Design for Living (1933)

Director:

Ernst Lubitsch

Writers:

Noel Coward (play)
Ben Hecht (screenplay)
(more)

Release Date:

29 December 1933 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Romance

Plot:

A woman can't decide between two men who love her, and the trio agree to try living together in a platonic friendly relationship.

Plot Keywords:

Play | Playwright | Painter | Pledge | American Abroad

Cast

Fredric March	...	Thomas B. 'Tom' Chambers
Gary Cooper	...	George Curtis
Miriam Hopkins	...	Gilda Farrell
Edward Everett Horton	...	Max Plunkett
Franklin Pangborn	...	Mr. Douglas, Theatrical Producer
Isabel Jewell	...	Plunkett's Stenographer
Jane Darwell	...	Curtis' Housekeeper
Wyndham Standing	...	Max's Butler
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Cosmo Kyrle Bellew	...	Man (uncredited)
Lionel Belmore	...	Theatre Patron (uncredited)
Thomas Braidon	...	Douglas' Second Manager (uncredited)
Nora Cecil	...	Tom's Secretary (uncredited)
Emile Chautard	...	Train Conductor (uncredited)
Mathilde Comont	...	Heavy Woman (uncredited)
Adrienne D'Ambricourt	...	Cafe Proprietress (uncredited)
James Donlan	...	Fat Man with Ring (uncredited)
Harry Dunkinson	...	Mr. Egelbauer (uncredited)
Helena Phillips Evans	...	Mrs. Egelbauer (uncredited)
Charles K. French	...	Theatre Patron (uncredited)
Mary Gordon	...	Theatre Chambermaid (uncredited)
Grace Hayle	...	Woman on Staircase (uncredited)
Olaf Hytten	...	Englishman at Train (uncredited)
Armand Kaliz	...	Mr. Burton (uncredited)
Edmund Mortimer	...	Theatre Patron (uncredited)
George Savidan	...	Boy (uncredited)
Rolfe Sedan	...	Bed Salesman (uncredited)
Vernon Steele	...	Douglas' First Manager (uncredited)
Mrs. Treboal	...	Gilda's Landlady (uncredited)
Barry Winton	...	Man (uncredited)
William Worthington	...	Theatre Patron (uncredited)

Directed by
Ernst Lubitsch

Writing credits
Noel Coward		(play)
Ben Hecht		(screenplay)
Samuel Hoffenstein		screenplay (uncredited)

Produced by
Ernst Lubitsch	....	producer

Original Music by
John Leipold		(uncredited)

Cinematography by
Victor Milner

Film Editing by
Frances Marsh		(uncredited)

Art Direction by
Hans Dreier		(uncredited)

Costume Design by
Travis Banton		(uncredited)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
George Hippard	....	assistant director (uncredited)

Sound Department
M.M. Paggi	....	sound (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Guy Roe	....	assistant camera (uncredited)

Music Department
Nat W. Finston	....	musical director (uncredited)

Other crew
Gottfried Reinhardt	....	assistant to mr. lubitsch (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Paramount Pictures

Distributors

• Paramount Pictures (1933) (USA) (theatrical)
• MCA/Universal Pictures (1958) (USA) (TV)
• MCA/Universal Home Video (199?) (USA) (VHS)
• FifiGE/AG Kino (1986) (West Germany) (theatrical)
• Atalanta Filmes (1999) (Portugal) (re-release)
• Criterion Collection, The (2011) (USA) (DVD)
• Criterion Collection, The (2011) (USA) (DVD) (Blu-ray)
• Universal Pay Television

Also Known As:

Runtime:

91 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | French

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Noiseless Recording)

Certification:

Portugal:M/12 | USA:Approved | USA:Passed (National Board of Review)

Filming Locations:

Paramount Studios - 5555 Melrose Avenue, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Paramount Pictures

Trivia:

Gary cooper spoke fluent french and was able to use it for the first time in this film.

Goofs:

Boom mic visible: Shadow of boom mic visible at train station.

Quotes:

Tom Chambers:George betrayed me for you. Without wishing to flatter you, I understood that. I can still understand it. But you betrayed me for George. An incredible choice!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Thou Shalt Not: Sex, Sin and Censorship in Pre-Code Hollywood (2008) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Violin Concerto in E Minor, Op.64

Witty and Sophisticated

In this surprisingly risqué film made before the Hays code, two men and a woman share an apartment in Paris and talk openly about sex. It's fun to watch, thanks to the witty and sophisticated dialog of Noel Coward, the screenplay by Ben Hecht, and of course the masterful direction of Lubitsch. March is wonderful as a struggling playwright. Hopkins has one of her best roles as a free-loving woman who loves two men but marries a third. Lubitsch elicits a fine comedic performance from Cooper as a hot-tempered artist. In a typical role, Horton plays a stuffed shirt. There's no music, which could make things seem static, but Lubitsch keeps it moving at a breezy pace.