This was a first-time viewing for me, and I really should have seen this a long time ago. Jean Arthur is one of my favorite actresses, and EASY LIVING is one of her best showcases. This 1937 Paramount production is one of the best screwball comedies of its era, with a crackling script by Preston Sturges and fast-paced, snappy direction by Mitchell Leisen.
Powerful banker J.B. Ball (Edward Arnold) is so fed up with his wife's spendthrift ways, he throws one of her expensive fur coats off the roof of their New York City townhouse. The coat lands on regular working-class girl Mary Smith (Jean Arthur), ruining her hat in the process. Mary tries to give the coat back, but Ball insists that she keep it, and even gets her a new chic hat for her trouble. Soon almost everyone in NYC assumes that Mary is Ball's mistress, and she's treated like royalty by those who hope that, in return, Ball will do something for them. Mary gets an entire suite at a ritzy hotel, a new car with a chauffeur, and a new wardrobe. She also gets a new beau in Ball's son (Ray Milland), who's trying to prove he's more than just a rich man's offspring.
Jean Arthur truly shines in EASY LIVING. She's a bewildered Cinderella, trying to deal with her newfound fortune, yet she doesn't let her elevated status change her down to earth nature (it never occurs to Mary to try and take advantage of her situation). Everything Arthur says and does seem natural and real, a talent that made her perfect for comedies such as this one. She's backed up by a fine cast of supporting players such as Franklin Pangborn, Luis Alberni, William Demarest, and Robert Grieg. Edward Arnold gets one of his best roles as the hard-charging Ball, a man whose bark is much worse than he bite. A very young Ray Milland is still able to keep up with all the wild goings-on.
Such wild goings-on include a food fight at an automat, and enough slapstick and pratfalls to fill out a couple of Three Stooges shorts. (Speaking of the Stooges, one of Ball's financial partners is played by none other than Vernon Dent.) EASY LIVING is a great classic comedy, and another example of why I believe the 1930s was Hollywood's best overall decade.
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