''The Easiest Way'' is a 1931 American

pre-Code Pre-Code Hollywood was the brief era in the American film industry between the widespread adoption of sound in film in 1929LaSalle (2002), p. 1. and the enforcement of the Motion Picture Production Code censorship guidelines, popularly known ...

MGM Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc., also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures and abbreviated as MGM, is an American film, television production, distribution and media company owned by Amazon through MGM Holdings, founded on April 17, 1924 a ...

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super ...

directed by Jack Conway. Adapted from the 1909 play of the same name written by

Eugene Walter Eugene Ferdinand Walter, Jr. (November 30, 1921 – March 29, 1998) was an American screenwriter, poet, short-story author, actor, puppeteer, gourmet chef, cryptographer, translator, editor, costume designer and well-known raconteur. During his y ...

and directed by

David Belasco David Belasco (July 25, 1853 – May 14, 1931) was an American theatrical producer, impresario, director, and playwright. He was the first writer to adapt the short story ''Madame Butterfly'' for the stage. He launched the theatrical career of ...

, the film stars

Constance Bennett Constance Campbell Bennett (October 22, 1904 – July 24, 1965) was an American stage, film, radio, and television actress and producer. She was a major Hollywood star during the 1920s and 1930s; during the early 1930s, she was the highest-paid ...

Adolphe Menjou Adolphe Jean Menjou (February 18, 1890 – October 29, 1963) was an American actor. His career spanned both silent films and talkies. He appeared in such films as Charlie Chaplin's ''A Woman of Paris'', where he played the lead role; Stanley K ...

, Robert Montgomery,

Marjorie Rambeau Marjorie Burnet Rambeau (July 15, 1889 – July 6, 1970) was an American film and stage actress. She began her stage career at age 12, and appeared in several silent films before debuting in her first sound film, '' Her Man'' (1930). She was t ...

, Anita Page, and

Clark Gable William Clark Gable (February 1, 1901November 16, 1960) was an American film actor, often referred to as "The King of Hollywood". He had roles in more than 60 motion pictures in multiple genres during a career that lasted 37 years, three decades ...

Plot

Growing up in a poor working-class family, Laura (

) works hard to support her family. Laura's father, Ben (

J. Farrell MacDonald John Farrell MacDonald (June 6, 1875 – August 2, 1952) was an American character actor and director. He played supporting roles and occasional leads. He appeared in over 325 films over a four-decade career from 1911 to 1951, and directed fort ...

) encourages his other daughter Peg ( Anita Page) to marry a hard-working man named Nick (

). Laura rejects a marriage proposal from the boy-next-door to become involved with William Brockton (

) a wealthy man many years her senior whom she met at a modeling job. She allows him to shower her with expensive gifts and moves into his luxury apartment. Her newly found wealth does not come without any backlash, though. Her mother Agnes (

Clara Blandick Clara Blandick (born Clara Blanchard Dickey; June 4, 1876 – April 15, 1962) was an American character, film, stage and theater actress. She played Aunt Em in Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's '' The Wizard of Oz'' (1939). As a character actress, sh ...

), notices a difference in Laura and that she is working more nights. Dressing in wealthy attire, and arriving in a chauffeur driven car, she pays a visit to Peg, (now married to Nick). Nick noticing her style, demands that she leaves his house immediately, as he wants no association with a kept woman. Even though Laura realizes that she has become estranged from her family, she continues to stay with Brockton. Sometime later, while vacationing in Colorado, she meets and falls in love with young newsman Jack Madison ( Robert Montgomery). After a brief affair, and pledging their fidelity to one another, Jack is stationed in Argentina for several months, as Laura promises him that she will leave Brockton. She breaks the news to Brockton, returns all of his gifts, leaves his apartment, and takes a job at Macy's department store. Laura, finds work at Macy's but is so financially strapped, she can't pay her rent. She unsuccessfully asks one of her former colleagues Elfie St. Clair (

) for a loan. Laura can't return to her room unless her rent is paid. She takes "The Easiest Way", and calls Brockton, asking for a loan. Brockton refuses and tells her he will only cooperate if she comes back to him on condition that she inform Jack of her decision. She promises Brockton that she will, but deceives him by not telling Jack. Jack returns to New York, phones Laura immediately and Laura invites him to her swank apartment. Meanwhile, Elfie pops in on Laura to ask for money. Desperate, Laura listens to Elfie, who advises her to leave Brockton and marry Jack, but under no circumstances tell Jack of her current set up. Laura agrees. But her plans to elope with Jack are cut short when Brockton unexpectedly shows up. Brockton, noticing Laura's packed bags, informs Jack of what happened during his absence. Laura tries to explain the situation, but Jack, furious that Laura had broken her promise of fidelity to him, leaves. Despite Brockton's offer to continue to care for her, Laura, leaves heart broken. Traveling to her sister's home, her brother-in-law (Nick) invites her in. Nick, seeing that Laura had returned to her beginnings, comforts her with the promise that Madison will return when he gets "cool under the collar."

