I Live My Life

1935 film by W. S. Van Dyke
  • October 4, 1935 (1935-10-04) (United States)
Running time
97 minutesCountryUnited StatesLanguageEnglishBudget$586,000[1]Box office$1,478,000[1]

I Live My Life is a 1935 American comedy-drama film starring Joan Crawford, Brian Aherne and Frank Morgan. It is based on the story "Claustrophobia" by A. Carter Goodloe.

Plot

Bored socialite Kay Bentley travels to Greece on her wealthy father's yacht. While on land, she meets and begins a romance with idealistic archaeologist Terry O'Neill, who challenges her beliefs. However, Kay is not serious about him and tells him that she is Ann Morrison, secretary to the man who is actually her father.

After Kay returns to New York, Terry travels there to resume their affair but Kay harshly rejects him. When Terry learns her true identity, he excoriates her and storms away. However, his message causes Kay to reconsider her opinion of him, and she attends his lecture in order to see him again. They continue to bicker regarding her elevated social status and circle of elitist friends.

When Kay learns that her father has lost his fortune, she plans to marry her original fiancé, a man whose wealth will permit her to continue her life of privilege. However, her father is able to rescue his financial situation and Kay agrees to marry Terry. Her father hires Terry as an executive, but he is quickly bored with the position and feels claustrophobic in his office. Terry yearns to return to Greece and resume his archaeological work, but Kay balks at the notion of abandoning her comfortable life in New York. However, she soon changes her mind and realizes that she wants to be with Terry wherever he wants to live.

Cast

  • Joan Crawford as Kay Bentley
  • Brian Aherne as Terence "Terry" O'Neill
  • Frank Morgan as G. P. Bentley
  • Aline MacMahon as Betty Collins
  • Eric Blore as Grove, Bentley's Butler
  • Fred Keating as Gene Piper
  • Jessie Ralph as Kay's Grandmother
  • Arthur Treacher as Gallup, Mrs. Gage's Butler
  • Frank Conroy as Doctor
  • Etienne Girardot as Professor
  • Esther Dale as Brumbaugh, Mrs. Gage's Housekeeper
  • Hale Hamilton as Uncle Carl
  • Hilda Vaughn as Miss Ann Morrison
  • Frank Shields as Outer Office Secretary
  • Sterling Holloway as Max

Box office

According to MGM records, the film earned $921,000 in the U.S. and Canada and $557,000 in other markets, resulting in a profit of $384,000.[1]

References

  1. ^ a b c The Eddie Mannix Ledger, Los Angeles: Margaret Herrick Library, Center for Motion Picture Study.

External links

  • v
  • t
  • e
Films directed by W. S. Van Dyke
Stub icon

This article about a 1930s comedy-drama film is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

  • v
  • t
  • e