The Nanny (20th Century Fox) (1965)

Bette Davis Has Starring Role in “The Nanny”, A Unique Suspense-Drama Filmed in England Bette Davis, Hollywood’s most honored actress and star, journeyed to England for her title role in “The Nanny,” a 20th Century-Fox suspense-drama opening ....at the.... Theatre. She heads a versatile and talented cast that includes Wendy Craig, Jill Bennett, James Villiers, William Dix and Pamela Franklin. The story focuses on the sinister relationship betweeen a seemingly-dedicated nanny and a tenyear-old boy. The nanny raised the boy’s mother and stayed with her to care for her children, the boy and a baby girl who was drowned in the bathtub two years before the opening of the story. The nanny is kind, understanding and satisfactory in every way, but she is intensely hated by the boy who refuses to let her touch him, cook for him, or bathe him. The boy’s antipathy for his nanny precipitates the frightening series of events in “The Nanny.” Bette Davis in “‘The Nanny” is following the same pattern of roles she began in 1962 with “Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?” Her performances as aging neurotic ladies have won her the acclaim of critics throughout world, and have added new luster to her honors which already include two Academy Awards and an unbelievable ten Academy Award nominations, the greatest number ever voted for an actress. She has followed her success in “Baby Jane” with “Dead Ringer,” “The Empty Canvas,’ “Where Love Has Gone,” ‘‘Hush ... Hush, Sweet Charlotte,” and now, “The Nanny.” “The Nanny” marks Bette Davis’ third film to be made in England, and hailing from New England herself, she admits to a marked fondness for Britain and the British. Her frequent praising of the British way of life was one of the many things that helped endear her to the cast and production staff. They were delighted with the pleasure she expressed on a day’s location in Regent’s Park, London. She had never explored it so thoroughly before and was exuberant with her praise for its beauty. Upon termination of filming one of the gifts she received by the production unit was a deluxe illustrated volume on London, with many pictures of some of her favorite corners of the British capital. Since many of the world’s top actors and actresses reside in London, Producer scriptwriter Jimmy Sangster quickly assembled an outstanding cast for “The Nanny.” The only problem was the role of the ten-year-old boy, who must be able to play long sequences with Bette Davis. One night, while watching television, Sangster saw an interesting looking boy in a commerical for baked beans. After much difficulty, Sangster located the boy, tested him, and young William Dix found himself making his screen debut opposite the famous Bette Davis. “The Nanny” is a production of Hammer Films, directed by Seth Holt from Jimmy Sangster’s screen adaptation of Eve lyn Piper’s novel. PAMELA FRANKLIN plays the “girl upstairs” in the 20th Century-Fox suspense-thriller, “The Nanny,” starring Bette Davis and opening: .2. %\.at tne ms. 6 Theatre. Young Pamela becomes the confidant of a young boy marked for murder in the film. Mat 1B At Home With “The Nanny” Bette Davis plays the title role in “The Nanny,” a 20th Century-Fox release opening ....at the.... Theatre, Above, she is shown with James Villiers and William Dix in a scene from the suspense-thriller, filmed in England, and telling of a household plagued with unfortu nate accidents. Mat 2A Bette Davis Professionalism Inspires Colleagues in Britain When Bette Davis’ 77th film, 20th Century-Fox’s “The Nanny,” was halfway completed on location in England, the word was already going around that it would prove one of the most outstanding films of this remarkable actress’s colorful career. Miss Davis’ sheer professionalism had the entire cast and crew on its toes from the first day of shooting. It was not, however, an anxious tension that she created, but rather she inspired her coworkers to do their best, emulating in admiration and respect the high example set by this fabulous world film star. “The Nanny,” opening.... at the .... Theatre, is a suspensedrama, with Bette Davis in the title role of an efficient and dedicated nanny who carries on her duties in a diplomat’s home in spite of a series of frightening situations. These crises are brought about through the inexplicable hatred developed toward the nanny by the young son of the family, who insists that his nanny is trying to murder him. During filming, Bette Davis arrived at the Elstree Studios every morning at eight-thirty. Once costumed and made