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Design for Living Overview:

Design for Living (1933) was a Comedy - Black-and-white Film directed by Ernst Lubitsch and produced by Ernst Lubitsch.

Design for Living BlogHub Articles:

Design For Living (1933): An Atypical Lubitsch Comedy

By 4 Star Film Fan on Dec 15, 2019 From 4 Star Films

“Immorality may be fun but it’s not fun enough to take the place of virtue and three square meals a day.”  All director Ernst Lubitsch has at his disposal is a train compartment and three actors. Yet the opening scene of Design for Living positions itself as one of the most de... Read full article

The Sex (now that I have your attention) Blogathon: Design for Living (1933)

By shadowsandsatin on Jun 19, 2015 From Shadows and Satin

Sexy? Design for Living? You bet. Directed by Ernst Lubitsch. A cast featuring Miriam Hopkins, Gary Cooper and Fredric March (a trio of lookers if ever there was one). Screenplay by Ben Hecht, based on a Noel Coward play. How could it be anything BUT sexy? This pre-Code confectionery focuses on the ... Read full article

Love It, Love It Not?: Waffling over Lubitsch’s Design for Living

By Judy on Jun 13, 2015 From Cary Grant Won't Eat You

I hoped to love Design for Living. After all, the director was Ernst Lubitsch, who had helmed such witty, cynical comedies about relationships, movies that usually feel as insightful and controversial now as they probably did back in the 20s and 30s. And many reviewers I respect had praised its hum... Read full article

Love It, Love It Not?: Waffling over Lubitsch’s Design for Living

By Judy on Jun 13, 2015 From Cary Grant Won't Eat You

I hoped to love Design for Living. After all, the director was Ernst Lubitsch, who had helmed such witty, cynical comedies about relationships, movies that usually feel as insightful and controversial now as they probably did back in the 20s and 30s. And many reviewers I respect had praised its humo... Read full article

Design for Living (1933)

on Apr 29, 2015 From Journeys in Classic Film

**This review is written as part of the Fabulous Films of the ’30s Blogathon hosted by The Classic Movie Blog Association. Check out the other participants’ work here.** Design for Living has the pedigree only the best pre-Codes accrue: directed by master of comedy, Ernst Lubitsch, it st... Read full article

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Design for Living Quotes:

Gilda Farrell: It's true we had a gentleman's agreement, but unfortunately, I am no gentleman.
Max Plunkett: Immorality may be fun, but it isn't fun enough to take the place of one hundred percent virtue and three square meals a day.
Gilda Farrell: A thing happened to me that usually happens to men. You see, a man can meet two, three or four women and fall in love with all of them, and then, by a process of interesting elimination, he is able to decide which he prefers. But a woman must decide purely on instinct, guesswork, if she wants to be considered nice.
Max Plunkett: Do you love me?
Gilda Farrell: Oh, Max, people should not ask that question on their wedding night. It's either too late or too early.
Gilda Farrell: I'm sick of being a trademark married to a slogan.
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Design for Living Facts
The play opened on Broadway in New York City, New York, USA on 24 January 1933 and had 135 perfomancs. The 3 leads were played Noel Coward, Lynn Fontanne and Alfred Lunt. There were 2 Broadway revivals, the last in 2001.
One of over 700 Paramount Productions, filmed between 1929 and 1949, which were sold to MCA/Universal in 1958 for television distribution, and have been owned and controlled by Universal ever since.
Writer Ben Hecht and producer-director Ernst Lubitsch retained only one line from the original play by Noel Coward: "For the good of our immortal souls!"
The preview time for the film was 105 minutes, so that 14 minutes were cut before the film's release. This may account for scenes with Helena Phillips Evans (Mrs. Egelbauer) and Armand Kaliz (Mr. Burton) being cut from the final release print.
Considerable censorship difficulties arose because of sexual discussions and innuendos, although the Hays Office eventually approved the film for release. However, it was banned by the Legion of Decency and was refused a certificate by the PCA for re-release in 1934, when the production code was more rigorously enforced.
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