Bette Davis learns "All About Eve" in Joseph L. Mankiewicz’s classic film

 All About Eve (1950) is an American drama written and directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz and starring Bette Davis, Anne Baxter, George Sanders, and Celeste Holm. Other cast members include Gary Merrill, Hugh Marlow, Thelma Ritter, and Marilyn Monroe.

Broadway star Margo Channing (Davis) has recently turned 40 and is wondering how long she can sustain her career. Then one evening after Margo’s latest performance, her best friend Karen Richards (Holm) brings a seemingly helpless superfan named Eve Harrington (Baxter). Eve followed Margo’s career when she was on tour in San Francisco and now in New York City.

Karen introduces Eve to Margo’s friends, including Karen’s husband playwright Lloyd Richards (Marlowe). Slowly, Eve becomes part of Margo’s inner circle making Margo’s personal assistant Birdie (Ritter) suspicious. So cunning is Eve, that she replaces Birdie as Margo’s new assistant.

Other complications arise from Margo’s relationship with the director of her current play Bill Sampson (Merrill), 8 years her junior. Margo is insecure in their relationship due to their age difference and unbeknownst to her, Eve attempts to replace Margo in Bill’s affections.

How does this all end? Will Margo overcome her insecurities about her age, career, and relationship with Bill or will Eve stand in her way?

Anne Baxter and Bette Davis square off

Joseph L. Mankiewicz (1929 – 1972) was an American film director, screenwriter, and producer. Mankiewicz won Academy Awards for directing and writing A Letter to Three Wives (1949), and All About Eve (1950). He is the only director to win back-to-back Academy Awards for writing and directing. Other films directed by Mankiewicz include Dragonwyck (1946), The Ghost and Mrs. Muir (1947), Julius Caesar (1953), The Barefoot Contessa (1954), and Guys and Dolls (1955). He directed the 1963 crisis-plagued production of Cleopatra which negatively affected his career as a director.

Bette Davis (1908 – 1989) was an American actress whose stage and screen career spanned more than 50 years. Davis came to Hollywood in 1930 and within four years of her arrival, she was one of its biggest stars winning her first Best Actress Academy Award for her role in Dangerous (1935). Her starring role in Jezebel (1938) won her a second Best Actress Oscar. Davis would go on to star in many popular films during the 1940s including Dark Victory (1939), The Letter (1940), The Little Foxes (1941), and Now, Voyager (1942). In 1950 she starred as Margo Channing in All About Eve (1950), a role she is probably most identified with today. Other popular films include The Old Maid (1939), All This and Heaven Too (1940), Mr. Skeffington (1944), and The Corn is Green (1945).

Anne Baxter (1923 – 1985) won a Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her role as Sophie MacDonald in The Razor’s Edge (1946). She was signed to a contract with Twentieth Century-Fox in 1940. In 1948, Baxter starred in four movies, with Yellow Sky being her most prominent role to date. She went on to have a prolific career in film, television, and theater. She is probably best known for her Oscar-nominated performance as Eve Harrington in All About Eve. Frank Lloyd Wright was Baxter’s grandfather.

George Sanders (1906 – 1972) was a British film and stage actor who also had a fine singing voice. Hollywood was looking for a villain to star opposite a young Tyrone Power in Lloyd’s of London (1936) and Sanders more than fit the bill. His performance in that film would forever stamp him as a sophisticated bad guy. Before his acting career, he worked in the textile industry, which must have helped him with his role in The Strange Affair of Uncle Harry. In the 1960s, Sanders played Mr. Freeze in the Batman (1966) television series.

Celeste Holm (1917 – 2012) was an American stage, film, and television actress. She won a Best Supporting Actress award for her role in Gentleman’s Agreement (1947) and was nominated for her roles in Come to the Stable (1949) and All About Eve (1950). She originated the role of Ado Annie in the landmark stage musical Oklahoma! (1943).

