Let's Live a Little (1948)

This movie features some amazing Actors. All three of the principle Actors are about ten to fifteen years past their "glory days".They are mired in a terrible plot that no amount of technical skills, or personal charisma can overcome.This is basically a second rate B movie with an A level cast.Hedy Lamarr plays a female Doctor. In order for a woman to become a Doctor in the 1940s, she had to be far more that just intelligent. She had to have an incredible focus and a commitment to her career. The horribly patronizing script expects us to believe that Larmarr's character would be willing to throw it all away because a moment with Robert Cummings could turn her into a quivering pile of jelly.Robert Cumming's character is written as one of the strangest "Leading Man" types I have ever seen in any classic movie. He is fussy, prissy, highly emotional, and totally lacking in testosterone. The script calls for Cummings to act like a "confirmed bachelor" type of character. He is asked to pull off the type of performance Franklin Pangborn did so much more successfully.Worst of all is how the script treats Anna Sten. This is one of the last movies Sten ever made. Sten was one of the most beautiful women to ever appear in a Classic Movie. The lighting and camera angles are deliberately unsympathetic to an older woman. Despite what you might read, this is not a comedy. There is a lot of fussing and a lot of busy work, but don't confuse this with humor.

Two of Hollywood's most beautiful women get to pursue Robert Cummings in Let's Live A Little. Cummings who plays a harried advertising man is involved with one client already and it would dearly like to get out of it. Cosmetics queen Anna Sten is still in love with Cummings, but he made the big mistake getting involved with her as she is rather possessive. Wouldn't you know it he gets involved with another women. Psychiatrist Hedy Lamarr has written one of those Dr. Phil type books and Cummings is assigned to publicize the book and her. Before long he's both in love and in need of Lamarr's professional services.That is one thing I don't get. How could that woman practice that profession with drooling men lying on the coach confessing all their issues. She would be a distraction no doubt.And here's Cummings caught between the two of them. Got to Love That Bob.Robert Shayne is on hand as a surgeon in the same medical group as Lamarr. I guess they had those back in the day as well. His part is similar to one he did the before in Welcome Stranger.Let's Live A Little is kind of cute more than funny. The players have to work hard and get very little in return due to a deficient script.

I recall listening to Cummings on the radio late evening show in the '60's as he was standing in for Jack Paar. His guest's were Vincent Price, Patricia Morrison ( Kiss Me Kate Broadway fame ) and Hedy Lamarr. The conversation went something like this as their movie came up..."We both rather forget this " and so will I. They laughed it off. HEDY said at the time that she was in the mood for a comedy and though Cummings could play dramatic roles, he also was good in comedies. Unfortunately this role was laboriously done. She also was fond of appearing with a fellow European, Anna Sten, who at one time was being considered as the next Garbo by Samuel GOLDWYN, head of United Artist studios.

It's very disappointing to find super-lovely Hedy Lamarr so atrociously miscast in this tired and tiresome farce produced by her garrulously witless co-star, Robert Cummings (in association with Eugene Frenke) and released through J. Arthur Rank's Eagle-Lion Pictures. Director Richard Wallace found himself in an unenviable position. Not only was he forced to march to Cummings' beat, but the actor would not take direction. His gaudily over-acted performance makes the trite script seem even more witless and heavy-handed. Even splendid efforts by Hedy Lamarr and Anna Sten cannot compensate for witless writing and turgid direction. Admittedly, the movie is well produced and boasts a fine line-up of some of our favorite character actors including Byron Foulger, Paul Maxey, Frank Sully, Robert Shayne, Mary Treen, John Dehner, Billy Bevan, Hal K. Dawson, Oliver Blake...