Living on Love

B-movie remake of 1933's romantic comedy "Rafter Romance". This version features James Dunn as Gary, a struggling artist who lives in a basement apartment and owes on his rent - Whitney Bourne plays Mary, a woman who lives in the same building and hasn't paid her rent in over six months. So - - the well-meaning landlord (who, by the way, has no problem peeping into tenants rooms via the keyhole) gets this bright idea: the two of them can share the apartment and split the cost. He works the night shift, she works by day - so he gets the apartment in the day, she gets it in the night - they go ahead with this plan, but they have never actually seen each other. She immediately thinks he's disgusting (based on the looks of the room) and he thinks she's a spinster, a "small town hick" in town looking for love. They leave each other a series of nasty notes and play some really mean-spirited pranks on each other (like paint remover in his mouth wash bottle, and alarm clocks set all around the room to ring and wake her up). Well, the two of them finally do meet - at a local restaurant without any idea who the other one is. They actually bond via the fact that they both hate their roommate!

This film is mildly interesting, light fare - but lacks chemistry between the two leading stars. I didn't see them ever in this as much of a couple (he actually pronounces himself in "love" with her after just meeting her, but I sure couldn't see it), and the meanness of the tricks they play on each other just left me completely cold - - if this was meant to be funny - it wasn't. In general, this film is pretty so-so - not nearly as good as the earlier version of this, "Rafter Romance". Franklin Pangborn appears in this adding some much needed humor, playing the boss in charge of Mary's sales job selling electric razors. A weak film - mediocre at best.