Powerful performances
Now in its ninth year, the Chicago Outdoor Film Festival opened at 8:58 p.m. Tuesday in Chicago's Grant Park with the fun show biz behind-the-scenes 1950 film classic "All About Eve" starring an A-list roster of stars, including Bette Davis and Anne Baxter, who was born and reared in Michigan City, Ind.
After all these years, I've never made it to one of these events. So this season, I was determined to finally be a part of the fun.
Even though ailing Roger Ebert wasn't able to continue his opening-night tradition of kicking off the first film of the season by introducing Tuesday's movie, his columnist cohort from across the movie aisle Richard Roeper was there to do the honors.
The festival of free outdoor films continues next Tuesday with "The Odd Couple" (1968) starring Jack Lemon and Walter Matthau. Other movies featured this summer to watch under the stars include "The Blues Brothers" (1980) starring John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd (July 29), "The Day the Earth Stood Still" (1951) starring Patricia Neal and Michael Rennie (Aug. 5), "Touch of Evil" (1958) starring Charlton Heston, Orson Welles and Janet Leigh (on Aug. 12), "An Affair to Remember" (1957) starring Cary Grant and Deborah Kerr (Aug. 19) and, finally, "Grease" (1978) starring Olivia Newton-John and John Travolta (Aug. 26). All the films begin at "dusk," some time between 8 and 9 p.m. For exact times and more details, visit www.cityofchicago.org or call (312) 744-3315.
The event is subsidized by ComEd, the Mayor's Office of Special Events and the Chicago Park District. All films are screened at Butler Field in Grant Park.
Now back to "All About Eve" and a few of the fun details about the film and cast.
* Davis' over-the-top portrayal of her Broadway star character Margo Channing was said to be inspired by actress Tallulah Bankhead, who was less than pleased with the "tribute." Ironically, the accomplished stage and screen actress Bankhead's final performance before her death at age 66 in 1968 was playing the villainess "The Black Widow" on the campy 1960s series "Batman," a role that originally was intended for Davis. Equally ironic is that Davis also played in films, two great roles originated by Bankhead on Broadway: Judith Traherne in "Dark Victory" and Regina in Lillian Hellman's "The Little Foxes."
* On the subject of the series "Batman," two other cast members from "All About Eve," Baxter and waspy George Sanders also snagged coveted parts as villains (a pop culture status of celebs of the day) fighting against Adam West's TV caped crusader. Baxter played Olga, Queen of the Cossacks, and Sanders played the chilly Mr. Freeze.
* Though most of the principal cast members received Oscar nominations, Sanders was the only cast member of "All About Eve" to win an Oscar for his performance as a snide newspaper Broadway columnist. He also held the distinction of being married to and divorced from two of the famed Gabor Sisters, both Zsa Zsa and Magda. It's his snobby voice that you hear as the striped villain Shere Kahn the Tiger in Walt Disney's 1967 classic "The Jungle Book." He committed suicide in 1967 in his hotel suite in Barcelona, Spain, and his body was discovered two days later next to five empty vials of Nembutal and a note that read: "Dear World, I am leaving because I am bored. I feel I have lived long enough. I am leaving you with your worries in this sweet cesspool. Good luck."
* Marilyn Monroe appears in "All About Eve" in one of her first notable credited performances as an eager young actress with more beauty than talent.
* Actresses Baxter and Davis were reunited in 1972 at a ceremony when Davis was awarded a real Sarah Siddons Award (the same statuette her "All About Eve" character receives in the film).
* Davis joined the ranks of aging stars accepting TV roles in the 1980s when she agreed to star as Mrs. Laura Trent, owner of San Francisco's St. Gregory Hotel in the 1983 series Arthur Hailey's "Hotel." Davis fell ill and was hospitalized early into the show's first season and was replaced by Baxter, who took over the hotel as Victoria Cabot, Mrs. Trent's sister-in-law. Davis was not invited back when she recovered.
* The only surviving main cast member from "All About Eve" is sweet and wholesome actress Celeste Holm, who is 91. I've interviewed Holm a few times, and she's just as gracious in real life as her characters on the screen. In 2004, at age 87, she married 42-year-old opera singer Frank Basile, who is her fifth husband.
* Pretty and young actress Barbara Bates, who makes a short but memorable appearance in the final minutes of "All About Eve" as a young ingenue named Phoebe, committed suicide at age 43 in 1969 by carbon monoxide poisoning.
The opinions expressed are solely those of the writer. He can be reached at ppotempa@nwitimes.com or 219.852.4327.
celebBirthdays
TV personality Art Linkletter is 96. Comedian Phyllis Diller is 91. Actor Donald Sutherland and actress-singer Diahann Carroll are 73. Guitarist Spencer Davis of the Spencer Davis Group is 66. Actress Phyllis Davis ("Vegas") is 61. England's Duchess of Cornwall Camilla Parker Bowles is 60. Bassist Geezer Butler of Black Sabbath is 59. Actress P.J. Soles ("Halloween") is 58. Actress Lucie Arnaz is 57. Actor David Hasselhoff and bassist Fran Smith Jr. of The Hooters and singer Phoebe Snow are 56. TV producer Mark Burnett ("Survivor") is 48. Singer Regina Belle is 45. Bassist Lou Barlow (Dinosaur Jr., Sebadoh, Folk Implosion) and singer Guru of Gang Starr are 42. Christian singer Susan Ashton is 41. Actor Andre Royo ("The Wire") and actress Bitty Schram ("Monk") are 40. R&B singer JC of PM Dawn is 37. Rapper Sole' is 35. Country singer Luke
Bryan is 32.
