Rating: 
Summary: All About Eve...and Bette, Anne, Celeste, and Marilyn
Review: This book has a fun-sounding premise and, indeed, it does offer some fun and interesting tidbits about the making of one of Hollywood's wittiest films. This works well until the author starts throwing in suppositions and references to the film and alternative lifestyles. This is when the book bogs down and loses interest. It does, however, start to pick up again when he tells the story of Mary Orr and the real Eve. Altogether, not as much fun as I hoped it would be, but it does have a certain value for students and devotees of classic Hollywood.
Rating: 
Summary: Full of juicy gossip and movie-making tidbits!
Review: This book is exactly the type of behind-the-scenes Hollywood book I love to read. It's like an irresistible box of candy or your favorite snack ... just one isn't enough. The author has certainly done his homework, tracking down every bit of trivia associated with "All About Eve". Several nitpicking reviews have mentioned there's "too much" information here; well, isn't that the kind of book on Hollywood that's so enjoyable to read? I, for one, enjoy knowing something about the bit players in the film, how Zsa Zsa Gabor fit into everything and how the film has influenced so many other films, books and the like. And the final chapter telling all about the "real" Eve is fascinating, both for what it tells and what it doesn't tell about her. I've recommended this book to many friends who also enjoy a good book about the behind-the-scenes workings of classic Hollywood cinema. I recommend it to everyone!
Rating: 
Summary: The bitchiest book about the bitchiest movie ever made
Review: This book is filled with anecdotes, gossip and sometimes downright nasty little tidbits of information regarding the movie stars, director, production people and writer of the original story that All About Eve was based on. While full of fascinating stories about the production itself the style of the author left a great deal to be desired. We follow the production of movie from beginning to end including facts about the author of a story originally printed in Cosmopolitan Magazine, "The Wisdom of Eve" that the movied was based on. In chronological order, following the movie itself (which is actually told in flashback/retrospect) we travel with the cast and crew as the plot of the movie unfolds and the stories behind the movie unfold. The only remaining cast member, Celeste Holm, declined to be interviewed for the book and I would love to read what she has to say in detail about the production. Gary Merrill and Bete Davis have both written interesting (and recommended by me) autobiographies, in Ms. Davis' case several, which include references to the making "Eve" and their affair during which ended with their subsequent marriage. It's a good read for the story of the movie and some good Hollywood gossip but if I had a chance to edit this book I would have removed a fair amount of extraneous wording.
Rating: 
Summary: All About Hollywood
Review: This is a delicious serving of Classic Hollywood Dish. "All About All About Eve" dissects and inspects one of Hollywood's great movies, and does it in high style. Sam Staggs infuses his work with bitchy humor, scholarly research and a fanatical interest in the Hollywood of yesteryear. Staggs adds an incredible ability to turn a phrase to that mix and the result is a delightful romp through the making of a fabulous movie. The level of detail is fantastic, from trivia about the behind-the-scenes production to information on the stars of the movie, their private lives and the salaries. (Did you know that Bette Davis made $130,000 for only 12 weeks work? In 1950 money that was a small fortune. Meanwhile up-and-coming starlet Marilyn Monroe was budgeted to earn only $500 for one week's work on the film.) These types of straight-ahead facts are reported throughout the book and tidbits of tantalizing gossip keep it interesting. (Note: This book is fascinating but it is definitely aimed at those who have a fairly high level of film literacy. Those with an interest in film will enjoy the book fine, but casual readers might not want to keep a dictionary far away. Stagg's vocabulary is as extensive as it is entertaining.) "All About All About Eve" is an unique book in and of itself. It's a critique, a written documentary, and a sort of tribute rolled into one book. Whether you have seen "All About Eve" once or a dozen times, if you interested in movies, and how they get made (or unmade), then you will enjoy reading this gem of a book.
Rating:
Summary: Fasten your seatbelts
Review: This is a highly entertainment try at one of the most witty films of all time. It's a pity that every memo and record from the film was destroyed in a van accident many years ago, as the author tells us in the prologue. A fun ride, though, but, remember, before reading it, fasten your seatbelts!
Rating:
Summary: Wherever There¿s Magic and Make-Believe¿
Review: This is an almost encyclopedic description of the greatest "backstage" movie ever made (along with "Stage Door"), 1950's Oscar-winner "All About Eve." Believe the title: This is all about the movie, and people who haven't seen the movie or who don't like it will indeed find this stuffed with too much information. That caveat aside, this is a superb book, taking both a lowbrow and highbrow analysis of the Joseph L. Mankiewicz scripted and directed film starring Bette Davis, Anne Baxter, George Sanders, Celeste Holm, Gary Merrill, Thelma Ritter, Marilyn Monroe, Gregory Ratoff, and Hugh Marlowe. Author Sam Staggs takes us behind the on- and off-stage scenes, to deliver the subtext of the movie: The various meanings transacted among the text--the film itself--and its audience (including those who made the film). There are brawls, feuds, insults, lawsuits, legal challenges, large egos, and a Rashomon-like recollection of who said what to whom more than 50 years ago. Staggs tells the real event on which "Eve" is based, and then traces its evolution from short story to film. (We later meet the "real" Eve Harrington, as Staggs turns sleuth). The book is juicy, but the prose is occasionally overripe: Drawing a flimsy parallel between the fire in his brother's film Citizen Kane, and the real fire that (much later) consumed a van filled with many of Joe Mankiewicz's belongings, Staggs writes: That final fire at Xanadu, and the later one that consumed the Mankiewicz moving fan, rhyme like a combustible couplet." Really now! Fortunately, such purple prose is rare. Staggs give you the dish on "the bitchiest movie ever made," but he also dwells like a scholar on technical aspects of the film, including lighting, costumes, script revisions, editing, casting decisions, and art direction, to name a few. There's an excellent section on the special meanings of the movie to some members of the gay subculture, and how it has influenced (and been influenced by) general culture as well ("Eve" was acted out in movie houses long before "The Rocky Horror Picture Show.") Again, Staggs makes a deft transition between "hi-brow" and "low-brow" culture and criticism, the former represented by his command of film semiotics, the latter by his references to "Hollywood Babylon" and porn films influenced by the movie. It's a fun and informative book, and I can't imagine any fan of the movie, or movies in general, not liking it. (But remember we're talking "fan" here). With 16 pages of black and white photos, an index, and sidebars (e.g., "No [sic] Innuendos Please-We're Anglo-Saxon" is a half-page box showing the lines cut by censors in Massachusetts and in Australia.) Highly recommended!
