In lost interview, listen to what Bette Davis had to say about men and women

Got sent this the other day and wanted to share it.

The late, great Bette Davis gave an audio interview in 1963 to Shirley Eder. This previously lost interview has been brought to life by PBS Digital Studios’ Blank on Blank.

Created by former TV producer and print journalist David Gerlach, Blank on Blank brings back to life stories from American newsmakers on interview tapes that might otherwise be lost forever.

She gives her perspective on the battle of the sexes, reveals her experiences dealing with Hollywood executives while trying to balance her career with a “traditional” household in a male-dominated industry, and explains why being an intelligent female can be a “hindrance” in business.

“I think men have got to change an awful lot. I think somehow they still prefer the little woman. They’re just staying way, way behind and so as a rule I think millions of women are very happy to be by themselves, they’re so bored with the whole business of trying to be the little woman, when no such thing really exists anymore. It just simply doesn’t.”

As an early advocate of gender awareness, Davis added, “This world’s gone way beyond it. The real female should be partly male and the real male should be partly female anyway. So if you ever run into that in either sex you’ve run into something very, very fine, I think.”

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