 

All About Eve trivia

• Claudette Colbert was the director’s first choice to play Margo Channing. In fact, Colbert was contracted to play the part but had to drop out due to a back injury she suffered during the filming of Three Came Home (1950).
• Bette Davis and Gary Merrill fell in love during filming and were married a few weeks after the production wrapped.
• The film holds the record for the most female Oscar-nominated performances: Anne Baxter and Bette Davis for Best Actress and Celeste Holm and Thelma Ritter for Best Supporting Actress.
• Davis said this film saved her career after a series of unsuccessful films. She said Mankiewicz “…resurrected me from the dead.”
• Producer Darryl F. Zanuck changed the working title Best Performance to All About Eve after reading one of Addison DeWitt’s lines in the opening narration of the script.
• Zanuck wanted Jeanne Crain to play Eve, but she became pregnant and Anne Baxter was offered the role.

 

Click HERE to watch the film at the Internet Archive.

Click HERE to join the online discussion on September 9, 2024, at 6:30 p.m. Central Time. Once you RSVP, you will receive an invitation and a link to join the discussion on Zoom.

 

Discussion questions

1. All About Eve’s reputation over the years has achieved legendary status. Do you think its reputation as a great film is well deserved?
2. The film is filled with wonderful performances by a great cast. Did one performance stand out to you or were all of equal weight in your estimation?
3. What do you think will become of Eve as she goes forward with her career? Will she always be under the thumb of Addison?
4. Do you think that Margo and Bill will have a successful marriage? Why or why not?
5. How well does the film hold up in the 21st century?
6. Was there anything in the film that surprised you?
7. If this movie were remade, who would you cast as Margo and Eve?

 

 

Broderick Crawford, Judy Holiday, and William Holden in “Born Yesterday”

Born Yesterday (1950) is an American comedy directed by George Cukor and starring Broderick Crawford, Judy Holiday, and William Holden. Holiday recreated her role as Billie Dawn which she played on Broadway. Crawford replaced Paul Douglas who played opposite Holiday as Harry Brock and Holden replaced Gary Merrill who played Paul Verrall, both of whom created their respective roles on Broadway.

The film concerns Billie Dawn (Holiday), an uneducated woman involved with an older business tycoon Harry Brock (Crawford) who is in Washington to try and “buy” a congressman. Because Billie is uneducated, Harry hires Paul Verrall (Holden), a journalist, to educate her. During her “education,” she realized that Harry was a corrupt businessman. Due to Paul opening her eyes to a whole new world, Billie falls in love with him.

Judy Holiday, Broderick Crawford, and William Holden

George Cukor (1899 – 1983) was an American director. He was famous for directing comedies and literary adaptations of classics like Little Women (1933) and David Copperfield (1935). He was famously fired from directing Gone with the Wind (1939), but that incident didn’t mar an impressive directorial career that included The Philadelphia Story (1940), Gaslight (1944), and Born Yesterday (1950). Cukor won an Academy Award as Best Director for My Fair Lady (1964).

Broderick Crawford (1911 – 1986) was an American stage, film, radio, and television actor. Born in Philadelphia to a show business family, Crawford acted with his parents on stage and then established himself as a talent on his own by winning acclaim as Lenny in the original Broadway production of Of Mice and Men in 1937. He later moved to Hollywood and began acting in small roles and bit parts throughout the 1940s. He finally got his chance at stardom in All the King’s Men (1949), the film version of Robert Penn Warren’s award-winning novel. The film was a big hit and Crawford won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance as Willie Stark. Now a star, Crawford starred in more prestigious productions including Born Yesterday (1950) receiving top-billing over co-stars Judy Holiday and William Holden. Crawford became a television icon as Dan Matthews in the police dram Highway Patrol (1955 – 1959.) 

Judy Holiday (1921 – 1965) was an American actress, comedian, and singer. She started out in show business playing nightclubs before making her way to Broadway. Her role as Billie Dawn in Born Yesterday in 1946 made her an “overnight” sensation. When she recreated the role for the film version, she won the Academy Award for Best Actress of the Year. Other films include The Marrying Kind  (1952), It Should Happen to You (1954), Phffft (1954), The Solid Gold Cadillac (1956), Full of Life (1956), and Bells Are Ringing (1960), recreating her Tony Award-winning performance. Holiday died of breast cancer in 1965 at the age of 43.