Rating:
Summary: Wherever There¿s Magic and Make-Believe¿
Review: This is an almost encyclopedic description of the greatest "backstage" movie ever made (along with "Stage Door"), 1950's Oscar-winner "All About Eve." Believe the title: This is all about the movie, and people who haven't seen the movie or who don't like it will indeed find this stuffed with too much information. That caveat aside, this is a superb book, taking both a lowbrow and highbrow analysis of the Joseph L. Mankiewicz scripted and directed film starring Bette Davis, Anne Baxter, George Sanders, Celeste Holm, Gary Merrill, Thelma Ritter, Marilyn Monroe, Gregory Ratoff, and Hugh Marlowe. Author Sam Staggs takes us behind the on- and off-stage scenes, to deliver the subtext of the movie: The various meanings transacted among the text--the film itself--and its audience (including those who made the film). There are brawls, feuds, insults, lawsuits, legal challenges, large egos, and a Rashomon-like recollection of who said what to whom more than 50 years ago. Staggs tells the real event on which "Eve" is based, and then traces its evolution from short story to film. (We later meet the "real" Eve Harrington, as Staggs turns sleuth). The book is juicy, but the prose is occasionally overripe: Drawing a flimsy parallel between the fire in his brother's film Citizen Kane, and the real fire that (much later) consumed a van filled with many of Joe Mankiewicz's belongings, Staggs writes: That final fire at Xanadu, and the later one that consumed the Mankiewicz moving fan, rhyme like a combustible couplet." Really now! Fortunately, such purple prose is rare. Staggs give you the dish on "the bitchiest movie ever made," but he also dwells like a scholar on technical aspects of the film, including lighting, costumes, script revisions, editing, casting decisions, and art direction, to name a few. There's an excellent section on the special meanings of the movie to some members of the gay subculture, and how it has influenced (and been influenced by) general culture as well ("Eve" was acted out in movie houses long before "The Rocky Horror Picture Show.") Again, Staggs makes a deft transition between "hi-brow" and "low-brow" culture and criticism, the former represented by his command of film semiotics, the latter by his references to "Hollywood Babylon" and porn films influenced by the movie. It's a fun and informative book, and I can't imagine any fan of the movie, or movies in general, not liking it. (But remember we're talking "fan" here). With 16 pages of black and white photos, an index, and sidebars (e.g., "No [sic] Innuendos Please-We're Anglo-Saxon" is a half-page box showing the lines cut by censors in Massachusetts and in Australia.) Highly recommended!
Rating: 
Summary: A Bumpy Read....and a Big Disappointment
Review: This padded, pretentious volume is the work of a breathless sycophant, not a scholar, critic or accomplished writer. Staggs overstates the importance of "All About Eve" (it's wonderful..but not the greatest film of all time), throws in meaningless asides and anecdotes (tons of stuff on Zsa Zsa Gabor)and wraps it all up in a campy voice that grates by the end of the first chapter. To be fair, there are two good chapters: one on the woman who served as the model for Eve Harrington, the other on the making of "Applause." Otherwise, this is miles below such "making of" books as the one on "Casablanca" by Aljean Harmetz or the one on "A Star is Born" by Ronald Haver. Finally, Staggs does a genuine disservice by trashing the out of print "More About All About Eve" by Joe Mankiewizc and Gary Carey. THAT book offers insight into the characters, revelations about the writing of the script, telling anecdotes about the actors...in short, all the things missing from Stagg's book. Anyone who loves "All About Eve" (and that's a lot of people) should forget Stagg's book and try to find a copy of the Mankiewicz/Carey volume. It's infintely superior...and only half the length!
Rating:
Summary: All the info you could possibly want...
Review: To put it simply, if you LOVE the film, ALL ABOUT EVE, you are going to love this book. If you're not gaga over the film, then this book has much more than you'll probably be interested in. Some chapters are what I bought the book for: true insight into the making of one of my favorite films. The history of the short story from which the film is based, and the chapter covering the creation of the stage version, APPLAUSE, are fascinating. The remainder of the book, however, contains much camp and personal opinion, more than fact. A different cup of tea for each individual reader. A mixed bag of style and content, but still a fun and worthwhile read. Bold, brassy and gossipy, written much in the style of the film it covers.
Rating:
Summary: All the info you could possibly want...
Review: To put it simply, if you LOVE the film, ALL ABOUT EVE, you are going to love this book. If you're not gaga over the film, then this book has much more than you'll probably be interested in. Some chapters are what I bought the book for: true insight into the making of one of my favorite films. The history of the short story from which the film is based, and the chapter covering the creation of the stage version, APPLAUSE, are fascinating. The remainder of the book, however, contains much camp and personal opinion, more than fact. A different cup of tea for each individual reader. A mixed bag of style and content, but still a fun and worthwhile read. Bold, brassy and gossipy, written much in the style of the film it covers.
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