MM’s Unfinished Finale: ‘Something’s Got to Give’ 1962

Marilyn Monroe in "Something's Got to Give."
What should have been a quick dip turned into a debacle.

Marilyn Monroe, from her last, unfinished film, 1962's "Something's Got to Give."

This essay isn’t just about the making of Marilyn Monroe’s Something’s Got to Give or the partially finished results. What I find most fascinating is how this no-brainer, assembly line remake became so fraught with off-camera drama. Much has been said about the making of the ‘62 sex comedy, with wildly differing views, all of which would be worthy of a film in itself.

The title of Marilyn Monroe’s final, unfinished film, Something’s Got to Give, has long been a go-to reference point for the last year of her life. Less commented upon is that Marilyn plays a woman who everyone thought was dead!

Wardrobe tests showed Marilyn Monroe in fine form for "Something's Got to Give."

Something’s Got to Give was a 1962 remake of the classic comedy, 1940’s My Favorite Wife, which starred Irene Dunne, Cary Grant, Randolph Scott, and Gail Patrick. The new version cast Monroe in the Dunne role, with Dean Martin, Thomas Tryon, and Cyd Charisse replacing the above cast, respectively. Monroe’s missing wife is presumed dead after she’s swept away in a yachting accident. MM turns up five years later, just as her husband Martin remarries, to neurotic Charisse. Tryon plays the hunk that was stranded on a desert island with her.

Marilyn Monroe with friend/co-star Dean Martin in "Something's Got to Give."

While not the dramatic type of role that Marilyn craved, this George Cukor-directed froth was film fodder that was very much in style, thanks to the Doris Day/Rock Hudson sex comedy, Pillow Talk. Monroe owed Fox two films on her old contract, so Marilyn was assigned yet another sex comedy. And since Cukor also owed the studio a film, he accepted the directorial task. So what if Marilyn and George had already teamed up for 1960’s limp Let’s Make Love. Something’s Got to Give, indeed: A rehash of a classic, with talent that didn’t click, who took part only to fulfill old studio obligations—what could go wrong?

Ava Gardner once said, that in Hollywood, the only reason they kiss so much, is that
 otherwise, they'd be at your throat! George Cukor did both with Marilyn Monroe.

George Cukor was one of Hollywood’s most literate, intelligent directors, with a reputation for helping actors deliver award-worthy performances, especially female stars. But that old Hollywood line, you’re only as good as your last picture, aptly applied to aging talent like Cukor. Aside from winning a career Oscar for the piece of cake assignment, 1964’s My Fair Lady, Cukor had been on the decline for years, like many golden era directors. Still, George had much less at stake than Marilyn. I wonder why he didn’t take a pass on working with Monroe again, after enduring a low-energy Marilyn and her foolish affair with co-star Yves Montand, on the aptly titled Let’s Make Love. Still, George accepted, perhaps ready to clear the slate for better movie offers.

Making "Something's Got to Give" should have been a breeze for Marilyn Monroe.

As for Marilyn, her ambivalence over Something’s Got to Give seems symbolic of her attitude toward her own stardom. First, while not challenging, the film would have brought Marilyn closer to finishing with 20^th Century Fox. And SGTG was a way to prove to Fox and Hollywood that she could still work. Also, Marilyn Monroe, an icon of ‘50s sexuality, had recently slimmed down and gotten a makeover with her white blonde bouffant, looking the height of early ‘60s sexiness. Yet, Marilyn felt deflated that she was still appearing in the same type of sex comedies that made her famous a decade earlier. While Monroe blamed Fox for exploiting her as the sexy, dumb blonde, Marilyn also did the same, with her choices to film a skinny dip, pose nude again, and perform for the President of the United States wearing little save for sequins and see-through “soufflé” material. Marilyn yearned to move forward, yet when in doubt, she fell back on her sex symbol image, and 36 years was close to the sell-by-date for cinema cheesecake.

Marilyn Monroe looked '60s chic and sexy in "Something's Got to Give."

