Why Bette Davis’s iconic performance in Jezebel was a consolation prize for a missed role.

Entertainment · Published 3 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: Before Bette Davis secured her second Academy Award for her portrayal of the headstrong Julie Marsden in the 1938 drama Jezebel, she was famously passed over for the role of Scarlett O'Hara in Gone with the Wind. The film remains a classic, though critics have long debated its dramatic conclusion.

Directed by William Wyler and released by Warner Bros. Pictures, the 1938 film Jezebel centers on Julie Marsden, a willful Southern belle in 1852 New Orleans. After her fiancé, Preston Dillard, refuses to indulge her whims, she defies social convention by wearing a scandalous red dress to the prestigious Olympus Ball. The resulting social ostracization and a series of vengeful schemes eventually lead to a tragic duel and a devastating yellow fever epidemic that forces a final, dramatic reckoning.

The production was marked by significant behind-the-scenes maneuvering. While Bette Davis was cast as compensation for failing to land the lead in Gone with the Wind, the studio also made cost-conscious decisions regarding her co-stars. Warner Bros. originally eyed Cary Grant for the role of Preston Dillard but ultimately selected Henry Fonda after balking at Grant’s $75,000 salary demand. Despite these pressures, the film was a critical success, earning Davis her second Best Actress Oscar.

However, the film's ending remains a point of contention. Contemporary reviewers, including those at The New York Times and The New Yorker, expressed skepticism regarding the protagonist's sudden transformation from a spiteful socialite into a self-sacrificing martyr during the city's fever outbreak. Critics argued that this shift felt unconvincing and undermined the character's earlier complexity. Despite these narrative criticisms, the film’s artistic merit was later solidified when it was selected for preservation in the National Film Registry in 2009.

Today, the film maintains a strong reputation, holding a 94% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Its legacy is further cemented by its influence on industry standards; the composer Max Steiner was reportedly hired to score Gone with the Wind specifically because of the high quality of his work on this film. While the plot may be viewed as uneven, the performance of Davis continues to be cited as a triumph of emotional range.

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