IMDb RATING
7.6/10
7.8K
YOUR RATING
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.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.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.
- Won 1 Oscar
- 2 wins & 5 nominations total
Donald Douglas
- FBI Agent Harding
- (as Don Douglas)
David Alison
- Man in Alley
- (uncredited)
Sam Ash
- Committee Member
- (uncredited)
Don Barclay
- Drunk
- (uncredited)
Brandon Beach
- Shaving Gag
- (uncredited)
Betzi Beaton
- Miss Finch
- (uncredited)
Hank Bell
- Singing Man on Apartment Stairway
- (uncredited)
Edward Biby
- Committee Member
- (uncredited)
Gladys Blake
- Barmaid
- (uncredited)
Lulu Mae Bohrman
- Secretary
- (uncredited)
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaFeatures Jean Arthur's only Oscar-nominated performance.
- GoofsAfter Joe gives Connie the travel bag and prepares to leave, she asks if he is going back to California. He replies, "No, Africa." The audio has been dubbed, as he clearly is not saying "Africa". He apparently is saying "Japan".
- Quotes
Connie Milligan: You've been shushing me for 22 months now. You've shushed your last shush!
- ConnectionsFeatured in George Stevens: A Filmmaker's Journey (1984)
- SoundtracksThe Torpedo Song
(1943)
(Published as "Damn the Torpedos - Full Speed Ahead")
Music by Jay Gorney
Lyrics by Henry Myers and Edward Eliscu
Recited often by Charles Coburn (uncredited)
Sung by Coburn and other members of the Committee at the end
Featured review
What otherworldly power decides what films survive in the public mind decade after decade? And what films don't? 'The More the Merrier' is completely forgotten, although in its time, during WWII, it was a huge hit and was nominated for several of the most prestigious Academy Awards, Best Picture, Director, Leading Actress, Script etc. And deserved every one of those nominations. It is, simply a great film, that time forgot, and one that is finally out on DVD. And it remains a mystery how a sexy, sassy, down-to-earth and abundantly funny film such as this could ever be forgotten.
In the Washington of 1943, with the housing crisis brought on by the war, single working girl Jean Arthur feels compelled to do her bit and let out half of her apartment. Well-to do businessman Charles Coburn, who has arrived in town too early for a conference and cannot find a vacant hotel room, moves in with her, and, wanting to play Cupid, he sublets, unbeknownst to her, his half of half her apartment to a young soldier, Joel McCrea, on town on a mysterious purpose.
Rumour has it that Garson Kanin, of later 'Adam's Rib' fame, wrote the script for 'The More the Merrier', but never took credit. Whoever did it, the premise and even more so the execution of the plot is wonderfully crisp and superbly done. There is not one moment in this film that doesn't work on an extremely advanced level, and as sheer exuberant fun! And the replay value of the DVD is infinite.
George Stevens, one of the truly great American directors, has titles such as 'Gunga Din', 'Penny Serenade', 'Woman of the Year', 'A Place in the Sun', 'Shane' and 'The Diary of Anne Frank' to his credit, and 'The More the Merrier' has won a place in that exalted category of masterpieces in all genres. It is obvious that Stevens got a kick out of directing his actors in this movie, creating a many-colored carpet with all this apparently improvised dialogue, so magnificently stylish and at the same time with a looseness, a naturalness in structure that makes the movie feel like a slice of real life.
But of course real life was never as wonderful as this! Just imagine having known characters like the ones played by Miss Arthur and Mr McCrea, in one respect they are so typical and easily recognizable, and in another they are so immensely attractive, and not just in a physical sense, that you would want them for your best friends. In a strict Hollywood sense, try and imagine two more gorgeous people in the scene near the end when they, almost but not quite, make out on a the quiet street where they share the apartment! The film is great, no two ways about it.
In the Washington of 1943, with the housing crisis brought on by the war, single working girl Jean Arthur feels compelled to do her bit and let out half of her apartment. Well-to do businessman Charles Coburn, who has arrived in town too early for a conference and cannot find a vacant hotel room, moves in with her, and, wanting to play Cupid, he sublets, unbeknownst to her, his half of half her apartment to a young soldier, Joel McCrea, on town on a mysterious purpose.
Rumour has it that Garson Kanin, of later 'Adam's Rib' fame, wrote the script for 'The More the Merrier', but never took credit. Whoever did it, the premise and even more so the execution of the plot is wonderfully crisp and superbly done. There is not one moment in this film that doesn't work on an extremely advanced level, and as sheer exuberant fun! And the replay value of the DVD is infinite.
George Stevens, one of the truly great American directors, has titles such as 'Gunga Din', 'Penny Serenade', 'Woman of the Year', 'A Place in the Sun', 'Shane' and 'The Diary of Anne Frank' to his credit, and 'The More the Merrier' has won a place in that exalted category of masterpieces in all genres. It is obvious that Stevens got a kick out of directing his actors in this movie, creating a many-colored carpet with all this apparently improvised dialogue, so magnificently stylish and at the same time with a looseness, a naturalness in structure that makes the movie feel like a slice of real life.
But of course real life was never as wonderful as this! Just imagine having known characters like the ones played by Miss Arthur and Mr McCrea, in one respect they are so typical and easily recognizable, and in another they are so immensely attractive, and not just in a physical sense, that you would want them for your best friends. In a strict Hollywood sense, try and imagine two more gorgeous people in the scene near the end when they, almost but not quite, make out on a the quiet street where they share the apartment! The film is great, no two ways about it.
- How long is The More the Merrier?Powered by Alexa
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Language
- Also known as
- Merry-Go-Round
- Production company
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
- Runtime1 hour 44 minutes
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 1.37 : 1
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