…….Wonder why BETTE DAVIS didn’t get to put her hands and feet into the wet cement at Grauman’s Chinese until after ALL ABOUT EVE had opened. Bette had been a star for nearly 20 years.
……The Sarah Siddons award which Anne Baxter as Eve wins in All About Eve was fiction, but in 1952, life imitated art when the Sarah Siddons Society was formed to recognise women in the theatre .Bette Davis actually won the award in 1973, and Anne Baxter was the presenter!
Joseph Mankiewicz actually kept the fake Siddons award ( It was made by a Fox prop-man.) Sarah Siddons (1755-1831) was an English stage actress and great tragedienne of the 18th century.
( Some of the facts in Sam Staggs’ great book, ALL ABOUT ALL ABOUT EVE)
THELMA RITTER, as Birdie, is so good in All About Eve, you have to wonder why her character just disappears half way through the film.
Vienna's Classic Hollywood
Re: Thelma Ritter = EXACTLY! She’s such a great character and has terrific chemistry with Bette Davis. I love this movie, but have a bit of a grudge against the filmmakers for dispensing with Thelma so quickly.
Glad you agree. Would have loved more scenes with Birdie and Margo.
I love the fact echoing fiction element to this, and that Baxter was the first presenter! The under-use of Thelma Ritter is probably my only gripe with All About Eve… what were they thinking?!
I guess we all agree, you can never get enough of Birdie.