"he beseeches the muse to smack him between the shoulder blades"
This page : http://www.albany.edu/writers-inst/webpages4/filmnotes/fnf05n10.html that I found on the Wikipedia page about Design for Living, says this:
[Tom's] agonized artist-in-a-garret routine, as he beseeches the muse to smack him between the shoulder blades during the writing of the wretched drawing room comedy (or is it a tragedy?) Good Night, Bassington, is one of the highlights of the film.
I just watched the movie... don't remember that scene. I then scanned through the movie a couple of times and I did not find it.
Does somebody know if that scene is actually in the movie? share