You Gotta Stay Happy | |
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Theatrical poster
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Directed by | H.C. Potter |
Produced by | Karl Tunberg |
Written by |
Karl Tunberg Robert Carson (story) |
Starring |
Joan Fontaine James Stewart |
Cinematography | Russell Metty |
Distributed by | Universal Pictures |
Release date
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Running time
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100 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Budget | $1,673,000 |
You Gotta Stay Happy is a 1948 Universal Pictures romantic-comedy starring James Stewart, Joan Fontaine and Eddie Albert, and directed by H. C. Potter.
Marvin Payne (Stewart) is a World War II army air force veteran trying to make it on a shoe-string with a startup air-freight business. On an overnight stay in New York he has the misfortune of being roomed next to the reluctant bride Dee Dee Dillwood (Fontaine) and her rather formal husband Henry Benson. A ruckus causes Payne to become enmeshed in the world of Miss Dillwood. Hiding from her husband, Payne assumes the rather vague Miss Dillwood is a penniless country girl come to the city, who has descended to sleeping with married men to get by. He grudgingly agrees to give her a lift out of town and encourages her to go back to her parents. All the while Payne does not realize that Miss Dillwood is independently wealthy, and the married man she was to sleep with was the man she had just exchanged vows with that afternoon. Meanwhile, Payne's fellow veteran and co-pilot, Bullets Baker (Albert) encourages Payne to relax and enjoy life. His encouragements to join him and a couple of young ladies for a few laughs fall on deaf ears. It is with great surprise than that Baker finds a girl in the straight-laced Payne's room the following morning. A rough and tumble flight across country result in a number of surprises, not the least of which is that Marvin discovers he cares for the tag-along Miss Dillwood.