After cast-approving friends Dean Martin and Wally Cox, Marilyn was comfortable with the Nunnally Johnson script—he had scripted earlier comedy successes. Marilyn looked great in her elegant Jean Louis outfits. Plus, Monroe would play a wife and mother, a rarity for the sex symbol. And MM would speak in her normal voice and not the breathy bombshell shtick that Jayne Mansfield turned into a stale joke. There were some upsides to Something’s Got to Give.

Then the showbiz machinations began. And the chaos of Something’s Got to Give still gets big play today. After MM’s firing and shortly after her death, all the blame was laid at Marilyn’s pedestal. But like many other showbiz scandals and tragedies, the blame has shifted over the years, to the studios and their “suits.” Especially when Something’s Got to Give footage was discovered and restored, and showed Marilyn looking radiant and trying her best.

Co-star Dean Martin was a good friend, too. When Fox fired Marilyn Monroe,
Dean refused to continue film "Something's Got to Give" with anybody but Marilyn.

The thing is that both sides are right. Marilyn fans point to MM’s fine figure and game face while trying to put over familiar film material. And those who counter that Marilyn held up shooting over illness, while jetting across the country to JFK’s birthday bash, also have valid points. Marilyn looked great, performed well, with an impatient George Cukor—but also showed up for only 13 out of 30 shooting days. This caused Marilyn to rightly lose much good will to those who stood around and played the waiting game. In context, when the film was later revamped as Move Over, Darling, with Doris Day and James Garner, the total schedule was two months—standard for a non-epic film. After six weeks, Something’s Got to Give had only shot a handful of scenes. The unfinished compilation was just shy of 40 minutes, of which Marilyn appeared in about half of said scenes!

Waiting for Marilyn? Cyd Charisse & Dean Martin in "Something's Got to Give."

Director Cukor didn’t bother to oversee insecure Monroe’s wardrobe, hair, and makeup tests. The next day, when the new producer was to meet with MM over the results, she was the no-show. He went to her house, only to find her overdosed!

No wonder that the actual shooting seemed like a war of egos, with a bitterly complaining Cukor and a passive/aggressive no-show star. On the SGTG set, it was a contradictory but not unusual set of studio attitudes: the bottom line tunnel vision of time and money spent versus coddling the talent. On the one hand, studios long accepted granting the stars their favorite cameramen, designers, hair and makeup people, etc. But Marilyn went one further. MM’s final acting coach was Paula Strasberg, wife of Lee Strasberg of the Actors Studio. Monroe paid Paula $5,000 per week, to offer Marilyn her acting expertise for a silly comedy like Something’s Got to Give. If Strasberg had worked the entire eight weeks, Paula would have made nearly half of Marilyn’s salary! Then Monroe’s latest analyst got into the act. Ralph Greenson recommended that producer David Brown be fired and replaced with Greenson’s friend, newbie producer Henry Weinstein.

This was director George Cukor's home. He had the exterior recreated for
 "Something's Got to Give." Why? That's show biz, baby!

Director Cukor had his demands, too. Instead of the Fox crew likely building or redressing an old set for such a modest film, Cukor had the crew create a lavish exterior set that was the exact replica of his own home. WHY? Perhaps for the same reason Cukor had Fox’s resident comedy writer Nunnally Johnson’s script tossed out. George insisted that Walter Bernstein re-write Johnson’s script, upsetting Marilyn. Bernstein had prior worked on two Sophia Loren film duds, Heller in Pink Tights (with Cukor) and A Breath of a Scandal. Fox should have titled this troubled comedy All About Ego.

When Monroe started missing work, nearly everyone started to turn against Marilyn, except Dean Martin. The cardinal rule in the movie biz is you don’t hold up the shooting schedule. About the time the filming was abandoned, Cukor banned celebrating Marilyn’s 36^th birthday until 6 p.m., after the work day was done—pennywise and pound foolish. Cukor didn’t help matters by anonymously dishing to gossip ghoul Hedda Hopper about Monroe’s behavior.

It must be 6 o'clock somewhere! Fox & director Cukor decreed that Marilyn Monroe's
 birthday could not be celebrated on-set until 6 p.m., to get a full day's work from her.
 Sadly, Marilyn's 36th birthday would be her last.

