All About Eve (1950)

User Rating:

8.5/10   

Director:

Joseph L. Mankiewicz

Writer:

Joseph L. Mankiewicz (written by)
(more)

Release Date:

15 January 1951 (Sweden)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

It's all about women---and their men!

Plot:

An ingenue insinuates herself in to the company of an established but aging stage actress and her circle of theater friends.

Plot Keywords:

Actress | Critic | Theater | Director | Party

Awards:

Won 6 Oscars. Another 14 wins & 15 nominations

Cast

Bette Davis	...	Margo
Anne Baxter	...	Eve
George Sanders	...	Addison DeWitt
Celeste Holm	...	Karen
Gary Merrill	...	Bill Simpson
Hugh Marlowe	...	Lloyd Richards
Gregory Ratoff	...	Max Fabian
Barbara Bates	...	Phoebe
Marilyn Monroe	...	Miss Casswell
Thelma Ritter	...	Birdie
Walter Hampden	...	Aged Actor
Randy Stuart	...	Eve's Pal on Telephone
Craig Hill	...	Leading Man in 'Footsteps on the Ceiling'
Leland Harris	...	Doorman
Barbara White	...	Autograph Seeker
Eddie Fisher	...	Stage Manager of Theatre
William Pullen	...	Clerk
Claude Stroud	...	Pianist
Eugene Borden	...	Frenchman
Helen Mowery	...	Reporter
Steven Geray	...	Captain of Waiters (as Steve Geray)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Gertrude Astor	...	Sarah Siddons Awards Guest (uncredited)
Ralph Brooks	...	Sarah Siddons Awards Guest (uncredited)
Jack Chefe	...	Sarah Siddons Awards Guest (uncredited)
James Conaty	...	Sarah Siddons Awards Guest (uncredited)
Franklyn Farnum	...	Sarah Siddons Awards Guest (uncredited)
Bess Flowers	...	Sarah Siddons Awards Guest (uncredited)
Thomas Martin	...	Waiter (uncredited)
Harold Miller	...	Sarah Siddons Awards Guest on Dais (uncredited)
Stanley Orr	...	Sarah Siddons Awards Guest (uncredited)
Marion Pierce	...	Sarah Siddons Awards Guest (uncredited)
'Snub' Pollard	...	Sarah Siddons Awards Guest (uncredited)
Larry Steers	...	Sarah Siddons Awards Guest (uncredited)
Robert Whitney	...	Actor in 'Hearts of Oak' (uncredited)

Directed by
Joseph L. Mankiewicz

Writing credits
Joseph L. Mankiewicz		(written by)
Erich Kästner		dialogue: German version (uncredited)
Mary Orr		story "The Wisdom of Eve" (uncredited)

Produced by
Darryl F. Zanuck	....	producer

Original Music by
Alfred Newman

Cinematography by
Milton R. Krasner		(director of photography) (as Milton Krasner)

Film Editing by
Barbara McLean

Art Direction by
George W. Davis
Lyle R. Wheeler		(as Lyle Wheeler)

Set Decoration by
Thomas Little
Walter M. Scott

Makeup Department
Ben Nye	....	makeup artist
Franz Prehoda	....	makeup artist (uncredited)
Kay Reed	....	hair stylist (uncredited)
Gladys Witten	....	key hair stylist (uncredited)

Production Management
Robert R. Snody	....	production manager (uncredited)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Gaston Glass	....	assistant director (uncredited)

Sound Department
W.D. Flick	....	sound
Roger Heman Sr.	....	sound (as Roger Heman)
Thomas T. Moulton	....	sound recordist (uncredited)

Special Effects by
Fred Sersen	....	special photographic effects

Camera and Electrical Department
Vaughn Ashen	....	gaffer (uncredited)
James E. Lavin	....	grip (uncredited)
Paul Lockwood	....	camera operator (uncredited)
Ray Nolan	....	still photographer (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Edith Head	....	costume designer: Miss Bette Davis
Charles Le Maire	....	wardrobe director (as Charles LeMaire)
Sam Benson	....	wardrobe (uncredited)

Music Department
Edward B. Powell	....	orchestrator (as Edward Powell)
Alfred Newman	....	musical director (uncredited)

Other crew
Darryl F. Zanuck	....	presenter
Weslie Jones	....	script supervisor (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation (produced by)

Distributors

• Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation (1950) (USA) (theatrical)
• 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment (1996) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• Park Circus (2007) (UK) (theatrical)
• 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment (2001) (Brazil) (DVD)
• CBS/Fox (????) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• Fox Video (????) (USA) (DVD)
• Fox Video (????) (USA) (VHS)
• Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment (2003) (USA) (DVD)

Also Known As:

Best Performance (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

138 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Certification:

Canada:A (Nova Scotia) | Canada:G (Quebec) | Canada:PG (Manitoba/Ontario) | UK:A (original rating) | UK:U (video rating) (1987) | South Korea:15 | UK:U (2007) | USA:Approved (certificate #14544) | Canada:PG (video rating) | Brazil:Livre | Argentina:13 | Australia:PG | Chile:14 | Finland:S | Peru:14 | Spain:13 | West Germany:12

Filming Locations:

20th Century Fox Studios - 10201 Pico Blvd., Century City, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation

Trivia:

Claudette Colbert was originally cast as Margo Channing, but suffered a ruptured disc during filming on Three Came Home (1950) and had to withdraw. Bette Davis stepped into the role, even though 20th Century-Fox studio chief Darryl F. Zanuck and Davis couldn't stand each other, going back to when Davis walked out from her post as president of the Motion Picture Academy in 1941.

Goofs:

Continuity: The hands in the bedside clocks do not move

Quotes:

Bill Sampson: You have every reason for happiness.
Margo Channing: Except happiness!

Movie Connections:

Featured in AFI's 100 Years... 100 Heroes & Villains (2003) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Liebestraum

It's going to be a BETTE night....

All About Eve is an excellent film in every aspect. The 14 Oscar nominations, and six wins, testify to this. For 47 years EVE held the record for most nominations -- in 1997 Titanic matched the 14 nominations. Bette Davis was awarded the New York Critics Award once in her 58 year career -- and it was for this film. Marilyn Monroe, Thelma Ritter and Celeste Holms gave terrific supporting performances while Anne Baxter kept up with the great Bette every frame of the way. It was Bette's eighth nomination, and sixth loss; Judy Holiday won for Born Yesterday, beating two legends -- Gloria Swanson was also nominated that year for Sunset Blvd. All About Eve was the first film to be released after Bette ended her 18 years with Warner Brothers. For a moment she was back on top of the world, only to find disappointment throughout the 50's with choices and offerings in Hollywood. The writing by Mankiewicz and supporting performance by George Saunders would alone make the film worth viewing -- A NEAR PEFECT FILM!