20 Amazing Facts About All About Eve
11. The Film Is Based On A Short Story From Cosmopolitan
The credits may be given to Joseph L. Mankiewicz for the screenplay but it was not an original creation of his personally.
Written by Mary Orr, it was based on a short radio play called "The Wisdom of Eve" which was originally published in an issue of Cosmopolitan magazine (1946). Orr was inspired by the experience of Polish-born actress Elisabeth Bergner who had once befriended a dishonest young actress. And more recently, she claimed the “Eve Harrington” character was a combination of many young actresses she had met in her experiences.
There was a persistent rumour that Margo Channing was based on the real-life Tallulah Bankhead, but Orr insisted neither the story or film had anything to do with her. Bankhead still took great offence and reportedly said in a radio interview that the next time she saw Bette Davis, she would “tear every hair out of her moustache”.
Though sources are varied, 20th Century Fox paid Mary Orr up to $5000 for all the rights to “The Wisdom of Eve”.