As for Fox, they blamed Marilyn Monroe and Elizabeth Taylor for the chaos during the making of Something’s Got to Give and Cleopatra respectively. Yet, Fox was equally guilty—out of corporate greed. Both films went into production with dated, problematic scripts. And both projects started shooting with stars that were physically ill and emotionally precarious. Though Monroe hadn’t made a film in 18 months, her personal life had worn her down, and was going from slim to thin as shooting progressed. And Marilyn was physically ill with sinusitis right from the start. Fox was warned off of Monroe by the producer but they turned a deaf ear. As for Taylor, Elizabeth was seriously ill with a number of ailments before shooting commenced on the Egyptian epic during a cold, rainy, autumn in London. All that trouble for a tax break to film in England. The mantra was the same for both Fox productions: get the stars in front of the camera, no matter what.

While Marilyn Monroe would have been the first American film star to do a nude scene, her skinny dip in "Something's Got to Give" didn't send everyone into shock,
as has sometimes been reported. MM with Dean Martin & George Cukor.

Much was made of “fading” Marilyn working at her home studio for $100,000 while Fox made Elizabeth Taylor the first star to earn $1 million dollars per film, with all the contractual trimmings. The media picture painted Marilyn as Cinderella, scrubbing floors, while Elizabeth was the belle of the ball. However, before Taylor could accept the Cleopatra offer, Elizabeth had one more film to make on her old MGM contract, a similarly paltry $125,000, to make the boring soap, BUtterfield 8. The big difference between the two, as always in Hollywood, was profits. Both Marilyn and Elizabeth had major career breakthroughs in 1956, Bus Stop and Giant, respectively. Both stars made five films by ’62. The difference was Elizabeth’s films were all smash hits, two of which were epics. Marilyn had a hit with Bus Stop and a smash hit with Some Like it Hot, but The Prince and the Showgirl, Let’s Make Love, and The Misfits, were considered “disappointments.” Also, while Taylor could be spoiled and difficult toward MGM brass, she was “One-Take Liz” on the set. Also noteworthy is that Elizabeth was a trouper during this time under trying circumstances: new friend James Dean died in his car crash near the end of Giant’s shooting; best friend Monty Clift nearly died a car accident in the midst of making Raintree County; Elizabeth’s beloved Mike Todd died in a plane crash near the start of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof; Taylor was unhappily married to Eddie Fisher and trying to keep the suits from firing Monty Clift on Suddenly, Last Summer; and Elizabeth was forced to make BUtterfield 8 or stay off screen for two years. And finally, Taylor herself nearly died while making Cleopatra, topped by her scandalous affair with Richard Burton. Yet, ET got the job done, no matter what was going on. And these films all made a pile of money—the true bottom line in Hollywood. Marilyn by contrast, got by with minor skirmishes over co-stars in Bus Stop, but clashed with Olivier on The Prince and the Showgirl, along with director Billy Wilder and Tony Curtis on Some Like It Hot, was a total mess on the set of The Misfits, and got mixed up with married Yves Montand on Let’s Make Love. These last two films got horrible publicity and while MM had her moments in each, her lethargy showed in both her film performance and figure.

Marilyn Monroe's skinny-dipping scene was more like a slow strip tease
in "Something's Got to Give." MM started with flesh-colored garments,
but gradually peeled them off.

Interestingly, when Monroe was fired from Something’s Got to Give, she gave a flurry of interviews and photo shoots, as a rebuttal to the bad studio publicity. Marilyn’s mantra was that it was okay if fame as a sex symbol was passing her by, that she was ready for something new. Yet, at the same time, her photo shoots were often scantily clad, along with the barrage of nude skinny dipping photos. Once again, Marilyn was sending out mixed signals.

Marilyn Monroe in her only scene with both co-stars at the same time,
Cyd Charisse and Dean Martin in "Something's Got to Give."

I have wondered what would have become of Marilyn Monroe had she lived, and embraced maturity. This is unlikely, as the general consensus now is that Marilyn was an untreated bi-polar personality. Yet, could she have become an enduring star no matter what, like Elizabeth Taylor? Could she have become a star character actress like Shirley MacLaine or Lauren Bacall? Or could she have found happiness and solitude by leaving Hollywood, like Kim Novak? I think she could have opted for any of these possibilities, but given her instability, would she have? Instead Monroe became part of the trio of legendary slow suicides who died in the ‘60s: Marilyn, Monty, and Judy …sad, sad, sad.

