The Lady Eve (1941)

User Rating:

8.2/10   

Director:

Preston Sturges

Writers:

Monckton Hoffe (story) and
Preston Sturges (writer)

Release Date:

25 February 1941 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Romance

Tagline:

Eve Sure Knows Her Apples !

Plot:

Returning from a year up the Amazon studying snakes, the rich but unsophisticated Charles Pike meets con-artist Jean Harrington on a ship...

Plot Keywords:

Love | Con Artist | Ship | Snake | Lady

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 1 win

Cast

Barbara Stanwyck	...	Eugenia 'Jean' Harrington
Henry Fonda	...	Charles 'Charlie' Poncefort Pike
Charles Coburn	...	'Colonel' Harry Harrington
Eugene Pallette	...	Horace Pike
William Demarest	...	Ambrose 'Muggsy' Murgatroyd
Eric Blore	...	Sir Alfred McGlennan Keith
Melville Cooper	...	Gerald
Martha O'Driscoll	...	Martha - the Maid
Janet Beecher	...	Janet Pike
Robert Greig	...	Burrows - Pike's Butler
Dora Clement	...	Gertrude
Luis Alberni	...	Emile, Pike's chef

Runtime:

94 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Mirrophonic Recording)

Certification:

Canada:PG (Ontario) | Sweden:15 | South Korea:12 (2004) | West Germany:16 (nf) | Finland:K-16 | USA:Unrated | UK:U

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles County Arboretum & Botanic Garden - 301 N. Baldwin Avenue, Arcadia, California, USA

Company:

Paramount Pictures

Trivia:

The check that that Henry Fonda's character, Charles Pike, writes to Charles Coburn, playing "Colonel" Harrington, is dated August 29. August 29th is director Preston Sturges' birthday.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Jean is looking at Charles in the mirror, what she sees is the right way round (you can clearly see this by looking at the cover of Charles' book).

Quotes:

Jean Harrington: See anything you like?

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The Party (1968)

Soundtrack:

Landlord, Fill the Flowing Bowl

Exquisite comedy

A stunningly beautiful film -- and very funny, too, with 2 of the strongest leads in film paired memorably. Some moments, like Fonda slouching on the floor and Stanwyck drooping onto him in a wry parody of Hollywood lovemaking, actually achieve the grace and beauty of the best silent films. The story takes some fairly predictable turns, and the script and direction by Sturges are first rate. Fonda is very broad but miraculously pulls it off, and Stanwyck revels in the excellent role she plays (two roles in one, no less, an actor's dream!). One of the best comedies of the "classic" Hollywood era.