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All About All About Eve: The Complete Behind-the-Scenes Story of the Bitchiest Film Ever Made!
To millions of fans, All About Eve represents all that's witty and wonderful in classic Hollywood movies. Its old-fashioned, larger-than-life stars--including Bette Davis, Marilyn Monroe, Anne Baxter, George Sanders, and Celeste Holm--found their best roles in Eve and its sophisticated dialogue has entered the lexicon.
But there's much more to know about All About Eve. Sam Staggs has written the definitive account of the making of this fascinating movie and its enormous incluence on both film and popular culture. Staggs reveals everything about the movie--from the famous European actress Margo Channing was based on to the hot-blooded romance on-set between Bette Davis and costar Gary Merrill, from the jump-start the movie gave Marilyn Monroe's career to the capstone it put on director Joseph L. Mankeiwicz's.
All About "All About Eve" is not only full of rich detail about the movie, the director, and the stars, but also about the audience who loved it when it came out and adore it to this day.
But there's much more to know about All About Eve. Sam Staggs has written the definitive account of the making of this fascinating movie and its enormous incluence on both film and popular culture. Staggs reveals everything about the movie--from the famous European actress Margo Channing was based on to the hot-blooded romance on-set between Bette Davis and costar Gary Merrill, from the jump-start the movie gave Marilyn Monroe's career to the capstone it put on director Joseph L. Mankeiwicz's.
All About "All About Eve" is not only full of rich detail about the movie, the director, and the stars, but also about the audience who loved it when it came out and adore it to this day.
402 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2000
101 people are currently reading
871 people want to read
About the author
Sam Staggs
21 books28 followersSam Staggs is the author of several books, including biographies of movies: All About All About Eve, Close-Up on Sunset Boulevard, When Blanche Met Brando, and Born to be Hurt. He has written for publications including Vanity Fair and Architectural Digest. He lives in Dallas, Texas.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 107 reviews
June 19, 2014
Before you can ask: yes, I did buy this book because of the title. Look guys, you can't just show me a book with the byline, "the complete behind the scenes story of the bitchiest film ever made" and not expect me to buy it immediately. I know who I am. And if that "bitchiest film ever made" can also be described as "the best American film ever made" (FIGHT ME, Citizen Kane and Kubrick fanboys), so much the better.
On the Internet Movie Database website (or IMDb.com) there's a trivia feature for every movie and show included on the site, where contributors post little facts about the work in question - I find this feature addictive, to the point where I have to consult the IMDb trivia page every time I finish a movie or TV show. It's how I know that Sofia Copplola intentionally included a shot of modern Converse shoes in the shopping montage of Marie Antionette, the argument between Jack and Rose on the deck of Titanic right before the spitting scene was entirely improvised, and Clark Gable may have gotten the original director of Gone With the Wind fired because the director knew about Gable's past as a gay escort. Random behind-the-scenes trivia is my crack, and I love learning about all the hidden dramas and secrets that went into the making of a classic film. And ladies and gentlemen, All About Eve is a minefield of secret scandal. I knew things were going to be good when Staggs describes attempting to contact Celeste Holm in one of the early chapters (nearly everyone who had worked on the film was dead by then) and she essentially responds, "Why the FUCK are you calling me?!" As Bette Davis so memorably said: fasten your seatbelts; it's going to be a bumpy night.
The first half of the book, where Staggs gives an in-depth, almost blow-by-blow description of the filming process of the movie, is everything you want it to be and more. It's surprisingly light on inter-cast conflict (Bette Davis, notoriously antagonistic to female costars, got along with everyone except Celeste Holm, who hated her - although Davis may have made Marilyn Monroe cry after their scene together), but filled to the brim with delicious gossip that adds to your appreciation of the movie. For instance: the first scenes filmed were the ones that take place in the physical theater, when Eve becomes Margot's understudy. Bette Davis showed up the first day with a raspy voice, the result of her bursting a blood vessel in her throat after having a screaming fight with her ex-husband. She was terrified about the director's reaction to her losing her voice, but Mankiewicz loved it, and told Davis to keep the voice. She maintains the low, Tallulah-like voice throughout the movie, but it's most obviously strained in those scenes in the theater.
Besides being a delightful behind-the-scenes look at the making of an iconic film, the book also serves as a primer to the business of moviemaking in the early 1950s. The politics of casting get explored in detail, as well as the frankly absurd censor standards: "For each film reviewed by employees of the Production Code, a detailed summation page was drawn up that functioned as a de facto moral index of the film's content. In the case of All About Eve, this summation page tallies 'much drinking.' It also lists 'happy ending, in the sense that each achieved his or her goal,' and in response to the question, 'Does picture end with promise of marriage or continued love?' the censors wrote 'Yes.'" Even the post-production stuff is interesting - I finally know exactly what an art director does, thanks to this book.
Where the book begins to skid, however, is after Staggs has exhausted his supply of information about Bette Davis and Co and starts getting into the influences the movie had on pop culture. Too much time is spent discussing, in boring and inconsequential detail, the creation and run of a musical based on the movie, called Applause (which apparently won the Tony for Best Musical in 1970, so good for it, I guess). Staggs also spends a strangely large chunk of the book explaining the camp appeal of All About Eve and how it resonated with gay men, and frankly, considering we're discussing a movie where women take center stage and there was some lesbian subtext to the relationship between Eve and Margot (subtext that Staggs himself discusses) it seems pretty weird that we're talking about how gay men were affected by the movie, without mentioning gay women. Staggs also includes a transcript of himself (I assume it's him - there's a guy named Sam who asks all the leading questions, anyway) and several friends discussing the movie, and not one of the participants is female. Staggs doesn't spend nearly enough time analyzing what this movie did for portrayals of women in film, especially since he quotes Mankiewicz saying, "Male behavior is so elementary...that All About Adam could be done as a short."