Love this shot of Marilyn Monroe, with the family dog in "Something's Got to Give."
The pooch is the only one who remembers her!

As for the finished product, Something’s Got to Give, if it had been made and released in a timely manner, it might have been a modest hit. At the very least, it would have shown Marilyn Monroe in a fresh, modern light, and having completed some contractual obligations. I found Marilyn’s scenes to be warm and natural with the children, and amusing as the “Swedish” servant. But the few scenes MM performed were undemanding, with little dialogue. And Marilyn’s performance was at odds with the typical, stylized comedy performances of Martin, Charisse, and the character actors—funny, but in a more ‘50s way. There are literally two different movies going on in Something’s Got to Give.

Whatever else happened during Marilyn’s last summer, at least Monroe knew that her studio still wanted her. After friend Dean Martin refused to work with anybody but Marilyn, Fox had hired her back, to complete SGTG, and at a higher pay rate. The studio also offered their star a big salary increase to make her final picture for them, What a Way to Go! Another ironic title, this lavish comedy was later made with Shirley MacLaine. Realistically, the outcome probably would have been the same, regarding Marilyn and movies. But on a positive note, what there is of Something’s Got to Give shows off Marilyn, who looks and acts incandescently, a goodbye gift for her fans. 

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Would Marilyn Monroe have ever been ready for her close-up in
"Something's Got to Give?" Probably not, but isn't it pretty to think so?

 

Debbie & Tony in One-Gag ‘Goodbye Charlie’ 1964

Tony & Debbie: Two '50s stars turn a corner. Curtis faces 40 & Reynolds morphs into her Vegas persona.

For a one-gag premise, Goodbye Charlie is one of the most gaga sex comedies from the '60s. Some current critics have drooled over Charlie, viewing the gender bending as forward thinking. George Axelrod’s plays were certainly risqué in their era, like The Seven Year Itch, Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter, and Goodbye, Charlie. The fact that none of them have endured beyond their original shelf life, along with other Hollywood sex comedies of the era, indicates that they were aiming for prurient Playboy-era laughs than profound humor.  

And Charlie director Vincente Minnelli was not one to push the envelope, like a Billy Wilder. Minnelli craved both the security of his role as a studio director and hetero Hollywood husband, to risk going audacious auteur.

The French poster for 'Goodbye Charlie' is more to the point.

20^th Century Fox bought this lesser George Axelrod play as a possible Marilyn Monroe movie, one of several properties earmarked for Marilyn before she went goodbye in the summer of ‘62. Fox offered the movie to Billy Wilder, who had directed MM in Axelrod’s The Seven Year Itch, but Billy turned it down to direct his own tasteless sex comedy, Kiss Me, Stupid.

Tony Curtis as the late Charlie's pal, Richard, who's about to get a surprise!

The premise: an alpha male screenwriter gets shot aboard a wild yacht party, only to be reincarnated as a female, when alleged hilarity ensues. Debbie Reynolds is the new Charlie, found naked by a millionaire Mama's boy, dropped off at Charlie's pad, where his pal Richard is staying to settle his affairs.

Fox brought in a gaggle of MGM pros to help put this over, director Vincente Minnelli and star Debbie Reynolds, with backup from Metro’s Helen Rose for gowns and Sydney Guilaroff to design Debbie’s hair/wigs. Tony Curtis, who had starred with Debbie in The Rat Race, is cast as Richard.

Debbie Reynolds is game as Charlie, reincarnated as a woman. But is she good aping a guy? 

Reynolds tries to put over this one-note material, but is mostly one-speed. She first plays Charlie trance-like, as if she's under hypnosis. When she realizes who she was, but now in a woman's body, Debbie’s performance goes broad and butch. Debbie certainly had comedic talent, but is miscast, and overcompensates. Reynolds has some smaller, sly moments that demonstrate what might have been.

'Charlie' gets a makeover, while scheming to make his new situation work to his advantage.

Tony Curtis seems to be on autopilot, but his character isn’t given much to do. Tony is competent, but is stuck playing the straight man, when he was actually a Charlie type. Perhaps Tony should have donned Some Like it Hot drag again!

