Based on the story "The Wisdom of Eve" by Mary Orr, All About Eve is an elegantly bitchy backstage story revolving around aspiring actress Eve Harrington (Anne Baxter). Tattered and forlorn, Eve shows up in the dressing room of Broadway mega-star Margo Channing (Bette Davis), weaving a melancholy life story to Margo and her friends. Taking pity on the girl, Margo takes Eve under her wing and tries to help her get ahead in show business. Before long, it becomes apparent that naïve Eve is a Machiavellian conniver who cold-bloodedly uses Margo, her director Lloyd Richards (Hugh Marlowe), Lloyd's wife Karen (Celeste Holm), and waspish critic Addison De Witt (George Sanders) to rise to the top of the theatrical heap. Margo removes herself from these intrigues early on by retiring from the stage in favor of marriage with faithful Bill Sampson (Gary Merrill). Eve achieves her goal, but at the price of becoming the mistress of Addison De Witt, who has seen through her charade from the beginning. In the film's pungent climax, Eve, fresh from winning the coveted Sarah Siddons award, finds a breathless young fan (Barbara Bates) in her dressing room. Flattered by the fan's attention, Eve allows the girl to stick around for awhile; when Eve leaves the room, the girl picks up the award... and, with a familiar glint in her eye, poses before a mirror, acknowledging imaginary applause. Also appearing in All About Eve is Marilyn Monroe as a so-called actress, introduced by Addison De Witt as "a graduate of the Copacabana school of dramatic art." This is but one of the hundreds of unforgettable lines penned by writer/director Joseph L. Mankiewicz, the most famous of which is Margo Channing's lip-sneering admonition, "Fasten your seat belts, folks. It's going to be a bumpy night." All About Eve received 6 Academy Awards, including Best Picture, and still co-holds the record (14, shared with Titanic) for the most nominations.