Fun Trivia : Arden, Eve

Structure Sub-topic of: Celebrities A-B Quizzes Interesting Questions, Facts and Information There are a total of 10 general entries.

Interesting Questions, Facts, and Information

Arden, Eve

In the 1950s, Eve Arden was best known for her role as the title schoolteacher in "Our Miss Brooks". What was her character's first name?

The Great Eve Arden!


Connie. It was short for Constance. She once pretended to be her twin sister "Bonnie" when she was caught moonlighting waiting tables. (She claimed it was short for "Bonstance".) "Our Miss Brooks" ran for four successful seasons. When the show started, Eve already had over FIFTY films to her credit.



Eve's first big break came with a 1937 film starring Katharine Hepburn and Ginger Rogers. It also featured fellow newcomers Lucille Ball and Ann Miller. What was the title of the film?

The Great Eve Arden!


Stage Door. The film was about a boarding house for young actors. Hepburn played a young woman born into privilege who takes up residence in the house in order to make it on her own. Eve played one of the boarders. Ann Miller was fourteen years old during filming.



After her big break, Eve Arden worked continuously in motion pictures, but rarely played the lead role. She did, however, earn an Oscar nomination for a 1945 supporting role. What was the film?

The Great Eve Arden!


Mildred Pierce. All four are film noir era classics, but Eve only appeared in "Mildred Pierce". She played the no-nonsense restaurant manager who gets Mildred into the business. Her co-star Ann Blyth was also nominated, but that year the award went to Anne Revere for her somber role as Velvet Brown's mother in the family classic, "National Velvet".



Eve Arden's next prominent role came in a film which starred Ava Gardner playing a statue that comes to life. What was the title of the film?

The Great Eve Arden!


One Touch of Venus. Eve played another of her many sarcastic supporting roles in this lighthearted film. The main character kisses the statue of the famed love goddess, and she falls in love with him! The premise was updated in 1987 with the film "Mannequin", which critics loathed, but audiences liked enough to warrant a sequel.



After her tenure as Miss Brooks was up, Eve Arden had her own short-lived series, "The Eve Arden Show". When that ended, she went back to film work playing a supporting role in a suspenseful courtroom drama directed by Otto Preminger. What was the title of that 1959 film?

The Great Eve Arden!


Anatomy of a Murder. Even in a serious film like this, Eve played a wisecracking assistant, providing much needed comic relief. Her character works for a dedicated lawyer who does a lot of pro bono work (and therefore owes her a lot of back pay), played by James Stewart. Stewart's task is to defend a young Ben Gazzara for murdering a man who assaulted his girlfriend (Lee Remick), even though he admits to killing him. The film received several Oscar nominations and has an avant garde poster which is still in print.



Eve slowed down a bit in the 1960s, but she did accept an offer from veteran TV producer Desi Arnaz to star in a sitcom with Kaye Ballard. Unfortunately, it only lasted two seasons. What was the name of the show?

The Great Eve Arden!


The Mothers-in-Law. As was common for well-established stars at the time, Eve and Kaye used their own first names as the title characters in this show. Arnaz himself appeared on the program, but that didn't help keep it going long enough to make it into syndicated reruns. The show ended in 1969. Eve's daughter was played by Deborah Walley, who was very popular in the early 1960's. (She took over the role of Gidget from Sandra Dee in the film's sequel.) Deborah died of cancer in 2001.



No quiz on Eve Arden would be complete without a question about "Grease"! Due to her flawless diction and previous success playing a teacher, Eve was offered the role of the school principal in the 1978 blockbuster musical. What was the principal's last name?

The Great Eve Arden!


McGee. The principal's name is given in the beginning when Sonny is warned by his fellow T-Birds that if he wasn't careful, he'd be spending all year serving detention in "McGee's office". She shows up and chastises him for "dawdling". He then mutters an Italian epithet and she sentences him to a week of banging erasers. Eve also appeared in the unsuccessful sequel, but she managed to surprise her "students" by showing up on the set as a blonde! The original character in the Broadway play is an older teacher named "Miss Lynch". (There was a male teacher in the film named Lynch. He's the one who almost catches Sonny spiking the punch at the dance.)



Shortly after making her comeback in films, Eve whote her autobiography, "The Three Phases of Eve". She died five years after it was published, at the age of 82. In what year did Eve pass away?

The Great Eve Arden!


1990. Eve died of cardiac arrest due to arteriosclerosis Novermber 12, 1990. She was buried beside her husband of thiry-one years, Brooks West. Her final television appearance was as a guest on "Falcon Crest" three years prior. (She also showed up on "Amazing Stories" in 1986.) For her unique line delivery and comic timing, she will be remembered by television and film buffs for generations to come. Thanks for playing!