Tony's Richard with Ellen Burstyn's Frannie and her burstin' floral hat!

Walter Matthau has amusing moments, hamming outrageously as the horny Hungarian producer who shot Charlie. Joanna Barnes, the mean fiancée in 1961’s The Parent Trap, is amusingly snarky here as a Hollywood matron Janie. Pat Boone is smooth if smarmy as millionaire Bruce—not Wayne—who wants to marry Charlie.

Walter Matthau as the Hungarian film producer whose accent changes with each scene!

Also, look for Ellen Burstyn—billed as Ellen MacCrae—as one of the Beverly Hills wives Charlie dallied with. Interesting that Ellen is the same age as Debbie Reynolds and many of her contemporaries, yet Burstyn was just busting out at age 32 in movies, late by Hollywood standards. By the mid ‘70s Ellen was a "realistic" star, while old school stars like Debbie were considered passé in movies.

Debbie's Charlie is washed up on shore, now a woman, with white blonde hair and makeup.

Since this is a Vincente Minnelli movie, set in Hollywood to boot, you can bet the sets and women are highly over-decorated! The women are an array of “Color Me Beautiful” Helen Rose gowns. And whoever did Debbie’s makeup was “inspired” by MM’s last makeover, lots of white and beige costumes, pale blonde hair and nude eye makeup. The Monroe-esque makeup and hair job they gave Reynolds reminds me of all the other actresses of the era who took over parts for Marilyn or were supposed to be the next Monroe. Like Joanne Woodward in The Stripper or Carroll Baker, who looked more like MM than Harlow during this era.  Charlie's Malibu pad is a dress rehearsal for Elizabeth Taylor's Big Sur hippie "shack" in Minnelli's next movie, The Sandpiper. Both abodes looked like the ideal beach home for a tasteful, older director rather than a randy screenwriter or a free-spirited artist!

The animated opening credits gave 'Charlie' a sitcom feel, the Previns' title song didn't help.

The movie's opening, complete with a nutty theme song and animated credits, feels like a ‘60s sitcom—minus the smut. Dory and Andre Previn offered up more of their very on the nose ditties for Charlie, that feel like parody. Three years later, they took this to an art form with Valley of the Dolls.

The glossy production values, stage-bound feel, excess rear-projection shots, and the leering attitude, all made Charlie instantly dated upon release. Time hasn’t changed that. But if you’re in the mood for a time capsule rom-com romp, Goodbye Charlie might be for you.

This movie still sums up the problem with 'Goodbye Charlie.' Released at the end of '64,
it looks, sounds, and feels like a '50s film. 'Virginia Woolf' and 'Bonnie and Clyde' were just around the corner.

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Can Marilyn Monroe Cure ‘The Seven Year Itch?’ 1955

Marilyn as 'The Girl' upstairs, figuring out how to beat the NYC summer heat!

Despite the capable cast, clever dialogue, and sexy premise, a memorable Marilyn Monroe is truly the whole show in1955’s The Seven Year Itch.

George Axelrod’s Broadway smash, The Seven Year Itch, is one of film’s first "sex" comedies, directed by Billy Wilder. Itch is a light look at what was considered racy and irreverent about the sexes in the ‘50s. That’s also the problem with Itch, much like the later Pillow Talk. Both film farces are now dated and while clever, only skin deep. That makes Itch more of a curiosity today, though there are people who prefer a past sensibility. An indicator that this material hasn't stood the test of time is that nobody has done a remake of the movie or a Broadway revival of the play. The lone time it’s been done on a major stage was London in 2000, with 40-year-old Daryl Hannah as ‘The Girl’!

Evelyn Keyes as Helen, leaving hubby Richard (Tom Ewell) alone for a summer in The Big Apple.

The Seven Year Itch is set at the start of a NYC summer, when all the wives and kiddies get away to beat the heat, and the husbands stay behind to sizzle and bring home the bacon. While the mice are away, the tom cats will play, according to this movie’s satirical view. One is a scaredy cat, Richard Sherman. After this hubby sees his wife and young son off, he vows not to smoke, drink, overeat, and keep his eyes to himself. That all goes out the window when Richard meets ‘The Girl’ upstairs.