William Holden (1918 - 1981) was an American actor and major movie star. He was one of the most bankable stars of the 1950s. Holden starred in some of the most popular and beloved films of all time including Sunset Boulevard, Sabrina, Picnic (1955), The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957), and Stalag 17 for which he won the Academy Award for Best Actor. Holden became a star with his very first role in Golden Boy (1939). He had lead roles in other popular films like Our Town (1940), and  I Wanted Wings (1941). World War II interrupted his career. Holden was a first lieutenant in the United States Army Air Force. After the war, he made some popular but forgettable films. It wasn’t after he collaborated with director Wilder on Sunset Boulevard that Holden’s popularity and stature in Hollywood grew to superstar status.

 

Crawford who got top billing on the screen is listed last on this lobby card.

Born Yesterday trivia

• Judy Holiday’s role in Adam’s Rib (1948) was an audition to convince Columbia Pictures studio chief Harry Cohn that Holiday was up to the task of playing Billie Dawn on the screen.
• Judy Holiday and Broderick Crawford played gin-rummy on the train to Washington, D.C. for location shooting. Holiday won $600 from Crawford. This cemented their friendship and they remained lifelong friends.
• Marilyn Monroe screen-tested for the role but Harry Cohn never watched it.
• Holiday’s wardrobe became more sophisticated as her character grew.
• William Holden originally turned down the role fearing that he would be overshadowed by Crawford and Holiday. Because of this, Holden’s role was built up for the screen.
• Director George Cukor had Crawford, Holiday, and Holden perform their roles in front of a live audience so that he could time the laughs between the dialogue.

 

Click HERE to watch the room on YouTube.

 

Click HERE to join the discussion on February 26, 2024, at 6:30 p.m. Central Time. Once you RSVP, you will receive an invitation with a link to join the discussion on Zoom.

 

Discussion questions

1. Born Yesterday was released in the mid-20^th century. Do you think it holds up today?
2. Judy Holiday is so identified with the role of Billie Dawn. Can you see anyone else as successful in the role?
3. Was Broderick Crawford believable in the role of Harry Brock?
4. Holiday beat out Gloria Swanson (Sunset Blvd), Bette Davis and Anne Baxter (All About Eve), and Eleanor Parker (Cage). Do you think she deserved to win?
5. Holden was afraid that he would be overshadowed by Crawford and Holiday. Do you think this was the case or did he hold his own in the less showy role as Paul Verrall?

Jean Renoir's "Swamp Water"

Swamp Water (1941) is an American crime drama set in the Okefenokee Swamp, Waycross, Georgia. The film was directed by Jean Renoir and stars Walter Brennan, Walther Huston, Anne Baxter, and Dana Andrews. The strong supporting cast includes Virginia Gilmore, John Carradine, Mary Howard, Eugene Pallette, and Ward Bond.

When Ben Regan (Andrews) goes looking for his dog in the Okefenokee Swamp, he encounters Tom Keefer (Brennan). Keefer is wanted for murdering Deputy Shep Collins. Keefer claims he is innocent. Ben and Keefer form a partnership with Ben selling animals that the two of them trapped. Part of the money that they earn from trapping goes to Julie (Baxter) who is Keefer’s daughter.

Will the actual murderer be revealed? Will Keefer return to normal life as an innocent man?

Anne Baxter and Dana Andrews

Jean Renoir (1894 - 1979) was a French film director, writer, and producer. He directed more than forty films. Renoir worked during the silent era until the end of the 1960s. Two of his films La Grande Illusion (1937) and The Rules of the Game (1939) are considered among the greatest films ever made. Renoir fled to the United States when Germany invaded France in 1940. He came to Hollywood and directed Swamp Water (1941) starring Dana Andrews, This Land is Mine (1943) starring Maureen O’Hara and Charles Laughton. The Southerner is considered Renoir’s best American film. Other films he made in America include Diary of a Chambermaid (1946) and Woman on the Beach (1947). He is the son of the renowned artist, Pierre-Auguste Renoir.

