The Lady Eve (1941)

A trio of classy card sharks targets the socially awkward heir to brewery millions for his money, until one of them falls in love with him.

Director:

Preston Sturges

Writers:

Monckton Hoffe (screen play: based on a story by), Preston Sturges

Stars:

Barbara Stanwyck, Henry Fonda, Charles Coburn

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 2 wins.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Barbara Stanwyck	...	Jean
Henry Fonda	...	Charles
Charles Coburn	...	'Colonel' Harrington
Eugene Pallette	...	Mr. Pike
William Demarest	...	Muggsy
Eric Blore	...	Sir Alfred McGlennan Keith
Melville Cooper	...	Gerald
Martha O'Driscoll	...	Martha
Janet Beecher	...	Mrs. Pike
Robert Greig	...	Burrows
Dora Clement	...	Gertrude
Luis Alberni	...	Pike's Chef

Storyline

Returning from a year up the Amazon studying snakes, the rich but unsophisticated Charles Pike meets con-artist Jean Harrington on a ship. They fall in love, but a misunderstanding causes them to split on bad terms. To get back at him, Jean disguises herself as an English lady, and comes back to tease and torment him.

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Plot Keywords:

con artist | screwball comedy | snake | gold digger | revenge | 

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Taglines:

Eve Sure Knows Her Apples !

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Genres:

Comedy | Romance

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Certificate:

Passed

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

21 March 1941 (USA)

Also Known As:

Lady Eve

Filming Locations:

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

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paramount Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

94 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Mirrophonic Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The country home of the Pikes is in the fictitious Bridgefield, CT.

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Goofs

When Charles first meets "the Lady Eve Sidwich" at the party, his face goes from blank expression to shock twice - first with all characters, then in closeup.

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Quotes

Second Ship's Waiter: Good morning, sir. Fruit, cereal, bacon and eggs, eggs and sausage, sausage and hot cakes, hot cakes and ham, ham and eggs, eggs and bacon, bacon and...
Muggsy: Gimme a spoonful of milk, a raw pigeon's egg, and four houseflies. If you can't catch any, I'll settle for a cockroach.

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Crazy Credits

A very large cartoon snake displays the opening credits while twining around an apple tree.

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Connections

Featured in Sex, Censorship and the Silver Screen: Censored (1996)

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Soundtracks

Give Me a Moment Please
(uncredited)
Music by Richard A. Whiting and W. Franke Harling
Lyrics by Leo Robin

User Reviews

A brilliant comedy - from script to acting

One of my favorite films of the forties and, I believe, one of Barbara Stanwyck's best. Fonda also gets a chance to show some comedic chops as well as the foil for her Eve. It's apparent everyone involved knows they're in something good and enjoys it - Eugene Palette as Fonda's wealthy Father, William Demarest(think Uncle Charlie in My Three Sons)in one of his best supporting roles as Fonda's crusty valet, and Charles Coburn and Eric Blore doing brilliant comic character turns as card sharks on Eve's side. Stanwyck hadn't really cared about clothes before(see Mad Miss Manton) but this time Edith Head came up with some innovations that suddenly made her a fashion hit as well. Her bolero jackets, evening dresses, wedding gown and cap hats were big fashion successes, tailored to Stanwyck's tiny form. But the real star is the sparkling dialogue, delivered flawlessly by everyone. Plenty of one liners, double entendres and an incredibly sexy seduction in one long take where Stanwyck simply toys with Fonda's hair as he reclines, uncomfortably, on the floor beside her. There are other scenes - Stanwyck sizing up the room with commentary as seen thru her makeup mirror...the dinner party where Fonda can't get over how much Eve looks like the girl he left on the ship...a sequence where Fonda's horse started to move in on a romantic scene so Sturges rewrote and reshot other parts, making Fonda the foil of the intrusive horse. See if you can spot the take where the horse actually nibbles on Fonda and watch Stanwyck glide thru it all like a pro. BRILLIANT film -- can't recommend it highly enough - five stars of five - MDMPHD:>