Richard toils at a paperback publishing company. His editing marks show what's on his mind!

Marilyn Monroe’s effortless breeziness as ‘The Girl’ is offset by Tom Ewell's one-note performance as Richard. The dynamic here is the same as a decade later with one of Wilder's worst comedies, Kiss Me, Stupid, with Kim Novak and Ray Walston. Marilyn was far better than Kim, as the good hearted sex object, but at least Novak tried for pathos. Ewell and Walston both played comedy sitcom-style, which is very wearing in a two hour movie. Ewell played the sexless sap later with two other Marilyn wannabes, Sheree North and Jayne Mansfield. His bug-eyed shtick gets old real fast. Ultimately, The Seven Year Itch is about MM watching and Tom Ewell overacting.

In 1955, Marilyn Monroe was all that and a bag of chips, plus a bottle of bubbly!

Marilyn looks terrific here, in her physical prime, and adorable in her Travilla summer outfits. Given that MM is playing ‘The Girl,’ who’s just the object of the married man’s fantasies, Marilyn is surprisingly warm, human, naturally funny, womanly, and sexy, in a most appealing way.

In the Broadway play, Richard & 'The Girl' hook up. On film, the romance is all in his head.

Wilder feels The Seven Year Itch copped out by not having the film duo have a fling. Well, that wouldn’t have flown in 1955. Even a decade later, in Wilder’s ’64 sex farce, Kiss Me, Stupid, censors, critics, and audiences were put off  by the hero’s wife having a one night stand. The fantasy sequences in Itch are clever, well-done, and blend in with the actual action quite well, though the film still feels stage-bound. The Seven Year Itch’s humor is passé: The Manhattan ‘Indians’ intro; the interior designer ‘roommates’ upstairs; the ‘wacky’ health food restaurant; the sex maniac males; and anatomical humor relating to ‘The Girl.’

The fantasy sequences of 'Itch' are still funny and wittily performed by MM and Ewell.

Hollywood’s age game skews things, too. The movie couple’s been married seven years. Richard says his wife Helen is 31, and that he almost 38. “The Girl” confides that she is 22. Well, when Itch was released, Evelyn Keyes was almost 40, Ewell 46, and Marilyn almost 30. While MM looks great, she looks too mature to possess a child-woman persona. Keyes and especially Ewell look a bit timeworn to be parents of a young child. Jack Lemmon and Jean Hagen might have been a more vibrant couple.

Marilyn as 'The Girl,' the morning after, in a fluffy robe and hairstyle!

The Seven Year Itch is most famous for the memorable scene of Marilyn’s white dress blown up by the air from a subway grate. Marilyn Monroe, like that billowing dress, is heavenly as she floats above the material, while the rest of the movie feels earthbound.

While 'The Seven Year Itch' is a product of its time, Marilyn Monroe will still dazzle you!

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Mankiewicz’ Masterpiece: ‘All About Eve’ 1950

Anne Baxter & Bette Davis face off as Eve & Margo, with the 'All About Eve' cast as their captive audience.

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All About Eve became an instant classic in 1950 and the comedic drama’s reputation has never waned. This knowing look at showbiz is legendary for several reasons.

 First, Eve was director Joseph L. Mankiewicz’ one- two punch, after A Letter to Three Wives, winning back-to-back Oscars for Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay—a feat unmatched. Also, All About Eve is the only time four actresses from the same film were nominated for Oscars!

Bette Davis with 'Eve' writer-director Joseph L. Mankiewicz. One of Bette's best AND most benevolent collaborations!

Eve also brought Bette Davis’ career back from the dead, according to the icon. After a handful of less than stellar films, capped by Beyond the Forest, her freakish finale at WB, Eve was Bette’s big comeback.

All About Eve has long been a gossip's delight, over whether Margo Channing was a take-off on Talullah Bankhead. Not really, but the theatrical star dined out—or drank out—on that anecdote for decades.

This film, chock full with a great cast, marked the return of Marilyn Monroe to 20^th Century Fox, this time batting a homerun as starlet on the make, Miss Casswell.

