Easy Living

Another enjoyable screwball comedy from Hollywood's Golden Age, written by soon-to-be writer-director extraordinaire Preston Sturges and starring the always watchable Jean Arthur and the beginnings of Sturges' stock supporting cast. Edward Arnold gives his usual blustering performance as the Warren Buffet-type financier who sets off an unlikely chain of events when in a fit of pique he throws his wife's most recent expensive fur coat purchase out the window of their penthouse apartment right onto the head of ordinary average gal, Arthur, with a suitably every-woman type name of Mary Smith.

Coincidence follows coincidence and misunderstanding isn't far behind either as, suspected of being the rich old grandee's young mistress, she sees herself elevated to the executive suite of a swank hotel which needs a favour from Arnold's J B Ball character. At an automat where rather like buffet restaurants today, you pick, pay and collect your meal of choice, she encounter's Ball's son, slumming it in a day-job to prove his independence from his father. Played by a very young Ray Milland, unsurprisingly they become romantically entwined and from there the film rolls along uproariously to a happy ever after conclusion and a cheeky throwback in the final scene to the original catalyst for all the craziness that followed.

Likeable as it is I wouldn't put in the top-bracket of its type. There are few killer one-liners and much of the humour is of the slapstick variety, fine for the riotous automat scene but less so when it's repeated at the final denouement in Ball's office. Sturges' identifiable traits of overlapping dialogue, outrageous chance events and lots of physical humour are all present and correct but require more finessing than they get here. Arnold and Arthur are fine but Milland mugs and pratfalls too much. Director Mitchell Leisen does so with flair, keeping up with the fast-moving action, although for me there was probably too much of it in this particular movie.

This is a classic, with one of the great slapstick scenes of all time (in an automat) and wonderful innuendo and great timing throughout the film. Jean Arthur is a splendid comedienne, just lighting up the screen with a wry innocence, and Ray Milland is perfectly cast as someone a little debonair, a little too bourgeois, but ultimately quite charming. Finally, Edward Arnold is a lot of fun to watch as he chews up the scenery. As a long time fan of Preston Sturges who was quite happy to see "Miracle at Morgan Creek" finally released on DVD, I have to say, it is A CRIME that this little gem isn't available on DVD, just ridiculous.

The pleasures of a Preston Sturges film are many, and even his poorest are miles above the competition. I know, you're saying that Mitchell Leisen directed this and that it was based on a play but after hearing that incredible dialogue and seeing those broadly drawn characters, imbued with a warmth not found in most comedies, you can't tell me that this isn't a Preston Sturges film. Sure, there is evidence of Leisen's restraining hand that you can't find in, say, Miracle of Morgan's Creek, but it's Sturges, all right. But for me, the real joy is seeing my favorite actress from this period, Jean Arthur, work with material, from my favorite writer from this period, Sturges. She fits this material so well that it is a shame they never worked together again. Another real strength is the work of the character roles, always so good in Sturges films and we see a few of the actors who will later become part of the 'Sturges stock company'. So, if you want hilarious situations, laugh-out-loud dialogue and strong comedic characters, I heartily recommend this great film.

One of the best film moments of the 1930s occurs just after the beginning of the film when wealthy J. B. Ball, exasperated by his spoiled family's spending habits, tosses the wife's new sable coat from a window high in their 5th Avenue mansion. As if with a mind set on its own destiny, the falling coat spreads out on the air and lands like an enchanted parachute on the head of the Mary Smith, the working girl who will be our main character (Jean Arthur), and who is riding on the upper deck of a double-decker bus. What is a double-decker doing in New York City? No one asks; the coat just does its magic and the enchanted plot is underway. Best of all, screenwriter Sturges balances the magic and sentimentality with his usual crisp, witty, no-nonsense approach to dialogue and character. This "yin / yang" harmony is similar to what he achieved in directing "Sullivan's Travels."

Although EASY LIVING makes no claim to realism it does somehow capture the flavor of New York in the thirties.

Directed by Mitchell Leisen from a screenplay by Preston Sturges it has all the hallmarks of Leisen's style, the gleaming, high style sets, the magnificent cathedral ceilinged apartments and also, unfortunately the tendency to allow scenes to run on just a little too long. The slapstick scene in the automat is a prime example, just a few pratfalls too many. If Sturges directed as well as written the film might not have been as sumptuous looking bit I think it would have been tighter.

Minor details however, the film is a delight, especially Jean Arthur and a very capable supporting cast giving it their professional all.

Highly recommended.