Dizzy society matron Emily Kilbourne has a habit of hiring ex-cons and hobos as servants. Her latest find is a handsome "tramp" who shows up at her doorstep and soon ends up in a ...
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Title: Merrily We Live (1938)
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Nominated for
5
Oscars.
See more awards »
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Edit
Cast
| Complete credited cast: | |||
| Constance Bennett | ... | Jerry Kilbourne | |
| Brian Aherne | ... | Wade Rawlins | |
| Alan Mowbray | ... | Grosvenor - Butler | |
| Billie Burke | ... | Mrs. Kilbourne | |
| Patsy Kelly | ... | Etta | |
| Ann Dvorak | ... | Minerva Harlan | |
| Tom Brown | ... | Kane Kilbourne | |
| Clarence Kolb | ... | Mr. Kilbourne | |
| Bonita Granville | ... | Marian Kilbourne | |
| Marjorie Rambeau | ... | Mrs. Harlan | |
| Phillip Reed | ... | Herbert Wheeler | |
| Willie Best | ... | George | |
| Sidney Bracey | ... | 2nd Butler | |
| Paul Everton | ... | Senator Harlan | |
| Marjorie Kane | ... | Rosa | |
Edit
Plot Summary
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See All (18) »
Storyline
Dizzy society matron Emily Kilbourne has a habit of hiring ex-cons and hobos as servants. Her latest find is a handsome "tramp" who shows up at her doorstep and soon ends up in a chauffeur's uniform. He also catches the eye of her pretty Geraldine. Written by Daniel Bubbeo <dbubbeo@cmp.com>
Plot Keywords:
screwball comedy | hobo | upstairs downstairs | sister sister relationship | mother son relationship |Parents Guide:
Add content advisory for parents »
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See full technical specs »
Details
Country:
USALanguage:
EnglishRelease Date:
4 March 1938 (USA) See more »Also Known As:
Dark Chapter See more »Filming Locations:
Hal Roach Studios - 8822 Washington Blvd., Culver City, California, USA See more »Company Credits
Show more on
IMDbPro »
Technical Specs
Runtime:
Sound Mix:
Mono (Western Electric Mirrophonic Recording)Color:
Black and WhiteAspect Ratio:
1.37 : 1
Edit
Jerry Kilbourne: Rawlins is going to drive me to the club.
Mrs. Emily Kilbourne: Oh, does he drive?
See more »
(1938)
Music by Phil Charig
Lyrics by Arthur Quenzer
Sung by an offscreen chorus during the opening and closing credits
See more »
Did You Know?
Trivia
Clarence Kolb and Marjorie Rambeau would be reunited in the 1957 film Man of a Thousand Faces. the last feature film for each. See more »Goofs
When Jerry and Marian are rushing down the stairs near the beginning of the film, a shadow of the boom microphone is visible on the wall to the left. See more »Quotes
Mrs. Emily Kilbourne: Where are you going, darling?Jerry Kilbourne: Rawlins is going to drive me to the club.
Mrs. Emily Kilbourne: Oh, does he drive?
See more »
Crazy Credits
Behind the opening credits, the cast walks arm in arm up the driveway towards the camera. See more »Soundtracks
Merrily We Live(1938)
Music by Phil Charig
Lyrics by Arthur Quenzer
Sung by an offscreen chorus during the opening and closing credits
See more »
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This is hardly an original film, as it was apparently a variation on the 1930 film WHAT A MAN. Plus, it's amazingly similar to the 1936 hit film, MY MAN GODFREY. However, despite being so unoriginal, the overall film is amazingly watchable and a lot of fun.
Like in GODFREY, the rich family that is the focus of the film is amazingly ditsy and....well, nuts! Unlike GODFREY, most of the insanity is concentrated into the mother (played by Billie Burke)--though as the film progresses, you come to realize they're all touched! As for Burke, her stupid schtick wears thin at the beginning of the film (making you wonder why the other family members haven't killed her). But, fortunately, as the film continues, she is given such wonderful lines of dialog that I really am glad they didn't kill her. Additionally, the rest of the family's dialog was great as well--showing that the writers were really hitting their mark.
The film is about Burke's bizarre habit of bringing home hobos to rehabilitate them, though in many ways they were treated more like pets or toys than people. The rest of the family is sick of this because the hobos are usually thieves or opportunists, so it's no wonder that when Brian Aherne is taken in by Burke that the rest of the family is angry and wants Aherne to go. However, what's really strange is that although Aherne is dressed like a bum, he never WANTS to be saved by Burke and he more or less becomes a part of the family against his will! As the film progresses, like Godfrey, Aherne is obviously more than just a man down on his luck--leading to a dandy conclusion.
The film has excellent and well-paced direction, wonderful writing and an excellent ensemble cast. It is actually quite surprising that this film isn't more well-known, as it's one of the better comedies of the 1930s.