DVD Review: When Bette Met Mae

When Bette Met Mae is an unusual film about the first meeting between Bette Davis and Mae West. On November 13, 1973, director Wes Wheadon recorded the conversation they had at a dinner party, and this film uses that audio recording, with actors performing the roles, lip-synching to the real audio. The film also uses some old footage to explain and illustrate some of the things they mention, and to add more information. Also providing more information is some narration by Sally Kellerman (and at the beginning by Wes Wheadon), as well as a few short interviews (including one with Waris Hussein, who directed Bette Davis in Little Gloria…Happy At Last).  It’s such an unusual film in the way it presents the material – part documentary, part dinner theatre. But it works surprisingly well, in part because the actors do a really good job with what I imagine is a rather difficult task. Karen Teliha is particularly impressive as Bette Davis.

Wes Wheadon sets up the scene at the beginning. Bette was in town to do a film, and was staying with Wes’ neighbor, Chuck Pollock. And one night Bette asked Wes to be the bartender for a dinner party with Mae West. And yes, he did get permission to record the conversation. Because the recording has some background noise, subtitles are provided.

Bette Davis and Mae West are two fascinating women, and the conversation is not only interesting in the light it sheds on their personalities and demeanor, but also for the information they provide. For example, they talk about writing dialogue for their own films, though Bette didn’t get screen credits for that. There is also some information about the beginning of the Screen Actors Guild, and Bette, bless her, talks about how Ronald Reagan (then president of SAG) sold them out. She even says, “I almost killed him.” Oh, if only she had! Then we wouldn’t have had to deal with him as President.

A lot of this is quite funny, like when Mae West talks about wanting to be a lion tamer. She also talks about her secret marriage and public divorce, and about her plays, Sex and The Drag. She is particularly funny when talking about The Drag. Bette talks about her marriages, and tells a hilarious anecdote about trying to be a lesbian. They also discuss the drag impersonations of them, and there is a great bit which uses split screen to show us What Ever Happened To Baby Jane? next to the same scene in What Really Happened To Baby Jane, a parody which in the course of the conversation Bette became aware of.

At the end, Wes Wheadon speaks again, which is unnecessary. I think it would have been better to end the film with the tape running out and the photos from the meeting. But that’s certainly not a major issue or complaint.

When Bette Met Mae was directed by Wes Wheadon, and was released on DVD on February 23, 2016 through MVD Visual. The DVD contains no special features.