Walter Brennan (1894 – 1974) was an American character actor and three-time Academy Award winner for Best Supporting Actor. Brennan is the only actor male or female to win three awards in the supporting actor category. He got his start as an extra in silent films and eventually made the transition to talking pictures. By the late-1930s, Brennan was one of Hollywood's most sought-after and highest-paid character actors. Some of Brennan’s movies include Three Godfathers (1936), Kentucky (1938), The Westerner (1940), Meet John Doe (1941), The Pride of the Yankees (1942), My Darling Clementine (1946), Rio Bravo (1959), and How the West Was Won (1962).

Walter Huston (1883 - 1950) was a Canadian singer, stage, and film actor. He is also the patriarch of the Huston clan which includes his writer-director son John, and his granddaughter, actress Anjelica. Huston worked in the theater, with roles on Broadway where he debuted in 1924. Once talking pictures began in Hollywood, Huston worked as both a leading man and also a character actor. Some of Huston’s films include The Virginian (1929), Rain (1932), Gabriel Over the White House (1933), The Devil and Daniel Webster (1941), and The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948) for which he won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, directed by his son John. Huston’s last film was The Furies (1950) co-starring Barbara Stanwyck and Wendell Corey.

Anne Baxter (1923 – 1985) won a Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her role as Sophie MacDonald in The Razor’s Edge (1946). She was signed to a contract with Twentieth Century-Fox in 1940. In 1948, Baxter starred in four movies, with Yellow Sky being her most prominent role to date. She went on to have a prolific career in film, television, and theater. She is probably best known for her Oscar-nominated performance as Eve Harrington in All About Eve. Frank Lloyd Wright was Baxter’s grandfather.

Dana Andrews (1909 – 1992) was an American stage, film, and television actor. During the 1940s, Andrews was a major star and leading man starring in Laura (1944), State Fair (1945), A Walk in the Sun (1945), The Best Years of Our Lives (1946), Canyon Passage (1946), Boomerang! (1947), and Daisy Kenyon (1947), the latter co-starring Joan Crawford and Henry Fonda. During the 1950s, film roles were harder to come by, but he had success in Elephant Walk (1954) co-starring Elizabeth Taylor and Peter Finch, While the City Sleeps (1956), and Curse of the Demon (1957). In 1958 he replaced Henry Fonda on Broadway in Two for the Seesaw. Andrews worked a lot on television guest-starring on shows like The Twilight Zone, Checkmate, The Barbara Stanwyck Show, Ben Casey, The Love Boat, Ironside, and Falcon Crest. He also starred in the daytime soap opera Bright Promise (1969 - 1971).

Swamp Water trivia

• Linda Darnell was originally cast as Julie. Gene Tierney was also under consideration for the role.
• Director Jean Renoir and studio chief Darryl Zanuck butted heads during the film's production with Renoir wanting to shoot on location and Zanuck wanting to shoot on sound stages and the backlot.
• Lillian Gish was considered for the role of Hannah.
• Jean Gabin and Henry Fonda were announced for the role of Ben before Dana Andrews was cast.
• Dana Andrews, Walter Huston, Anne Baxter, and Walter Huston would star in North Star (1943).
• Dana Andrews was the only actor who actually filmed on location in Georgia.

To join the discussion online on March 20, 2023, at 6:30 p.m., click here. When you RSVP, you will receive an invitation with a link to join the discussion on Zoom. 

To watch the film on YouTube, click the link below.

Discussion questions

1. The film had an impressive cast; did anyone cast member stand out to you?
2. Anne Baxter and Dana Andrews were in the early stages of their film careers. Would you have predicted stardom for them both?
3. Some critics thought Walther Brennan was miscast. What did you thik of his performance?
4. Did the on-location filming enhance the film?
5. Did anything about the movie surprise you?

