Easy to Wed (1946)

Director:

Edward Buzzell
(more)

Writers:

Dorothy Kingsley (adaptation)
George Oppenheimer (screenplay)
(more)

Release Date:

25 July 1946 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Romance

Tagline:

IT'S A MARRY-GO-ROUND...!!! (original print media ad - all caps)

Plot:

To prevent a libel case against the paper, a reporter tries to compromise the reputation of a tycoon's slandered daughter.

Plot Keywords:

Love | Remake

Cast

Van Johnson	...	William Stevens 'Bill' Chandler
Esther Williams	...	Connie Allenbury Chandler
Lucille Ball	...	Gladys Benton
Keenan Wynn	...	Warren Haggerty
Cecil Kellaway	...	J.B. Allenbury
Carlos Ramírez	...	Carlos Ramírez
Ben Blue	...	Spike Dolan
Ethel Smith	...	Ethel Smith - Organ Player
June Lockhart	...	Barbara 'Babs' Norvell
Grant Mitchell	...	Homer Henshaw
Josephine Whittell	...	Mrs. Burns Norvell
Paul Harvey	...	Curtis Farwood
Jonathan Hale	...	Hector Boswell
James Flavin	...	Joe
Celia Travers	...	Mary, Farwood's Secretary
Sybil Merritt	...	Receptionist
Sondra Rodgers	...	Attendant
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
William Bailey	...	Newspaper Office Worker (uncredited)
Nina Bara	...	Rumba Dancer (uncredited)
Katherine Black	...	Masseuse (uncredited)
Karin Booth	...	Clerk (uncredited)
Louise Burnette	...	Girl at Pool (uncredited)
George Calliga	...	Headwaiter (uncredited)
Fidel Castro	...	Poolside Spectator (uncredited)
Chavo de Leon	...	Rumba Dancer (uncredited)
Patricia Denise	...	Girl at Pool (uncredited)
Tom Dugan	...	Waiter (Local 950) (uncredited)
Jay Eaton	...	Nightclub Patron (uncredited)
Sarah Edwards	...	Mrs. Dibson (uncredited)
Fred Fisher	...	Waiter (uncredited)
Joel Friedkin	...	2nd Justice of the Peace (uncredited)
Jack Gargan	...	Party Guest (uncredited)
Phyllis Graffeo	...	Girl at Pool (uncredited)
Frank Hagney	...	Truck Driver (uncredited)
Milton Kibbee	...	Private Detective (uncredited)
Charles Knight	...	Butler (uncredited)
George Mann	...	Theodore - Homer Henshaw's Assistant (uncredited)
Matt Mattox	...	Dancer (uncredited)
Bert Moorhouse	...	Newspaper Office Worker (uncredited)
Kanza Omar	...	Girl at Pool (uncredited)
Alexander Pollard	...	Waiter (uncredited)
Jean Porter	...	Frances (uncredited)
Guy Bates Post	...	Roberts, Allebury's Butler (uncredited)
Mildred Sellers	...	Girl at Pool (uncredited)
Jack Shea	...	Lifeguard (uncredited)
Walter Soderling	...	Mr. H.O. Dibson - Justice of the Peace (uncredited)
Brick Sullivan	...	Bouncer in Newspaper Office (uncredited)
Charles Sullivan	...	Truck Driver (uncredited)
Mitzie Uehlien	...	Girl at Pool (uncredited)
John Valentine	...	Butler (uncredited)
Arthur Walsh	...	Newspaper Office Boy (uncredited)
Dick Winslow	...	Orchestra Leader (uncredited)

Directed by
Edward Buzzell
Buster Keaton		(uncredited)
Edward Sedgwick		(uncredited)

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Buster Keaton		uncredited
Dorothy Kingsley		adaptation
George Oppenheimer		screenplay "Libeled Lady"
Howard Emmett Rogers		screenplay "Libeled Lady"
Maurine Dallas Watkins		screenplay "Libeled Lady"

Produced by
Jack Cummings	....	producer

Original Music by
Johnny Green

Cinematography by
Harry Stradling Sr.		(as Harry Stradling)

Film Editing by
Blanche Sewell

Art Direction by
Cedric Gibbons
Hans Peters

Set Decoration by
Jack Bonar
Edwin B. Willis

Costume Design by
Irene

Makeup Department
Jack Dawn	....	makeup artist

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Herman E. Webber	....	assistant director (as Herman Webber)

Sound Department
Douglas Shearer	....	recording director
Ralph A. Pender	....	re-recording and effects mixer (uncredited)
Robert Shirley	....	re-recording and effects mixer (uncredited)
Newell Sparks	....	re-recording and effects mixer (uncredited)
William Steinkamp	....	re-recording and effects mixer (uncredited)
Michael Steinore	....	re-recording and effects mixer (uncredited)
John A. Williams	....	re-recording and effects mixer (uncredited)

Visual Effects by
A. Arnold Gillespie	....	transparency projection shots (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Sam Leavitt	....	second camera (uncredited)
Frank Powolny	....	still photographer (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Eugene Joseff	....	costume jeweller (uncredited)

Music Department
Ted Duncan	....	orchestrator
Johnny Green	....	music supervisor
Johnny Green	....	musical director
Robert Franklyn	....	orchestrator (uncredited)
M.J. McLaughlin	....	music mixer (uncredited)

Other crew
Jack Donohue	....	dance director
Natalie Kalmus	....	technicolor color director
Inger Norswing	....	research assistant (uncredited)
George Richelavie	....	research director (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (controlled by Loew's Incorporated)

Distributors

• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1946) (USA) (theatrical)
• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1946) (UK) (theatrical)
• Warner Home Video (2007) (USA) (DVD)

Also Known As:

Runtime:

106 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Certification:

Finland:S | Sweden:15 | Australia:G

Company:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Trivia:

Cameo: [Fidel Castro]Early in this film, on the lower left of the screen, Castro (without the beard) is seen as a poolside spectator with a drink in front of him. Young Fidel did "extra" work for MGM, while a student at The University Of Havana, before becoming fully active in politics.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Have I Got News for You: Episode #33.4" (2007)

Soundtrack:

Acercate más

Another libeled lady

The original film, Libeled Lady, was carefully tailored to suit the talents of its stars, William Powell, Jean Harlow, Myrna Loy, and Spencer Tracy. It's not easy to take such a star vehicle, and, without significant alterations, make it into a vehicle for four very different stars. I guess I thought the alterations weren't significant enough. I'd rather see Van Johnson shine in his own kind of role than try to fill the shoes of William Powell, for example. Johnson is about as successful playing a Powell part as Powell would be in Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo. Even if, on the surface, things have been spruced up to make it seem like a Johnson part, it really isn't. Only Lucille Ball succeeded in making me forget the original film when she was on the screen. Harlow was great, but Lucy is also great, in a completely different way. When she's on the screen it's hard to think of anyone else ever having played the role.

This film seems to have been intended for black and white but switched to color at the last minute. The sets are painted and dressed for black and white - in muted tones of gray, brown, beige, dull green, etc. - throughout the film. The costumes are close to colorless a lot of the time. Brown and gray predominate. Not even a colorful necktie. Even in the musical numbers at the end, the sets are mostly white and gray.