Bette Davis' chums

[Mark Kohut]

Bette Davis did not hate her mother; in fact I've seen several interviews where she always speaks highly of her and says that they were "good chums" and ...

 plans on spending "Christmas with the Crawfords" - "Mommie Dearest" Joan, her adorably bruised tykes and "chums" such as Bette Davis. ...
blog.nola.com/.../2007/.../le_petit_theatre_gets_hot_flas.html - 

Seems in a number of movies, Davis' and her friends from youth are called chums----at least in synopses; don't know about in the movies. 

Also, seems, of course, chums carries the connotation friends from a yuong age, of course. No matter which side of the law one grows up into. [Cagney movies, say]