The Lady Eve

In this sparkling screwball comedy, Barbara Stanwyck plays Jean, a cunning card shark who sets her sights on wealthy but gullible Charles Pike, played by Henry Fonda, aboard a transatlantic cruise. After their romance sours, Jean reinvents herself as the aristocratic Lady Eve to win back his heart and exact her revenge. Directed by Preston Sturges, the film is a masterclass in wit, physical comedy, and romantic chaos.

• Barbara Stanwyck performed most of her own physical comedy stunts.
• Preston Sturges wrote the screenplay in just a few weeks.
• Henry Fonda was initially reluctant to do broad comedy.
• The film was a massive box office hit in 1941.
• Stanwyck's wardrobe featured over a dozen stunning costume changes.

• The best man I ever met is a no-good thief.
• I need him like the axe needs the turkey.
• They're all snakes. The nicest thing I can say.
• Let us be crooked, but never common.
• You're not the same person who got on this boat.