up for the role, she went straight onto the shooting stage and left it only once each day for lunch. She shunned the elaborate dressing room prepared for her near the stage, choosing instead to keep herself available by sitting in the tiny dressing room constructed on the stage itself just behind the set. In this way, Miss Davis cduld indulge her keen interest in every aspect of the film. The British cast and crew were openly delighted with Miss Davis. “T’m her greatest fan,” said Jill Bennett, an outstanding TV and stage actress, who shares several intense scenes with the star. “She is every bit what I imagined her to be, and more! One of the most astounding things about her is her complete unselfishness in playing a scene.” “T suppose I was somewhat on edge at the prospect of meeting her,” confessed James Villiers, film actor and Bette Davis addict. “After all,” he continued, “we were all people she had virtually never heard of, and because of this she could have acted the grand dame. Instead, she has proved delightful and an admirable professional. You can see that she really cares about the film and you know that she has thought out to the last detail every letter of every scene she does.” These attitudes were reflected right down throughout the whole cast and crew. When anyone had a spare minute, they spent it watching Bette Davis in rehearsal or before the cameras, in another of her Academy Awardcalibre performances. Screen Actress Bette Davis’ Personal Attitudes on Life During filming in England of “The Nanny,” a 20th CenturyFox suspense-drama opening.... at the.... Theatre, Bette Davis chatted affably with the cast and crew during lulls. Her comments, pungent and memorable, were duly recorded. On Future Ambitions: “I should like to play Elizabeth I on the London stage, but I feel the great play about this monarch is yet to be written!” On English Cooking: “T like it. We have many English dishes where I hail from in New England. I particularly like English sweets and puddings, especially hot custard. We have custard back home, of course, but we usually serve it cold. I plan to serve some hot to my family when I return.” On Wisdom: “I often think it is folly to be wise. The older you get, the more you know. Then you get to the stage when you know too much. It makes it very difficult accepting people after Chats On Herself: “Away from the set, I’m a home bird. I have devoted my private life to bringing up three children, and I feel I have succeeded rather well.” On Television: “It’s been very reassuring watching my old films on the box. Sometimes, I think, ‘my God, how awful!’ But then I see glimmers of something and begin to understand why I made the particular picture.” On Tray Carrying: “Several of my recent films have given me a professional flair with this domestic chore, and it seems nothing to carry around a heavy silver tray, set with a silver service and full breakfast all day long. I’m sure I could carry a full tray across the Sahara Desert in a high wind.” WILLIAM DIX makes his motion picture debut opposite Bette Davis in “The Nanny,” a 20th Century-Fox release opening... . at the .... Theatre. He plays the next victim of a murderer whose crime he has witnessed. Mat 1C Bette Davis Marks 77th Film with Suspense-Drama, The Nanny” 20th Century-Fox’s “The Nanny,” a suspense-drama which opens... .at the. ... Theatre, is the 77th film in which star Bette Davis appears. Shooting began on April 5, 1965, which coincidentally happened to be Miss Davis’ 57th Birthday. In her twenty-odd years as a film actress, it must be admitted that few other performers have generated as much excitement on the screen as she. Twice a winner of the coveted Academy Award, and nominated for this honor a record ten times, Bette Davis is undoubtably one of the finest actresses America has produced. Bette Davis started life in Lowell, Massachusetts, the first of two daughters born to a New England family that came to America in the 17th Century. At sixteen she entered Cushing Academy, where participation in school theatricals led to her decision to become an actress. She made her stage debut in Rochester, New York with a bit part in a play called “Broadway.” Then, as a member of the Provincetown Players, she made her first New York stage appearance in “The Earth Between,” followed by Ibsen repertory. She then played the role of Elaine in “Broken Dishes.” The play ran six months, and then she went into “The Solid South,” opposite Richard Bennett. Near the end of this run, she made a screen test for Universal, the results of which took her to Hollywood