The formidable Bette Davis had a dazzling mix of leading men during her legendary career: Tracy, Fonda, Cagney, Bogart, Flynn, Boyer, Muni, Robinson and Guinness among them (including Greg Peck in a 1946 radio drama and Jimmy Stewart in a 1983 television outing). But when asked who among them was her favorite Bette never paused before answering. "Claude Rains!," she'd say with gusto. "He was a pip! The best! I nevvvver worked with annnnyone better than Claaaaaude." Indeed he was a pip (for the record, a favorite Davis expression). He was also a remarkable actor who consistently raised the bar on the art of screen acting and was never less than magnificent. Unfortunately, neither was he given the due he deserved for all the superb work he did. Four Oscar• nominations came his way but no statuette ever did. We aim to do what we can this month to help make up for the slights to Rains over the years, beating the drums as to how fine, how versatile, how valuable he was.

Besides showing 32 films in which Rains reigned supreme, whether in a supporting part or a bona fide lead, I'll also be sharing some interesting background tidbits about him. And there are acres of them. One CR fact which has always intrigued me: despite his possessing one of the most pleasing and distinctive speaking voices of any actor of his time, Rains struggled for years with a persistent stammer. Further, he was nearly blind in one eye, due to a World War I injury. Long before his Hollywood connection, Rains taught at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London where his students included Charles Laughton and John Gielgud. Further, when Rains played the rascally Captain Renault in Casablanca, he received a fee of $4000 per week, considerably higher pay than that earned by the stars of the film, Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman.

And there was a probable reason for that constant twinkle in his eye: Rains not only loved acting but he also had an enormous fondness for women. He married six times, doing something which would also seem to qualify him for some kind of medal: he once starred in a stage production with a cast that included his current wife at the time plus not one but two of his ex-wives. (I once asked Bette Davis, who was 19 years younger than Rains, if she'd ever entertained the idea of a liaison of her own with this man she admired so much. She said with a smile, "Oh, no. I was much too old for Claude.")

A fascinating fellow he was, one reason Wednesday nights this month on TCM promise to be particularly worth one's time. We'll be showing Casablanca, of course. Also Mr. Skeffington (a Rains "essential"), Notorious, Now, Voyager, Kings Row and many more, not neglecting several lesser-known Rains films such as David Lean's The Passionate Friends, Michael Curtiz's Daughters Courageous and Boris Sagal's Twilight of Honor. In other words, there will be some exceptionally good times on TCM throughout September, thanks to Claude Rains, an actor who stood just 5 ft. 6 ½ but can genuinely be described as a giant.

by Robert Osborne