Bottom line: the first half is a scandalous, fun romp through one of the best movies ever made - like listening to your movie buff best friend monologue excitedly about his favorite movie over brunch. The second half - a dull slog that overstresses certain elements while completely ignoring others.
On the Internet Movie Database website (or IMDb.com) there's a trivia feature for every movie and show included on the site, where contributors post little facts about the work in question - I find this feature addictive, to the point where I have to consult the IMDb trivia page every time I finish a movie or TV show. It's how I know that Sofia Copplola intentionally included a shot of modern Converse shoes in the shopping montage of Marie Antionette, the argument between Jack and Rose on the deck of Titanic right before the spitting scene was entirely improvised, and Clark Gable may have gotten the original director of Gone With the Wind fired because the director knew about Gable's past as a gay escort. Random behind-the-scenes trivia is my crack, and I love learning about all the hidden dramas and secrets that went into the making of a classic film. And ladies and gentlemen, All About Eve is a minefield of secret scandal. I knew things were going to be good when Staggs describes attempting to contact Celeste Holm in one of the early chapters (nearly everyone who had worked on the film was dead by then) and she essentially responds, "Why the FUCK are you calling me?!" As Bette Davis so memorably said: fasten your seatbelts; it's going to be a bumpy night.
The first half of the book, where Staggs gives an in-depth, almost blow-by-blow description of the filming process of the movie, is everything you want it to be and more. It's surprisingly light on inter-cast conflict (Bette Davis, notoriously antagonistic to female costars, got along with everyone except Celeste Holm, who hated her - although Davis may have made Marilyn Monroe cry after their scene together), but filled to the brim with delicious gossip that adds to your appreciation of the movie. For instance: the first scenes filmed were the ones that take place in the physical theater, when Eve becomes Margot's understudy. Bette Davis showed up the first day with a raspy voice, the result of her bursting a blood vessel in her throat after having a screaming fight with her ex-husband. She was terrified about the director's reaction to her losing her voice, but Mankiewicz loved it, and told Davis to keep the voice. She maintains the low, Tallulah-like voice throughout the movie, but it's most obviously strained in those scenes in the theater.
Besides being a delightful behind-the-scenes look at the making of an iconic film, the book also serves as a primer to the business of moviemaking in the early 1950s. The politics of casting get explored in detail, as well as the frankly absurd censor standards: "For each film reviewed by employees of the Production Code, a detailed summation page was drawn up that functioned as a de facto moral index of the film's content. In the case of All About Eve, this summation page tallies 'much drinking.' It also lists 'happy ending, in the sense that each achieved his or her goal,' and in response to the question, 'Does picture end with promise of marriage or continued love?' the censors wrote 'Yes.'" Even the post-production stuff is interesting - I finally know exactly what an art director does, thanks to this book.
Where the book begins to skid, however, is after Staggs has exhausted his supply of information about Bette Davis and Co and starts getting into the influences the movie had on pop culture. Too much time is spent discussing, in boring and inconsequential detail, the creation and run of a musical based on the movie, called Applause (which apparently won the Tony for Best Musical in 1970, so good for it, I guess). Staggs also spends a strangely large chunk of the book explaining the camp appeal of All About Eve and how it resonated with gay men, and frankly, considering we're discussing a movie where women take center stage and there was some lesbian subtext to the relationship between Eve and Margot (subtext that Staggs himself discusses) it seems pretty weird that we're talking about how gay men were affected by the movie, without mentioning gay women. Staggs also includes a transcript of himself (I assume it's him - there's a guy named Sam who asks all the leading questions, anyway) and several friends discussing the movie, and not one of the participants is female. Staggs doesn't spend nearly enough time analyzing what this movie did for portrayals of women in film, especially since he quotes Mankiewicz saying, "Male behavior is so elementary...that All About Adam could be done as a short."
Bottom line: the first half is a scandalous, fun romp through one of the best movies ever made - like listening to your movie buff best friend monologue excitedly about his favorite movie over brunch. The second half - a dull slog that overstresses certain elements while completely ignoring others.
March 7, 2022
"Fasten your seatbelts. It's going to be a bumpy night."
If that line takes you to your happy place, this might be the book for you.
All About All About Eve really means ALL about it, so be prepared for a long and sometimes plodding journey through every detail and bit of trivia and rumor in any way related to the film, from conception to the Broadway musical spin-off twenty years after the film came out.
This book is strictly for devoted cinephiles with a strong interest in Hollywood history. And of course it helps if you like the film All About Eve and have viewed it recently enough to appreciate all of the references to dialogue and other specifics from the show.
I'm not part of the cult following that has formed around this movie. I've only seen it twice, and have also enjoyed the two separate commentary tracks on the DVD. But I love the history of old Hollywood and the way it was so inbred and dysfunctional and still managed to create an abundance of enduring cinema magic. There was enough juicy stuff in here to keep my interest and make me laugh on occasion, but even my enthusiasm flagged when I had to slog through the very long chapter near the end about the Broadway musical Applause with Lauren Bacall as Margo Channing.
