Easy Living (1949)

Victor Mature, Lizabeth Scott, Lucille Ball, Sonny Tufts, Lloyd Nolan ... see more  , Paul Stewart , Jack Paar , Jeff Donnell , Art Baker , Gordon Jones , Don Beddoe , William 'Bill' Phillips , Charles Lang , Kenny Washington , Julia Dean , Everett Glass , Robert Ellis , Alex Sharp , Russell Thorson , Audrey Young , Los Angeles Rams , Michael St. Angel , Jim Backus , Alan Dinehart III , Dick Ryan , Carl Saxe , Audrey Wilder , Richard Erdman , Jackie Jackson , William Erwin , W.J. O'Brien , Robert Graham , Albin Robeling , Erin Selwyn

No relation to the 1937 screwball comedy of the same name, Easy Living is a film about the world of professional sports. Victor Mature plays Pete Wilson, star halfback of the New York Chiefs. Well pas... read more t his prime, Wilson would like to retire to a coaching job, but his rival Tim McCarr (Sonny Tufts) beats him to it. Financially, Wilson is really in no position to retire; unfortunately, he has learned that he suffers from a potentially deadly heart condition. To make matters worse, he's on the outs with his wife Liza (Lizabeth Scott), who has become disillusioned with the status of "team wife." A brief dalliance with team secretary Anne (an excellent performance from Lucille Ball) results in Anne's selfless efforts to help Wilson put his marriage -- and his life -- back together. Though he was ignored by contemporary reviewers, future talk-show host Jack Paar has an amusing supporting role. Most of the football players seen in Easy Living were drawn from the ranks of the real-life L.A. Rams. The film was based on a story by novelist Irwin Shaw. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi