SYNOPSIS

Broadway star Margo Channing (Bette Davis) is at a vulnerable point in her life. At 40 years old, she can no longer get away with playing ingénue parts. She is unmarried and fears facing the second part of her life alone. When her most devoted fan, the mousy young Eve Harrington (Anne Baxter), begins to show up to the theater every night just to watch Margo perform, the older actress takes pity on her and invites her into her life. As an employee and friend, there is no one more loyal than Eve. Before long, however, it is clear that there may be more to Eve than meets the eye. A conniving schemer, Eve is an aspiring actress who longs for the spotlight herself. Her unyielding ambition will stop at nothing to get what she wants and take everything away from Margo in the process, including her career, her man, and her life.

Director: Joseph L. Mankiewicz
Producer: Darryl F. Zanuck

Screenplay: Joseph L. Mankiewicz
Based on the story The Wisdom of Eve by Mary Orr
Cinematography: Milton Krasner
Editing: Barbara McLean
Music Composer: Alfred Newman
Costume Designer: Edith Head
Cast: Bette Davis (Margo Channing), Anne Baxter (Eve Harrington), George Sanders (Addison De Witt), Celeste Holm (Karen Richards), Gary Merrill (Bill Simpson), Hugh Marlowe (Lloyd Richards), Thelma Ritter (Birdie Coonan), Marilyn Monroe (Miss Casswell), Gregory Ratoff (Max Fabian), Barbara Bates (Phoebe), Walter Hampden (Aged Actor), Randy Stuart (Girl), Craig Hill (Leading Man), Leland Harris (Doorman), Barbara White (Autograph Seeker).
BW-138m.

Why ALL ABOUT EVE is Essential

All About Eve is considered by many to be the greatest film ever made about the theater and the sometimes backstabbing behind-the-scenes world of show business. It remains as vital and fresh today as it did in 1950.

Bette Davis was a last minute choice to play Margo Channing, replacing the already signed Claudette Colbert who suffered a back injury leaving her unable to do All About Eve. The role of Margo fit Davis like a glove and became one of the most definitive performances of her career, perhaps more closely associated with Davis than any other role. The success of All About Eve completely resurrected Davis' faltering career. Like Margo, the legendary actress was slipping into the film purgatory of middle age and was finding it increasingly difficult to find good parts. The role helped her transition into the meaty character parts of her later career that kept her working well into her 80s. Davis remained forever grateful to director Joseph L. Mankiewicz for "resurrecting her from the dead."

The Academy Award-winning script by Joseph L. Mankiewicz is still considered one of the best screenplays ever written. It features some of the wittiest dialogue, most vivid multi-dimensional characters and most memorable lines ever to appear on film.

Marilyn Monroe makes a memorable impression in one of her earliest roles as aspiring actress Miss Casswell in All About Eve. While the film is most certainly all about Bette Davis, it is fascinating to watch the gorgeous Monroe, a few years away from mega-stardom, hold her own in the midst of such great talent.

All About Eve set a record for receiving fourteen Academy Award nominations-the most ever received by any film before or since. 1997's Titanic finally tied All About Eve for nominations, but nothing has yet surpassed it.

by Andrea Passafiume