This is the third book I've read recently about old Hollywood, and what sticks with me about all of them is how moviemakers so often had to modify the films they envisioned due to the prudery of sanctimonious pricks like Joseph Breen. Breen and his ilk were responsible for keeping movies "decent", and they went overboard in their duties.
In the scene where Eve first meets Margo in her dressing room, Birdie goes in and out of a bathroom a couple of times. All we see is what looks like a bathroom sink. When Joe Mankiewicz (the writer and director) sent the script to Breen for clearance, Breen sent a letter saying, "We presume that there will be no notice of a toilet in the bathroom in these scenes."
Mankiewicz replied, "By my Oscars, I promise to show no indication of a toilet. Has it ever occurred to Joe Breen that the rest of the world must be convinced that Americans never relieve themselves?"
Tsk tsk, mustn't corrupt those poor little innocent American moviegoers by showing them a toilet. Mercy!
March 23, 2017
And it turns out the bitchiest cast member is Celeste Holm.
March 4, 2022
Wasn't this fabulous? As well as the best book title of all time? All About Eve is one of my few 5 star movies and I recommend EVERYONE watch it for a masterclass in acting, direction, and a razor sharp script.
So yeah, this book is filled with gossip, but that's not the heart of it (just the fun part). Staggs explores everything connected to this movie, from the much debated origins of the original short story "The Wisdom of Eve" to its assorted homages and reinventions everywhere from on Broadway to in porn. He explores much of what went into making the film: script, acting, directing, editing, costumes, set, music...
But mostly, this is a fan of the movie telling all he can find out to other fans of the movie, all in a chill, breezy, very readable style. Such a treasure trove of a book.
And yikes, Celeste Holm.
So yeah, this book is filled with gossip, but that's not the heart of it (just the fun part). Staggs explores everything connected to this movie, from the much debated origins of the original short story "The Wisdom of Eve" to its assorted homages and reinventions everywhere from on Broadway to in porn. He explores much of what went into making the film: script, acting, directing, editing, costumes, set, music...
But mostly, this is a fan of the movie telling all he can find out to other fans of the movie, all in a chill, breezy, very readable style. Such a treasure trove of a book.
And yikes, Celeste Holm.
January 25, 2014
This is an extremely detailed and thorough book about the classic film "All About Eve". The author's encyclopedic knowledge of the film and subsequent projects, such as the hit Broadway play "Applause" is astounding. This is an entertaining and revealing read as well as a treasure for real fans of the film. At times the book becomes very technical and it drags in places as a result of being so detailed. The chapters on the filming of the movie are the juiciest and most fun to read. Over all, it's a very interesting and colorful book. I recommend it to classic film fans and particularly fans of "All About Eve"
February 1, 2024
A fun filled, bitchy backstory of one of the greatest movies ever made- and one of the greatest movies that also became synonymous with witty one liners, and backstage shenanigans- but it is all because of the indelible Bette Davis' magnificent Margo Channing that has made this film unforgettable.
Mr. Staggs traces the origins of the film, beginning with a short story called "The Wisdom of Eve" by Mary Orr and the true story of actress Elisabeth Bergner who was taken advantage of by a young fan pretending to be loyal.
This morphs into the "Eve Harrington" phrase- an opportunistic con artist, played perfectly by Anne Baxter, someone who takes advantage of an older star or idol's trust, then one by one tries to climb their way to the top.
Later the film becomes nominated for 14 Oscars, winning 6, including Best Picture and Director for Joseph L. Mankiewicz. The book also traces the rise and fall of the careers of other "Eve" actors: Marilyn Monroe, Best Supporting actor George Sanders, bitchy Celeste Holm, and the subsequent marriage of Gary Merrill and Ms. Davis which lasted for ten abusive years.
And as if life imitated art- Anne Baxter would later replace Lauren Bacall in the musical adaptation of All About Eve called Applause, playing none other than Margo herself… and would later replace Bette Davis in the TV show Hotel. But Davis and Baxter were friends for life, and though the book does not mention this- it would be Anne Baxter who would take Bette Davis to the hospital after she discovers the fatal lump in her breast that would later kill her.
If you love movies and a breezy read- this is for you. Or anyone who has never gotten tired of the storied career of Bette Davis, or the utter classiness of "All About Eve". It's certainly been one of my favorite movies, and a favorite Bette Davis role.
Mr. Staggs traces the origins of the film, beginning with a short story called "The Wisdom of Eve" by Mary Orr and the true story of actress Elisabeth Bergner who was taken advantage of by a young fan pretending to be loyal.
This morphs into the "Eve Harrington" phrase- an opportunistic con artist, played perfectly by Anne Baxter, someone who takes advantage of an older star or idol's trust, then one by one tries to climb their way to the top.
Later the film becomes nominated for 14 Oscars, winning 6, including Best Picture and Director for Joseph L. Mankiewicz. The book also traces the rise and fall of the careers of other "Eve" actors: Marilyn Monroe, Best Supporting actor George Sanders, bitchy Celeste Holm, and the subsequent marriage of Gary Merrill and Ms. Davis which lasted for ten abusive years.
