Actress Eve Arden was a Hot Ticket in Her Day

Her real name was Eunice M. Quedens. She appeared in two movies under that name, "Song of Love" (1929) and "Dancing Lady" (1933). The name change came from a producer's urging and Elizabeth Arden cold cream and Evening in Paris cosmetics.

After appearing in "Stage Door" (1937), Arden became known as a witty supporting character: the character who doesn't get the man but gets the best lines.

Her comedic timing led her to portray the wise-cracking sidekick to Joan Crawford in "Mildred Pierce" (1945), a role for which she was nominated for an Academy Award as Best Supporting Actress.

During the filming of "Anatomy of a Murder" (1959), Arden met her future husband, Brooks West. The couple had four children, three of whom were adopted.

Arden had a natural talent for comedy and radio was an excellent venue for her performances. She was a regular on Danny Kay's radio variety show. This led to her playing the lead role in the radio version of "Our Miss Brooks." When television came along, the show made an easy transition and became very popular in the fifties.

Arden portrayed school teacher Connie Brooks who was always butting heads with school principal, Osgood Conklin, portrayed by Gale Gordon who would later portray Lucille Ball's boss on her shows.

The character of Connie Brooks was so popular that Arden was made an honorary member of the National Education Association and received an award from the Teachers College of Connecticut's Alumni Association. So believable was Arden's portrayal of a teacher that she even received offers for teaching jobs.

Arden also took on the title roles in "Hello, Dolly!" and "Auntie Mame" onstage.

Arden made a thirty-second cameo appearance on the "I Love Lucy" show as well as appearing as a mystery guest on the fifties game show "What's My Line?"

In 1967, Arden starred in another sitcom alongside fellow comedienne Kaye Ballard, "The Mothers-in-Law." It ran for two years and was produced by Desi Arnaz.

But her portrayal of Principal McGee in "Grease" (1978) and "Grease 2" (1982) introduce her to a whole new generation of moviegoers. She made appearances on "Falcon Crest" and other shows after her Grease performance.

Her biography "The Three Phases of Eve" (St. Martin's Press, 1985) was discreet regarding Arden's co-stars.

Arden has two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. One, for her work in television, is located at 6714 Hollywood Boulevard. The other, for her work in radio, is at 6329 Hollywood Boulevard. She was inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame in 1995.

Arden passed away November 12, 1990 at the age of 82.

Sources:

Internet Movie Database
All Movie