PAYMENT ON DEMAND (1951)

 

When discussing a major movie star like Bette Davis, no title in her filmography can be called minor or insignificant. Laborious, plodding, and tedious, perhaps, but not insignificant. PAYMENT ON DEMAND is significant because it was the first film Miss Davis made after leaving Warner Brothers, ending an eighteen-year tenure at that studio. Her career had been spectacular, earning her two Academy Awards for Best Actress and five more nominations. She had several years of apprenticeship in B movies and a famous court battle with the studio along the way, but through hard work and determination, not to mention an amazing talent, she had become probably the most distinguished actress in Hollywood. From the late 1930s and into the mid-1940s, she had one successful film after another. In the late 1940s, however, she began to struggle. When studio head Jack Warner assigned her to BEYOND THE FOREST in 1949, a film she desperately did not want to do, she asked for her release when the film was finished.

For her first film as an independent actress, Davis returned to RKO Radio Pictures, the studio where she had made OF HUMAN BONDAGE in 1934, in a role that showed the world what a powerful talent she was. As the cold, manipulative Cockney waitress Mildred Rogers, she brought forth an intensity that shocked audiences and won her critical accolades. Her new RKO assignment would be quite different.

Davis plays Joyce Ramsey, a San Francisco socialite who is married to a successful attorney, David Ramsey (Barry Sullivan). They have two grown daughters. Joyce became a dedicated social climber when she married David, who was then struggling to get his law practice started in partnership with his friend, Bob Townsend (Kent Taylor). When a businessman comes to the law office requesting Bob to handle the patent for his new product, Joyce, who is working as the secretary, convinces the man to hire David instead, lying about his experience with patents. When David and Bob learn of her deception, Bob leaves the firm and the two friends are estranged. 

Joyce's social ambitions and control over her husband's life and career cause a strain in their marriage. When their children are grown, he asks for a divorce and moves out of their house. Joyce hires a detective and learns that David has a mistress, Eileen Benson (Frances Dee). Joyce asks for David's entire fortune as a divorce settlement, threatening to sue him and cause a scandal over his infidelity.

When she goes on a long vacation, Joyce comes to understand what her life would be like as a wealthy divorcee. She begins seeing a charming, attractive man (John Sutton), only to find out he's married and looking for a mistress who has money. She also visits a fellow social climber, now divorced and living a miserable life as an alcoholic and getting her kicks from a young gigolo. When Joyce and David are reunited at the wedding of one of their daughters, she regrets the mistakes she made, and David asks her for a reconciliation. While Joyce wants nothing more than to be with her husband that night, she asks him to wait a few days to make sure he really wants to come back to her. David walks away with a happy smile on his face, indicating that he already knows what his decision is going to be.

This is pure soap opera from start to finish, although that isn't problematic. Soap operas can be loads of fun, if done correctly, but that isn't the case here. The story is told in a series of flashbacks as Joyce looks back over the beginning of her marriage, the birth of her children, and the conflicts with David that led to their unhappiness. Though the movie is only 90 minutes long, it seems much longer. There is absolutely no romantic or sexual chemistry whatsoever between Davis and Sullivan. Watching these two people interact makes one wonder what possibly caused them to get married in the first place and, in later years, how they can stand to be in the same room with each other. Barry Sullivan tries to bring some life and believability to his character, but it's an uphill battle, as the role is poorly written and doesn't give him much to work with. As for Davis, by this point in her career, she had settled into an almost regal acting persona where all of her characters seemed to be the same. They may have had different names and been involved in different plots, but all of them were played in the same imperious manner and delivering their dialogue in the same clipped speaking voice that had become the actress's trademark sound. Now, for those of us who love Bette Davis, it's enjoyable to watch her in this persona. So, I'm not complaining.

The most amazing thing about PAYMENT ON DEMAND, which originally had the title THE STORY OF A DIVORCE, is what came after. Before the film was finished, Miss Davis was contacted by Daryl Zanuck, the head of 20th Century-Fox, who was in a panic. Claudette Colbert was contracted to star in the new film ALL ABOUT EVE but had broken her back. Zanuck needed a replacement right away. When Davis read the script, she was thrilled and signed on immediately. Maybe it was the incredible script, or the marvelous character of Margo Channing, or the brilliant direction of Joseph Mankiewicz, but the Bette Davis who starred in ALL ABOUT EVE had dropped the regal persona and regained all of her power and former intensity. OK, maybe Margo did have her regal moments, but they worked perfectly in the context of the character. Davis gave one of her most legendary and courageous performances. RKO withheld the release of PAYMENT ON DEMAND until February 1951, leading everyone to believe it was made after EVE.

Some interesting young performers show up in PAYMENT ON DEMAND. Peggie Castle and Betty Lynn play the two daughters, and Richard Andrson appears briefly. Natalie Schafer, always a welcome and charming presence, appears as a society lady. One of the biggest treats is actor John Sutton, a gentleman whose dignified demeanor and distinctive voice add quality to any role he plays. Speaking of quality, Otto Kruger is featured in a small role. There is also a brief appearance by a tiny little girl named B.D. Sherry, playing the part of one of Davis's daughters as a child. You might call this typecasting, as little Miss Sherry is the actress's real-life daughter. The child didn't go on to have an acting career, but she did become a writer of sorts. But that's a blog post for another time.