Queen Bee (1955): Cast & Plot
Queen Bee is a 1955 drama directed by Ranald MacDougall, starring Joan Crawford as Eva Phillips, Barry Sullivan and Betsy Palmer. It runs 1 hour 35 minutes.
- Released
- Runtime
- 1h 35m (95 min)
- Director
- Ranald MacDougall
- Genre
- Drama
- Original language
-
English - Studio
- Columbia Pictures
- After the credits
- No No extra scene
What Is Queen Bee About?
The premise of Queen Bee without spoilers. The whole story is in the plot summary further down.
She oscillates between dazzling charm and wickedness. A scheming Southern woman, trapped in a marriage with a husband who loaths her, pretends kindness to manipulate those around her. When her sister‑in‑law becomes engaged to her former lover and her husband starts an affair with a New‑York cousin, her plans unravel, prompting a cold ruthless revenge.
Queen Bee Themes & Keywords
· 50 tags- feature film directorial debut
- cowritten by director
- based on the novel of the same name
- title co written by female
- sexual melodrama
- two word title
- lumber mill
- alcohol abuse
- marital infidelity
- jealous woman
- equestrian
- unfaithful wife
+38 more Show fewer
- lumber company owner
- business manager
- personal assistant
- stable
- nanny
- murder suicide
- fatal car crash
- car driven off a cliff
- premonition of death
- henpecked husband
- finding a dead body
- children
- drunkenness
- eavesdropping
- friendship
- party
- rainstorm
- manipulative woman
- southern mansion
- butler
- pre adolescent
- black servant
- neglected wife
- facial scar
- rifle
- revolver
- euthanasia of dog
- mercy killing
- gunshot
- writing with finger in steam
- naive woman
- extortion threat
- packing a suitcase
- car on fire
- death of wife
- widower
- love interest
- self sacrifice
Queen Bee Cast & Characters
Joan Crawford leads the cast as Eva Phillips, with Barry Sullivan as Avery "Beauty" Phillips and Betsy Palmer as Carol Lee Phillips. Directed by Ranald MacDougall; 14 actors are credited in all.
- Director Ranald MacDougall
-
Joan Crawford as Eva Phillips -
Barry Sullivan as Avery "Beauty" Phillips - Betsy Palmer as Carol Lee Phillips
- Linda Bennett as Trissa Phillips
Also Starring in Queen Bee
· 10 more- Lucy Marlow Jennifer Stewart
- John Ireland Judson Prentiss
- Fay Wray Sue McKinnon
- William Leslie Ty McKinnon
- Katherine Anderson Miss Breen
- Bill Walker Sam
- Olan Soule Dr. Pearson
- Willa Pearl Curtis Miss George
- Robert McCord Man
- Tim Hovey Ted Phillips
More from Ranald MacDougall
More films directed by Ranald MacDougall: The Cockeyed Cowboys of Calico County, Go Naked in the World, The Subterraneans and The World, the Flesh and the Devil.
Queen Bee Plot Summary
What happens in Queen Bee from start to finish, spoilers included, with a timeline of 14 key events. The opening is below; the full summary is a 3-minute read.
Spoilers ahead
Eva Phillips, Joan Crawford, dominates her Georgia mansion and her facially scarred husband Avery, Barry Sullivan a hard-edged alcoholic mill-owner who harbors a deep dislike for her. A cousin, Jennifer Stewart, Lucy Marlow, is pressed into moving in with the family, and she watches with growing unease as Eva maneuvers to derail the marriage of Avery’s sister Carol, Betsy Palmer, to Avery’s practical business manager, Judson Prentiss, John Ireland, who had once been entangled with Eva. Jennifer soon learns that Eva had actually stolen Avery away from a house guest, Sue McKinnon, Fay Wray, who has been mentally unsettled ever since.
Full summary
The whole story of Queen Bee, scene by scene
Queen Bee Trailers & Videos
The trailer of Queen Bee.
How Well Do You Know Queen Bee?
10 questions about the story, each with a hint if you get stuck. Pick an answer to see whether you were right.
Question 1 of 10
- Question 1: not answered
- Question 2: not answered
- Question 3: not answered
- Question 4: not answered
- Question 5: not answered
- Question 6: not answered
- Question 7: not answered
- Question 8: not answered
- Question 9: not answered
- Question 10: not answered
Which actress portrayed Eva Phillips, the dominant matriarch of the Phillips household?
Cars in Queen Bee
4 cars on screen, including the 1954 Mercury Custom and the 1950 Ford De Luxe.
-
1954 Mercury Custom Important role -
1950 Ford De Luxe Minor role -
1955 Lincoln Capri Minor role -
1952 Plymouth Cambridge Minor role
Seen Queen Bee?
Movies Like Queen Bee
Films with a similar story, tone or audience, including Queen Bees, Queen Bee and A Bee in August.
Queen Bee FAQ: Cast, Runtime & Release Date
Runtime, release date, director, cast and post-credit scenes of Queen Bee, each answered in a sentence.
How long is Queen Bee?
Queen Bee runs 1 hour 35 minutes (95 minutes).
When was Queen Bee released?
Queen Bee was released on November 7, 1955.
Who directed Queen Bee?
Queen Bee was directed by Ranald MacDougall.
More films by Ranald MacDougall Who is in the cast of Queen Bee?
Queen Bee stars Joan Crawford as Eva Phillips, Barry Sullivan as Avery "Beauty" Phillips and Betsy Palmer as Carol Lee Phillips, among 14 credited actors.
Does Queen Bee have a post-credit scene?
No. Queen Bee has no extra scene during or after the credits.
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