By 1938, Fay Bainter was perhaps best known for her work on the
stage. Already middle aged, she had made only a handful of films,
often cast as the sweet and gentle mother, or the trusted
friend.
1938 would prove to be her year,
with a starring role in White Banners, playing a homeless woman who finds
herself taking care of a middle class family. The film was a modest
hit, and the role earned her a Best Actress nomination.
As luck would have it, Bainter was
competing in that category with her co-star in another film,
Jezebel. The actress was Bette
Davis, who was taking on a role that mirrored that of Scarlett
O'Hara, at a time when the upcoming film, Gone
With the Wind, was heating up the publicity mill. Davis was a
rising star at the time, and despite a win in 1936 for Dangerous, it
seemed that voters were still feeling bad about not giving her a
nomination in 1934 for Of Human Bondage. All that aside, however,
Davis gave a tour de force performance that simply couldn't be
ignored.
As the stoic Aunt Belle to Davis'
Julie Marsden, Bainter scolds her in her darkest hour, summing up the film
by calling her a 'common jezebel'. For that performance, Bainter received
a Best Supporting Actress nomination.
At
that years ceremony, Bainter would set a trend that would last for fifty
years, with double nominees (for both the Acting and Supporting Acting
categories) receiving the Supporting Award.
Bette Davis found increased
control over her own career with additional script approval. Studio
boss, Jack Warner, while proud of his actresses, was disappointed that his
studio failed to garner any of the other big awards, including the actor
categories.
For Bainter, her career continued
over the next twenty five years, with her continuing to play supporting
parts that were befitting of her gentle image. Her most notable performances
included a role in Woman of the Year, State Fair, and The Virginian.
Her final performance in The Children's Hour, even saw her back in the list of
nominees for Best Supporting Actress.