Cast

as Laura Murdock, a.k.a. "Lolly" by her immediate family *

as William Brockton * Robert Montgomery as Jack Madison * Anita Page as Peg Murdock Feliki *

as Elfie St. Clair *

as Ben Murdock *

as Agnes Murdock *

as Nick Feliki

Uncredited

Lynton Brent Lynton Wright Brent (August 2, 1897 – July 2, 1981) was an American film actor and a writer. He appeared in over 240 films between 1930 and 1950. Brent is best known for his prolific work with Columbia Pictures in the Three Stooges shor ...

as Brockton Associate (uncredited) *

John Harron John Harron (March 31, 1903 – November 24, 1939) was an American actor. He appeared in more than 160 films between 1918 and 1940. Born in New York, New York, he was the brother of actor Robert Harron and of actress Mary Harron. Harron di ...

as Chris Swoboda, Laura's Suitor (uncredited) * Dell Henderson as Bud Williams (uncredited) *

Hedda Hopper Hedda Hopper (born Elda Furry; May 2, 1885February 1, 1966) was an American gossip columnist and actress. At the height of her influence in the 1940s, her readership was 35 million. A strong supporter of the House Un-American Activities Committ ...

as Mrs. Clara Williams (uncredited) *

Charles Judels Charles Judels (August 17, 1882 - February 14, 1969) was a Dutch-born American actor. Early years Judels was born on August 17, 1882, in Amsterdam as a third generation in a family of actors. His grandfather owned several theatres throughout t ...

as Mr. Gensler (uncredited)

Production

In the scene where Jack and Laura are horseback riding in the (ostensibly) Colorado mountains, he has them dismount so he can show her his "pet view"; actually, the famous eastward looking view of

El Capitan El Capitan ( es, El Capitán; "the Captain" or "the Chief") is a vertical rock formation in Yosemite National Park, on the north side of Yosemite Valley, near its western end. The granite monolith is about from base to summit along its talles ...

and

Half Dome Half Dome is a granite dome at the eastern end of Yosemite Valley in Yosemite National Park, California. It is a well-known rock formation in the park, named for its distinct shape. One side is a sheer face while the other three sides are smoo ...

Yosemite National Park Yosemite National Park ( ) is an American national park in California, surrounded on the southeast by Sierra National Forest and on the northwest by Stanislaus National Forest. The park is managed by the National Park Service and covers an ...

. The film is based on a 1909

produced Broadway hit play that starred Frances Starr. In 1917 Select/Selznick Pictures produced the first film version, a silent, which starred

Clara Kimball Young Clara Kimball Young (born Edith Matilda Clara Kimball; September 6, 1890 – October 15, 1960) was an American film actress who was popular in the early silent film era. Early life Edith Matilda Clara Kimball was born in Chicago on Septembe ...

and Rockliffe Fellowes. First National planned a film adaptation in 1927. Henry King was assigned as the director, whereas

Belle Bennett Belle Bennett (born Ara Belle Bennett; April 22, 1891 – November 4, 1932), was a stage and screen actress who started her career as a child as a circus performer. She later performed in theater and films. Early life and career Bennett was ...

and

Conrad Veidt Hans Walter Conrad Veidt (; 22 January 1893 – 3 April 1943) was a German film actor who attracted early attention for his roles in the films ''Different from the Others'' (1919), '' The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari'' (1920), and '' The Man Who Laug ...

were set to star. David Fink, who produced the project, received many objections to the adaptation due to the play's immoral nature. Even though he dismissed this by reminding officials that "a film like '' Sadie Thompson''" could be released, he later abandoned the project, discussably because of censorship problems with the

Hays Office The Motion Picture Production Code was a set of industry guidelines for the self-censorship of content that was applied to most motion pictures released by major studios in the United States from 1934 to 1968. It is also popularly known as the ...