And as if life imitated art- Anne Baxter would later replace Lauren Bacall in the musical adaptation of All About Eve called Applause, playing none other than Margo herself… and would later replace Bette Davis in the TV show Hotel. But Davis and Baxter were friends for life, and though the book does not mention this- it would be Anne Baxter who would take Bette Davis to the hospital after she discovers the fatal lump in her breast that would later kill her.
If you love movies and a breezy read- this is for you. Or anyone who has never gotten tired of the storied career of Bette Davis, or the utter classiness of "All About Eve". It's certainly been one of my favorite movies, and a favorite Bette Davis role.
May 28, 2022
Listened as an audio book and loved it, yes I knew the general gossip around the film! What film buff didn't, but this book gave a while new level to the film.
Snippets about the story, the film was based on, snippets about the real situation the story was based on.
Layers, upon layers of wonderful Hollywood insight.
Snippets about the story, the film was based on, snippets about the real situation the story was based on.
Layers, upon layers of wonderful Hollywood insight.
November 10, 2021
I've never been a big fan of All About Eve, even though I've spent most of my life in the theater (where the story takes place). But after reading Stagg's book about the movie Sunset Blvd, I thought I'd dive into this one too. I think I enjoyed this book more than I did the movie. After reading the book, I watched the movie again and still had a hard time getting through it. The subtitle of the book about Eve being the bitchiest movie ever made might be true. Right now, no other comes to mind. I did find Staggs's writing voice changed in this book as compared to the Sunset book. Here, he too adds to the bitchiness, with some off-color jokes about Hollywood actresses, which pushed me out of the story and had me saying to myself, "What the hell was that about?"
November 29, 2022
So I've never actually seen this movie. You may ask, but why would you choose this book. Idk it was free and the golden age of Hollywood is always interesting. Anyway, I liked this. A fun little romp through Hollywood. I'll probably watch the movie.
June 18, 2015
Lo he disfrutado muchísimo. Es un libro lleno de anécdotas interesantes sobre el rodaje de la película "Eva al desnudo". Pero no, pensándolo bien es mucho más, es una historia de la película desde su concepción, partiendo del relato que inspiró su guión. Recoge chascarrillos y también te permite aprender muchas cosas del mundo del cine y sus distintos oficios como el de montador o director artístico.
Recomiendo ver o revisionar la película antes de leerlo para sacarle más sustancia. Está extraordinariamente bien documentado y es muy ameno.
Recomiendo ver o revisionar la película antes de leerlo para sacarle más sustancia. Está extraordinariamente bien documentado y es muy ameno.
November 22, 2009
This book was not quite what I expected. Billing itself as "The complete behind-the-scenes story of the bitchiest film ever made," I expected to learn about all the dirt-- the story of the real "Eve," the affair between Bette Davis and Gary Merrill, the animosity between Davis and Celeste Holmes, the competition between Davis and Ann Baxter for the best leading actress Academy Award, the legendary difficulties of working with Marilyn Monroe even at that early stage, etc. The author Sam Staggs does touch on all of these things, but his coverage is brief and did not really add more than I already knew. It turns out that the "bitchiest film ever made" was not all that bitchy behind-the-scenes. The whole production went very smoothly, so if you are expecting lots of gossipy conflict, you might want to move on.
Staggs' overview of the movie is complete, though, at times a bit too complete. He takes the reader through the entire production of the movie, and at times going into too much detail about incidentals. We really do not need a chapter on Tallulah Bankhead just because she was allegedly the inspiration for the voice and mannerisms for Davis' depiction of Margo Channing. And though Staggs is thorough, he finishes taking us through the movie production and reception with half the book still left. I found the latter half uninteresting as it left the subject of the behind-the-scenes story of All About Eve and moved onto Staggs' own psychosexual analysis of the story and the play adaptation "Applause."
I think the book is at its best when delving into the true story of "Eve" (There is even an original interview with her in the appendix.) and discussing the give and take between the director and the film censor board. When the book is at it worst, it is because Staggs injects too much of himself into the writing. He also has a habit of incorporating lines from the movie into his writing, which was cute as first but wore thin later on in the book as he stretched to make some of the quotations fit the scenarios.
Staggs' overview of the movie is complete, though, at times a bit too complete. He takes the reader through the entire production of the movie, and at times going into too much detail about incidentals. We really do not need a chapter on Tallulah Bankhead just because she was allegedly the inspiration for the voice and mannerisms for Davis' depiction of Margo Channing. And though Staggs is thorough, he finishes taking us through the movie production and reception with half the book still left. I found the latter half uninteresting as it left the subject of the behind-the-scenes story of All About Eve and moved onto Staggs' own psychosexual analysis of the story and the play adaptation "Applause."
I think the book is at its best when delving into the true story of "Eve" (There is even an original interview with her in the appendix.) and discussing the give and take between the director and the film censor board. When the book is at it worst, it is because Staggs injects too much of himself into the writing. He also has a habit of incorporating lines from the movie into his writing, which was cute as first but wore thin later on in the book as he stretched to make some of the quotations fit the scenarios.
August 26, 2015
I really enjoyed Staggs' book on Imitation of Life, but he's outdone himself here. And yes, Virginia, there was an Eve Harrington.
June 30, 2014
Given enough time, scandalous gossip becomes serious history.
This book still needs a little more time before it can be history – right now it is still one fanboy’s attempt to stuff every juicy little tidbit of gossip he could dig up about the movie All About Eve.
