Barbara White Movies
Based on the story The Wisdom of Eve by Mary Orr, All About Eve is an elegantly bitchy backstage story revolving around aspiring actress Eve Harrington (Anne Baxter). Tattered and forlorn, Eve shows up in the dressing room of Broadway mega-star Margo Channing (Bette Davis), weaving a melancholy life story to Margo and her friends. Taking pity on the girl, Margo takes Eve as her personal assistant. Before long, it becomes apparent that naïve Eve is a Machiavellian conniver who cold-bloodedly uses Margo, her director Bill Sampson (Gary Merill), Lloyd's wife Karen (Celeste Holm), and waspish critic Addison De Witt (George Sanders) to rise to the top of the theatrical heap. Also appearing in All About Eve is Marilyn Monroe, introduced by Addison De Witt as "a graduate of the Copacabana school of dramatic art." This is but one of the hundreds of unforgettable lines penned by writer/director Joseph L. Mankiewicz, the most famous of which is Margo Channing's lip-sneering admonition, "Fasten your seat belts. It's going to be a bumpy night." All About Eve received 6 Academy Awards, including Best Picture. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bette Davis, Anne Baxter, (more)
- 1949
In this drama a power-mad psycho woman vents her frustration by being cruel and abusive to her family. Because she disapproves of her daughter's marriage to a doctor, the wicked mother destroys the marriage. She tires of her husband and poisons him so she can get a new one. The only one she leaves alone is her darling son, a renowned medical researcher. When he wises up to her evil ways, he calls the cops. In the end the woman is convicted and sent to an asylum for the criminally insane. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sonia Dresdel, Walter Fitzgerald, (more)
- 1947
Director Anthony Asquith's first postwar effort, While the Sun Shines was based on a play by frequent Asquith collaborator Terence Rattigan. Set in WW2 London, the story revolves around Lady Elizabeth Randall (Barbara White), who is serving her country as an Air Force corporal. While en route to her marriage to the Earl of Harpenden (Ronald Howard, in his screen debut), Lady Elizabeth is wooed a French expatriate named Colbert (Michael Allen) and American lieutenant Joe Mulvaney (the inevitable Bonar Colleano). The resulting series of sexual misunderstandings puts Lady Elizabeth's military career-not to mention her impending marriage-in dire jeopardy. A harmless romantic farce, While the Sun Shines is generally out of favor with Anthony Asquith's many adherents. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Barbara White, Ronald Squire, (more)
- 1947
London psychiatrist Burgess Meredith takes on the case of schizophrenic ex-POW Kieron Moore. So long as Meredith is diligent in his approach, Moore shows signs of improvement, and a lessening of his more violent tendencies. But the moment Meredith takes too much for granted, Moore goes off the deep end, murdering his wife and committing suicide. Brought up on malpractice charges, Meredith is saved by the testimony of his loyal physician-friend John Laurie, though for a time the psychiatrist's own mental condition is as fragile as that of his late patient. While Burgess Meredith was fond of noting that he had to leave Hollywood for England to find a worthwhile film role, Mine Own Executioner suffered from a bout of Hollywood-style interference in delineating the shady background of its protagonist, which might have clarified several confusing plot points. Still, the film has a lot of "guts," especially for a late-1940s effort. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Burgess Meredith, Dulcie Gray, (more)
- 1945
The week-end in question is anything but quiet for the protagonists in this witty British comedy. Derek Farr stars as Denys Royd, who joins a group of relatives for a weekend hunting party. Upon arriving at their cottage, Royd and company discover that the shelter has literally none of the necessary comforts: doorways are too low to be entered without causing damage to the forehead, the plumbing is virtually nonexistent, etc. Even worse, the Jacobean hunting restrictions in the region forces the family to resort to poaching. And as if this isn't enough, the recently married Royd can't seem to shake irksome distant cousin Miranda Rute (Barbara White), who harbors a crush on him. Quiet Week-End was based on a play by Esther McCracken, who'd penned the earlier Derek Farr vehicle A Quiet Wedding. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Derek Farr, Frank Cellier, (more)
- 1945
In this crime drama two brothers in the IRA become rivals when they fall in love with the same woman--their adopted step-sister. When one of the two needs to flee Ireland, the other is more than happy to oblige so he can have the girl to himself. Unfortunately, the conniving brother accidentally kills a constable during a smuggling and then tries to frame the brother planning to leave. Fortunately, by the end, the bad brother is caught and is forced to confess. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1944
The inspiration for this British seriocomedy was Victor Skutezky's stage play She Met Him One Sunday. "She" is Moya Malone (Barbara White), an Irish maid living in Liverpool. "He" is Tom Stevens (Robert Beatty), a Canadian sailor. That "one Sunday" is a busy one, encompassing a few romantic strolls down the dock, Moya's renouncing of her servant status, and a run-in with crooks. Playwright Skutezky also served as producer of It Happened One Sunday. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robert Beatty, Barbara White, (more)
