Merrily We Live (1938)

Director:

Norman Z. McLeod

Writers:

Eddie Moran (screenplay) and
Jack Jevne (screenplay)

Release Date:

4 March 1938 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Romance

Plot:

Dizzy society matron Emily Kilbourne has a habit of hiring ex-cons and hobos as servants. Her latest...

Plot Keywords:

Male Female Relationship | Missing Person | Jealousy | Assumed Dead | Butler

Awards:

Nominated for 5 Oscars.

Cast

Constance Bennett	...	Jerry Kilbourne
Brian Aherne	...	E. Wade Rawlins
Alan Mowbray	...	Grosvenor - the Butler
Billie Burke	...	Mrs. Emily Kilbourne
Patsy Kelly	...	Etta
Ann Dvorak	...	Minerva Harlan
Tom Brown	...	Kane Kilbourne
Clarence Kolb	...	Henry Kilbourne
Bonita Granville	...	Marian Kilbourne
Marjorie Rambeau	...	Mrs. Harlan
Phillip Reed	...	Herbert Wheeler
Willie Best	...	George W. Jones
Sidney Bracey	...	Second Butler
Paul Everton	...	Senator Willie Harlan
Marjorie Kane	...	Rosa

Runtime:

95 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Mirrophonic Recording)

Certification:

USA:Passed (National Board of Review) | USA:Approved (PCA #4033) | USA:TV-G (TV rating) | Finland:S

Filming Locations:

Arrowhead Hot Spring, California, USA

Company:

Hal Roach Studios Inc.

Trivia:

Although not credited onscreen or noted by reviewers or the SAB, this film is so similar to What a Man (1930) (same plot and even many of the same character names) that the source of the screenplay must surely be the same for both films. Both the 1924 novel "The Dark Chapter; a Comedy of Class Distinctions" by E.J. Rath and the play "They All Want Something" has been added to the writers section. The play opened on Broadway in New York City, New York, USA on 12 October 1926 and closed in December 1926 after 62 performances.

Quotes:

Marian Kilbourne: [introducing the two Great Danes] His name is "Get Off the Rug." His is "You, too!"

Movie Connections:

Version of What a Man (1930)

Soundtrack:

Merrily We Live

Cute, charming, and very funny, but am I the only one to notice....

...that it's basically a remake of "MY MAN GODFREY"? I can't be the only person to have noticed this. It's a screwball comedy about a hobo taken in as butler for a wealthy but eccentric family. There's the exasperated father, airhead mother, two daughters each with ulterior motives, wisecracking other servants, and the handsome young man who seems a little too polished to be a tramp. Even right down to the closing water-splashing payoff involving the leading man and the ingénue.

But to this film's credit, it's worthy of viewing in its own right. The gags are clever, the dialogue is sharp, and the plot is well-structured and fast paced. Solid screwball comedy with a great cast: Constance Bennett, Billie Burke, Alan Mowbray, Patsy Kelly, and young Bonita Granville. It's a forgotten classic only because people remember MY MAN GODFREY better.