Category Archives: 1937

Mr. Louis Louis: I don’t know what I’m gonna do, but I better start doin it.

Writer Preston Sturges includes all the elements in Easy Living that would make the films he directed in the 40’s such classics.

International banker J.B. Ball (Edward Arnold) is in a chronically bad mood.  It gets even worse when he discovers his wife has purchased a $58,000 sable coat.  He gets so mad he throws it off the roof.  The coat lands on working girl Mary Smith (Jean Arthur) ruining her hat.  When Mary tries to return the coat to Ball, he not only lets her keep it but buys her a new hat.  A series of people misunderstand their relationship, including eventually Ball’s son John (Ray Milland), who has fallen for Mary.  With a number of the character actors who would later appear in the Sturges stock company including Franklin Pangborn, Luis Alberni, and William Demerest.

Although this does not have quite the sparkle of the films Sturges directed, I enjoy it a lot. Jean Arthur is delightful and who would imagine Edward Arnold would be so accomplished at performing pratfalls.

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Jean Maitland: [to Linda Shaw as she is leaving for a dinner date] Don’t chew the bones and give yourself away!

I love me some snappy one liners and this movie about the residents at a women’s theatrical boarding house is full of them.  And what a cast!

Stage Door is not an extremely plot-driven movie but the central story concerns wealthy cultured newcomer Terry Randall (Katharine Hepburn) who moves into the Footlight Club where she is surrounded by hardened, struggling Broadway performers.  She shares a room with  wise-cracking Jean Maitland (Ginger Rogers).
Among the many colorful characters at the boarding house is serious actress Kay Hamilton (Andrea Leeds) who hasn’t worked in a year and is now going hungry while dreaming of being cast in a new play. There is a subplot about various girls’ adventures with womanizing producer Anthony Powell (Adolphe Menjou).  With Gail Patrick, Lucille Ball, Eve Arden, Constance Collier, and Ann Miller.

The plot summary above doesn’t sound too scintillating and it sort of descends into predictable melodrama at the end.  The interplay of the catty female characters is simply priceless, however.  These ladies were firing on all cylinders and apparently having a marvelous time.  I had a big smile on my face for most of the running time.  Warmly recommended.

Stage Door was nominated for Oscars for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Supporting Actress (Andrea Leeds), and Best Writing (Screenplay).

Clip – Hepburn and Rogers – new roommate