Bette and Joan/Timeline

The following is a chronological list of the key events that occurred within *FEUD: Bette and Joan*.

*\*Some of these events may differ slightly from the events of the real life feud.*

## 1932

* Bette Davis signs a contract with Warner Brothers Entertainment.

## 1933

* Joan Crawford begins dating actor Franchot Tone.

## 1935

* Bette Davis stars in the film *Dangerous* with Franchot Tone.
* Bette tries to sleep with Franchot, while he is still in a relationship with Joan.
* Joan Crawford marries Franchot out of spite.
* Bette wins the Academy Award for Best Actress in *Dangerous.*
* Joan sends Bette a bouquet and a congratulatory note, but receives no response.

## 1936

* Bette Davis sues Jack Warner to be released from her contract with Warner Brothers.
* Jack wins the suit and Bette is forced to remain working for him.

## 1939

* Joan Crawford divorces Franchot Tone, blaming Bette for the failure of their marriage.

## 1944

* Joan Crawford signs a contract with Warner Brothers.
* Joan tries to convince Jack Warner to make a film adaptation of *Ethan Frome*, requesting that she play Mattie, the pretty young servant, with Bette Davis playing Zeena, the old hag of a wife.
* Jack denies the proposal.

## 1945

* Joan Crawford stars in the crime drama *Mildred Pierce.*
* Joan wins the Academy Award for Best Actress in *Mildred Pierce*.

## 1950

* Bette Davis stars in the drama film *All About Eve.*
* Bette gets married to her *All About Eve* co-star, Gary Merrill.

## 1955

* Joan Crawford works with director Robert Aldrich on the film *Autumn Leaves*.

* Joan marries Alfred Steele, CEO of Pepsi-Cola.

## 1959

* Joan's husband, Alfred, passes away from a heart attack.
* Joan becomes the brand ambassador for Pepsi.

## 1960

* Bette Davis and Gary Merrill star in the touring play, *The World of Carl Sandburg*.
* Bette replaces Gary in favor of a different co-star, Barry Sullivan.

## 1961

* Joan Crawford begins dating Peter.
* Marilyn Monroe receives the Golden Globe for Best Actress.
* A jealous Joan Crawford stumbles out of the Globes in a drunken tirade.
* Hedda Hopper blackmails Joan into releasing a controversial statement about Monroe's win.
* Joan comes across Henry Farrell's suspense novel, *What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?*.
* Joan sends the novel to director Robert Aldrich.
* Pauline Jameson encourages Robert to turn *Baby Jane* into a film.
* Robert and Joan agree to do the film together.
* Bette Davis stars in a Broadway play titled *The Night of the Iguana*.
* Joan goes to see the play to convince Bette to sign on to *Baby Jane* in the title role.
* Robert Aldrich releases his film *Sodom and Gomorrah*, marking a low point in his career.
* Robert writes the script for *Baby Jane* himself.
* Robert convinces Jack Warner to distribute *What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?* under his company.
* Robert takes out a second mortgage on his house to finance the picture.
* Bette and Joan promote the film and sign their contracts.
* Gary and Bette sign their divorce agreement.
* Filming for *What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?* begins.
* Bette gets paid more money than Joan.
* Bette criticizes Joan and tries to tell her how to portray her character.
* Bette personally designs her iconic look for her character "Baby Jane".
* Hedda hosts a dinner at her house for Bette and Joan in an attempt to get the latest gossip.
* Hedda publishes an article for Dateline: Los Angeles about the monumental pairing of Bette and Joan in *Baby Jane*.

## 1978

* Olivia de Havilland and Joan Blondell give separate interviews at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles, California for a documentary about the rivalry between Bette Davis and Joan Crawford.
* Jack dies on September 9.