It’s a funny read to learn how little acting was needed by the actors as they played characters who loved and hated each other, but, my goodness, Staggs can certainly go off on tangents! He really wants to live up to the word “all” in the title, and so we are treated to the life story of everyone involved, from the headlining stars to the one scene extras.
A fun book of gossip that will – someday – be shelved in the history section.
October 20, 2020
A thorough and vastly entertaining backstage look at the greatest backstage movie of all time, ALL ABOUT EVE. Even though only one cast member of the film was still alive at the time of its publication (a bitter and bitchy Celeste Holm), the author managed to get dozens of great stories from a host of insiders digging deep into the origins of the 1950 Oscar winner. The paperback edition also has some updates which proved fascinated as Staggs allows corrections to be made on his original reporting. This behind-the-scenes page-turner will send you seeking a DVD copy of the brilliant and witty film, still a timeless classic. Fasten your seat belts!
April 9, 2022
Starts out well but soon becomes a little too much of the kitchen sink. There’s a section in which the author takes words and phrases from All About Eve and locates them in other films—but the problem is that these are simple, common expressions. We also get a long chapter on Applause—the musical version—but by then the book had moved too far from the movie. If this were 75 pp. shorter, it could have some of the zest of the film it examines.
September 15, 2008
Only a die-hard devotee and seen-it-20-or-more-times viewer of the movie would get into this book, but there's such an abundance of newsworthy material about the whole production. Highly entertaining.
November 7, 2025
3.25⭐️
Fasten your seat belts...
Sadly, I don't know if I enjoyed this as much as I had anticipated. I'll admit that the author, Sam Staggs, did an amazing job of researching and interviewing those involved with the film. Yet, I'm afraid he might have done a bit too much work.
My main issue with the book is that it goes on a bit too long. One of the last chapters details the legacy of "All About Eve" - how it became parodied, referenced, and exalted as years went by - which I found as a solid ending note for the book. But then the book goes on into detail about the musical, "Applause," which was inspired by the story and movie. I personally have never heard of the musical, and while it's somewhat interesting, the amount of information that is dumped on the reader, solely involving the musical, seems extraneous. Except, then it goes on to an afterword of finding the "real Eve," the woman who inspired the story; which, by this point, I had lost interest in reading about.
Overall, I think if you like this movie and want some interesting behind the scenes and legacy information, this is a great resource; however, be prepared to do some skimming throughout as it seems the author, in pursuit of giving the whole truth, decided more was more, much to the reader's chagrin.
Fasten your seat belts...
Sadly, I don't know if I enjoyed this as much as I had anticipated. I'll admit that the author, Sam Staggs, did an amazing job of researching and interviewing those involved with the film. Yet, I'm afraid he might have done a bit too much work.
My main issue with the book is that it goes on a bit too long. One of the last chapters details the legacy of "All About Eve" - how it became parodied, referenced, and exalted as years went by - which I found as a solid ending note for the book. But then the book goes on into detail about the musical, "Applause," which was inspired by the story and movie. I personally have never heard of the musical, and while it's somewhat interesting, the amount of information that is dumped on the reader, solely involving the musical, seems extraneous. Except, then it goes on to an afterword of finding the "real Eve," the woman who inspired the story; which, by this point, I had lost interest in reading about.
Overall, I think if you like this movie and want some interesting behind the scenes and legacy information, this is a great resource; however, be prepared to do some skimming throughout as it seems the author, in pursuit of giving the whole truth, decided more was more, much to the reader's chagrin.
October 19, 2024
Not my type of story. If you like thos type of non fiction I'm sure you'll enjoy, but while at times it was entertaining it's just not for me and as a whole booooring. A bunch of old or dead people talking shit about some old movie.
October 25, 2025
This is really a 3.5-star rating. I feel like the last third of the book could have been cut; I didn't care about it.
January 5, 2021
I've always enjoyed this movie and watch it every time it's on television. The cast was superb, the pace was perfect, and the characters all so interesting. Bette Davis gave a performance that is unforgettable. The book goes into the entire history of the planning and filming of the movie, as well as public reaction to it. This was all fascinating and very entertaining. Yes, it's a very good read if you like the movie and/or Bette Davis. The author, who is gay, seems to go a bit too far in tying the film with so much of gay culture. Some of that is, of course, true, but I think the author goes way overboard in his observations. Despite that, it's a fun read full of many interesting tidbits.
April 5, 2025
Perhaps I should have been warned by the cheeky subtitle but I was surprised at the gossipy and ponderous tone of this book. Missing so much meat in terms of the actually production of the film and long on anecdotes that feel outside the purview of the book (one chapter casts its eye on a metoo scandal involving a minor cast member in a regional theater production and another traces Marilyn Monroe’s legacy ad museum despite here minor role in the film), this text is a far cry from the sort of histories more recent years have produced out of great films.
I think the bitch tone of this book has gone the way of the dodo given how much internet snark is available for those who want it. And honestly, good riddance.
I think the bitch tone of this book has gone the way of the dodo given how much internet snark is available for those who want it. And honestly, good riddance.
September 6, 2020
I wish I were as clever as Joe Mankiewicz's cinematic creation, Addison DeWitt. Then I could say something pithy about Sam Staggs' chronicle of the 1950 Mankiewicz film ALL ABOUT EVE, entitled ALL ABOUT ALL ABOUT EVE. Sadly, all you have is me.
