The Lady Eve

"When you deal a fast shuffle, love is in the cards."

1941 1h 37m EN

👍

7.3

SOLID

★7.3TMDB · 415

ComedyRomance

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

It's no accident when wealthy Charles falls for Jean. Jean is a con artist with her sights set on Charles' fortune. Matters complicate when Jean starts falling for her mark. When Charles suspects Jean is a gold digger, he dumps her. Jean, fixated on revenge and still pining for the millionaire, devises a plan to get back in Charles' life. With love and payback on her mind, she re-introduces herself to Charles, this time as an aristocrat named Lady Eve Sidwich.

“When you deal a fast shuffle, love is in the cards.”

WhatsApp X Facebook Telegram

Where to watch · US

YouTube TVSubscription

Amazon VideoRent

Apple TV StoreRent

Google Play MoviesRent

Google Play MoviesBuy

YouTubeBuy

Fandango At HomeBuy

Cast

Barbara Stanwyck
Jean Harrington
Henry Fonda
Charles Pike
Charles Coburn
'Colonel' Harrington
Eugene Pallette
Horace Pike
William Demarest
Muggsy
Eric Blore
Sir Alfred McGlennan Keith
Melville Cooper
Gerald
Martha O'Driscoll
Martha

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Preston Sturges
Writers: Preston Sturges, Monckton Hoffe
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 7

MONEY

Did you know

Shot for just $0.7M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 7

ERA

Did you know

85 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Preston Sturges, shot by Victor Milner. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Stuart Gilmore shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 7

CAST

Did you know

Barbara Stanwyck and Henry Fonda and Charles Coburn carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 7

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "When you deal a fast shuffle, love is in the cards.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 7

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0033804 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Preston Sturges directs. Victor Milner behind the camera. Stuart Gilmore cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Shot for just $0.7M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.
285 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
3Directed by Preston Sturges, shot by Victor Milner. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Editor Stuart Gilmore shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
5Barbara Stanwyck and Henry Fonda and Charles Coburn carry the top of the cast.
6Marketing tagline: "When you deal a fast shuffle, love is in the cards.".
7IMDB entry: tt0033804 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
8Classified under 17 themes, including "daughter", "ship", "snake", "gambling".
9Released under 10 different titles around the world.

The technical file

Cinematography: Victor Milner
Editing: Stuart Gilmore
Costume design: Edith Head
Makeup / hair: Wally Westmore
Runtime: 97 min · 1h 37m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $660,000
Original language: EN
IMDB: The Lady Eve (1941)

Awards

National Board of Review: Top Ten Films

Individual records documented via Wikidata; the summary above may count more.

Also by

Preston Sturges

Stills · wallpapers

Selected frames

Full-resolution frames — open one to save it as a wallpaper.

Wallpaper

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

CinemaSerf2025-07-11
★ 7/10
Barbara Stanwyck is on great form in this slightly far-fetched caper, but it’s really a strong supporting cast which includes co-star Henry Fonda and Charles Coburn that add together to make this an enjoyable romp through the courting process tempered with some double-identities and a deck with five aces. She is travelling with her father (Coburn) and both are sought by the authorities for being accomplished confidence tricksters. Their mark on this particular voyage is the ridiculously wealthy “Pike” (Fonda) whom she strings along merrily whilst they fleece him at cards. Then something entirely unexpected happens. She falls for the man. His innocence and naivety strike a chord and she even begins to rebel against her father! Luckily, for “Pike”, he is tipped off just in time and manage to escape her venal clutches - or so he thinks. “Jean” (Stanwyck) is determined on an unique sort of revenge which sees her adopt the identity of a visiting British aristocrat (“Lady Eve”) and visit her uncle who just happens to be in the same social circle as you know who. Surely he will recognise her? He can’t be that gullible? Though it’s not so obvious at the start, there develops an entertaining chemistry between Stanwyck and the rarely upright and constantly flustered Fonda who seems to be able to trip over just about anything and everything! Of course, there isn’t really a great deal of jeopardy as the plot thickens, but with Coburn holding a steady course and both Eugene Palette and Eric Blore - this time not the butler - having a decent amount of the latter play, this is an enjoyably eccentric look at greed tinged with love. Or is that the other way around?

Production companies