Easy to Wed
Encyclopedia
Easy to Wed is a 1946 American musical comedy film directed by Edward Buzzell
. The screenplay by Dorothy Kingsley
is an updated adaptation of the screenplay of the 1936 film Libeled Lady
by Maurine Dallas Watkins
, Howard Emmett Rogers, and George Oppenheimer.
Warren's convoluted scheme involves having reporter Bill Chandler temporarily marry Gladys so he can sue him for alienation of affection when a photograph of Bill and Connie Allenbury surfaces. In order to get the damaging picture, Bill must ingratiate himself with the Allenburys, who are vacationing at the Hotel Del Rey in Mexico. He heads south of the border with Spike Dolan and introduces himself to the Allenburys as a writer who enjoys hunting, which is J.B.'s favorite hobby.
As time passes and Bill fails to get himself photographed with Connie, Gladys and Warren become increasingly impatient. Warren suspects Bill has become romantically involved with Connie and flies to Mexico in the hope he can persuade her and her father to drop their lawsuit. When they refuse to comply, Warren telephones Gladys, who arrives at the resort and tells J.B. she is married to Bill. When he reports this news to his daughter, Connie decides to prove him wrong by demading Bill marry her immediately, and the two are wed by a justice of the peace
.
When Warren and Gladys threaten to expose Bill as a bigamist
, Bill announces he has learned her mail-order divorce from Joseph Simpson was not legally binding and she still is married to him, only to learn Gladys was divorced in Reno as well. The Allenburys finally agree to drop their lawsuit and Warren and Gladys realize they are meant to be together.
to coach both Williams and Johnson.
This was Johnson and Williams' second film together, after Thrill of a Romance
, which had been extremely successful at the box office. Williams said the two had been cast because "Van and I matched. It looked like we belonged together as a couple. He was as much the all-American boy as I was the all-American girl. As World War II drew to a close, we...became icons, in a way, symbolizing the virtues that people loved best about America. Van represented all the young men who had gone off to war for their country, and I represented the girls they were fighting to come home to."
Van Johnson's biography, MGM's Golden Boy states that Lucille Ball's performance as Gladys "reveals the embryo of her Lucy Ricardo role in the later I Love Lucy
television series." It also states that Keenan Wynn had been in a motorcycle accident before filming, and had his mouth wired shut. As a result, he had to talk between his teeth. He also lost thirty pounds in four weeks.
of the New York Times observed, "Perhaps the best things about it are Keenan Wynn and Lucille Ball . . . for both of these pleasant young people have exceptionally keen comedy sense and their roles are the most productive of hilarity in the show . . . Together they handle the burdens of the cleverly-complicated plot and throw both their voices and their torsos into an almost continuous flow of gags . . . Eddie Buzzell's direction, which never has been memorable, looks very good in this instance . . . Easy to Wed [is] a summer picture that is decidedly easy to enjoy."
Variety
called the film "top-notch entertainment" and added, "Eddie Buzzell's direction emphasizes lightness and speed, despite picture's long footage . . . Lucille Ball is a standout on the comedy end, particularly her sequence where she indulges in an inebriated flight into fantastic Shakespeare. Keenan Wynn's deft comedy work also presses hard for solid laughs."
released the film as part of the box set TCM Spotlight - Esther Williams, Vol. 1. Bonus features include the Academy Award-nominated Pete Smith Specialty
comedy short Sure Cures, the animated short The Unwelcome Guest, and the film's theatrical trailer.
Edward Buzzell
Edward Buzzell was an American film director whose credits for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer included Honolulu , the Marx Brothers films At the Circus and Go West , the musicals Best Foot Forward with Lucille Ball and Neptune's Daughter with Esther Williams, and Easy to Wed, starring Van Johnson,...
