Admirable film.

Absolutely Brilliant!

When a movie has you begging for it to end not even half way through it's pure crap. We've all seen this movie and this characters millions of times, nothing new in it. Don't waste your time.

True to its essence, the characters remain on the same line and manage to entertain the viewer, each highlighting their own distinctive qualities or touches.

. . . then the dimmest bulbs must flicker on Wall Street, and EASY LIVING proves that this fact was as well known to Americans in 1937 as it is today. The proverbial one-eyed man may be king in the Land of the Blind, but EASY LIVING illustrates why the possession of even one eye might be a definite handicap for the high rollers of Lower Manhattan. It's better to be completely blind, deaf, and dumb if you want to make your mark there. Jean Arthur plays "Mary Smith" in EASY LIVING, but she might as well be portraying Alice in Wonderland. Mary learns that among the rich, anything goes. The lifestyle props upon which they fritter away their wealth are so impractical and worthless, they constitute grounds for firing if displayed near a normal workplace. That's what happens to Mary when she inadvertently shows up wearing her "gift horse" (a sable fur coat) to work for her real people job. As this year's follow-up to EASY LIVING (THE BLING RING) shows, the forbidden candy most rich celebrities use to fill up their otherwise empty shell of lives can only corrupt NORMAL people (which helps explain why so many lottery winners soon off themselves). Since Mary Smith has a solid working class soul, she is oblivious to some of the temptations thrown her way in EASY LIVING, and triumphs over the rest, settling for live sheep dogs in lieu of murdered mink.

A great screwball comedy written by Preston Sturges, who went on to direct many screwball comedies. "Easy Living" was directed by Mitchell Leisen, who directed a huge number of movies in the 30s, 40s, and 50s, and a significant number of TV shows in the 50s and 60s."Easy Living" stars Jean Arthur as our lead; she's one of my favorite comedy actors, and she really shines in this movie. She's cast opposite both Edward Arnold and Ray Milland as her love interests in the typical screwball fashion of mistaken identities, mistaken situations, and mistake after mistake of epic proportions leading to a stock market meltdown and true love. Although Sturges didn't direct, we see the beginnings of his stable of actors with roles by Franklin Pangborn, Robert Greig, and William Demarest.The gist of the story is that Mary Smith (Arthur), a working girl with nary a dime to spare (it was 1937, after all), is walking to the bus stop when she's hit in the head by a very expensive fur coat thrown from his penthouse by the very wealthy investment banker J.B. Ball (Arnold) in a snit over the expenditures of his wife. A kindly man when not having a snit, J.B. takes her to a store to get another hat (hers broke when it by the fur) and gives her the fur. She's fired from her job because a man gave her a fur, she's taken into a deluxe hotel owned by J.B. because the manager assumes she's his mistress, and she befriends J.B.'s son John (Milland -- at last a last name that's not a first name!), not knowing he's J.B.'s son. Because both are "Mr. Ball," she commits unwitting mayhem on the stock market by passing on young John's utterly unexpert comments on the market to a reporter who also thinks she's J.B.'s mistress relaying J.B.'s sage advice.It's a very funny comedy. Sturges and Leisen both hit their respective nails on the head with great writing and direction. The supporting cast is superb in adding to and creating mix-ups galore. A glaring difference between A movies and B is the quality of the supporting cast, and that difference shows very much in "Easy Living."

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.

JEAN ARTHUR as a down on her luck secretary (who pays $7 a week for an apartment) is suddenly blessed with a luxurious hotel suite and a sable coat thanks to the whims of fate in this delightful '30s-era comedy co-starring EDWARD ARNOLD (a bit too bombastic for my taste) and RAY MILLAND (charming and debonair as the romantic lead).Arthur has never been more personable and inhabits her role with a good deal of personal charm and warmth, perhaps attributable to director Mitchel Leisen who always seems to coax good performances from his female stars. (Claudette Colbert in "Midnight", Carole Lombard in "Hands Across the Table", Olivia de Havilland in "Hold Back the Dawn" and "To Each His Own", Barbara Stanwyck in "No Man of Her Own".) Arnold is a hot tempered man who throws a fur coat over the rooftop during an argument with his frivolous wife (MARY NASH), a coat that lands on top of Jean Arthur, riding in a double-decker bus in New York City. The plot thickens when a hotel owner (LUIS ALBERNI) facing bankrupt with his fancy but vacant building, decides that Arthur will be the perfect publicity gimmick since he believes she was given the coat because of an affair with Arnold. He allows her to reside in a luxurious suite (Leisen goes a bit overboard on set decoration here), and therein the fun begins. Seems he has a rich playboy son who is just as down on his luck as Arthur is and is working in an automat, the kind of fast food restaurant that existed in NYC during the '30s and '40s.In fact, the automat scene, where Milland finds a way to give Arthur a free meal, is expertly staged with every pratfall so perfectly executed that it remains the highlight of the film. But even after this highlight, the film never lets up in pace and is irresistible entertainment for fans of screwball comedy. Among the standouts in the supporting cast are FRANKLIN PANGBORN and WILLIAM DEMAREST, actors director Leisen would use to great effect in other comedies.Edward Arnold tends to overact the part of the wealthy hot-tempered tycoon, but everyone else has a fine time with the witty lines and situations. Highly recommended, brisk and very amusing, with Arthur in one of her most appealing roles.