On Our Merry Way (1948)

Three short stories revolving around the topic of the daily question posed by the roving reporter to the readers of a daily newspaper.

Directors:

Leslie Fenton, King Vidor

Writers:

Laurence Stallings (screenplay), Lou Breslow (screenplay)

Stars:

Paulette Goddard, Burgess Meredith, James Stewart

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Paulette Goddard	...	Martha Pease
Burgess Meredith	...	Oliver M. Pease
James Stewart	...	Slim
Henry Fonda	...	Lank
Harry James	...	Himself (as Harry James)
Dorothy Lamour	...	Gloria Manners
Victor Moore	...	Ashton Carrington
Fred MacMurray	...	Al
William Demarest	...	Floyd
Hugh Herbert	...	Eli Hobbs
Charles D. Brown	...	Mr. Sadd
Eduardo Ciannelli	...	Maxim
Betty Caldwell	...	Cynthia Robbs
Dorothy Ford	...	Lola Maxim
Carl 'Alfalfa' Switzer	...	Leopold 'Zoot' Wirtz (as Carl Switzer)

Storyline

Oliver Pease gets a dose of courage from his wife Martha and tricks the editor of the paper (where he writes lost pet notices) into assigning him the day's roving question. Martha suggests, "Has a little child ever changed your life?" Oliver gets answers from two slow-talking musicians, an actress whose roles usually feature a sarong, and an itinerant cardsharp. In each case the "little child" is hardly innocent: in the first, a local auto mechanic's "baby" turns out to be fully developed as a woman and a musician; in the second, a spoiled child star learns kindness; in the third, the family of a lost brat doesn't want him returned. And Oliver, what becomes of him?

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Plot Keywords:

musician | sarong | auto mechanic | baby | actress | 

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Taglines:

She's the queen of a Hollywood tong - and a queen, friends, can do nothing wrong! Her public she serves By displaying those curves..She's a miracle in a sarong! (original print ad)

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Genres:

Comedy | Music | Romance

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

June 1948 (USA)

Also Known As:

A Miracle Can Happen

Filming Locations:

Ventura Boulevard, Sherman Oaks, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Benedict Bogeaus Production

Technical Specs

Runtime:

107 min 98 min (re-edited)

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

As already stated, "A Miracle Can Happen" was the original title of this film when released on Feb. 3, 1948, at the Warner Theater in Manhattan. It consisted of three short stories (about 20-25 minutes each) linked by the Burgess Meredith character. He played a reporter looking for a good scoop and in the second sequence Charles Laughton played a bible-reading minister. When it was released nationally in June, however, it had been decided that the "religious" story would be dropped and replaced by a more comic one featuring Dorothy Lamour. The film in this new version was then re-titled "On Our Merry Way." However, prints of the original film had already been sent abroad for dubbing. In Spain, "A Miracle Can Happen" became "Una Encuesta Llamada Milagro", complete with the original Laughton sequence intact (but without the alternative Dorothy Lamour story). As it has been released on DVD there, and retains the English-language soundtrack, the movie can now been seen as it was originally intended.

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Alternate Versions

The version released in Spain and always seen on both TV and DVD, in dubbed and subtitled versions (bearing the title card "A Miracle Can Happen"), includes the Charles Laughton episode but not the Dorothy Lamour one.

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Connections

Featured in Henry Fonda: The Man and His Movies (1982)

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Soundtracks

The Queen of the Hollywood Islands
(uncredited)
Written by Frank Loesser
Sung by Dorothy Lamour

User Reviews

Truly awful

There is a mystery here somewhere: Why was this film made? It is a terrible embarrassment for fans of all the otherwise great actors involved. I saw it the other night on TCM and could not believe my eyes. The "comic" scene between Henry Fonda and Jimmy Stewart is surely one of the weaker moments in Hollywood history! Fonda playing drunk and Stewart with an apple stuck in his mouth are not exactly hilarious. As for the babe supposedly playing trumpet (it was, of course, Harry James really playing), someone might at least have told her that the mouthpiece smears one's lipstick. At the conclusion of this scene, the Harry James band files off the stand--quickly. One can understand why! Burgess Meredith and Hugh Herbert are not at all amusing. And as for Dorothy Lamour, well, she should have stuck with Bob Hope and Bing Crosby. On her own she best belongs in a small town chorus. You get the picture: At all cost avoid this movie.

Why was it made? In one shot we see written on a wall: "Kilroy Was Here." Explain that in 1948! In fact, explain anything about this production.