Merrily We Go to Hell (1932)

Director:

Dorothy Arzner

Writers:

Cleo Lucas (novel)
Edwin Justus Mayer

Release Date:

10 June 1932 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

Tagline:

In her innocence she expected days and nights of tender love. What she got was a Bitter Shock!

Plot:

A drunken newspaperman is rescued from his alcoholic haze by an heiress whose love sobers him up and encourages him to write a play, but he lapses back into dipsomania.

Plot Keywords:

Alcoholic | Newspaper | Dipsomania | Heiress | Alcoholism

Cast

Sylvia Sidney	...	Joan Prentice
Fredric March	...	Jerry Corbett
Adrianne Allen	...	Claire Hempstead
Richard 'Skeets' Gallagher	...	Buck (as Skeets Gallagher)
George Irving	...	Mr. Prentice
Esther Howard	...	Vi
Florence Britton	...	Charlcie
Charles Coleman	...	Richard Damery
Cary Grant	...	Charlie Baxter / 'DeBrion' in play
Kent Taylor	...	Gregory 'Greg' Boleslavsky
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Adrienne Ames	...	Minor Role (unconfirmed)
Ernie Adams	...	Reporter (uncredited)
Mildred Boyd	...	June (uncredited)
Leonard Carey	...	Prentice's Butler (uncredited)
Harry Cording	...	Fred - Bartender (uncredited)
Milla Davenport	...	Prentice's Housekeeper (uncredited)
Neal Dodd	...	Minister (uncredited)
Jay Eaton	...	Friend (uncredited)
Bill Elliott	...	Party Guest (uncredited)
Robert Greig	...	Baritone Bartender (uncredited)
Theresa Harris	...	Powder Room Attendant (uncredited)
LeRoy Mason	...	Party Guest (uncredited)
Edwin Maxwell	...	Jake Symonds (uncredited)
William H. O'Brien	...	Waiter (uncredited)
Dennis O'Keefe	...	Wedding Usher (uncredited)
Tom Ricketts	...	Wedding Spectator (uncredited)
Pat Somerset	...	Friend (uncredited)
Harry Strang	...	Taxicab Driver (uncredited)
Gordon Westcott	...	Party Boy (uncredited)

Directed by
Dorothy Arzner

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Cleo Lucas		novel "I Jerry Take Thee, Joan"
Edwin Justus Mayer

Original Music by
Rudolph G. Kopp		(uncredited)
John Leipold		(uncredited)

Cinematography by
David Abel

Film Editing by
Jane Loring		(uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Cliff Shirpser	....	assistant camera (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Paramount Pictures

Distributors

• Paramount Pictures (1932) (USA) (theatrical)
• MCA/Universal Pictures (1958) (USA) (TV)
• Universal Studios Home Entertainment (2009) (USA) (DVD) (Included in "The Pre=Code Hollywood Collection")

Also Known As:

Runtime:

78 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Noiseless Recording)

Filming Locations:

Paramount Studios - 5555 Melrose Avenue, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Paramount Pictures

Trivia:

An early example of product placement uses a close-up of a bottle of Henessey Brandy as a punch line.

Quotes:

Jerry Corbett:Sir, you're a baritone and a gentleman...

Soundtrack:

On the banks of the Wabash Far Away

Early dissolute character for March

Fredric March and Sylvia Sidney star in Merrily We Go To Hell, the story of a nice rich girl who falls in love with an alcoholic newspaperman who has ambitions for greater things to turn his writing talents to. The title comes from a favorite drinking toast of March's.

Occasionally Fredric March turned in some fine performances of some dissolute characters. Later on he would get Oscar nominations for A Star Is Born and Death Of A Salesman and his part in this film can be seen as a harbinger of things to come.

For once Sylvia Sidney was not a child of the slums, she's a rich girl here who falls for March who keeps falling off the wagon. When he gets his play finally produced slinky actress Adrienne Allen comes between Sylvia and Fred. Incidentally playing a small role as Allen's lead in the play is Cary Grant.

The story verges into the melodramatic, but Dorothy Arzner gets some good performances from her stars and their support. Pay note to March's reporter sidekick Skeets Gallagher who has some interesting observations.

Fans of the stars should be pleased.