Eve Arden
- Acting
- April 30, 1908 · Mill Valley, California, USA
- November 12, 1990
Biography
Eve Arden (born Eunice Mary Quedens; April 30, 1908 – November 12, 1990) was an American film, radio, stage and television actress. Born just north of San Francisco in Mill Valley and was interested in show business from an early age. At 16, she made her stage debut after quitting school to joined a stock company. After appearing in minor roles in two films under her real name, Eunice Quedens, she found that the stage offered her the same minor roles. By the mid 30s, one of these minor roles would attract notice as a comedy sketch in the stage play "Ziegfeld Folies". By that time, she had changed her name to Eve Arden. In 1937, she attracted some attention with a small role in Oh, Doctor (1937) which led to her being cast in a minor role in the film Stage Door (1937). By the time the film was finished, her part had expanded into the wise-cracking, fast-talking friend to the lead. She would play virtually the character for most of her career. While her sophisticated wise-cracking would never make her the lead, she would be a busy actress in dozens of movies over the next dozen years. In At the Circus (1939), she was the acrobatic Peerless Pauline opposite Groucho Marx and the Russian sharp shooter in the comedy The Doughgirls (1944). For her role as Ida in Mildred Pierce (1945), she received an Academy Award nomination. Famous for her quick ripostes, this led to work in Radio during the 40s. In 1948, CBS Radio premiered "Our Miss Brooks", which would be the perfect show for her character. As her film career began to slow, CBS would take the popular radio show to television in 1952. The television series Our Miss Brooks (1952) would run through 1956 and led to he movie Our Miss Brooks (1956). When the show ended, she tried another television series, The Eve Arden Show (1957), but it was soon canceled. In the 60s, Eve raised a family and did a few guest roles, until her come-back television series The Mothers-In-Law (1967). This show, co-starring Kaye Ballard ran for two seasons. After that, she would make more unsold pilots, a couple of television movies and a few guest shots. She returned in occasional cameo appearances including the Principal McGee in Grease (1978), and Warden June in Pandemonium (1982), showing that she still had the wise-cracks and screen presence to bring back the fond memories of Miss Connie Brooks.
Known for
Filmography
- The Grease Story · Principal McGee (archive footage)
- Preminger: Anatomy of a Filmmaker · Maida Rutledge (archive footage) (uncredited)
- Looney Tunes 50th Anniversary · Self
- Amazing Stories · Jane's mother
- Cinderella · Stepmother
- Hollywood's Funniest All-Star Bloopers · Self
- Masquerade · Mrs. Woodman
- Alice in Wonderland · Queen of Hearts
- Faerie Tale Theatre · The Stepmother
- Grease 2 · Principal McGee
- Pandemonium · Warden June
- Falcon Crest · Lillian Nash
- Under the Rainbow · The Duchess
- The Dream Merchants · Coralee
- Hart to Hart · Sophie Green
- B. J. and the Bear · Mrs. Jarvis
- A Guide for the Married Woman · Employment Lady
- Flying High · Clarissa 'Wedgie' Wedge
- Vega$ · Sarah Bancroft
- Grease · Principal McGee
- The Love Boat · Brenda Watts
- Alice · Martha MacIntire
- Ellery Queen · Vera Bethune / Miss Aggie
- The Strongest Man in the World · Harriet
- Dinah! · Self
- The Dean Martin Celebrity Roasts · Self
- All My Darling Daughters · Miss Freeling, the Wedding Counselor
- A Very Missing Person · Hildegarde Withers
- Owen Marshall: Counselor at Law · Dr. Lucille Barras
- Great Performances · Queen of Hearts
- The Pet Set · Self
- In Name Only · Theda Reeson
- Love, American Style · Linda's Mom
- Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In · Self
- The Danny Thomas Hour · Thelda Cunningham
- The Mothers-in-Law · Eve Hubbard
- Laredo · Emma Bristow
- Run for Your Life · Mame Huston
- Sergeant Deadhead · Lieutenant Kinsey
- The Man from U.N.C.L.E. · Professor Lillian Stemmler
- Bewitched · Nurse Kelton
- Vacation Playhouse · Claudia Cooper
- The Merv Griffin Show · Self
- The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson · Self
- The Mike Douglas Show · Self
- My Three Sons · Marisa Montaine
- The Dark at the Top of the Stairs · Lottie Lacey
- Checkmate · Georgia Golden
- Startime · Self
- Anatomy of a Murder · Maida Rutledge
- The Eve Arden Show · Liza Hammond
- Tonight Starring Jack Paar · Eve Arden
- The Dinah Shore Chevy Show · Self
- The Tennessee Ernie Ford Show · Self
- Our Miss Brooks · Miss Constance 'Connie' Brooks
- Tony Awards · Self
- The George Gobel Show · Self
- The Lady Wants Mink · Gladys Jones
- Our Miss Brooks · Connie Brooks
- We're Not Married! · Katie Woodruff
- The Liberace Show · Self
- I Love Lucy · Eve Arden (uncredited)
- The Red Skelton Show · Clara Appleby, Miss Hoity
- Goodbye, My Fancy · Miss 'Woody' Woods
- Three Husbands · Lucille McCabe
- Tea for Two · Pauline Hastings
- The Costume Designer · Self
- Curtain Call at Cactus Creek · Lily Martin
- Paid in Full · Tommy Thompson
- What's My Line? · Self
- The Lady Takes a Sailor · Susan Wayne
- The Ed Wynn Show · Self
- My Dream Is Yours · Vivian Martin
- Whiplash · Chris Sherwood
- One Touch of Venus · Molly Stewart
- The Ed Sullivan Show · Self
- The Voice of the Turtle · Olive Lashbrooke
- The Unfaithful · Paula
- Song of Scheherazade · Madame de Talavera
- The Arnelo Affair · Vivian Delwyn