All About Eve

:This article is about All About Eve, the movie. There is also an article about the pop/rock band All About Eve and the Korean television series All About Eve.

Casting and characters

Although the role of Margo Channing was recognised almost immediately as one of the best in Bette Davis's career, Davis was not the first choice. The Channing character was originally conceived as genteel and knowingly humorous, and Claudette Colbert was signed to play the role, however she severely injured her back and was forced to withdraw before filming began. Among those considered and rejected for the part were Mankiewicz's original choice, Susan Hayward, considered by Zanuck to be "too young", and Marlene Dietrich, considered to be "too German". Zanuck favored Barbara Stanwyck but she was not available. Gertrude Lawrence was considered, but when her agent suggested "wouldn't it be nice if Gertie sat by the piano and sang", Mankiewicz refused to consider her any further. Zanuck then called Davis, who was finishing work on Payment on Demand. She read the script, which she declared was one of the best she had ever read, and accepted the role.

Related Topics:
Claudette Colbert - Susan Hayward - Marlene Dietrich - German - Barbara Stanwyck - Gertrude Lawrence - Payment on Demand

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Jeanne Crain was selected to play Eve Harrington despite Zanuck's reservations that she lacked "bitch quality" but was ruled out when she became pregnant. Anne Baxter, who had recently won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for The Razor's Edge took her place.

Related Topics:
Jeanne Crain - Anne Baxter - Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress - The Razor's Edge

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The role of Bill Sampson was originally intended for John Garfield or Ronald Reagan. Reagan's wife Nancy Davis was considered for the role of Karen Richards and Jose Ferrer for the role of Addison DeWitt. Zsa Zsa Gabor actively sought the role of Phoebe without realizing that the producers were considering her, along with Angela Lansbury, for the role of Miss Caswell.

Related Topics:
John Garfield - Ronald Reagan - Nancy Davis - Jose Ferrer - Zsa Zsa Gabor - Angela Lansbury

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The final cast was comprised of Davis and Baxter, with Gary Merrill as Bill Sampson, Hugh Marlowe as the writer Lloyd Richards, Celeste Holm as his wife Karen, and George Sanders as the "venomous fish-wife", Addison DeWitt, a theatre critic. Mankiewicz greatly admired the actress Thelma Ritter, and wrote the character of Birdie Coonan for her after working with her on A Letter to Three Wives (1949). As Coonan was the only character immediately suspicious of Eve Harrington, he was confident that Ritter would contribute a shrewd characterisation that would cast doubt on Harrington, and provide a counterpoint to the more "theatrical" personalities of the other characters. Marilyn Monroe, relatively unknown at the time, was cast as Miss Caswell, referred to by Addison DeWitt as a "graduate of the Copacabana School of Dramatic Art". Monroe was cast despite Zanuck's initial antipathy, and his belief that she was better suited to drama. Smaller roles were filled by Gregory Ratoff as the producer Max Fabian, Barbara Bates, as Phoebe, a young fan of Eve Harrington, and Walter Hampden as the Master of Ceremonies at an award presentation. {{mn|Staggs|1}}

Related Topics:
Gary Merrill - Hugh Marlowe - Celeste Holm - George Sanders - Thelma Ritter - A Letter to Three Wives - Marilyn Monroe - Gregory Ratoff - Barbara Bates - Walter Hampden

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