I recall listening to Cummings on the radio late evening show in the '60's as he was standing in for Jack Paar. His guest's were Vincent Price, Patricia Morrison ( Kiss Me Kate Broadway fame ) and Hedy Lamarr. The conversation went something like this as their movie came up..."We both rather forget this " and so will I. They laughed it off. HEDY said at the time that she was in the mood for a comedy and though Cummings could play dramatic roles, he also was good in comedies. Unfortunately this role was laboriously done. She also was fond of appearing with a fellow European, Anna Sten, who at one time was being considered as the next Garbo by Samuel GOLDWYN, head of United Artist studios.

Workaholic advertising executive Robert Cummings (as Duke Crawford) is beginning to hear silent telephones ringing and can't remember funny Mary Treen. Showering at the office, Mr. Cummings decides he doesn't like women, who insist on the handsome man's account handling. One client, seductive Anna Sten (as Michele Bennett) won't sign her company's contract because she wants to continue being courted by Cummings. He tells senior partner Harry Antrim (as James Montgomery) to dismiss Ms Sten, and is given a job promoting a self-help book - entitled "Let's Live a Little" - written by psychologist Hedy Lamarr (as J.O. Loring).When Cummings meets the lovely Ms. Lamarr, he decides women might be worth the emotional difficulties, after all. Lamarr, on the other hand, believes Cummings is a nervous mental patient, rather than a book promoter. They are attracted to each other, but romantic rivals Sten and Robert Shayne (as Richard Field) aren't going to give up easily. Cummings, who co-produced with his new company, handles surreal comedy very well. His dueling leading ladies are good, vaguely recalling Greta Garbo's last two comic roles. The intermittently clever - "Shave as You Go!" - script benefits from director Richard Wallace's work with his stars.****** Let's Live a Little (12/9/48) Richard Wallace ~ Robert Cummings, Hedy Lamarr, Anna Sten, Robert Shayne

Whatever possessed HL to appear in this ridiculous film which panders to the worst excesses of male chauvinism prevalent in Hollywood in 1948.I fully endorse "cheeseplease's" comments.We all know HL was intelligent (co-designer of an electronic torpedo guidance system patented with a male colleague) as well as being very beautiful and I had hopes in this film she would espouse tracts of Freud/Junge and show us her innate well bred poise and intelligence.What we got, or rather what she was "saddled" with, was some airhead of a Hollywood scriptwriter & producer giving us the most facile, unfunny, badly constructed so-called "comedy" screenplay I have seen in a long while.I too found nothing to laugh at in this contrived one dimensional film.I presume that by 1948 in this "B" feature, Hedy was getting rather desperate for good scripts or needed the money.The same goes for Robert Cummings.(How mush better he was in Hitchcock's "Saboteur" (1945) with Priscilla Lane or even his "Dial M For Murder (1953)with Grace Kelly.The subject film never touched on psychiatry presumably because the screen writer and producer knew nothing about it and patronisingly considered it an unfunny subject for American audiences in 1948.That just exposes their ignorance when films like Hitchcock's "Spellbound" (1945) had been filmed.Silly irritating sequences of both leads imagining each other's faces superimposed on other peoples bodies really annoyed me.How could two rational people who had reached an elevated position in their respective careers appear so foolish?Pulling silly faces or reacting in a crass way in these sequences is certainly not funny to an intelligent audience.Why then did I purchase this DVD?Well I had hopes of seeing another good performance by HL like she played in "Come Live With Me"(1941) a witty and literate film opposite Jimmy Stewart.I rate the latter as her best film ever as her own character has verisimilitude as an Austrian refugee - albeit a very beautiful one.At least it is another rare HL film in my collection of her.Verdict - 3/10 could do better.

This B-feature has several strengths that give it potential, as the three main characters are all well cast and acted, and the subject matter is just as topical now as it was then. It also makes numerous efforts to be creative in the use of double exposures and other such techniques. Though it does not capitalize on all of its opportunities, it's a solid movie that's worth seeing.The story focuses on the ways that romantic attentions, both wanted and unwanted, can get tangled up with workplace and professional responsibilities. It sets up a lot of possibilities, though much of the time the script settles for light humor rather than trying to get more out of a given scene. It does work well enough as a light romantic comedy, and indeed many other movies over the years have had the same options and have made the same choices.Hedy Lamarr gives the best performance, as a psychiatrist/author whose professional and personal feelings become intertwined. Her character is interesting, and it's a little unfortunate that her dialogue was not written more carefully. But she does quite well with what she has to work with. Anna Sten works well as an amorous cosmetics tycoon. Robert Cummings is believable and likable as an advertising executive, although he sometimes portrays his character as a bit too much of a bungler. Robert Shayne is adequate, though often rather dull, as the fourth of the major characters.Overall, "Let's Live a Little" is a decent movie to watch as light entertainment when you don't want to think too much. Its low-budget look and its general avoidance of the more interesting possibilities keep it from being much more, but a movie like this can be worth watching if your expectations aren't too high.