7.8/10
2,271
34 user 13 critic

Easy Living (1937)

During the Great Depression, a wealthy banker throws away his wife's expensive fur coat; it lands on the head of a stenographer, leading to everyone assuming she is his mistress and has access to his millions.

Director:

Writers:

(screenplay), (based on a story by)
Reviews
Learn more

People who liked this also liked... 

Comedy | Mystery | Romance
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.1/10 X  

Screwball comedy has wealthy mystery writer Paula Bradford using her doctor ex-husband's non-payment of alimony to coerce him into a reconciliation.

Director: Stephen Roberts
Stars: William Powell, Jean Arthur, James Gleason
Comedy | Romance | War
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.9/10 X  

During the World War II housing shortage in Washington, two men and a woman share a single apartment and the older man plays Cupid to the other two.

Director: George Stevens
Stars: Jean Arthur, Joel McCrea, Charles Coburn
Comedy | Romance
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.8/10 X  

A tycoon goes undercover to ferret out agitators at a department store, but gets involved in their lives instead.

Director: Sam Wood
Stars: Jean Arthur, Robert Cummings, Charles Coburn
Comedy | Drama | Romance
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.6/10 X  

An escaped prisoner and a stuffy law professor vie for the hand of a spirited schoolteacher.

Director: George Stevens
Stars: Cary Grant, Jean Arthur, Ronald Colman
Midnight (1939)
Comedy | Romance
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.9/10 X  

A chorus girl stranded in Paris is set up by a millionaire to break up his wife's affair with another man.

Director: Mitchell Leisen
Stars: Claudette Colbert, Don Ameche, John Barrymore
Comedy | Drama | Romance
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.7/10 X  

A shoplifter and her prosecuter fall in love, creating tensions in their family lives.

Director: Mitchell Leisen
Stars: Barbara Stanwyck, Fred MacMurray, Beulah Bondi
Comedy | Romance
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.8/10 X  

A naive girl just out of a cloistered orphanage finds that being a 'good fairy' to strangers makes life awfully complicated.

Director: William Wyler
Stars: Margaret Sullavan, Herbert Marshall, Frank Morgan
Comedy | Romance
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7/10 X  

An executive lets an attractive cook talk him into taking a job as butler.

Director: William A. Seiter
Stars: Herbert Marshall, Jean Arthur, Leo Carrillo
Comedy | Crime | Drama
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.4/10 X  

A meek milquetoast of a clerk is mistaken for Public Enemy #1, and the notorious killer takes advantage of the situation.

Director: John Ford
Stars: Edward G. Robinson, Jean Arthur, Arthur Hohl
Comedy | War
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.8/10 X  

Woodrow is discharged from the military for hay fever, but fabricates receiving a heroic honorable discharge before returning home.

Director: Preston Sturges
Stars: Eddie Bracken, Ella Raines, Raymond Walburn
Drama | Romance
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.4/10 X  

Divorcee Irene Vail falls for a charming Parisian, but her insanely jealous ex-husband will do anything to get her back...

Director: Frank Borzage
Stars: Charles Boyer, Jean Arthur, Leo Carrillo
Comedy | Romance | War
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.9/10 X  

After an all-night send-off party for the troops, a small-town girl wakes up to find herself married and pregnant, but with no memory of her husband's identity.

Director: Preston Sturges
Stars: Eddie Bracken, Betty Hutton, Diana Lynn
Edit

Cast

Complete credited cast:
...
...
J.B. Ball
...
John Ball Jr.
...
Mr. Louis Louis
...
Mrs. Ball
...
Van Buren
...
Mr. Gurney
...
Wallace Whistling
Andrew Tombes ...
E.J. Hulgar
...
Lillian
...
Office Manager
...
Mr. Hyde
...
Miss Swerf
Robert Greig ...
Butler

Comic-Con 2017: All Aboard the IMDboat

Entertainment news, trailer drops, and photos abound at the 2017 San Diego Comic-Con. Check out IMDb’s coverage, featuring Kevin Smith as our host, celebrity interviewer, and captain of the IMDboat, July 20 to 22.

Browse Our Guide to Comic-Con

Edit

Storyline

J.B. Ball, a rich financier, gets fed up with his free-spending family. He takes his wife's just-bought (very expensive) sable coat and throws it off the roof, it lands on poor hard-working girl Mary Smith. But it isn't so easy to just give away something so valuable, as he soon learns. Written by Ken Yousten <[email protected]>

Plot Summary | Add Synopsis

Plot Keywords:

hat | gift | sable | automat | marriage | See All (35) »

Taglines:

The daffiest screen comedy of all times! See more »

Genres:

Comedy | Romance

Certificate:

See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

 »
Edit

Details

Country:

Language:

Release Date:

16 July 1937 (USA)  »

Also Known As:

Mein Leben in Luxus  »

Company Credits

Production Co:

 »
Show detailed on  »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

Sound Mix:

(Western Electric Mirrophonic Recording)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1
See  »
Edit

Did You Know?

Trivia

One of over 700 Paramount Productions, filmed between 1929 and 1949, which were sold to MCA/Universal in 1958 for television distribution, and have been owned and controlled by Universal ever since. Its earliest documented telecast took place in Phoenix Friday 20 February 1959 on KVAR (Channel 12), followed by Omaha 23 June 1959 on KETV (Channel 7), by Pittsburgh 29 August 1959 on KDKA (Channel 2), by Asheville 20 September 1959 on WLOS (Channel 13), by Grand Rapids 28 December 1959 on WOOD (Channel 8), by Johnstown 13 January 1960 on WJAC (Channel 6), by Milwaukee 19 January 1960 on WITI (Channel 6), by Huntington 31 January 1960 on WHTN (Channel 13), and by Toledo 17 June 1960 on WTOL (Channel 11). It was released on DVD 22 April 2008 as part of the Universal Cinema Classics series and since that time has also enjoyed occasional airings on cable TV on Turner Classic Movies. See more »

Goofs

During automat free-for-fall, one of the customers drops a tray full of dishes which are clearly attached to the tray and don't even move when tray hits the floor. See more »

Quotes

Van Buren: Brute!
See more »

Crazy Credits

Opening credits are shown over a lady applying jewelry, stockings, and perfume. See more »

Connections

Featured in Vito (2011) See more »

Soundtracks

Easy Living
(uncredited)
Music by Ralph Rainger
Lyrics by Leo Robin
[main theme of score but not sung]
See more »

Frequently Asked Questions

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.

User Reviews

 
Another wonderful movie featuring Edward Arnold.
3 May 2008 | by (United States) – See all my reviews

This is an amusing, entertaining Hollywood antique featuring a number of actors who became Hollywood icons such as Jean Arthur, Ray Milland, and Edward Arnold. Before Ed Asner there was Edward Arnold. Mr. Arnold was one of the greatest actors in Hollywood history. His performances were consistently great and through him a weak script became good and good script great. He was one of those actors who dominated the screen and could play a wide range of roles opposite some of the most famous Hollywood players. As for Jean Arthur, she specialized in a style of acting that established a precedent for Lucille Ball, except that Ms. Arthur did not have to act goofy. Movies from the 1930s were made in a certain style that was unique to that period. Black-and-white, simple, engaging, upbeat stories, lots of action, and optimistic about life - all this during the Great Depression. This is another Preston Sturges gem and definitely is worth watching.


12 of 13 people found this review helpful.  Was this review helpful to you?

Contribute to This Page

Create a character page for:
?