Review of The Lady Eve (1941) by Adrian B — 12 Jul 2011

In my opinion, Preston Sturges' "The Lady Eve" gets away with murder, even though that is not committed here. Henry Fonda plays the son of a wealthy ale company descendent (Eugene Pallette), who is on a return cruise from South America, only to run into a luring black haired lady (Barbara Stanwyck). She begins to follow him, along with her father (Charles Coburn), for her love. The father however has other motives, since they are a team of card sharks that swindle others into playing various games and racking up armloads of cash and assets in the process. Unfortunately, for her, Fonda stumbles onto their scheme, even though she did not want to rob him, and then rejects her. As a result, Stanwyck comes back as "The Lady Eve," a heiress from a country of unknown, so she can gain revenge on Fonda's character.

The reason this film gets away with murder is the fact that Stanwyck persuades Fonda's character she is two different people...and he falls into the trap! Comedies from the 1940's have a tendency to lose their appeal over time, but thanks to marvelous chemistry between the leads, beautiful dialogue, and unexpected slapstick, this film is, literally, a breath of fresh air. All cast members are very good, but Stanwyck steals the show. Fonda does well, considering the previous year, he acted in the classic tear jerker, "The Grapes of Wrath." Those who know the films from the 1941 know that the famed, well regarded films of "Citizen Kane" and "The Maltese Falcon" were released, but my favourite of that year is "The Lady Eve.".