The More the Merrier (1943)

User Rating:

8.1/10   

Director:

George Stevens

Writers:

Robert Russell (story) and
Frank Ross (story) ...

Release Date:

23 October 1943 (Sweden)

Genre:

Comedy | Romance

Tagline:

Home is where you hang your guests!

Plot:

During the WW2 housing shortage in Washington, two men and a woman share a single apartment and the older man plays Cupid to the other two.

Plot Keywords:

Apartment | Housing Shortage | Washington D.C. | Elderly | Schedule

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 1 win & 5 nominations

Cast

Jean Arthur	...	Constance 'Connie' Milligan
Joel McCrea	...	Joe Carter
Charles Coburn	...	Benjamin Dingle
Richard Gaines	...	Charles J. Pendergast
Bruce Bennett	...	FBI Agent Evans
Frank Sully	...	FBI Agent Pike
Clyde Fillmore	...	Sen. Noonan
Stanley Clements	...	Morton Rodakiewicz
Jean Stevens	...	Dancer (as Peggy Carroll)

Also Known As:

Merry-Go-Round (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

USA:104 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Mirrophonic Recording)

Certification:

Finland:K-16 | Sweden:Btl | USA:Approved

Company:

Columbia Pictures Corporation

Trivia:

The unusual little car Connie's friends drive is a Fiat Topolino convertible. 'Topolino' means 'little mouse' in Italian.

Goofs:

Continuity: Connie is in Mr. Dingles room having a discussion. They are both in pajamas. The top button of Connie's PJ top is unbuttoned. As she turns to her left to go to the next room the top button is buttoned and there are no gaps between buttons as before. Clearly not enough "real time" to have fixed it.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Narrator: Our vagabond camera takes us to beautiful Washington, D.C., the national capital of our United States, situated on the broad banks of the Potomac River. Living is pleasant and leisurely... for it is a city of formality and custom. Manners and courtesy are responsible for the well-ordered conduct of its daily affairs...
[...]

Movie Connections:

Referenced in I Know Who Killed Me (2007)

Soundtrack:

The Torpedo Song

As zany as it gets

This movie, set in Washington, DC during the early years of the US' involvement in WWII, when DC was still a relatively small city, is sociologically fascinating: the back story is the housing shortage that occurred when everyone descended on the nation's capital in order to organize the country in preparation for war. But the real story is the incredible script, directing (George Stevens) and, most of all comedic acting by Joel McCrea (always the tall, handsome, slightly cynical straight man (whose straightness itself can be hilarious)), Jean Arthur (whose voice I could listen to forever), and, WOW, Charles Coburn as a flustered wealthy tycoon who plays cupid while trying to help solve the country's pressing problems. The comedy is relentless, absolute hilaritas, and it gets zanier by the minute. Very few weak spots in this relatively unknown comedy. Seeing this recently, and a couple of other McCrea comedies directed by Preston Sturges, you have to wonder why Cooper got all the glory while McCrea was frequently relegated to the second tier (despite major box office draws for more serious wartime work).