Gregory Peck, Anne Baxter, and Richard Widmark star in the western classic "Yellow Sky"

Yellow Sky (1948) is an American western directed by William A. Wellman that stars Gregory Peck, Anne Baxter, and Richard Widmark.

Anne Baxter confronts Gregory Peck in Yellow Sky

The plot centers on Peck and his band of outlaws who rob a bank and flee the law by riding into the desert. Desperate and out of drinking water, they come upon a ghost town inhabited by a young woman named Mike (Baxter) and her grandfather (James Barton). They are Yellow Sky’s sole inhabitants. The old man has been prospecting for gold and the gang sees a chance for them to make some easy money by intimidating Mike and her grandfather out of the estimated $50,000 in gold he has mined thus far.

Yellow Sky is based on an unpublished novel by W. R. Burnett. Burnett is the best-selling author of Little Caesar, Scarface, and High Sierra. Many of his novels were turned into films, which led to a career as a scriptwriter in Hollywood. Burnett worked with top directors, writers, and actors like Raoul Walsh, John Huston, John Ford, Howard Hawks, John Wayne, Humphrey Bogart, Ida Lupino, Steve McQueen, and Clint Eastwood. As a scriptwriter, he wrote This Gun for Hire (1942), Action in the North Atlantic (1943), San Antonio (1945), and The Great Escape (1963).

Some exteriors for Yellow Sky were filmed at Death Valley National Monument. The ghost town of Yellow Sky was an old western set that actor Tom Mix had built in 1923. The crew hired by Twentieth Century-Fox basically demolished the movie set located near Lone Pine, California.

William Wellman directed the original version of A Star Is Born.

Director William A. Wellman (1896 – 1975) got his start in the movies as an actor but decided he’d rather work behind the camera as a director. He directed his first film in 1920. Seven years later, Wellman directed the World War I epic Wings. His other notable films in the sound era include The Public Enemy (1931), A Star Is Born, Nothing Sacred (both 1937), Beau Geste (1939), and The Ox-Box Incident (1943).

By 1948, Gregory Peck (1916 – 2002) was one of the biggest stars in Hollywood. He had three Best Actor nominations under his belt, including one for Gentleman’s Agreement (1947). Besides Gentleman’s Agreement, Peck starred in three other films that year, including Alfred Hitchcock’s The Paradine Case. He had non-exclusive contracts with David O. Selznick and Twentieth Century-Fox which gave him great flexibility in the roles he chose to play. Yellow Sky was Peck’s only film released in 1948.

Lobby card for The Valley of Decision (1945) starring Greer Garson and Gregory Peck

Anne Baxter (1923 – 1985) won a Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her role as Sophie MacDonald in The Razor’s Edge (1946). She was signed to a contract with Twentieth Century-Fox in 1940. In 1948, Baxter starred in four movies, with Yellow Sky being her most prominent role to date. She went on to have a prolific career in film, television, and theater. She is probably best known for her Oscar-nominated performance as Eve Harrington in All About Eve. Frank Lloyd Wright was Baxter’s grandfather.

Anne Baxter as Eve Harrington in All About Eve (1950)

Richard Widmark (1914- 2008) had a sensational movie debut playing the crazy villain Tommy Udo in director Henry Hathaway’s Kiss of Death (1947). In the film’s most notorious scene, Widmark’s character pushed an old lady in a wheelchair down a flight of stairs. His performance won him a Golden Globe Award for New Star Of The Year – Actor. He was also nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance as Udo. Widmark was also under contract to Twentieth Century-Fox where he played mostly villains (Yellow Sky is no exception). Later in his career, he started playing more heroic roles in films like Slattery’s Hurricane and Down to the Sea in Ships (both 1949).

Richard Widmark stands between Cornell Wilde and Ida Lupino in Road House (1948).

Join us on October 24, 2022, at 6:30 p.m. Central Time, clicked here. Once you RSVP, you'll receive an invitation and link to join the discussion on Zoom.