'All About Eve' boasted one of the best ensemble casts ever. I think Thelma Ritter should have photobombed this publicity shot!

All About Eve still feels so adult; imagine how audiences felt in 1950. The razor sharp satire must have seemed like a slap upside the head! Eve is the elegant tale of a great theatre star whose position is being undermined by an acolyte who goes from personal assistant to a very personal adversary. The Joseph L. Mankiewicz script is one of the most literate, funny, and entertaining of all time. Director Mankiewicz was great with dialogue and actors, and it really shows here.

Bette Davis, in her career peak performance as Margo Channing, has been justly lauded. Yet, aside from Bette’s larger than life moments, it’s some of the small moments that are so honest and telling. It's really a shame there weren't more Joseph L. Mankiewicz’ in Bette's latter day professional life.

Bette Davis as Margo Channing, temperamental theater star. Davis had no doubts about looking her age, 42 in 1950.

Davis is the first star who I can think of that agreed to play... horrors ...an aging actress! Bette’s first scene, slathered in face cream, was a signal that this wasn't going to be aging ‘in dialogue’ only. The late night phone call, gives an unvarnished Bette a mini-marathon, from light banter with Bill, to Margo’s realization that Eve may be playing her. After she hangs up, I love how that scene lingers, when Bette's Margo lights a cigarette and ponders what just transpired. It’s Bette at her best; you can see her thinking, without saying a thing.

The phone call from Bill scene says so much about Bette, the actress.
What film diva in 1950 would agree to be photographed harshly with mussed up hair and no makeup? 

Claudette Colbert was supposed to play Margo Channing, but dropped out after a back injury on the war film, Three Came Home. At this point, Margo was written to suit her smooth, sophisticated persona. Obviously, Eve would have been a whole different movie with Colbert, and IMO, not as memorable. I thought Colbert was a stellar comic actress, but at best, a solid dramatic leading lady. CC out, Zanuck then brought up Marlene Dietrich, which Mankiewicz vetoed. Imagine “ageless” Dietrich agreeing to play “aging” Margo! Barbara Stanwyck was mentioned, an understated and versatile actress indeed, but not larger than life. Now, Joan Crawford was larger than life, but I can't imagine her “going there” as Margo, the way Bette did. Crawford’s own aging star saga, Torch Song, three years later, is proof of that. Also, Tallulah Bankhead, who claimed Davis appropriated her persona, gave a radio performance as Margo. While Bankhead batted out the comedy lines effortlessly, she is flat in her dramatic readings, especially compared to Bette’s virtuoso delivery. The difference was Bankhead was big on personality, light on dramatic talent, whereas Bette possessed an abundance of both.

Margo sounding off on what she thinks of playwrights! A bit like Bette blasting her opinion of most Hollywood directors?

Some film critics and fans feel that Anne Baxter was not in Bette Davis' league as Eve Harrington, especially not believable as a threat to Bette's Margo. Well, outside of Godzilla, who was? Eve is a tricky role, because audiences have to believe she is demure and mousy until she shows her true colors. Fox head Darryl F. Zanuck wanted Jeanne Crain as Eve, if you can imagine. The other Fox star that comes to mind is Susan Hayward. Now, “The Brooklyn Bernhardt” you could believe as a threat to Davis, filled “with fire and music,” to quote Addison DeWitt. Would Hayward have been able to hide her light under a bushel, while trying to fool Margo and her crew? I doubt it. I think Baxter was the best choice. As early Eve, she reminds me of Joan Fontaine, with the arched eyebrow and deliberate soft voice. Amusingly, when Eve gets busted taking bows while holding Margo's costume, Baxter reacts like she got caught with a corpse! But this was the standard back then, where Baxter's Eve, The Bad Seed's Rhoda, and Mildred Pierce's Veda, were all fairly transparent in their badness.

Center, Anne Baxter as beatific Eve, in awe of power couple Bill and Margo.

When Baxter sheds Eve's veil, she's quite cunning, to me. Her arm twisting Karen over the role of Cora, her showdown with Addison DeWitt, and her post-award butch bitchiness at her plush pad—all superbly performed.

Eve, before the self-wig snatch!

