Bette Davis sued Warner Brothers in 1936 — an act of defiance so unprecedented that the entire studio system tried to make an example of her. She lost the lawsuit but won the war, forcing Hollywood to begin treating its actors as artists rather than property. No one before her had dared challenge the contract system that bound stars to studios like indentured servants.

This episode traces Davis from her New England upbringing through the Warner Brothers rebellion, the roles that won her two Academy Awards, the legendary feud with Joan Crawford, and the late-career comeback that proved she was indestructible.

• Davis's early career struggles and the Warner Brothers contract disputes that radicalized her
• The 1936 London lawsuit and why her loss paradoxically changed Hollywood labor relations
• The iconic roles — Jezebel ...