The Lady Eve
| The Lady Eve | |
|---|---|
| File:1941.lady.eve.jpg | |
| Directed by | Preston Sturges |
| Written by | Monckton Hoffe (story) Preston Sturges |
| Produced by | Paul Jones |
| Starring | Barbara Stanwyck Henry Fonda Charles Coburn Eugene Pallette William Demarest |
| Cinematography | Victor Milner |
Release date | 1941 |
Running time | 97 min. |
| Language | English |
The Lady Eve is a 1941 romantic screwball comedy film which tells the story of a mismatched couple who meet on a luxury liner. The movie was written by Monckton Hoffe and Preston Sturges, and directed by Sturges. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Writing, Original Story. The film has been deemed "culturally significant" by the Library of Congress and selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry.
In 1956 the plot was recycled in the movie "The Birds and the Bees" starring George Gobel, Mitzi Gaynor, and David Niven.
Plot
Template:Spoiler Barbara Stanwyck is con artist Jean Harrington. Along with her equally larcenous father, "Colonel" Harrington (Charles Coburn), she is out to fleece rich nerd Charles Pike (Henry Fonda), a woman-shy scientist returning from a year-long expedition up the Amazon.
But even the best laid plans can go astray. First, she falls hard for the guy and shields him from her card-sharp father. Then, when Pike's suspicious minder/valet (William Demarest) discovers the truth, he dumps her. Furious at being scorned, she reenters his life as the terribly posh "Lady Eve Sidwich", determined to torment him mercilessly. Eugene Pallette plays the wealthy businessman father who is impressed by English nobility and eager to promote a marriage between his son and her ladyship. Soon her hapless victim is so confused and bothered he doesn't know which way is up. In the end, though, romance wins out after all the twists and turns.