I've never seen Judy Holliday in Born Yesterday, except clips, but it seems dated. While Judy’s persona was fresh at the time, was this really a stretch for her? I’ll just say it: It's hard to believe Judy Holliday won over Gloria Swanson and Bette Davis' legendary characters in Sunset Blvd. and All About Eve. In Hollywood, box office and awards matter so much at the time, but in the end, it's the movies and stars that are remembered by audiences that matter most. 

Much was made of when Anne Baxter asked for Oscar consideration as Best Actress for Eve. Well, many felt she cancelled herself and Bette out with that move. Bette certainly did! But here's a thought: Anne did play the title role and was in the movie throughout. Bette worked for 3 weeks on Eve. Plus, Anne was a Fox star, whereas Bette was freelancing. Why didn't Fox submit Bette as best supporting actress, instead? Anne probably still wouldn't have won, but Bette may have scored a third Oscar as best supporting. Yes, I know, back then, that was a comedown for a star. And yes, Bette's performance permeated the whole movie, but I wonder if anyone else thought this too?

Eve and Margo's friendship faces the final curtain in this rehearsal scene.

Some folks have argued over whether Addison DeWitt and Eve were gay. My first reaction: Who cares? But I always assumed Addison was. To which those with the opposing view say, well, what about his interest in Eve? My thought is, the same reasons that Waldo Lydecker obsessed over Laura: A trophy, a monument to his ego, and more practically, a professional “beard.” As for Eve, “Mank” made later comments that she was fluid in that she went wherever it did her career or ego the most good. A little like Faye Dunaway's Diana in Network? Still, much commented on moments where Eve makes female alliances do seem coded to me. I love the scene where she rips off her feminine curled wig after director Bill Sampson rejects her. While wigging out, Eve’s own combed-back hair looks very mannish. When Addison surprises her, Eve resumes her Bo Peep pose.

Eve's makeup mask is at odds with her short-cropped hair, but Addison is no longer fooled, anyway.

George Sanders was usually cast as acerbic, but in Eve he’s the apex of acerbic. One big difference is that here, Sanders was given a three-dimensional character in Addison DeWitt. Yes, he’s snarky and sneaky, and loves every minute of his scheming. But Addison’s also an outsider. When he describes theater people as “we,” it’s a bit of an eye roll, because we know he’s not one of them. And you feel deep down, he knows that, too. That explains DeWitt’s bitchery toward the real show folk. When Eve laughs at DeWitt for declaring his claim on her, Addison slaps her, and you see his own need for validation, to keep his image maintained. Addison DeWitt is no one-note villain, and Sanders covers the bases brilliantly.

Thelma Ritter is brilliant as Birdie, Margo's gal Friday. I love this moment in 'Eve,'
when the supporting character is observed by the star. A rarity!

Mankiewicz gave Thelma Ritter the role of a lifetime, written specifically for her. As Birdie Coonan, Thelma gets to fly, after scene-stealing bits in Miracle on 34^th Street and A Letter to Three Wives. Next to Addison, Birdie has the best lines in the movie, and Ritter hits them out of the theater. Ritter got the first of four consecutive Best Supporting Actress Oscar nominations. And for All About Eve, Thelma lost to Josephine Hull in Harvey? OK, Oscar. Celeste Holm’s Karen, next to fiery friend Margo, may seem too serene. But watch closely, and you’ll see Celeste is knowing, warm and straightforward, immersed in the character of the playwright’s wife. Marilyn Monroe had one of her two memorable cameos that year, in The Asphalt Jungle and here as Miss Casswell. She's sly fun and already displays good comedy timing.

Bette Davis & Gary Merrill fell in love during 'Eve's' filming, which gave Margot & Bill's romance extra intensity.

With the exception of George Sanders’ Addison DeWitt, the men are more or less straight men, so to speak, and not as dynamic. Still, Gary Merrill and Hugh Marlowe are solid and intelligent as director Bill Sampson and playwright Lloyd Richards.

While Bette Davis plays Margo Channing larger than life, she skirts caricature skillfully.

In the end, All About Eve is all about the women, and what memorable women they are, thanks to Mankiewicz’ witty words and the wonderful actresses speaking them.

Busted! Watch your back, Margo!

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