What Ever Happened to Bette and Joan
Sep 25, 2026 · 1 hr 21 min · 13 segments
WHAT EVER HAPPENED TO BETTE & JOAN? – BONUS SEASON 2 EPISODE 1: BETTE ON THE TUBE For the first episode of this second bonus season, we look at Bette on the tube and the collection of characters she…
Before wrapping things up, I'd like to talk about a TV guest appearance from this era that was given by another Betty, Betty Joan Persky, also known as Lauren Bacall.
The epitome of 1940s cool and sultry, Bacall was the perfect noir heroine and the only one who could have made her roles in To Have and Have Not, The Big Sleep, and Key Largo as iconic as they remain today.
She was also one of the only actresses who could match early frequent co-star Humphrey Bogart in terms of powerful screen presence.
Their chemistry was undeniable and made their collaboration so successful, it's no wonder they would go on to have one of the most famous marriages in Hollywood, which was sadly cut short by his untimely death in early 1957.
Hits like How to Marry a Millionaire, Woman's World, Blood Alley, and Written on the Wind showed both the industry and the movie-going public that she was more than just her famous husband's leading lady.
In between this impressive run, Bacall made her TV debut on a memorable 1955 guest appearance of Producer's Showcase.
Airing for three seasons from 1954 to 1957 on NBC, Producer's Showcase was famous for being both expensive and experimental in its retelling of classic plays and novels.
With more of a lavish bend, the series also separated itself from the average anthology show in that it had the ability to film outside of studio locations, when most shows didn't.
In Bacall's episode, she takes on the lead role from the film made famous by the previously mentioned Betty, The Petrified Forest.
Based on the play from Robert E. Sherwood, Bacall plays Gabby, a young waitress working in her father's diner located in the Arizona desert.
Gabby's dreams of leaving the diner and exploring the outside world are furthered by her encounter with Alan, played by Henry Fonda, an intellectual drifter to whom Gabby is instantly attracted to.
The attraction must take a back seat, however, when a wanted criminal named Duke, played by Bogart, reprising his role from the original film, and his gang take the entire diner hostage.
This remake was adapted by Tad Moselle, whose later works would include the feature films Dear Heart, Up the Down Staircase, and the acclaimed miniseries The Addams Chronicles.
Director Delbert Mann, known for the likes of Marty, That Touch of Mink, and Fitzwillie, uses inventive angles for the production, giving it a texture that makes it feel like more than just an average TV episode or a filmed play.
a solid assortment of musical cues also do their part to make this feel like an elevated television event.
Even though it's the same text, Moselle's script manages to make this feel like a fresh adaptation.
The social commentary about the hard times people were experiencing, the clashing of cultures, the rebuke of small-town Americana, and the clinging to patriotism are all still present and effective.
Each of these actors were well into their careers by this point, making their performances here a treat for their fans.
Fonda is giving a performance that's rooted in experience, playing Alan as someone whose past has shaped him in deeply profound ways.
His natural down-to-earth persona is just right for the role, and the actor gives the character a salt-of-the-earth quality mixed with a romanticism.
But Fonda also injects a somber pragmatism into the character's wandering nature as a result of some of the darker times in his life, which is great to see him play.
As for Bogart, the legendary actor knows how to play Duke, and it shows in his performance.
Bogart probably figured his first time around that Duke is such a threatening figure.
He doesn't need to be overly theatric or imposing in his scenes for the character to come across as intimidating or dangerous.
Before wrapping things up, I'd like to talk about a TV guest appearance from this era that was given by another Betty, Betty Joan Persky, also known as Lauren Bacall.
The epitome of 1940s cool and sultry, Bacall was the perfect noir heroine and the only one who could have made her roles in To Have and Have Not, The Big Sleep, and Key Largo as iconic as they remain today.
She was also one of the only actresses who could match early frequent co-star Humphrey Bogart in terms of powerful screen presence.
Their chemistry was undeniable and made their collaboration so successful, it's no wonder they would go on to have one of the most famous marriages in Hollywood, which was sadly cut short by his untimely death in early 1957.
Hits like How to Marry a Millionaire, Woman's World, Blood Alley, and Written on the Wind showed both the industry and the movie-going public that she was more than just her famous husband's leading lady.
In between this impressive run, Bacall made her TV debut on a memorable 1955 guest appearance of Producer's Showcase.
Airing for three seasons from 1954 to 1957 on NBC, Producer's Showcase was famous for being both expensive and experimental in its retelling of classic plays and novels.
With more of a lavish bend, the series also separated itself from the average anthology show in that it had the ability to film outside of studio locations, when most shows didn't.
In Bacall's episode, she takes on the lead role from the film made famous by the previously mentioned Betty, The Petrified Forest.
Based on the play from Robert E. Sherwood, Bacall plays Gabby, a young waitress working in her father's diner located in the Arizona desert.
Gabby's dreams of leaving the diner and exploring the outside world are furthered by her encounter with Alan, played by Henry Fonda, an intellectual drifter to whom Gabby is instantly attracted to.
The attraction must take a back seat, however, when a wanted criminal named Duke, played by Bogart, reprising his role from the original film, and his gang take the entire diner hostage.
This remake was adapted by Tad Moselle, whose later works would include the feature films Dear Heart, Up the Down Staircase, and the acclaimed miniseries The Addams Chronicles.
Director Delbert Mann, known for the likes of Marty, That Touch of Mink, and Fitzwillie, uses inventive angles for the production, giving it a texture that makes it feel like more than just an average TV episode or a filmed play.
a solid assortment of musical cues also do their part to make this feel like an elevated television event.
Even though it's the same text, Moselle's script manages to make this feel like a fresh adaptation.
The social commentary about the hard times people were experiencing, the clashing of cultures, the rebuke of small-town Americana, and the clinging to patriotism are all still present and effective.
Each of these actors were well into their careers by this point, making their performances here a treat for their fans.
Fonda is giving a performance that's rooted in experience, playing Alan as someone whose past has shaped him in deeply profound ways.
His natural down-to-earth persona is just right for the role, and the actor gives the character a salt-of-the-earth quality mixed with a romanticism.
But Fonda also injects a somber pragmatism into the character's wandering nature as a result of some of the darker times in his life, which is great to see him play.
As for Bogart, the legendary actor knows how to play Duke, and it shows in his performance.
Bogart probably figured his first time around that Duke is such a threatening figure.
He doesn't need to be overly theatric or imposing in his scenes for the character to come across as intimidating or dangerous.
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