Movies at Mechanics' Presents: All About Eve (1950)

Fame, manipulation, and blackmail take center stage in Joseph L. Mankiewicz’s dramatic masterpiece from 1950. Nominated for a record-setting 14 Academy Awards–winning 6–All About Eve is one of the most exquisitely crafted explorations of the theatrical profession ever on film.

Margo Channing (Bette Davis) is an aging actress, a theatre star of the highest caliber. One night, a fan (Anne Baxter) with a heart wrenching life story approaches the stage door, and introduces herself as Eve Harrington. Margo takes Eve under her wing, believing she may be a mentor to this vulnerable young woman. But is Eve really what she seems? We learn “All about Eve” through the eyes of each character–some who trust her, some who suspect her, and some who learn Eve’s true character and use it to further their own ends.

1950 was a year when the film industry examined its own shortcomings, with Sunset Boulevard premiering just a few months before All About Eve. Though it purports to be an analysis of the theatre, the creative casting of All About Eve leads the viewer to recognize Hollywood itself. Bette Davis and Anne Baxter represent the juxtaposition of the old and new generations–Davis was a veteran, established actress, getting older in a hostile industry. Anne Baxter was a fresh-faced star, 15 years younger, with an entire career ahead of her in Hollywood. Marilyn Monroe, several years before catapulting to fame, appears briefly as a young, aspiring actress. In a prophetic moment, another character says to hers: “I can see your career rising in the East like the sun.”

Joseph L. Mankiewicz wrote the screenplay for All About Eve based on Mary Orr’s short story The Wisdom of Eve, which had been adapted for radio in 1949. When 20th Century Fox bought the rights shortly thereafter, Mankiewicz got to work writing a script treatment, which was edited and approved by Fox studio head Darryl F. Zanuck. In a testament to Mankiewicz’s significant writing gifts, some of the most famous lines (“Fasten your seatbelts. It’s going to be a bumpy night,” and “You can always put that award where your heart ought to be”) were present in Mankiewicz’s very first draft. The final script is a true work of art, earning Mankiewicz an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay and a spot in the pantheon of the greatest scenarists of all time. In the opinion of our Movies at Mechanics’ host and curator, Lara Gabrielle, All About Eve may possess the single greatest screenplay in film history.

Fasten your seatbelts for some of the greatest cinema you’ll ever see–a gripping tale of trust and betrayal. And be sure to follow our schedule in January, as we continue to pay tribute to theatrical representation on film. Join us!

Movies at Mechanics' has welcomed film enthusiasts for classic cinema screenings and salons on Friday evenings for over 20 years. Join us for fresh popcorn, lively discourse, and your favorite films the first three Fridays of the month. Hosted by Lara Gabrielle, film writer and author of Captain of Her Soul: The Life of Marion Davies.

Members: $5

Non-Members: $10

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