The More the Merrier (1943)

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

Director:

George Stevens

Writers:

Robert Russell (screen play), Frank Ross (screen play)

Stars:

Jean Arthur, Joel McCrea, Charles Coburn

Won 1 Oscar. Another 1 win & 5 nominations.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Jean Arthur	...	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
Donald Douglas	...	FBI Agent Harding (as Don Douglas)
Clyde Fillmore	...	Senator Noonan
Stanley Clements	...	Morton Rodakiewicz

Storyline

It's World War II and there is a severe housing shortage everywhere - especially in Washington, D.C. where Connie Milligan rents an apartment. Believing it to be her patriotic duty, Connie offers to sublet half of her apartment, fully expecting a suitable female tenent. What she gets instead is mischievous, middle-aged Benjamin Dingle. Dingle talks her into subletting to him and then promptly sublets half of his half to young, irreverent Joe Carter - creating a situation tailor-made for comedy and romance.

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Plot Keywords:

screwball comedy | dating | fertility | marriage | sibling rivalry | 

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Taglines:

"Sharing my bath and kitchen with two men...That drove me nuts!" (original Insert Card)

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Genres:

Comedy | Romance | War

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Certificate:

Passed

Did You Know?

Trivia

Jean Arthur was getting into trouble with Columbia Pictures because she kept turning down roles. Rather embarrassed about this, she contacted her friend Garson Kanin and asked him to pen her something that she could take to the studio. Kanin was out of work at the time and readily accepted her proposal which Arthur ended up paying for out of her own pocket.

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Goofs

The Capitol building is not visible from the purported apartment address of 1708 D St NW. The Capitol is over 1.5 miles from the address, and the line of sight passes through numerous Federal buildings lining Constitution Avenue. Those buildings were there in 1942.

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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. The many fine restaurants of Washington are the delight of the epicurean and the gourmet, where one may enjoy to the full the rare dishes of the old south. ...
[...]

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Connections

Referenced in Budd Boetticher: A Man Can Do That (2005)

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Soundtracks

What Is This Thing Called Love?
(1929) (uncredited)
Written by Cole Porter
Played on a record and often in the score

User Reviews

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).

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

13 May 1943 (USA)

Also Known As:

Merry-Go-Round

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Pictures

Technical Specs

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Mirrophonic Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1