Easy to Wed (1946)

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(400 ratings)

This Technicolor musical remake of the 1936 comedy classic Libeled Lady isn't quite up to the standards of the original, but on its own terms is quite entertaining. Van Johnson, Esther Williams, Lucille Ball and Keenan Wynn expertly assume the roles originally played by William Powell, Myrna Loy,… More This Technicolor musical remake of the 1936 comedy classic Libeled Lady isn't quite up to the standards of the original, but on its own terms is quite entertaining. Van Johnson, Esther Williams, Lucille Ball and Keenan Wynn expertly assume the roles originally played by William Powell, Myrna Loy, Jean Harlow and Spencer Tracy. Faced with a libel suit from socialite Connie Allenbury (Williams), newspaper editor Warren Haggerty (Wynn) cooks up a plan to beat Connie at her own game. To do this, he must rely upon the romantic chicanery of ex-employee Bill Stevens Chandler (Johnson), with Haggerty's fiancee Gladys Benton (Ball) caught in the middle. The comedy high point of the original Libeled Lady, in which William Powell is forced to demonstrate his (non-existent) prowess as a fisherman, is ably repeated in Easy to Wed when Van Johnson must prove his skills at duck-hunting. The songs aren't anything special, but Lucille Ball's superb comic performance is worth the admission price in itself. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Rating, Runtime: Unrated, 1 hr. 50 min.
Directed By: Edward Buzzell
Written By: Dorothy Kingsley
Genres: Drama, Musical & Performing Arts, Classics, Comedy

In Theaters: Jul 25, 1946 Wide
On DVD: Jul 17, 2007

No Critic Reviews Found…

Featured Audience Ratings

moon r

sure, a lot of these mgm musical comedies are entertainment fluff and no doubt, but as results of the studio system they are, like sweets from a bakery, always rich, maybe not too smart, but loaded with flavor. and similarly because of the system, and the intense competition in it,… More
sure, a lot of these mgm musical comedies are entertainment fluff and no doubt, but as results of the studio system they are, like sweets from a bakery, always rich, maybe not too smart, but loaded with flavor. and similarly because of the system, and the intense competition in it, the performers more often than not were adept at any number of disciplines. yesterday, august 8th, was ms. williams 87th birthday (congrats, ms. williams, and thanks for everything)! yep, still among the living, and this work from 1946 amply displays what a contribution to the culture one human being can make. helping her in between the obligatory swimming scenes is the underrated boy-next-door van johnson, more than able to hold his own in song, keenan wynn as the big, bad, ruthless newspaperman, and also mercurial lucille ball, ever deserving her redheaded fame, as the more-than-a-mouthful second banana.

Cast

            Van Johnson as Bill Stevens Chandler

            Esther Williams as Connie Allenbury

            Lucille Ball as Gladys Benton

            Keenan Wynn as Warren Haggerty

            Cecil Kellaway as J.B. Allenbury

            June Lockhart as Babs Norvell

            Carlos Ramirez as Himself

            Ethel Smith as Herself

            Grant Mitchell as Homer Henshaw

            James Flavin as Joe

            Celia Travers as Farwood's Secretary

            Sybil Merritt as Receptionist

            Sondra Rodgers as Attendant

            Nina Bara as Rumba Dancer

            Ben Blue as Spike Dolan

            Monte Blue
            
            Karin [Katharine] Booth as Clerk

            Patricia Denise as Girls at Pool

            Sarah Edwards as Mr. & Mrs. Dibson

            Joel Friedkin as Justice of the Peace

            Frank S. Hagney as Truck Driver

            Jonathan Hale as Hector Boswell

            Paul Harvey as Farwood

            Milt Kibbee as Private Detective

            Charles Knight
            
            Robert E. O'Connor as Taxi Driver

            Alex Pollard as Waiter

            Jean Porter as Frances

            Guy Bates Post
            
            Walter Soderling
            
            Charles Sullivan
            
            Josephine Whittell as Mrs. Burns Norvell

            Dick Winslow as Orchestra Leader

            Jack Shea as Lifeguard

            Tom Dugan as Waiter

            George Calliga as Headwaiter

            John Valentine as Butler

            Phyllis Graffeo
            
            Kanza Omar
            
            Mitzie Uehlein
            
            Fred Fisher
            
See full cast

Easy to Wed (1946)

No Critic Reviews Found…

Featured Audience Ratings

moon r

Cast