Easy Living
Directed by Mitchell Leisen
Written by Preston Sturges and Vera Caspary
1937/USA
Paramount Pictures
Repeat viewing
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.
Clip
Very dated milieu but the cast do well and rescue this from the scrap-pile. IMO not hilarious but a fine timewaster for those at a loose end. Realism be damned.
Realism is the first thing that must go out the window when considering a screwball comedy.