To watch the movie on YouTube, click on the link below.

Questions for Discussion

1. What were your overall impressions?
2. Did the movie remind you of any other movies you’ve seen?
3. What did you think of Anne Baxter’s character? 
4. Did anything about the movie surprise you?
5. Was the ending satisfying? Was it realistic?

Yellow Sky—Classic Western with Gregory Peck, Anne Baxter, and Richard Widmark

Yellow Sky (1948) is a western directed by William A. Wellman that stars Gregory Peck, Anne Baxter, and Richard Widmark.

Anne Baxter confronts Gregory Peck in Yellow Sky

The plot centers on Peck and his band of outlaws who rob a bank and flee the law by riding into the desert. Desperate and out of drinking water, they come upon a ghost town inhabited by a young woman named Mike (Baxter) and her grandfather (James Barton). They are Yellow Sky’s sole inhabitants. The old man has been prospecting for gold and the gang sees a chance for them to make some easy money by intimidating Mike and her grandfather out of the estimated $50,000 in gold he has mined thus far.

Yellow Sky is based on an unpublished novel by W. R. Burnett. Burnett is the best-selling author of Little Caesar, Scarface, and High Sierra. Many of his novels were turned into films, which led to a career as a scriptwriter in Hollywood. Burnett worked with the top directors, writers, and actors like Raoul Walsh, John Huston, John Ford, Howard Hawks, John Wayne, Humphrey Bogart, Ida Lupino, Steve McQueen, and Clint Eastwood. As a scriptwriter, he wrote This Gun for Hire (1942), Action in the North Atlantic (1943), San Antonio (1945), and The Great Escape (1963).

Some exteriors for Yellow Sky were filmed at Death Valley National Monument. The ghost town of Yellow Sky was an old western set that actor Tom Mix had built in 1923. The crew hired by Twentieth Century-Fox basically demolished the movie set located near Lone Pine, California.

William Wellman directed the original version of A Star Is Born.

Director William A. Wellman (1896 – 1975) got his start in the movies as an actor but decided he’d rather work behind the camera as a director. He directed his first film in 1920. Seven years later, Wellman directed the World War I epic Wings. His other notable films in the sound era include The Public Enemy (1931), A Star Is Born, Nothing Sacred (both 1937), Beau Geste (1939), and The Ox-Box Incident (1943).

By 1948, Gregory Peck (1916 – 2002) was one of the biggest stars in Hollywood. He had three Best Actor nominations under his belt, including one for Gentleman’s Agreement (1947). Besides Gentleman’s Agreement, Peck starred in three other films that year, including Alfred Hitchcock’s The Paradine Case. He had non-exclusive contracts with David O. Selznick and Twentieth Century-Fox which gave him great flexibility in the roles he chose to play. Yellow Sky was Peck’s only film released in 1948.

Lobby card for The Valley of Decision (1945) starring Greer Garson and Gregory Peck

Anne Baxter (1923 – 1985) won a Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her role as Sophie MacDonald in The Razor’s Edge (1946). She was signed to a contract with Twentieth Century-Fox in 1940. In 1948, Baxter starred in four movies, with Yellow Sky being her most prominent role to date. She went on to have a prolific career in film, television, and theater. She is probably best known for her Oscar-nominated performance as Eve Harrington in All About Eve. Frank Lloyd Wright was Baxter’s grandfather.

Anne Baxter as Eve Harrington in All About Eve (1950)

Richard Widmark (1914- 2008) had a sensational movie debut playing the crazy villain Tommy Udo in director Henry Hathaway’s Kiss of Death (1947). In the film’s most notorious scene, Widmark’s character pushed an old lady in a wheelchair down a flight of stairs. His performance won him a Golden Globe Award for New Star Of The Year – Actor. He was also nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance as Udo. Widmark was also under contract to Twentieth Century-Fox where he played mostly villains (Yellow Sky is no exception). Later in his career, he started playing more heroic roles in films like Slattery’s Hurricane and Down to the Sea in Ships (both 1949).

