Feature: "All About Eve" Dream Cast
January 2006
Ann Baxter, Bette
Davis, Marilyn Monroe and George Sanders
The best screenplay ever
written for a motion picture (in our opinion) was the Joseph L.
Mankiewicz masterpiece, "All About Eve." The film starred Bette Davis as
theatrical diva, Margo Channing. Opposite Davis was Ann Baxter as Eve
Harrington, the wolf-in-sheep's clothing who abuses Margo's confidence
in order to further her own selfish ambitions. Gary Merrill played
Margo's love interest, Bill Simpson and Celeste Holm portrayed Karen
Richards, wife of playwright Lloyd Richards (Hugh Marlowe) and Margo's
best friend. George Sanders was Addison deWitt, a meddlesome gossip
columnist whose venomous pen incites havoc among the central characters.
The film won the Best
Picture Oscar for 1950. Mankiewicz also won for Best Director and Best
Screenplay, and George Sanders got the prize as Best Supporting Oscar.
All in all, "All About Eve" won 6 Oscars out of a total of 14
nominations, the most in history until 1997's "Titanic."
A number of years ago, Barbra Streisand briefly mentioned a passing
interest in playing the part of Margo Channing in a possible musical
film adaptation of this classic story. Though we have yet to see this
delicious project move beyond the Hollywood rumor mill, we thought we'd
propose our own dream cast for a Streisand musical vehicle, just in case
anybody's listening.
|
"Dream
Cast" |
|
Original Cast |
Barbra Streisand |
Margo
Channing
"We're all busy little bees, full of
stings, making honey, day and night. Aren't we, honey?" |
Bette
Davis |
Jennifer Lopez |
Eve Harrington
"I'll give you some pleasant news.
I've been told off in no uncertain terms all over town." |
Anne Baxter |
Ewan
McGregor |
Bill Simpson
"Outside of a beehive, Margo, your
behavior would hardly be considered either queenly or motherly." |
Gary
Merrill |
Bernadette Peters |
Karen Richards
"...to speak to just a playwright's
wife? I'm the lowest form of celebrity." |
Celeste
Holm |
Tom Hanks |
Lloyd Richards
"It's about time the piano realized
it has not written the concerto." |
Hugh Marlow |
Hank Azaria |
Addison deWitt
"Dear Margo, you were an
unforgettable 'Peter Pan.' You must play it again, soon." |
George Sanders |
Paris Hilton |
Miss Caswell
"Why do they always look like
unhappy rabbits?" |
Marilyn Monroe |
Wanda Sykes |
Birdie Coonan
"We now got everything a dressing
room needs, except a basketball hoop." |
Thelma Ritter |
Patrick Stewart |
Max Fabian
"She loves me like a father. Also,
she's loaded." |
Gregory Ratoff |
Anne Hathaway |
Phoebe
"You know the Eve Harrington
clubs...ours was one of the first. Erasmus Hall. I'm the
president." |
Barbara Bates |
James Brolin |
Master of Ceremonies
"Surely no actor is older than I.
I've earned my place, out of the sun." |
Walter Hampden |
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