Not many actors could make an unscrupulous, vindictive cardsharp lovable. Then again, not every actor is Barbara Stanwyck, and she accomplishes this daunting task beautifully in "The Lady Eve". Jean Harrington (Stanwyck) and her father, the "Colonel" (James Coburn), are a daughter/father con artist team who prey on unwitting rich folks on cruise ships. On one such cruise, they meet their richest, most naive victim: Charles Pike (Henry Fonda), a hopelessly gullible reptile lover who's just spent a year in the Amazon. He's been far away from civilization... and from women, so imagine his stunned reaction when sexy, worldly Jean makes a pass at him. Jean initially just wants Charles's money, but she unexpectedly falls in love. Charles, however, finds out about Jean and her father's shady ways and unceremoniously dumps her. This really throws Jean for a loop: she's used to breaking hearts, not having her own broken. She's refuses to let some pampered rich boy permanently wound her pride, so she decides to exact her own unique revenge on the deserving Charles...
"The Lady Eve" is indeed a fine comedy, but I didn't quite love it as much as I thought I would. I think it's because, in the end, they completely de-claw Jean and have her throw herself back at Charles. I don't care what anyone says: there's no way a vibrant, feisty, independent woman like Jean would ever fall for an effete nincompoop like Charles. She may be a con artist, but that doesn't mean she shouldn't have standards! I thought Charles could have been written better; there's a huge difference between innocence and stupidity. I much preferred the relationship between Jean and her father. While hardly a good role model, he obviously loves his daughter and even supports her when she toys with the idea of going on the straight and narrow to win Charles.
Stanwyck owns this movie. Like Bette Davis, she was never a conventional, classic beauty, but it was her confidence, style, and way she carried herself that made her a knockout. Stanwyck also gets to don gorgeous Edith Head dresses, including that resplendent, sparkling white gown with cap sleeves (you have any idea how hard it is to carry off cap sleeves?) that she wears when she re-enters Charles's life.
So, in my humble opinion, the romance falls a little flat, but the comedy sure doesn't! To see Stanwyck at her most seductive and Henry Fonda at his most ridiculous, don't miss "The Lady Eve".
"The Lady Eve" is indeed a fine comedy, but I didn't quite love it as much as I thought I would. I think it's because, in the end, they completely de-claw Jean and have her throw herself back at Charles. I don't care what anyone says: there's no way a vibrant, feisty, independent woman like Jean would ever fall for an effete nincompoop like Charles. She may be a con artist, but that doesn't mean she shouldn't have standards! I thought Charles could have been written better; there's a huge difference between innocence and stupidity. I much preferred the relationship between Jean and her father. While hardly a good role model, he obviously loves his daughter and even supports her when she toys with the idea of going on the straight and narrow to win Charles.
Stanwyck owns this movie. Like Bette Davis, she was never a conventional, classic beauty, but it was her confidence, style, and way she carried herself that made her a knockout. Stanwyck also gets to don gorgeous Edith Head dresses, including that resplendent, sparkling white gown with cap sleeves (you have any idea how hard it is to carry off cap sleeves?) that she wears when she re-enters Charles's life.
So, in my humble opinion, the romance falls a little flat, but the comedy sure doesn't! To see Stanwyck at her most seductive and Henry Fonda at his most ridiculous, don't miss "The Lady Eve".