Richard Widmark stands between Cornell Wilde and Ida Lupino in Road House (1948).

Join us on May 5 as we discuss Yellow Sky on Zoom. Watch the film on YouTube first and be ready to discuss it on Tuesday at 6:30 p.m.

Your Zoom invitation link is below.

Stephen Reginald is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.

Topic: Discussion on  "Yellow Sky"

Time: May 5, 2020 06:30 PM Central Time (US and Canada)

Join Zoom Meeting

https://us04web.zoom.us/j/78225892657?pwd=QXRRUWtoeWYvS2tEdmFvSmFUN3QyZz09

Meeting ID: 782 2589 2657

Password: 0mZXAG

Questions for Discussion:

1. What were your overall impressions?

2. Did the movie remind you of any other movies you’ve seen?

3. What did you think of Anne Baxter’s character?

4. Did anything about the movie surprise you?

5 Was the ending satisfying? Was it realistic?

Chicago Film Club field trip: “All About Eve” March March 5 at ShowPlace ICON at Roosevelt Road

Where: ShowPlace ICON, 150 W. Roosevelt Road, Chicago, IL 60605
When: March 5, 2017
Time: 2:00 p.m.
Hosted by Stephen Reginald
Run Time: 2 hours 30 minutes

From the moment she glimpses her idol on Broadway, Eve Harrington (Anne Baxter) strives to upstage Margo Channing (Bette Davis). After cunningly stealing Margo’s role, Eve disrupts the lives of anyone close to the actress in this timeless cinematic masterpiece. With its witty dialogue and knockout performances, the film earned a record 14 Oscar® nominations* and also features Marilyn Monroe in an early supporting role.

*1950: Best Picture (won), Supporting Actor (George Sanders, won), Costume Design (B&W, won), Directing (won), Sound Recording (won), Screenplay (won), Actress (Anne Baxter), Actress (Bette Davis), Supporting Actress (Celeste Holm), Supporting Actress (Thelma Ritter), Art Direction (B&W), Cinematography (B&W), Film Editing, Music (Score).

You can buy your ticket in advance by clicking here or purchase at your local theatre.

First-timers, look for me holding a Meetup sign below.

The Ten Commandments on the big screen

I wasn’t going to see Cecil B. DeMille’s production of The Ten Commandments on the big screen presented by Turner Classic Movies, Fathom Events, and Paramount Pictures. I’d seen it a dozen times on TV and thought it might not hold up in the 21st-century. On almost a whim, I decided to go and was glad I did.

At the bus stop, I met a woman who was also going to see the movie. We talked about it on the way there and chatted about the other classic movies we saw on the big screen recently. At the theater, I met a member of my film club and a neighbor. The audience was quite diverse. There were old folks with walkers and canes, parents with small children, and single folks, like me.

During the introduction of the film by TCM’s Ben Mankiewicz, we learned that we were going to see The Ten Commandments in its original road show version—overture, intermission, entr’ act—which was the way many movies were shown back in the day when I was a kid. The lights went down and the overture played the stirring score by Elmer Bernstein and I was hooked.

Moses and Rameses, two princes of Egypt

The epic directed by the legendary DeMille was his last film; he died three years after the film’s release. Sure there are parts of the film that are stilted and a bit hokey by today’s acting conventions, but I found most of the film very powerful. I was surprised at how emotionally I reacted to the movie. The plight of a people in bondage, living under a cruel leader, eventually finding freedom and redemption, still resonate—at least it did with me. It was like Sunday school come alive. I found myself remembering Bible verses and the stories from the book of Exodus.

