yOU decide if they made the right decisions for the casting of "ALL ABOUT EVE"..I actually, think we wound up seeing the right cast in the film..but here is a list of ALL the stars considered for each role:

Karen Richards...(the role went to CELESTE HOLM)
NANCY DAVIS, ALEXIS SMITH, ANN SOTHERN, SHIRLEY BOOTH, PATRICIA NEAL, MARGARET SULLIVAN, RUTH WARRICK, JESSICA TANDY, BARBARA BEL GEDDES, ARLENE DAHL, JOAN FONTAINE.

Bill Sampson...(the role went to GARY MERRILL)
ROBERT CUMMINGS, WILLIAM HOLDEN, EDMOND O'BRIEN, ZACHARY SCOTT, GLENN FORD, RONALD REAGAN, MONTGOMERY CLIFT, ROBERT YOUNG.

Addison Dewitt...(the role went to GEORGE SANDERS)
JOSE FERRER, CLIFTON WEBB, CLAUDE RAINS, BASIL RATHBONE, CHARLES LAUGHTON, VINCENT PRICE, ADOLPH MENJOU.

Eve Harrington..(the role went to ANNE BAXTER)
JEANNE CRAIN, ANN BLYTH, ELIZABETH TAYLOR, JUNE ALLYSON, OLIVIA DE HAVILLAND, DONNA REED, MONA FREEMAN

Margo Channing...(the role went to BETTE DAVIS)
SUSAN HAYWARD, MARLENE DIETRICH, KATHARINE HEPBURN, GINGER ROGERS, GREER GARSON, JOAN FONTAINE, JOAN CRAWFORD, PAULETTE GODDARD, ROSALIND RUSSELL, HEDY LAMARR, GLORIA SWANSON, NORMA SHEARER.

Max Fabian...(the role went to GREGORY RATOFF)
EVERETT SLOANE, WALTER SLEZAK, FRED CLARK, GEORGE JESSELL, ZERO MOSTEL.

Small role of Miss Caswell..(went to MARILYN MONROE)
SHEREE NORTH, ZSA ZSA GABOR, BRABARA BRITTON, KARIN BOOTH, MARIE MACDONALD, JOI LANSING, ADELE JERGENS, MARILYN MAXWELL, MYRNA DELL, MARIAN MARSHALL, MARJORIE REYNOLDS, ARLENE WHELAN, ANGELA LANSBURY, GALE ROBBINS...(and this is only 'the ones' who went on to be seen/or big on screen. The list is actually a total of 26 women for this..one small role!)

Quite a..list..of BIG NAME STARS who were in the running for this wonderful film. SOOO did they finally get the 'right cast'?...I think they did!!

I think when an ensemble cast in a top movie virtually ' claim' roles and make them their own - it is hard afterwards to put someone else in their place. (Other than cases of complete miscasting, none of which apply here.)

That is an interesting list of other contenders and I think most of them would have done really well in the roles they were being considered for, but especially the Addison DeWitt part.

As mentioned, George Sanders was perfect for it and did it beautifully, but looking at the type of sophisticated, vitriolic, suave, urbane, clever, world-weary and cynical soul who was Addison, I also think that Vincent Price and Basil Rathbone would have been excellent.
Perhaps not quite as perfectly but nonetheless effectively, would have been Clifton Webb and Charles Laughton.

Kerry...I am with you, on the Addison Dewitt role on all four of those actors. Out of them...I would think 'the best' would have been..Vincent Price or Clifton Webb...but Laughton and Rathbone would have also been very well cast in this role.

Sanders is lucky to have been chosen, because I see 'this role' (the way it was written) had "OSCAR" written all over it and 'any' of these actors could have also have won the Supporting Oscar if they had been chosen. The 'role' screams...'oscar' from beginning to end!..