10 Crazy Facts You Need To Know About All This, And Heaven Too

All This, and Heaven Too is one of those classic Hollywood films that, for a variety of reasons, is not as appreciated today as it should be. Released in 1940, it starred Bette Davis and Charles Boyer, two of the most glamorous movie stars of that decade. It was released by Warner Bros., one of the most significant studios of Hollywood’s golden age.

There are actually some very fascinating things about the production of this film that every fan of classic Hollywood movies should know. Without further ado, here’s a look at 10 crazy facts about All This, and Heaven Too.

10 The Original Novel Is Based On A True Story

Like many films from old Hollywood, this one is based on a novel, written by Rachel Field. In fact, the main character of the story, Henriette Deluzy (the character played by Bette Davis) was Field’s great-aunt. In fact, the affair that is at the center of the story was one of the events that led to the famous French Revolution of 1848, which in turn led to the deposition of King Louis Philippe I.

9 The Director Was Born In What Is Now Ukraine

Though he is not now as famous as some of his contemporaries, the director Anatole Litvak actually worked with some of the biggest stars of classic Hollywood, including Olivia de Havilland and Ingrid Bergman. He was actually born in Ukraine (what was then known as the Russian Empire), but he found his greatest success as a filmmaker in the United States, though after World War II he mostly made films in Europe.

8 It Had A Higher Budget Than Was Normal For Warner Bros.

Among the giant studios of the classic Hollywood era, Warner Bros. was known for being one of the cheapest. They never spent a dollar where they didn’t have to, which meant that they largely focused on genres that would require a minimum of costumes.

That makes this film something of a departure for the studio, given how much needed to be invested in order to give it the period detail that the story required.

7 It Took A Long Time To Prepare Bette Davis

Given that this film is a period drama and that it stars none other than Bette Davis, it is perhaps a little unsurprising that it would take a significant amount of time to make sure that she was ready for the camera, and the audience, to see her. According to reports at the time, it took almost an hour for costuming, in part because of the meticulous attention to detail the designers had given to the various costumes that she had to wear.

6 Bette Davis Allegedly Had An Affair With The Director

Everyone knows one of the most enjoyable things about watching old movies is thinking about the many salacious details that were always swirling about Hollywood stars and their foibles. In this case, the rumor mill suggested that the star Bette Davis actually had an affair with the director, while he was married to Miriam Hopkins. The two actresses apparently hated each other, despite the fact that they starred in two films together.

5 The Film’s Running Time Was Slashed

Though the film as it currently exists runs for just under two and a half hours, the original cut was significantly longer, with over half an hour of additional material. Needless to say, the studio was more than a bit nervous about releasing such an extraordinarily long film, so significant portions were removed. Though it would be fascinating to know what was taken out, so far as is known there are no existing prints of that excised material.

4 The Actor Charles Boyer Committed Suicide, As Did His Character

In a case of life imitating art, the lead actor in the film, Charles Boyer, took his own life in a manner eerily reminiscent of that of his character in the film. In the film, his character takes his own life in order to protect the woman that he loves.

In real life, Boyer overdosed on barbiturates, very soon after his wife died of cancer. He was 78-years-old, just shy of his 79th birthday.

3 This Film Was The Only Time Barbara O’Neill Was Nominated For An Oscar

Barbara O’Neill is one of those actresses who seemed fated to be one of the lesser lights of the Hollywood firmament. Today she is probably best known for playing Scarlett O’Hara’s mother in the enormously successful Gone with the Wind, but she had appeared in a number of films before that, and would go on to be in several more. However, her role in this film was the only one for which she was nominated for an Academy Award.

2 Bette Davis Wasn’t Originally Supposed To Star

According to reports at the time, Bette Davis wasn’t supposed to be the star of this film. Instead, studio heads were looking at other actresses for the part, including both Helen Hayes and Miriam Hopkins (who was married to the director from 1937-1939). It’s rather fascinating to think about what this film would have looked like without Davis, and whether it would have achieved the remarkable level of success that it did (it was nominated for Best Picture).

1 The Film Featured A Record Number Of Sets

Though Warner Bros. as a studio was notoriously stingy with its production budgets, it could at times be persuaded that a film was worthy of more of an investment than others. That was clearly the case with this film, and in fact it would go on to have a record number of sets, with 67 altogether. Needless to say, the studio made much of this in its publicity for the film, in order to show that it was a prestige product worthy of viewers’ attention (and money).

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