. The screenplay by Dorothy Kingsley
Dorothy Kingsley
Dorothy Kingsley was an American screenwriter, who worked extensively in film, radio and television.-Biography:...
is an updated adaptation of the screenplay of the 1936 film Libeled Lady
Libeled Lady
Libeled Lady is a 1936 screwball comedy film starring Jean Harlow, William Powell, Myrna Loy and Spencer Tracy, written by George Oppenheimer, Howard Emmett Rogers, Wallace Sullivan and Maurine Dallas Watkins, and directed by Jack Conway....
by Maurine Dallas Watkins
Maurine Dallas Watkins
Maurine Dallas Watkins was an American journalist and playwright.She was born in Louisville, Kentucky, and attended Crawfordsville High School, followed by five colleges...
, Howard Emmett Rogers, and George Oppenheimer.
Plot
Financier J.B. Allenbury is determined to file a $2 million libel suit against The Morning Star when the newspaper prints a story claiming his daughter Connie was responsible for the breakup of a marriage. Anxious to save his paper from financial ruin, editor Curtis Farwood enlists the help of business manager Warren Haggerty, who postpones his marriage to Gladys Benton in order to assist his employer.Warren's convoluted scheme involves having reporter Bill Chandler temporarily marry Gladys so he can sue him for alienation of affection when a photograph of Bill and Connie Allenbury surfaces. In order to get the damaging picture, Bill must ingratiate himself with the Allenburys, who are vacationing at the Hotel Del Rey in Mexico. He heads south of the border with Spike Dolan and introduces himself to the Allenburys as a writer who enjoys hunting, which is J.B.'s favorite hobby.
As time passes and Bill fails to get himself photographed with Connie, Gladys and Warren become increasingly impatient. Warren suspects Bill has become romantically involved with Connie and flies to Mexico in the hope he can persuade her and her father to drop their lawsuit. When they refuse to comply, Warren telephones Gladys, who arrives at the resort and tells J.B. she is married to Bill. When he reports this news to his daughter, Connie decides to prove him wrong by demading Bill marry her immediately, and the two are wed by a justice of the peace
Justice of the Peace
A justice of the peace is a puisne judicial officer elected or appointed by means of a commission to keep the peace. Depending on the jurisdiction, they might dispense summary justice or merely deal with local administrative applications in common law jurisdictions...
.
When Warren and Gladys threaten to expose Bill as a bigamist
Bigamy
In cultures that practice marital monogamy, bigamy is the act of entering into a marriage with one person while still legally married to another. Bigamy is a crime in most western countries, and when it occurs in this context often neither the first nor second spouse is aware of the other...
, Bill announces he has learned her mail-order divorce from Joseph Simpson was not legally binding and she still is married to him, only to learn Gladys was divorced in Reno as well. The Allenburys finally agree to drop their lawsuit and Warren and Gladys realize they are meant to be together.
Cast
- Van JohnsonVan JohnsonVan Johnson was an American film and television actor and dancer who was a major star at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer studios during and after World War II....
as Bill Chandler - Esther WilliamsEsther WilliamsEsther Jane Williams is a retired American competitive swimmer and MGM movie star.Williams set multiple national and regional swimming records in her late teens as part of the Los Angeles Athletic Club swim team...
as Connie Allenbury - Lucille BallLucille BallLucille Désirée Ball was an American comedian, film, television, stage and radio actress, model, film and television executive, and star of the sitcoms I Love Lucy, The Lucy–Desi Comedy Hour, The Lucy Show, Here's Lucy and Life With Lucy...
as Gladys Benton - Keenan WynnKeenan WynnKeenan Wynn was an American character actor. His bristling mustache and expressive face were his stock in trade, and though he rarely had a lead role, he got prominent billing in most of his film and TV parts....
as Warren Haggerty - Cecil KellawayCecil KellawayCecil Lauriston Kellaway was a South African-born character actor.Cecil Kellaway spent many years as an actor, author, and director in the Australian film industry until he tried his luck in Hollywood in the 1930s. Finding he could get only gangster bit parts, he got discouraged and returned to...
as J.B. Allenbury - Ben BlueBen BlueBen Blue , born Benjamin Bernstein, was a Canadian-American actor and comedian.Born to a Jewish family in Montreal, Quebec, at the age of nine, Blue emigrated to Baltimore in the United States where he won a contest for the best impersonation of Charlie Chaplin...
