Trivia / The Whales of August

• Hostility on the Set: Despite playing close sisters, Bette Davis and Lillian Gish did not get along while filming. The two rarely spoke to each other on set unless absolutely necessary, which Gish later admitted to being hurt by, but was evidently passive-aggressive about it (Davis suffered from strokes that left her paralyzed on one half of her body — Gish was quoted on their poor working relationship saying "That face! Have you ever seen such a tragic face? Poor woman! How she must be suffering! I don't think it's right to judge a person like that.") In return, Davis was frustrated by Gish for missing her cues and insulting her for being deaf, even deliberately lowering her voice to speak without her hearing, but Gish recounted that her hearing was perfectly fine — she was just feigning it and giving Davis the silent treatment to piss her off. The two also fought over billing, with Davis fighting to have the left-most billing, which Gish only agreed to if ''her' name was slightly higher.
• Playing Against Type:
  • Vincent Price appears in something other than a horror film for the first time in decades, and gives a quiet, low-key performance in contrast to the Large Ham villainous roles he became best-known for.
  • Of the directorial sort. Lindsay Anderson's previous films included This Sporting Life, if.... (1968), O Lucky Man!, and Britannia Hospital, all brash, extroverted films, a contrast to this mannerly, sedate one.

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