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Overview
User Rating:
Director:
Writers:
Dorothy Fields (story) and
Herbert Fields (story) ...
more
Release Date:
6 May 1938 (USA) more
Tagline:
WHEN IRENE SWINGS AND FLINGS AND SINGS, YOU LISTEN WITH YOUR HEART! (original poster - all caps) more
Plot:
Broadway star Margaret Garrett has spent her whole life working to support her sponging relatives. When she meets carefree Dan Webster... more | add synopsis
User Comments:
Really Forced more (11 total)
Cast
(Cast overview, first billed only)| Irene Dunne | ... | Margaret 'Maggie' Garret | |
| Douglas Fairbanks Jr. | ... | Daniel 'Dan' Brewster | |
| Alice Brady | ... | Minerva Garret | |
| Guy Kibbee | ... | Dennis Garret | |
| Jean Dixon | ... | Harrison | |
| Eric Blore | ... | Potter | |
| Lucille Ball | ... | Salina Garret Pine | |
| Warren Hymer | ... | Mike | |
| Billy Gilbert | ... | Cafe Owner | |
| Frank Milan | ... | Bert Pine | |
| Dorothy Steiner | ... | Dotsy Pine | |
| Estelle Steiner | ... | Betsy Pine | |
| Phyllis Kennedy | ... | Marie | |
| Franklin Pangborn | ... | Orchestra Leader | |
| James Burke | ... | Policeman Mac McCarty |
Additional Details
Parents Guide:
Runtime:
91 min
Country:
Color:
Aspect Ratio:
1.37 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Mono (RCA Victor System)
Certification:
USA:Approved (PCA #3976) | USA:TV-G (TV rating) | Canada:G (Ontario) | USA:Passed (National Board of Review)
Company:
Fun Stuff
Goofs:
Revealing mistakes: When Bert greets his parents-in-law at breakfast, he says, "Morning Ma!" to his mother-in-law, then "Hello Kibbee!" to his father-in-law Dennis Garret, played by Guy Kibbee. more
Movie Connections:
References Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937) more
Soundtrack:
Rock-a-Bye Baby more
FAQ
This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.more (11 total)
Message Boards
Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for Joy of Living (1938)| Recent Posts (updated daily) | User |
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| DVD now available directly from Warner Home Video! | simonhowson |
| Wonderful ! | holycow92883 |
Recommendations
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| Funny Girl | On a Clear Day You Can See Forever | Mr. & Mrs. Bridge | On the Town | Libeled Lady |
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Related Links
| Full cast and crew | Company credits | External reviews |
| IMDb Comedy section | IMDb USA section | Add this title to MyMovies |

I have, since falling madly in love with her in "The Awful Truth," every movie made by Irene Dunne -- at least every one listed in the filmography here. Some of her women's pictures are surprisingly good and one -- "I Remember Mama" -- is impossible stomach, at least or me. "Shaw Boat" is my favorite movie musical.
I don't care for "My Favorite Wife," one of her most famous, because it seems snobbish and mean. And "A Guy Named Joe" rings false from start to finish.
This one falls somewhere in between but it is definitely a lesser entry. She is fine but Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., is way, way too self-consciously cute. The toy duck and the duck sounds he make are really from hunger.
I think she was a trifle old for her role in "Show Boat" but her singing works and the est of the singing, especially by Helen Morgan and Paul Robeson, is extraordinary. And the Tosti we hear her singing in the recital Cary Grant barges in on in "The Awful Truth" is delightful.
Here, the music doesn't seem to work. She was a good, but I think not any sort of great, singer. There is something static about the presentation of her songs here.
My favorite Irene Dunne movies are "The Awful Truth," which I consider the funniest comedy ever made; "Show Boat"; "Unfinished Business," which is a real heartbreaker and one of Gregory La Cava's very best; and "Anna and the King of Siam," which I consider a very beautiful movie, despite the politically incorrect casting of Rex Harrison as the king.