No need to fasten your seatbelts, this is merely a review of the tome, which I hope you'll all look into after this is done.
I picked up this book after watching the latest disc release of ALL ABOUT EVE and enjoying more than a few chuckles. I'd heard good things about Staggs' earlier chronicles of films, so I decided to give this a try.
There can not be more complete histories of a film's genesis, preproduction, production, reception and afterlife than this.
Drawing upon interviews with the few surviving creators, the book starts with Staggs' attempt to meet with actress Celeste Holm which doesn't succeed, but provides an amusing framework when he gets to the actual production. Staggs is more successful when he is able to meet with Mary Orr, who wrote the story "The Wisdom of Eve" which was used as the basis for the film. There, we are treated to the amusing genesis where Orr talks about actress Elisabeth Bergner and her brief acquaintance with a "terrible little girl" that would serve as the model for that creature, Eve Harrington.
We are then treated to the mechanics of how a major producer (Darryl F. Zanuck if 20th Century-Fox) and an award winning director (Mankiewicz) set up a production with numerous stars in less than two years. For fans of classic Hollywood, this is fascinating with a strong narrative involving the choice of actors and the selction of locations, and attendent glimpses of the personal lives of some of the stars (specifically Bette Davis and her collapsing marriage at the time).
The production sequence is filled with bits about the stars- the asides between George Sanders and his then wife, Zsa Zsa Gabor, are hilarious. And there's a poignant bit about how Marilyn Monroe selects books to read. The book does not pay exclusive attention to to the above the line personnel. Careful stories are allowed for editor Barbara McLean and art director Lyle Wheeler, especially his tragic last few years. And yes, Edith Head makes an appearance becuase she dressed everybody in Hollywood at one point or another.
The history takes up most of the book, but Staggs goes further by discussing the appeal to gay culture and the prominence of the Margo Channing- Eve Harrington dynamic that has taken on a mythic importance all its own in popular culture at large.
Staggs even goes a little further and provides a brief history of the musical based on ALL ABOUT EVE, entitled APPLAUSE, which starred Lauren Becall (and eventually Anne Baxter- who played Eve).
The book concludes with, well, I won't spoil it but we do meet that original "terrible little girl" that started the whole thing. Staggs is even handed in his approach. And to cap the whole thing off, he provides a section explaining many of the references to the theatre that popular ALL ABOUT EVE.
The book ALL ABOUT ALL ABOUT EVE is never dull and provides fascinating insight into a production of the early 1950s that might spark considerable nostalgia for the seemingly dirsct way movies got made back then, devoid of the spiderweb of deal and production companies that characterize filmmaking today.
I guarantee you'll wish you could be as pithy as Addison DeWitt by the end.
No need to fasten your seatbelts, this is merely a review of the tome, which I hope you'll all look into after this is done.
I picked up this book after watching the latest disc release of ALL ABOUT EVE and enjoying more than a few chuckles. I'd heard good things about Staggs' earlier chronicles of films, so I decided to give this a try.
There can not be more complete histories of a film's genesis, preproduction, production, reception and afterlife than this.
Drawing upon interviews with the few surviving creators, the book starts with Staggs' attempt to meet with actress Celeste Holm which doesn't succeed, but provides an amusing framework when he gets to the actual production. Staggs is more successful when he is able to meet with Mary Orr, who wrote the story "The Wisdom of Eve" which was used as the basis for the film. There, we are treated to the amusing genesis where Orr talks about actress Elisabeth Bergner and her brief acquaintance with a "terrible little girl" that would serve as the model for that creature, Eve Harrington.
We are then treated to the mechanics of how a major producer (Darryl F. Zanuck if 20th Century-Fox) and an award winning director (Mankiewicz) set up a production with numerous stars in less than two years. For fans of classic Hollywood, this is fascinating with a strong narrative involving the choice of actors and the selction of locations, and attendent glimpses of the personal lives of some of the stars (specifically Bette Davis and her collapsing marriage at the time).
The production sequence is filled with bits about the stars- the asides between George Sanders and his then wife, Zsa Zsa Gabor, are hilarious. And there's a poignant bit about how Marilyn Monroe selects books to read. The book does not pay exclusive attention to to the above the line personnel. Careful stories are allowed for editor Barbara McLean and art director Lyle Wheeler, especially his tragic last few years. And yes, Edith Head makes an appearance becuase she dressed everybody in Hollywood at one point or another.
The history takes up most of the book, but Staggs goes further by discussing the appeal to gay culture and the prominence of the Margo Channing- Eve Harrington dynamic that has taken on a mythic importance all its own in popular culture at large.
Staggs even goes a little further and provides a brief history of the musical based on ALL ABOUT EVE, entitled APPLAUSE, which starred Lauren Becall (and eventually Anne Baxter- who played Eve).
The book concludes with, well, I won't spoil it but we do meet that original "terrible little girl" that started the whole thing. Staggs is even handed in his approach. And to cap the whole thing off, he provides a section explaining many of the references to the theatre that popular ALL ABOUT EVE.
The book ALL ABOUT ALL ABOUT EVE is never dull and provides fascinating insight into a production of the early 1950s that might spark considerable nostalgia for the seemingly dirsct way movies got made back then, devoid of the spiderweb of deal and production companies that characterize filmmaking today.
I guarantee you'll wish you could be as pithy as Addison DeWitt by the end.
