Joy Of Living (1938)

A famous actress (Irene Dunne) is the meal ticket for her relatives who sap her of her money and time. But her world changes when she meets a carefree millionaire (Douglas Fairbanks Jr.) who stalks her and thinks her family are leeches. Directed by Tay Garnett (THE POSTMAN ALWAYS RINGS TWICE). Irene Dunne in a screwball comedy is normally cause for celebration. But this one is a dud! It's a semi musical with songs by Jerome Kern and Dorothy Fields (SWING TIME) but with such a lackluster script that I could help feel sorry for Dunne and Fairbanks Jr. trying their damnedest to no avail. There's a briefly amusing roller skating sequence that might have been even funnier if Dunne and Fairbanks Jr.'s stunt doubles weren't so blatantly obvious. Then there's the problem of Fairbanks Jr.'s persistent lothario who comes across as a creepy stalker by 21st century standards. With Lucille Ball, Alice Brady, Guy Kibbee, Eric Blore, Jean Dixon, Franklin Pangborn and Warren Hymer.