. After Joseph M. Schenck & David O. Selznick and

Universal Pictures Universal Pictures (legally Universal City Studios LLC, also known as Universal Studios, or simply Universal; common metonym: Uni, and formerly named Universal Film Manufacturing Company and Universal-International Pictures Inc.) is an Ameri ...

briefly considered to work on an adaptation, one of the DeMilles picked up the project in March 1928, until a conversation with Will H. Hays motivated him to drop it. In 1929, a producer named Sam E. Rork working for Fox considered making the film, but he was warned not to "undertake a thing which other responsible companies have already decided would not be good for the industry." Pathé purchased the story in 1930, but it was resold by ''Pathe'' following another warning by Hays Office.

Columbia Pictures Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. is an American film production studio that is a member of the Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group, a division of Sony Pictures Entertainment, which is one of the Big Five studios and a subsidiary of the mu ...

was offered by Hays Office to adapt the film on condition that they retitled it and that they bring the story into conformity with the Production Code shortly before MGM bought the rights, but they rejected it. In November 1930,

Irving Thalberg Irving Grant Thalberg (May 30, 1899 – September 14, 1936) was an American film producer during the early years of motion pictures. He was called "The Boy Wonder" for his youth and ability to select scripts, choose actors, gather productio ...

was set to produce, and he was contacted by the Hays Office, who complained that "the trouble with the adaptation is that it builds up audience sympathy for Laura Murdock and supplies her with the means of securing sympathetic excuses for, if not actual approval of, her weakness of character." The Hays Office labeled it "much more dangerous than the original play, which for a long time has itself been considered dangerous motion picture material" and commented that the story did not go "far enough in building up the idea that Laura is being punished."

Clark Gable's role in the film

One other notable aspect of ''The Easiest Way'' is that Clark Gable's role as the affable, hard-working laundryman Nick was only the future "King of Hollywood's" second credited acting performance in a "talkie." If this film had premiered just three weeks earlier, it would now be cited as Gable's acting debut in the sound era. That distinction instead goes to the Pathé

Western Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that id ...

The Painted Desert ''The Painted Desert'' is a 1931 American pre-Code Western film released by Pathé Exchange. Produced by E. B. Derr, it was directed by Howard Higgin, who also co-wrote the screenplay with Tom Buckingham. The picture stars low-budget Western ...

'', which was released 20 days before ''The Easiest Way'', on January 18, 1931. Gable's supporting roles in these two early talkies demonstrated to audiences and to studio executives his capability of performing a range of characters. In ''The Easiest Way'', Gable's good-natured character runs completely counter to the dark personality he portrays as Rance Brett, the rugged, villainous cowboy in ''The Painted Desert.'' Yet, it was his "fan-favorite performance" as the outlaw Rance that made the greater impression on studio executives and subsequently earned Gable a contract with MGM.

Foreign-language version

One

foreign-language version A multiple-language version film, often abbreviated to MLV, is a film, especially from the early talkie era, produced in several different languages for international markets. To offset the marketing restrictions of making sound films in only one ...

was produced by MGM in French. It was titled ''Quand on est belle'' and starred

Lili Damita Lili Damita (born Liliane Marie-Madeleine Carré; 10 July 1904 – 21 March 1994) was a French-American actress and singer who appeared in 33 films between 1922 and 1937. Early life and education Lili Damita was born Liliane Marie-Madeleine Car ...

in the part that Constance Bennett played in the English-language version.

Reception

Ultimately, the film, like many others in the 1930s, was subject to censorship at the hands of the Production Code Administration. Several alternate endings were created for this film. Following its release, Columbia sent a complaint letter in which it accused the Hays Office of "unfairly preventing the studio from making the film, while allowing M-G-M to produce it." Meanwhile, censorship boards in Ireland, Nova Scotia, and Alberta objected to the film and prevented its release.

Box Office

According to MGM records the film earned $654,000 in the United States and Canada and $249,000 elsewhere resulting in a profit of $193,000.

Home media

Warner Archive Collection The Warner Archive Collection is a home video division for releasing classic and cult films from Warner Bros.' library. It started as a manufactured-on-demand (MOD) DVD series by Warner Bros. Home Entertainment on March 23, 2009, with the inte ...

released the first Region 1 DVD on March 10, 2010.

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Easiest Way, The 1931 films 1930s English-language films American black-and-white films Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer films Films directed by Jack Conway 1931 drama films American drama films American films based on plays Remakes of American films Sound film remakes of silent films 1930s American films