All About Eve that formed the basis for the film. Bette Davis played three roles on film that had been originated by Tallulah Bankhead — "Dark Victory", "Jezebel" and "The Little Foxes", much to Bankhead's chagrin. Bankhead and Davis were considered to be somewhat similar in style. Several decades later Davis called Channing "the essence of a Tallulah Bankhead kind of actress" in an interview with Barbara Walters. The production is notable in that Mary Orr, of "The Wisdom of Eve," played the role of Karen Richards. The cast also featured Alan Hewitt as Addison DeWitt (who narrated), Beatrice Pearson as Eve Harrington,
All About Eve award presentation. The film earned $2.9 million in box office receipts in the United States during its release. "All About Eve" received overwhelmingly positive reviews from critics upon its release on October 13, 1950 at a New York City premiere. The film's competitor, "Sunset Boulevard," released the same year, drew similar praise, and the two were often favorably compared. Film critic Bosley Crowther of "The New York Times" loved the film, stating that "a fine Darryl Zanuck production, excellent music and an air of ultra-class complete this superior satire." "Variety" called it "a literate, adult film" with "exceedingly well-cast performances,"