The Merry Monahans (1944)

Director:

Charles Lamont

Writers:

Michael Fessier (original screenplay), Ernest Pagano (original screenplay)

Stars:

Donald O'Connor, Peggy Ryan, Jack Oakie

Nominated for 1 Oscar.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Donald O'Connor	...	Jimmy Monahan
Peggy Ryan	...	Patsy Monahan
Jack Oakie	...	Pete Monahan
Ann Blyth	...	Sheila DeRoyce
Rosemary DeCamp	...	Lillian Miles, aka Lillian DeRoyce
John Miljan	...	Arnold Pembroke, Has-Been Matinee Idol
Gavin Muir	...	Weldon Laydon, Broadway Talent Scout
Isabel Jewell	...	Rose, aka Rose Monahan,unscrupulous Chorus Girl
Ian Wolfe	...	Clerk
Robert Homans	...	Policeman
Marion Martin	...	Soubrette
Lloyd Ingraham	...	Judge

Storyline

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Plot Keywords:

talent scout | unemployment | dance team | reference to the four horsemen of the apocalypse | father daughter relationship | 

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Taglines:

On top of the world or out on their ear...They're the merriest, maddest, lovin'est gang that ever hoofed and spoofed their way to the Big Time!

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Music

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

15 September 1944 (USA)

Also Known As:

Amor onnen ohjaksissa

Filming Locations:

Universal Studios - 100 Universal City Plaza, Universal City, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Universal Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

91 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

This film has 20 song/dance numbers of at least two minutes each. This leaves 31 minutes for plot developments, which is enough.

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Quotes

Pete Monahan: Did you kids have a good time at the beach today?
Patsy Monahan: Oh, sure. I enjoy an occasional dip in the common pleasures of the proletariat.
Jimmy Monahan: If you knew what those words meant and could spell 'em, you'd be almost literate.

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Soundtracks

"Isle D'Amour"
(uncredited)
Music by Leo Edwards
Lyrics by Earl Carroll
Sung by Ann Blyth

User Reviews

O'Connor steals vaudeville family backstage musical.

Musicals of this era, especially backstage ones, were formulaic, but this had a twist. Monahan (Oakie) is tricked out of marrying his love (DeCamp). Years later, abandoned by his wife, he is a hit act with his two teen-aged children (O'Connor and Ryan). The widowed DeCamp with daughter, Blyth, comes back into his life but another marriage is thwarted. Meanwhile, O'Connor romances Blyth. It is a treat to see Blyth in one of four films she made this year, her first in Hollywood and just before her star turn in MILDRED PIERCE, but the real star is O'Connor. At the ripe old age of 19 (his first film was in 1937 at the age of twelve), he here displays his expert talents as hoofer and crooner and a perfectly honed sense of comic timing. He is the real star of the film, which is homey and entertaining. It was deservedly Oscar nominated for Scoring but the Sound was equally deserving of recognition. This is for all fans of the backstage musical but especially those of Blyth and O'Connor.