CINEFILER

Eve Arden

Born
April 30, 1908
Died
November 12, 1990
Eve was born just north of San Francisco in Mill Valley and was interested in show business from an early age. At 16, she made her stage debut after quitting school to joined a stock company. After appearing in minor roles in two films under her real name, Eunice Quedens, she found that the stage offered her the same minor roles. By the mid 30s, one of these minor roles would attract notice as a comedy sketch in the stage play "Ziegfeld Folies". By that time, she had changed her name to Eve Arden. In 1937, she attracted some attention with a small role in Oh, Doctor (1937) which led to her being cast in a minor role in the film Stage Door (1937). By the time the film was finished, her part had expanded into the wise-cracking, fast-talking friend to the lead. She would play virtually the character for most of her career. While her sophisticated wise-cracking would never make her the lead, she would be a busy actress in dozens of movies over the next dozen years. In At the Circus (1939), she was the acrobatic Peerless Pauline opposite Groucho Marx and the Russian sharp shooter in the comedy The Doughgirls (1944). For her role as Ida in Mildred Pierce (1945), she received an Academy Award nomination. Famous for her quick ripostes, this led to work in Radio during the 40s. In 1948, CBS Radio premiered "Our Miss Brooks", which would be the perfect show for her character. As her film career began to slow, CBS would take the popular radio show to television in 1952. The television series Our Miss Brooks (1952) would run through 1956 and led to he movie Our Miss Brooks (1956). When the show ended, she tried another television series, The Eve Arden Show (1957), but it was soon canceled. In the 60s, Eve raised a family and did a few guest roles, until her come-back television series The Mothers-In-Law (1967). This show, co-starring Kaye Ballard ran for two seasons. After that, she would make more unsold pilots, a couple of television movies and a few guest shots. She returned in occasional cameo appearances including the Principal McGee in Grease (1978), and Warden June in Pandemonium (1982), showing that she still had the wise-cracks and screen presence to bring back the fond memories of Miss Connie Brooks. Date of Death 12 November 1990 , Los Angeles, California  (cardiac arrest due to arteriosclerotic heart disease)
Known For
Grease
(1978)
Principal McGee
Grease 2
(1982)
Principal McGee
Anatomy of a Murder
(1959)
Maida Rutledge
Stage Door
(1937)
Eve
Mildred Pierce
(1945)
Ida Corwin
Ziegfeld Girl
(1941)
Patsy Dixon
At the Circus
(1939)
Peerless Pauline
The Strongest Man in the World
(1975)
Harriet
Cover Girl
(1944)
Cornelia 'Stonewall' Jackson
Dancing Lady
(1933)
Marcia (uncredited)
Night and Day
(1946)
Gabrielle
We're Not Married!
(1952)
Katie Woodruff
Comrade X
(1940)
Jane Wilson
The Unfaithful
(1947)
Paula
Under the Rainbow
(1981)
The Duchess
That Uncertain Feeling
(1941)
Sally Aikens
Full Filmography
Acting
Dancing Lady
(1933)
Marcia (uncredited)
Stage Door
(1937)
Eve
Oh, Doctor
(1937)
Shirley Truman
Having Wonderful Time
(1938)
Henrietta
Letter of Introduction
(1938)
Cora Phelps
Cocoanut Grove
(1938)
Sophie De Lemma
At the Circus
(1939)
Peerless Pauline
Eternally Yours
(1939)
Gloria
Slightly Honorable
(1939)
Miss Ater
Women in the Wind
(1939)
Kit Campbell
A Child Is Born
(1939)
Miss Pinty
Big Town Czar
(1939)
Susan Warren
The Forgotten Woman
(1939)
Carrie Ashburn
Comrade X
(1940)
Jane Wilson
She Couldn't Say No
(1940)
Alice Hinsdale
No, No, Nanette
(1940)
Kitty
Manpower
(1941)
Dolly
That Uncertain Feeling
(1941)
Sally Aikens
Bedtime Story
(1941)
Virginia Cole
Whistling in the Dark
(1941)
'Buzz' Baker
San Antonio Rose
(1941)
Gabby Trent
Ziegfeld Girl
(1941)
Patsy Dixon
She Knew All the Answers
(1941)
Sally Long
Sing for Your Supper
(1941)
Barbara Stevens
Last of the Duanes
(1941)
Kate
Obliging Young Lady
(1942)
'Space' OShea, aka Suwanee Rivers
Hit Parade of 1943
(1943)
Belinda Wright
Let's Face It
(1943)
Maggie Watson
Cover Girl
(1944)
Cornelia 'Stonewall' Jackson
The Doughgirls
(1944)
Sgt. Natalia Moskoroff
Mildred Pierce
(1945)
Ida Corwin
Patrick the Great
(1945)
Jean Matthews
Pan-Americana
(1945)
Helen 'Hoppy' Hopkins
Earl Carroll Vanities
(1945)
Tex Donnelly
Night and Day
(1946)
Gabrielle
My Reputation
(1946)
Ginna Abbott
The Kid from Brooklyn
(1946)
Ann Westly
Blow-Ups of 1946
(1946)
Self
The Arnelo Affair
(1947)
Vivian Delwyn
The Unfaithful
(1947)
Paula
The Voice of the Turtle
(1947)
Olive Lashbrooke
Song of Scheherazade
(1947)
Madame de Talavera
One Touch of Venus
(1948)
Molly Stewart
Whiplash
(1948)
Chris Sherwood
My Dream Is Yours
(1949)
Vivian Martin
The Lady Takes a Sailor
(1949)
Susan Wayne
Tea for Two
(1950)
Pauline Hastings
Paid in Full
(1950)
Tommy Thompson
Three Husbands
(1950)
Lucille McCabe
Curtain Call at Cactus Creek
(1950)
Lily Martin
The Costume Designer
(1950)
Self (archive footage)
Goodbye, My Fancy
(1951)
Miss 'Woody' Woods
We're Not Married!
(1952)
Katie Woodruff
The Lady Wants Mink
(1953)
Gladys Jones
Our Miss Brooks
(1956)
Miss Constance 'Connie' Brooks
Anatomy of a Murder
(1959)
Maida Rutledge
The Dark at the Top of the Stairs
(1960)
Lottie Lacey
Sergeant Deadhead
(1965)
Lieutenant Kinsey
In Name Only
(1969)
Aunt Theda Reeson
All My Darling Daughters
(1972)
Miss Freeling, the Wedding Counselor
A Very Missing Person
(1972)
Hildegarde Withers
The Strongest Man in the World
(1975)
Harriet
Grease
(1978)
Principal McGee
A Guide for the Married Woman
(1978)
Employment Lady
Under the Rainbow
(1981)
The Duchess
Grease 2
(1982)
Principal McGee
Pandemonium
(1982)
Warden June
Alice in Wonderland
(1983)
Queen of Hearts
Cinderella
(1985)
Stepmother
Hollywood's Funniest All-Star Bloopers
(1985)
Self (archive footage)
Bugs Bunny/Looney Tunes All-Star 50th Anniversary
(1986)
Self
Preminger: Anatomy of a Filmmaker
(1991)
Maida Rutledge (archive footage) (uncredited)
The Grease Story
(2017)
Principal McGee
Data provided by TMDB