Movie Monday: The Great Lie

Movie Monday: The Great Lie

This year, I’ve been highlighting movies during the anniversary of their release month, and I’d initially planned to talk about the 1946 film, Deception, starring Bette Davis, Paul Henreid, and Claude Rains. However, I had the delightful opportunity to interview Curator Emeritus, Dick Alberini, of the Littleton (NH) Historical Museum for my YouTube channel, and the town has a special association with another of Bette’s films, The Great Lie. Hence, today’s post.

According to IMDB The Great Lie's plot is “After a newlywed’s husband apparently dies in a plane crash, she discovers that her rival for his affections is pregnant by him.” The movie is actually a bit more robust than that. Based on the novel January Heights by Polan Banks, a Sandra Kovak, concert pianist and Peter Van Allen, an aviator, marry on impulse while he’s more than a bit drunk, then find out the marriage is invalid because her divorce had not been finalized. He turns around and weds his “old flame” Maggie Patterson, then sets out to Brazil on a business trip. When his aircraft is reported missing, he is presumed dead. (Spoiler alert: nope)

Mary Astor plays Sandra, George Brent pays Peter, and Bette Davis is Maggie, the old flame. At some

point Sandra realizes she pregnant, and Maggie gets word of the situation. She proposes that she be allowed to raise the child in exchange for providing financial support for Sandra. Sandra agrees, has the child, then heads out on a world tour. Then to Maggie’s surprise, Peter arrives home, and she tells him about “their” son – The Great Lie. Eventually, Sandra returns and throws a wrench in the works by taunting Maggie. Things get ugly fast but eventually work out in the end. I’ll let you watch to see how.

Astor won an Oscar for her role with many critics and audience members claiming she stole the spotlight from Davis who was known for commandeering scenes and “skirmishes” with other actresses. In an interview later, Ms. Astor would say, “People have said I stole the picture from Bette…that’s sheer nonsense. She handed it to me on a silver platter.” One source posited, “Mary Astor knew as well as anyone that no one could steal a scene from Bette Davis unless she allowed it.”

The film has been written off by some as “sentimental fluff,” but I disagree. There is lots of tension, and as one site put it, “The Great Lie at first glance, {may} be your standard old-school melodrama. And yes, the premise leans toward the hokey. But look closer, and you’ll find a surprisingly thoughtful study of gender dynamics in 1940s America. It’s not just about love and rivalry; it’s about women navigating emotional and moral dilemmas within the boundaries society has placed around them.”

So, what is the connection between the film and Littleton, New Hampshire (of all places)? Turns out

Bette spent many happy years there. Born in Lowell, Massachusetts, she was a New Englander through and through, so after she became a successful (and wealthy) actress, she purchased a getaway in the mountains of New Hampshire in the tiny hamlet of Sugar Hill. It was there she met her second husband, Arthur Farnsworth. She headed to the house she named Butternut whenever she needed a break from the chaos and stress from her Hollywood life. Tragically, Arthur died only a few years later because falling down the stairs at the house.

Littleton was where she was happiest, and when it came time for the premiere for The Great Lie, she insisted the gala be held in New Hampshire, not Hollywood. To top it off, proceeds from the ticket sales went to benefit the local hospital. The event coincided with her 33rd birthday, and residents could pay $1.50 to attend.

Bette continued to visit Butternut after Arthur’s death, but her trips became less frequent, and she eventually sold the property. Despite the more than seventy-five years since her last visit, she still holds a special place in Littleton’s heart.

________________

Danish Days, The Resistance Chronicles Book 5:

Can hearts filled with hate find love?

Near the end of the “second war to end all wars,” Norwegian American OSS agent Frida Westgard finds herself assigned to Denmark, of all places. Initially sent as a radio operator, she is then transferred to Copenhagen to collect intelligence. A job made more dangerous when she becomes entangled in local resistance activities led by the handsome man known only as Rejsende–traveler.

Stig Arenfeldt has hated the Germans for as long as he can remember, so when they invade and occupy his beloved Denmark, he jumps at the chance to join the resistance. Now, five years later, the war may finally be at an end, but he won’t quit until the last soldier is gone…or dead. Then he’s paired with the attractive American agent who preaches forgiveness. A concept that has no place in his life. Unfortunately, the more they’re together, the more her words infiltrate his soul, and he begins to dread the day she’ll walk out of his life.

Purchase Link: https://books2read.com/u/3LoGlw

Sources:
Conversation with Dick Alberini, Curator Emeritus, Littleton Historical Museum
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Great_Lie
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0033677/
https://melanienovak.com/2021/02/17/the-great-lie-bette-cedes-the-spotlight/
https://diaryofamoviemaniac.wordpress.com/2015/06/08/the-great-lie-1941/
https://hookedonhouses.net/2016/01/14/bette-davis-beloved-butternut-farm-new-hampshire/
https://www.nhmagazine.com/weve-got-bette-daviss-plaque/
https://www.nhmagazine.com/bette-davis-eyes-sugar-hill-2/

Photo Credits:

Movie Poster: By IMDB, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php