Topic 78: Understudies

Carol:

And the Award Goes To

Anne Baxter in All About Eve

When they see today’s topic #78, most men and women of a certain age (i.e. my age) would immediately think of the most famous understudy of all, Eve Harrington. In 1950’s Academy Award-winning All About Eve, Anne Baxter portrays a young, ambitious actress-in-waiting who insinuates herself into the life and career of aging Margo Channing, played by Bette Davis. The film garnered Academy Award nominations for Best Actress   for both women although they were upstaged by a Hollywood newcomer named Judy Holliday. (source: Independent Movie Data Base).
 
All About Eve did win the Oscar for Best Picture, and part of the power of the film is in the growing realization that Eve’s strongest role is the naïve, ingratiating “My Biggest Fan” who successfully masks her calculating climb to success until it is too late.  Several themes play out here, all of them familiar cultural myths. 

One theme is the story of “The Little Engine That Could,” the tenderfoot who takes over in crisis and finds heroic stature in the process. I can hear the dialogue now:

Older (Doctor, Lawyer, Actor, General): Sorry, my boy, I can’t (operate, argue the case, go on stage, lead the charge). I am too (far away, drunk, sick, wounded).

Younger (intern, student, understudy, corporal): Omigod, how can I possibly do this. I’m too (inexperienced, young, scared, weak). But, I’ll have to do it.

Older….. you can do it, boy. There’s no one else

Audience:  you can do it, kid. Get out there.

Younger… I think I can, I think I can, I think I can, I know I can.

Of course, the understudy saves the day after a few nail-biting twists and turns, the Little Engine has delivered the toys safely over the mountain, the Intern has completed the delicate heart surgery, the law clerk has won the Supreme Court Case, Mr. Smith has conquered Washington, etc. 

But, we cherish another theme, the “Fight Fair” ethic. We root for the underdogs, love the tenderfoots, applaud the understudies, but we want them to make their way to the top through courage, determination and heroic behavior. So, there is a kind of tipping point. We want Eve to make it into the limelight, to save the day when Margo can’t go on, but she has to do it through luck and talent, not machinations. One of the great tensions of All About Eve is the audience’s rising awareness of the diabolic Eve behind the innocent Eve. So, we feel an increasing sense of dread and loss of sympathy as Eve’s dark intentions become more transparent.

The final satisfaction of the film is the theme of “just deserts, “sweet revenge,” “what goes around comes around, “or “kharmic justice,” depending on the audience’s age. Eve’s ascendancy to the spotlight is threatened, not only by blackmail but by the arrival of Phoebe, who promises to be Eve’s own wannabe “My Biggest Fan.” 

Vincent Kartheiser as Pete Campbell in Mad Men

Okay, so maybe I have reached too far back in filmic history to find the world’s best understudy. Here’s one for you. His name is Pete, looks good in a suit, can sell Clearasil to a gecko and is just standing in the wings…no, he’s standing in the office doorway, waiting for Don Draper to make a mistake. In a world of Mad Men ad men Pete Campbell is Eve’s  heir to the crown of Understudy Upstart.
 







Sources:  
All About Eve. Independent Movie Databse. 
Photo credits to Wikimedia
Except for Pete Campbell

Megan:

Jesus was an Understudy

The other day I watched Jesus Christ Superstar, which is my favorite religious musical/movie. You may ask yourself how many religious musicals can there be? Lots. Actually, I can only think of two others – Godspell and Joseph and the Technicolor Dreamcoat. Of those, I have only seen the former so maybe I should restrict my opinion until I have seen them all. It’s just… there’s something about Donny Osmond that I cannot stand.

I’m sure it was my mother who introduced me to Superstar, but I also remember long lectures from my father about the meaning of the lyrics in "I Don’t Know How to Love Him," which involved analysis of drug references and whether or not Mary Magdalene was a prostitute. I was also fascinated with the idea of Judas as a sympathetic character, something we were not taught at Catholic school.

Although the plot is an interesting take on the biblical version, the greatest thing about it is the music.  My favorites are “Everything’s All Right” and “Gethsemene” but I know the lyrics to every song, and I had elaborate fantasies about playing the role of Mary on stage, even though I have never actually been interested in drama or acting. And even now, if I picture Jesus in my head, I see Ted Neely.

When I was a teenager, my mother got us tickets to see Ted Neely reprise his role on stage for the 20th anniversary special. We had excellent seats up close and I could see every line and wrinkle in his face, but somehow that didn’t distract me. His voice was different, slightly deeper, but his performance of “Gethsemene” made me cry. My parents have taken me to many plays, but this production is among my favorites.

I just paused in writing this to ask my mother if she’s also writing about Jesus Christ Superstar. She said, “No. And I’m curious what that has to do with Understudies.”
Oh right… time to get to the point. I looked up Understudy in Wikipedia to see if there were any famous examples, and the entry included three: Anthony Hopkins replaced Laurence Olivier in The Dance of Death, 1967; Edward Bennett replaced David Tennant in Hamlet in 2008; and Ted Neely was not the original Jesus.

Originally, Mr. Neely auditioned for the role of Judas, but instead was cast as a chorus member and the understudy for Jeff Fenholt, who originated the role of Jesus on Broadway. In 1971, Ted Neely replaced Mr. Fenholt for the Los Angeles production after receiving a standing ovation for one of the times he substituted.  That opportunity led him to star in the film, and then thousands of performances for the revival in the 90’s.  Although Ted Neely has done a number of other shows and projects in his career, Jesus Christ Superstar made him famous but most people probably don’t realize he started out as an understudy.