Joy of Living

• Director: Tay Garnett
• AMG Rating:
• Genre: Musical
• Movie Type: Musical Romance
• Main Cast: Irene Dunne, Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., Alice Brady, Guy Kibbee, Jean Dixon
• Release Year: 1938
• Country: US
• Run Time: 90 minutes
• MPAA Rating: NR

Plot

Given the talent involved, The Joy of Living should have been far better than it is. Irene Dunne plays Maggie, a popular musical-comedy star saddled with a possessive, spendthrift family. Maggie would like to leave the house once in a while and experience "real life," but her parents (Alice Brady, Guy Kibbee), worried that they'll lose their meal ticket, refuse to allow her to do so. The Prince Charming who rescues Maggie from her folks is ship-owner Dan (Douglas Fairbanks Jr.) As a bonus, the footloose and fancy-free Dan teaches the repressed Maggie that "it's fun to be foolish." Apparently director Tay Garnett couldn't keep the production under control, and the cost ballooned to a then-staggering $1.1 million, resulting in a huge loss for RKO Radio. Some of the film's brighter moments are provided by Lucille Ball, Billy Gilbert, Jean Dixon and Franklin Pangborn, who like Dunne and Fairbanks all deserved funnier material than this. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Cast

• Irene Dunne - Margaret "Maggie" Garret
• Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. - Dan Brewster
• Alice Brady - Minerva
• Guy Kibbee - Dennis
• Jean Dixon - Harrison

Eric Blore - Potter; Lucille Ball - Salina; Warren Hymer - Mike; Billy Gilbert - Cafe Owner; Frank Milan - Bert Pine; Dorothy Steiner - Dotsy Pine; Estelle Steiner - Betsy Pine; Phyllis Kennedy - Marie; Franklin Pangborn - Band Leader; James Burke - Mac; John Qualen - Oswego; Spencer Charters - Magistrate; George Chandler - Taxi Driver; Pat Flaherty - Autograph Hound; Fuzzy Knight - Sideshow Piano Player; Frank Moran - Cop with Gravel Voice; Bert Roach - German Waiter; Grady Sutton - Florist; Frank M. Thomas; Charles Lane - Dress Extra; Dennis O'Keefe - Man in Building Lobby; Charles Williams - Sideshow Barker; Harry Woods - Cop/Autograph Hound

Credit

Carroll Clark - Art Director, Van Nest Polglase - Art Director, Robert Kalloch - Costume Designer, Edward Stevenson - Costume Designer, Tay Garnett - Director, Jack Hively - Editor, Dorothy Fields - Composer (Music Score), Jerome Kern - Composer (Music Score), Frank Tours - Musical Direction/Supervision, Dorothy Fields - Songwriter, Jerome Kern - Songwriter, Joseph Walker - Cinematographer, Felix Young - Producer, Darrell Silvera - Set Designer, Vernon Walker - Special Effects, Dorothy Fields - Screenwriter, Gene Towne - Screenwriter, Allan G. Scott - Screenwriter, C. Graham Baker - Screenwriter, Herbert Fields - Short Story Author