Those Legendary Bette Davis Eyes Were Massachusetts Originals

Hollywood icon Bette Davis once said, "I have no time for broads who want to rule the world alone. Without men, who'd do up the zipper on the back of your dress?"

Immortalized in the 1981 smash hit "Bette Davis Eyes," written in 1974 by Donna Weiss and Jackie DeShannon, the Massachusetts-born film star caught the eye of a new generation of fans.

The song, recorded by Kim Carnes, spent nine non-consecutive weeks at the top of the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart. It paid tribute to Davis' signature deep blue eyes that helped make her a star.

"Bette Davis Eyes" was bumped from the No. 1 position on the Billboard charts after five weeks by "Stars on 45" but returned to the top spot the following week, remaining there for four consecutive weeks, and was Billboard's biggest hit for 1981.

The song reached No. 1 on the charts in 21 other countries.

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Ruth Elizabeth "Bette" Davis was born on April 5, 1908, in Lowell, Massachusetts. Her career spanned more than 50 years and some 100 acting credits.

Davis won two Academy Awards and was the first performer to accrue 10 nominations. Her most notable films included Dangerous, Jezebel, Dark Victory, The Letter, Little Foxes, All About Eve and Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?

When Davis' parents separated in 1915, Bette and her younger sister Barbara Harriet were enrolled at Crestalban, a boarding school in Lanesborough, Massachusetts, where they spent three years.

Bette also attended Cushing Academy, a boarding school in Ashburnham, Massachusetts where she met her future first husband Harmon O. "Ham" Nelson.

The Davis girls moved to New York with their mother, Ruth, where Bette became a Girl Scout. It was there that Bette began to audition for acting roles.

Bette Davis was married four times and had three children.

Davis, a West Hollywood, California resident, died from breast cancer on October 6, 1989 at the American Hospital in Neuilly-sur-Seine, France. She was 81.