November 24, 2020
I just discovered this book existed about a year ago and I highly recommend it not only to fans of the movie, but fans of old Hollywood, Bette Davis, and campy fun writing. If you just want to read it to learn if Bette Davis and Celeste Holm got along well on the set, I can save you the time, no, they hated each other, and Staggs doesn’t pass up an opportunity to offer you a quote from one of these ladies to prove it.
This book is ALL ABOUT All About Eve, so much so that a few chapters were a little boring for me- I did not care much about the original source material, a short story, and how it became a screenplay, but you might. I was also not that into the real life actress and protegee that inspired Margo and Eve, because they were nobody I had ever heard of, but then again, you might.
The book works best for me when Staggs dishes the behind the scenes stories. And there are plenty of stories to dish. We hear from the producer, director, and most all of the cast. Celeste Holm was the only living cast member at the time this book was written but Staggs pulls from archives, interviews, and the biographies of all those involved. One of my favorite chapters, and one of the longest, deals with how All About Eve was turned into the Broadway musical, Applause, staring Lauren Bacall, and if you’ve haven’t earned your gay card yet, it will be mailed to you after completing this chapter.
This book is so detailed that it even contains a chart showing how many cigarettes each character smokes throughout the course of the film. I’ll give you one guess who smoked the most.
This book is ALL ABOUT All About Eve, so much so that a few chapters were a little boring for me- I did not care much about the original source material, a short story, and how it became a screenplay, but you might. I was also not that into the real life actress and protegee that inspired Margo and Eve, because they were nobody I had ever heard of, but then again, you might.
The book works best for me when Staggs dishes the behind the scenes stories. And there are plenty of stories to dish. We hear from the producer, director, and most all of the cast. Celeste Holm was the only living cast member at the time this book was written but Staggs pulls from archives, interviews, and the biographies of all those involved. One of my favorite chapters, and one of the longest, deals with how All About Eve was turned into the Broadway musical, Applause, staring Lauren Bacall, and if you’ve haven’t earned your gay card yet, it will be mailed to you after completing this chapter.
This book is so detailed that it even contains a chart showing how many cigarettes each character smokes throughout the course of the film. I’ll give you one guess who smoked the most.
July 16, 2008
I'm only about a quarter through this, but I'm already giving it five stars. I think when you shriek upon realizing your library carries a book you thought was out of print, you're probably already a sucker for it. "All About Eve" is my favorite movie, and this book is written by a super-fan, too. It's fairly well done, though, not all speculation and sugar. I keep telling myself to hold off reading it until I'm on a beach in Hawaii in a couple weeks but...I...just can't!
October 26, 2008
I looove this movie, and so found the book completely enthralling. Couldn't put it down!
January 30, 2010
A fun read if you are into the movie, the musical and their stars. As usual Staggs throws in a few very off-the-wall opinions, but generally he's on the mark.
December 23, 2021
“Fasten your seat belts; it’s going to be a bumpy night.”
A bumpy one indeed. All About All About Eve is a detailed and entertaining behind-the-scenes read about the classic 1950 film, All About Eve (from its creation (Mary Caswell Orr' short story "The Wisdom of Eve", published in the May 1946 issue of Cosmopolitan) to its aftermath) through interviews, gossip, articles, script analysis, theories, and biographical accounts.
“Marilyn Monroe played Miss Caswell, and of the actors who appeared in All About Eve, she is the only one whose career was to ascend. For others in the cast—Bette Davis, Anne Baxter, Gary Merrill, Celeste Holm, Hugh Marlowe, George Sanders, Thelma Ritter, and for Mankiewicz himself—All About Eve was the climax. Never did a single one of them surpass, or even equal, what he or she did so brilliantly, with such verve and wit, in this film. For all of them the picture was a watershed that separates what they hoped to accomplish in the movies from the actual roles that life, or Hollywood, dealt from its unmarked deck. Marilyn Monroe went up, and up, and up, but for the others a long descent began the day All About Eve was in the can. If not for this movie, half the cast would be forgotten.”
How wild is that, especially for a film that was nominated for 14 Academy Awards, winning six? They peaked. I'm not well-versed in old Hollywood history so this is new to me. That passage is from the first chapter. It stuck with me throughout the entire read.
A bumpy one indeed. All About All About Eve is a detailed and entertaining behind-the-scenes read about the classic 1950 film, All About Eve (from its creation (Mary Caswell Orr' short story "The Wisdom of Eve", published in the May 1946 issue of Cosmopolitan) to its aftermath) through interviews, gossip, articles, script analysis, theories, and biographical accounts.
“Marilyn Monroe played Miss Caswell, and of the actors who appeared in All About Eve, she is the only one whose career was to ascend. For others in the cast—Bette Davis, Anne Baxter, Gary Merrill, Celeste Holm, Hugh Marlowe, George Sanders, Thelma Ritter, and for Mankiewicz himself—All About Eve was the climax. Never did a single one of them surpass, or even equal, what he or she did so brilliantly, with such verve and wit, in this film. For all of them the picture was a watershed that separates what they hoped to accomplish in the movies from the actual roles that life, or Hollywood, dealt from its unmarked deck. Marilyn Monroe went up, and up, and up, but for the others a long descent began the day All About Eve was in the can. If not for this movie, half the cast would be forgotten.”
