All About Eve

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All About Eve

All About Eve is a 1950 American drama film written and directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz, and produced by Darryl F. Zanuck. It is based on the 1946 short story "The Wisdom of Eve" by Mary Orr, although Orr does not receive a screen credit.

The film stars Bette Davis as Margo Channing, a highly regarded but aging Broadway star, and Anne Baxter as Eve Harrington, an ambitious young fan who maneuvers herself into Channing's life, ultimately threatening Channing's career and her personal relationships. The film co-stars George Sanders, Celeste Holm, Gary Merrill, and Hugh Marlowe, and features Thelma Ritter, Marilyn Monroe in one of her earliest roles, Gregory Ratoff, Barbara Bates and Walter Hampden.

All About Eve held its world premiere in New York City on October 13, 1950. Praised by critics at the time of its release, All About Eve received a record 14 nominations at the 23rd Academy Awards, becoming the only film in Oscar history to receive four female acting nominations (Davis and Baxter as Best Actress, Holm and Ritter as Best Supporting Actress). It went on to win six awards, including Best Picture, as well as Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay, Mankiewicz's second consecutive wins in both categories. Widely considered as among the greatest films of all time, in 1990, it became one of 25 films selected for preservation in the United States Library of Congress's National Film Registry, deemed "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant". The film was ranked No. 16 on AFI's 1998 list of the 100 best American films.

Plot

Broadway star Margo Channing (Bette Davis) recently turned 40 and worries about what advancing age will mean for her career. After a performance of Margo's latest play, Margo's close friend, Karen Richards (Celeste Holm), wife of the play's author Lloyd Richards (Hugh Marlowe), brings besotted fan Eve Harrington (Anne Baxter) backstage to meet Margo. In Margo's dressing room, Eve tells Karen, Lloyd, and Margo's maid Birdie (Thelma Ritter), that she followed Margo's last theatrical tour to New York City after seeing her perform in San Francisco. She tells an engrossing story of growing up poor in Wisconsin and losing her young husband, Eddie in the South Pacific during World War II. Margo, moved by Eve's story, takes her into her home as her assistant, upsetting Birdie.

Eve quickly manipulates her way into Margo's life, acting as both secretary and adoring fan. She places a long-distance phone call to Margo's boyfriend Bill Sampson (Gary Merrill) when Margo forgets his birthday. Margo grows increasingly distrustful and bitter toward Eve, particularly after catching Eve taking a bow to an empty theater while pretending to wear Margo's costume. Margo asks producer Max Fabian (Gregory Ratoff) to hire Eve at his office, but instead, Eve becomes Margo's understudy without Margo's knowledge.

As Margo's irritation grows, Karen sympathizes with Eve. Hoping to humble Margo, Karen conspires for her to miss a performance so that Eve can perform. Eve invites the city's theater critics to attend the performance – including the acerbic Addison DeWitt (George Sanders). Eve's performance is a triumph. Later that night, Bill rejects Eve's attempts to seduce him. Instead, Addison takes an interest in Eve. He interviews her for a column, harshly criticizing Margo for resisting younger talent.

Margo and Bill announce their engagement at dinner with Lloyd and Karen. Eve summons Karen to the ladies' room and, after first appearing regretful, delivers an ultimatum: Karen must recommend her to Lloyd to play Cora, the lead role in Lloyd's new play. Otherwise, she will reveal Karen's part in Margo's missed performance. When Karen returns to the table, Margo surprisingly announces that she does not wish to play Cora, saying she is too old for the role.

Eve is cast as Cora. Just before the new play's premiere in New Haven, Eve reveals her next plan to Addison: to marry Lloyd, who she claims loves her, so that he can write plays for her to star in. Angered with Eve's audacity, Addison says he knows her backstory is false; her real name is Gertrude Slescynski, she was never married and was paid to leave town over an affair with her married boss. He also says Lloyd would never leave Karen for Eve. Addison then blackmails Eve, saying she now "belongs" to him.

Months later, Eve is a Broadway star headed for Hollywood. While accepting an award at a banquet, she thanks Margo, Bill, Lloyd, and Karen as all four coldly stare back. Eve skips the after-party and returns home where she encounters Phoebe (Barbara Bates), a teenage fan who slipped into her apartment and fell asleep. Phoebe professes her adoration and tries ingratiating herself with Eve, then begins packing her trunk. Eve invites her to stay over rather than take the long subway ride back to Brooklyn. While Eve is resting, Addison brings Eve's award to the door and is greeted by Phoebe, who admits she chose her own name. Addison realizes Phoebe will do to Eve what Eve did to Margo. When she is alone, Phoebe puts on Eve's elegant cloak and poses in front of a floor-length mirror, holding the award and bowing.

All About Eve has long been a favored film among gay audiences, likely due to its campy overtones (in part due to the casting of Davis) and its general sophistication. Davis, who long had a strong gay fan base, expressed support for gay men in her 1972 interview with The Advocate.

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