All About Eve

All About Eve (1950)

Timing: 2:19 (139 min)

8.078/10
1671

7.976/10
16691

8.2/10
149000

All about film

Video 7

Photo 79

Actors and characters

Release date

1950-11-09

Country

United States

Production

20th Century Fox

Genre

Drama

Budget

$1 400 000

Revenue

$63 463

Website

Director

Joseph L. Mankiewicz

Actors

Bette Davis, Anne Baxter, George Sanders, Celeste Holm, Gary Merrill, Hugh Marlowe, Thelma Ritter, Gregory Ratoff, Marilyn Monroe, Barbara Bates
All actors and roles (10)

Scenario

Producer

Darryl F. Zanuck

Operator

Milton Krasner

Composer

Alfred Newman

Artist

Audition

Editing

Barbara McLean
All team (24)

• Mary Orr’s story «Wisdom of Eve» was based on a true story that happened to actress Elisabeth Bergner, who was often called «Garbo of the stage». The story was published in «Cosmopolitan» magazine in May 1946; Orr then wrote a radio play based on it, which attracted the attention of Joseph Leo Mankiewicz.
• The film’s screenwriter, Joseph Leo Mankiewicz, began his career in 1929 in Berlin, where he devised captions for silent films. He was hired for this job by his older brother, Herman Mankiewicz.
• The original title of the film, “Wisdom of Eve,” was changed several times: first it became “Eve Harrington,” then – “The Best Role,” after which the final version – “All About Eve” – was found.
• Fox Studio acquired the rights to adapt the story for $3,500.
• Film star Bette Davis once confessed that Joseph Leo Mankiewicz saved her career by giving her such a great role.
• Tallulah Bankhead and Susan Hayward also vied for the role of Margo.
• The twentieth and final episode of the 19th season of the animated series “The Simpsons” (1989) is titled All About Lisa. The episode's main storyline is a parody of “All About Eve”.
• In 1990, the film was selected for preservation in the National Film Registry.
• Although film producer Darryl Zanuck wanted Marlene Dietrich in the lead role, Mankiewicz insisted on Claudette Colbert. However, two weeks before filming began, she was forced to decline the role due to an accident. Ultimately, the role of Margo Channing went to Bette Davis.
• It is known that Mankiewicz was inspired by the fate of Peg Woffington, an Irish actress of the 18th century, when creating the image of Margo; after the film's release, rumors circulated that Tallulah Bankhead was the prototype for Margo. However, Bette Davis could also have identified with the heroine, feeling the decline of her fame and the threat from the younger generation, as the continuation of the 41-year-old actress's career was then in question. The success of the film 'All About Eve' solved this problem for Davis.
• Mary Orr's story "The Wisdom of Eve" was based on a real event that happened to actress Elisabeth Bergner, who was often called "Garbo of the stage." The story was published in Cosmopolitan magazine in May 1946; Orr then wrote a radio play based on it, which attracted the attention of Joseph Leo Mankiewicz.
• The twentieth and final episode of the 19th season of the animated series "The Simpsons" (1989) is titled All About Lisa. The main plotline of the episode is a parody of "All About Eve."
• It is known that Mankiewicz drew inspiration for the image of Margo from the fate of Peg Woffington, an Irish actress of the 18th century; after the film's release, rumors circulated that Tallulah Bankhead was the prototype for Margo. However, Bette Davis could also identify with the character, feeling the decline of her fame and the threat from youth, as the continuation of the 41-year-old actress's career was then in question. The success of "All About Eve" resolved this problem for Davis.