with a three-month contract. The contract stretched to a year, and when Universal let her contract lapse, Bette was preparing to return to New York when George Arliss asked her to star opposite him in “The Man Who Played God.” That was at Warner Brothers, and she stayed on there under contract for eighteen years, giving many of the memorable performances that have earned her the present world-wide reputation she enjoys. In recent years Miss Davis has followed the pattern she set in “Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?”, by playing the roles of neurotic, emotional older women. On Dislikes: “There are two things I despise—reckless gambling and wasting food. I have had to work too hard for my money to throw it away at the roulette table, and I’m against wasting food on the same score. It’s all so terribly dear these days.” On Diets: “I don’t believe in most of them. They can make you terribly ill. Certain meat diets would seem to be the best. I feel it’s essential to have something nourishing every day. Something with energy in it.” “The Nanny” marks Bette Davis’ 77th motion picture. Produced by Jimmy Sangster and directed by Seth Holt, the cast also includes Wendy Craig, Jill Bennett, James Villiers, William Dix and Pamela Franklin. Boy Makes Film Debut Opposite Bette Davis Many unhappy juveniles are thrust into show business by stage-struck mothers, but tenyear-old William Dix has become a full-fledged screen star quite by accident, and he certainly enjoyed playing opposite Bette Davis in his first feature film, “The Nanny,” a 20th CenturyFox release opening .... at the .... Theatre. A few years ago William was playing with his brothers in a playground. Unknown to them, a group of technicians was making a TV commercial there that day, and when some children were needed, William and his brothers found themselves before the cameras. This led to a series of jobs making commercials. William’s latest commercial, for a company selling baked beans, brought him to the attention of producer Jimmy Sangster who was on the look-out for the impossible: a ten-year-old boy who could play long, dramatic scenes with Bette Davis in “The Nanny.” After seeing the boy in the beans commercial, Sangster contacted him, auditioned him, and realized he had the boy he was looking for. Miraculously, he had found a younster who could learn dialogue, follow direction, and contribute a considerable amount of natural acting ability. The role of “Joey” was his. During filming, Bette Davis regarded him as nothing less than remarkable, and director Seth Holt was amazed at the ease with which William worked. Upon completion of the film, Holt said that in the age of the child stars, he thinks William could have held his own with Jackie Cooper, Shirley Temple and the rest of those youthful luminaries. The Nanny” ® BETTE DAVIS stars as “The Nanny,” in the 20th Century-Fox suspense-thriller opening .... at the .... Theatre. She plays the caretaker of a household which has been tragically struck by murder. Mat 1A Where Have All The Nannies Gone? “Where have all the English nannies gone?” asked Bette Davis upon commencement of filming for “The Nanny,” a 20th Century-Fox release opening.... at the.... Theatre. Miss Davis thought there must be a shortage when the production costumer had difficulty in securing a nanny’s costume after a store-to-store search throughout London. She was amazed to learn that there are relatively few English nannies working in England, because most of them prefer to work in America and other similar countries where an English nanny is a very impressive status symbol. On the day before actual filming started, the perfect nanny costume arrived by chance at a theatrical costumiers, and_ it proved to be the ideal outfit. Bette Davis wore her nanny uniform throughout the whole picture. She adds to the stark effect of the outfit by wearing a neat gray wig and severe makeup to evoke the image of the efficient, long-suffering nanny, dedicated to her work and the children she must care for. “The Nanny” was produced and written by Jimmy Sangster from the novel by Evelyn Piper. Seth Holt directed with a cast that includes Wendy Craig, Jill Bennett, James Villiers and Pamela Franklin. Fox release opening ... ~The Nanny” and Her Employers pri sesetenae BETTE DAVIS plays the title role in “The Nanny,” a 20th Century . at the.... Theatre. The young master, played by William Dix, hates his nanny, and in the scene shown above, is being comforted by his mother, played by Wendy Craig. The boy tries to convince everyone that his nanny is a murderess. Mat 2B