The Lady Eve

The gist of THE LADY EVE is ably summed up by Barbara Stanwyck's character in the first half of the film: "The good girls are never as good as they seem to be, and the bad ones never as bad." In this movie, Barbara plays Jean Harrington, a "bad girl" who is not as bad as she seems to be, who later pretends to be Eve Sidgwick, a "good girl" who isn't as good. In my opinion, this is the greatest romantic comedy ever made. Other films may be more romantic, others funnier, but not a single one combines both elements so perfectly. Everything about this film sparkles. Preston Sturges, one of the... more

Preston Sturges' "The Lady Eve" is one of the best romantic comedies ever made, partly because while it's very funny, it's also hits a very deep nerve. It's painful to be in love, as both Charles Pike (a wonderfully gullible and naive Henry Fonda) and Jean Harrington (tough/tender Barbara Stanwyck at her very best) find out, the hard way. Stanwyck plays a card shark who along with her father (Charles Coburn) are on a cruise ship, with the express purpose of fleecing the other passengers. Charles Pike is a rich heir to a brewery fortune who's just spent the last year studying snakes in the... more

Barbara Stanwyck is at her comedic best in "The Lady Eve," playing a vamp who tries to con a gullible heir, played by Henry Fonda. Her plans hit a snag, though, when she finds herself falling for him, which leads to some madcap fun. Directed and co-written by the peerless Preston Sturges ("Sullivan's Travels"), "The Lady Eve" is among the finest of Hollywood 1940's romantic comedies. The script is quite brilliant (the movie received only one Oscar nomination, for its screenplay, which it lost to "Here Comes Mr. Jordan") and delivers some genuine laughs. In addition, the tinge of bitterness... more