Anne Baxter as Nefritiri

I always used to make fun of Anne Baxter’s uttering of the line, “Oh Moses, you stubborn, splendid, adorable fool!” But for some reason, it didn’t seem so campy on the big screen. And I must say, Baxter’s performance as Nefretiri—one of the most sought after roles of the 1950s—is all in. She really brought the Egyptian queen to life. The other performances were equally strong. Charlton Heston as Moses is impressive and he has the physical stature necessary for such a role. Yul Brynner is equally impressive as the vain and power-hungry Rameses II. Both have genuine screen presence and the commanding voices to match. Edward G. Robinson is properly sinister as Dathan. Yvonne DeCarlo—years before she became a TV icon on The Munsters—as Sephora and Moses’ wife is radiant. Then there’s John Derek as Joshua and Debra Paget as Lilia. Derek seems saddled with the most stilted spiritual sounding dialogue, but again, somehow on the big screen, it worked for me.

The scenes in Egypt were impressive, especially the Exodus. The sheer number of extras involved in that scene is staggering; I can’t imagine how difficult it was to get all of that on film. Did they get it in one take? I doubt it. The film employed a lot of blue screen and matte backdrops. Sometimes these devices were noticeable and obvious, but at other times not so much. With the parting of the Red Sea scene, the blue “halo” from the rear screen process photography gave it a “miraculous” look.

Moses confronts Rameses

The restoration that Paramount did in 2010 is near perfect. The film looked brand new and I can only imagine what audiences in 1956 though. Of course, 1956 was a simpler time and scenes that we think are corny or campy today weren’t back then. But the size and sheer spectacle of the production must have been extraordinarily impressive. It was nominated for seven Academy Awards (it won one for Best Visual Effects) and was the top-grossing film of the year. It still ranks high on the list of all-time movie moneymakers, coming in at number seven when grosses are adjusted for inflation.

If you’ve never seen a movie like The Ten Commandments on the big screen, you should. It really makes a difference.

There’s another screening of this classic film this Wednesday. Click the link to see if it’s showing in your area.

Backstory: Many top actresses were considered for the role of Nefritiri, including Audrey Hepburn Ann Blyth, Rhonda Fleming, Colleen Gray, Vivian Leigh, and Jane Russell. For the role of Sephora, the stars considered were Anne Bancroft, Linda Darnell, Grace Kelly, Barbara Hale, Patricia Neal, Ruth Roman, Jean Peters, and Barbara Rush.

Screening of Hitchcock’s “I Confess” at Daystar Center May 12, 2015

When: Tuesday, May 12, 2015 6:30 p.m.
Where: The Venue 1550 at the Daystar Center, 1550 S. State Street

Father Michael William Logan, a Catholic priest (Montgomery Clift) has a crisis of faith when he hears the confession of Otto Keller, the caretaker at his residence. Otto confesses to Logan that he accidentally killed a lawyer during a robbery. By keeping Keller’s secret as part of his priestly duties, suspicion for murder falls on Logan. Will he keep Keller’s confession a secret, even if it means jeopardizing his own freedom and destroying the marriage of Ruth Granfort (Anne Baxter), a woman Logan once loved?

I Confess (1953) was released two years after Strangers on a Train and was the only time Alfred Hitchcock worked with Clift. Still in her teens, Baxter was in the running for the role of the second Mrs. DeWinter in Rebecca (1940), which eventually went to Joan Fontaine. 

Have some Joe and Enjoy the Show!
Before the movie, grab a cup of coffee from Overflow Coffee Bar, located within the Daystar Center. You can bring food and beverages into the auditorium; we even have small tables set up next to some of the seats. General Admission: $5 Students and Senior Citizens: $3.

Anne Baxter and Montgomery Clift in I Confess

Join the Chicago Film club; join the discussion
Once a month we screen a classic film and have a brief discussion afterward. For more information, including how to join (it’s free), click here. To purchase your ticket in advance, click here. The Venue 1550 is easily accessible by the CTA. Please visit Transit Chicago for more information on transportation options.


Daystar Center located at 1550 S. State St. works through a grassroots network of collaborations and partnerships with individuals and other nonprofit organizations. Through this web, they’re able to provide educational, cultural, and civic activities that enrich and empower their clients, guests, and community members. To learn more about classes and events offered at the Daystar Center, please visit their Web site.