in Germany during the late 70’s/early 80’s 😉

        Reply

  4. hello everybody,
    both ladies are from the golden age of Hollywood, both ladies had great box office and both ladies are in the story of world movie;
    so i dont care about their feud the only think i know is when i see Grand Hotel it is Crawford i watch, not Garbo and when i see All about Eve ,it is Davis i watch not Monroe or Baxter;
    And my fav for Crawford stay Strange Cargo or Johnny Guitar and for Davis Death on the Nil or an Italian film She made in Europe which is call in French, L’Argent de la vieille but i dont find out on the list, what is the title in english ?

    Reply

    1. Hey Pierre….good to hear from you. Good thoughts on Crawford and Davis….we are on the same page for sure. As for you question about L’Argent de la vieille?…..checking…..checking…..The Scopone Game seems to be a match. It was not released in North America…so it was not included in our rankings. Thanks for the comment and the visit.

      Reply

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