as Spike Dolan - Paul HarveyPaul Harvey (actor)Paul Harvey was an American actor who appeared in at least 177 films.-Selected filmography:*They Shall Have Music *Behind the News *Moonlight Masquerade *Spellbound...
as Curtis Farwood
Production
This was the first film in which Williams sang, and she had to work with Harriet Lee, the MGM voice coach. However, Williams's singing part was actually in Portuguese, making it all the more difficult for her. The studio then hired Carmen MirandaCarmen Miranda
Carmen Miranda, GCIH was a Portuguese-born Brazilian samba singer, Broadway actress and Hollywood film star popular in the 1940s and 1950s. She was, by some accounts, the highest-earning woman in the United States and noted for her signature fruit hat outfit she wore in the 1943 movie The Gang's...
to coach both Williams and Johnson.
This was Johnson and Williams' second film together, after Thrill of a Romance
Thrill of a Romance
Thrill of a Romance was an American romance film released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer in 1945, starring Van Johnson, Esther Williams and Carleton G. Young, with musical performances by opera singer Lauritz Melchior...
, which had been extremely successful at the box office. Williams said the two had been cast because "Van and I matched. It looked like we belonged together as a couple. He was as much the all-American boy as I was the all-American girl. As World War II drew to a close, we...became icons, in a way, symbolizing the virtues that people loved best about America. Van represented all the young men who had gone off to war for their country, and I represented the girls they were fighting to come home to."
Van Johnson's biography, MGM's Golden Boy states that Lucille Ball's performance as Gladys "reveals the embryo of her Lucy Ricardo role in the later I Love Lucy
I Love Lucy
I Love Lucy is an American television sitcom starring Lucille Ball, Desi Arnaz, Vivian Vance, and William Frawley. The black-and-white series originally ran from October 15, 1951, to May 6, 1957, on the Columbia Broadcasting System...
television series." It also states that Keenan Wynn had been in a motorcycle accident before filming, and had his mouth wired shut. As a result, he had to talk between his teeth. He also lost thirty pounds in four weeks.
Critical reception
Bosley CrowtherBosley Crowther
Bosley Crowther was a journalist and author who was film critic for The New York Times for 27 years. His reviews and articles helped shape the careers of actors, directors and screenwriters, though his reviews, at times, were unnecessarily mean...
of the New York Times observed, "Perhaps the best things about it are Keenan Wynn and Lucille Ball . . . for both of these pleasant young people have exceptionally keen comedy sense and their roles are the most productive of hilarity in the show . . . Together they handle the burdens of the cleverly-complicated plot and throw both their voices and their torsos into an almost continuous flow of gags . . . Eddie Buzzell's direction, which never has been memorable, looks very good in this instance . . . Easy to Wed [is] a summer picture that is decidedly easy to enjoy."
Variety
Variety (magazine)
Variety is an American weekly entertainment-trade magazine founded in New York City, New York, in 1905 by Sime Silverman. With the rise of the importance of the motion-picture industry, Daily Variety, a daily edition based in Los Angeles, California, was founded by Silverman in 1933. In 1998, the...
called the film "top-notch entertainment" and added, "Eddie Buzzell's direction emphasizes lightness and speed, despite picture's long footage . . . Lucille Ball is a standout on the comedy end, particularly her sequence where she indulges in an inebriated flight into fantastic Shakespeare. Keenan Wynn's deft comedy work also presses hard for solid laughs."
DVD release
On July 17, 2007, Warner Home VideoWarner Home Video
Warner Home Video is the home video unit of Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc., itself part of Time Warner. It was founded in 1978 as WCI Home Video . The company launched in the United States with twenty films on VHS and Betamax videocassettes in late 1979...
released the film as part of the box set TCM Spotlight - Esther Williams, Vol. 1. Bonus features include the Academy Award-nominated Pete Smith Specialty
Pete Smith (film producer)
Pete Smith was a film producer and narrator of "short subject" films from 1931 to 1955....
comedy short Sure Cures, the animated short The Unwelcome Guest, and the film's theatrical trailer.