How wild is that, especially for a film that was nominated for 14 Academy Awards, winning six? They peaked. I'm not well-versed in old Hollywood history so this is new to me. That passage is from the first chapter. It stuck with me throughout the entire read.
September 11, 2024
You can tell that the author really loves this movie, which when it comes to this book is kind of a double edged sword.
The first 70% of this is exactly what you want from a book on the making of a movie. Its full of behind the scenes history on the writing, the directing, the post production, the actors, all of it.
But the final 30% is where this goes from excellent to not so great. I feel because the author is so in love with this film that he feels it is the end all be all of this genre and revolutionary in its techniques and stylistic choices. But in reality it feels like the author is really just stretching and grasping at straws in order to reach a page count. At one point the author says that "The Bad and the Beautiful" (1952) and its use of flashback as a storytelling technique is a direct play on All About Eve, as if it was the first to use it and as if its not used in over half of the noir films that were incredibly popular in the 1930s and 40s. Heck, one of the most popular films of all time Casablanca (1942) uses a flashback, was it taking inspiration from All About Eve too, a movie that wasn't released until 8 years later? Things like this fill a big chunk of the final sections and is a real detriment to the book as a whole.
Overall not terrible but that last 30% brought this from a 4 star to a 3. If you are interested in the making of this movie, read the first 70% then you can put it down and know you aren't missing out on anything more than reaching and subjective conjecture.
The first 70% of this is exactly what you want from a book on the making of a movie. Its full of behind the scenes history on the writing, the directing, the post production, the actors, all of it.
But the final 30% is where this goes from excellent to not so great. I feel because the author is so in love with this film that he feels it is the end all be all of this genre and revolutionary in its techniques and stylistic choices. But in reality it feels like the author is really just stretching and grasping at straws in order to reach a page count. At one point the author says that "The Bad and the Beautiful" (1952) and its use of flashback as a storytelling technique is a direct play on All About Eve, as if it was the first to use it and as if its not used in over half of the noir films that were incredibly popular in the 1930s and 40s. Heck, one of the most popular films of all time Casablanca (1942) uses a flashback, was it taking inspiration from All About Eve too, a movie that wasn't released until 8 years later? Things like this fill a big chunk of the final sections and is a real detriment to the book as a whole.
Overall not terrible but that last 30% brought this from a 4 star to a 3. If you are interested in the making of this movie, read the first 70% then you can put it down and know you aren't missing out on anything more than reaching and subjective conjecture.
February 13, 2024
I assumed this book was on the main characters of the film. Based on the beginning of this book, I rented the movie. I must say that I liked the movie more than the dribble of this story.
If you are not an old movie buff, don’t read this book! The author spends so much time talking about multiple actors (not just main characters), movies, plays, critics…..and everyone else that drags, confuses, and will put you to sleep. i spent more time going back and forth looking up movie references, actors, producers, and directors.
The last chapter references the people, statements, and other significant factors. This chapter provides information about people and things mentioned in the story but states it will take too long to tell you where in the story. The book is 27 chapters long with at least four subchapters in each chapter (except this chapter).
Overly confusing. This book should have focused on the 6 main characters, their quibbles, issues with each other, how this film helped or diminished their careers and so forth. The subtitle caught my attention and i ended up reading a very dull book.
If you are not an old movie buff, don’t read this book! The author spends so much time talking about multiple actors (not just main characters), movies, plays, critics…..and everyone else that drags, confuses, and will put you to sleep. i spent more time going back and forth looking up movie references, actors, producers, and directors.
The last chapter references the people, statements, and other significant factors. This chapter provides information about people and things mentioned in the story but states it will take too long to tell you where in the story. The book is 27 chapters long with at least four subchapters in each chapter (except this chapter).
Overly confusing. This book should have focused on the 6 main characters, their quibbles, issues with each other, how this film helped or diminished their careers and so forth. The subtitle caught my attention and i ended up reading a very dull book.
September 5, 2025
NB: This was a re-read for me as I owed the book some 20-odd years ago. Found me a new copy and read it all over again.
Loved the first 2/3rds of this book. It has all the goss-goss, backstory, and details anyone would ever want to know abt anything related to this movie. It's v. clear, pretty much from the first chapter, that the author did a ton of research. I also appreciated the casual/chatty tone throughout the book.
That said, the book does lag a lot in the last five chapters. With the exception of the chapter that dives into the movie and its connection into gay culture (with a segue into the campiness within the film), the last 5 chapters are rather dull. *Hands*
Trigger/Content Warnings:
TL;DR: A fantastic book for any fan of the movie, the actors, the director or classic Hollywood movies. Be forewarned that the last third of the book are quite a snooze (again, except for the chapter on the movie and its gay fans.)
I own this book.
Loved the first 2/3rds of this book. It has all the goss-goss, backstory, and details anyone would ever want to know abt anything related to this movie. It's v. clear, pretty much from the first chapter, that the author did a ton of research. I also appreciated the casual/chatty tone throughout the book.
That said, the book does lag a lot in the last five chapters. With the exception of the chapter that dives into the movie and its connection into gay culture (with a segue into the campiness within the film), the last 5 chapters are rather dull. *Hands*
Trigger/Content Warnings:
TL;DR: A fantastic book for any fan of the movie, the actors, the director or classic Hollywood movies. Be forewarned that the last third of the book are quite a snooze (again, except for the chapter on the movie and its gay fans.)
I own this book.
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