Merrily We Live

Considering the obscurity of this film, it's a big surprise to see how well made, visually rich and entertaining it is, despite, as others have noted, its unoriginal premise. The dialogue is frequently funny but not up to the standard of MY MAN GODFREY - too much of the eccentricity seems to be forced and a bit cutesy but the cast overcomes all. Clarence Kolb steals the film with his masterful slapstick but he's first rate whether playing stern-and- sober, falling-down drunk or warmly empathetic. Though Billie Burke was Oscar nominated as the ditzy society matron mother, her performance here is no better than it was the year before in TOPPER or five years before in DINNER AT EIGHT (now THAT was an award-worthy turn!). Perhaps because this particular role was as over-the-top ditzy as such roles get, Hollywood decided it was time to honor it. What a splendid cast: Constance Bennett in fine form; Brian Aherne at his best - called upon to be elegant, dashing and charming, he accomplishes all three. Cary Grant would have given the character more oomph, but Aherne's reserve works here. Then we have the inimitable Patsy Kelly as a kitchen maid, the underused Ann Dvorak as a predatory Senator's daughter who lusts after Aherne, Bonita Granville as a wild, irrepresible teenage daughter, and last but not least Alan Mobray as the snooty butler being undermined by one indignity after another; his double takes are hilarious. Near the beginning there is an accomplished scene in which Aherne's wheezing jalopy rolls for what seems like a mile down a mountainside until it's totalled: no editing tricks here. Being a Hal Roach film there are of course generous helpings of slapstick, but they're brilliantly staged and expertly carried out by actors who are also capable of delivering deft overall performances. Every actor has at least one extended scene of well staged physical comedy. The opening credits are fun and welcoming: the whole cast is walking through the gates of the property with arms linked, singing the swingy title song. So, even though the concept of this film is derivative, its execution is fresh and alive.

As has been noted before (often), this is a brilliant screwball comedy and yet somehow "a lost movie." How do such things happen? Fate, I suppose - which is no answer at all.

Do, however,seek out this film when you can find it. I saw it on Turner Classic Movies (God Bless Them), and I will make it my business to gather a crowd when viewing its next showing.

Considering how across-the-board dazzling the film is, I hate to single out anyone, but Clarence Kolb, who plays the always exasperated "pater familias," and whom we have all seen in dozens of movies, here displays a mastery of physical comedy that is singularly impressive and downright hilarious.

Unlike "Ninotchka" (1939), with its witty innuendos and tight screenplay, "Merrily We Live" is a wacky, completely irreverent screwball comedy, similar to the style of "Philadelphia Story" (1940)or "Bringing Up Baby" (1938). I laughed through the whole movie, sometimes so hard I couldn't even breathe! It is a tongue-in-cheek look at philanthropy, and thoroughly joyous. Billie Burke is brilliant, Brian Aherne a handsome and charming rogue, and Constance Bennett lovely and amusing. I too wonder why this has not been released on DVD. After all, it did garner five Academy Award nominations (but won nothing). What does it take to get MGM to release this on DVD?

Brian Aherne is a hobo taken in by Billie Burke to be a family chauffeur in "Merrily We Live," also starring Constance Bennett, Alan Mowbray, Bonita Granville, Tom Brown, and Clarence Kolb. The film is basically the same story as "My Man Godfrey" but I'm going to go out on a limb here and say it's funnier, though "Godfrey" had the serious undertones (and William Powell) that this movie completely lacks. Unfortunately for "Merrily We Live," it came out at a time when the screwball comedy had had its day. It's so interesting now to see these true gems that suffered from bad timing. "Bringing Up Baby," regarded today as a classic, also suffered at the box office.

The family Aherne comes to work for is never boring. The matriarch, Emily (Billie Burke), is bonkers. She's constantly picking up hobos and hiring them. In the first scene, the last bum in residence has stolen all of the silverware so the family is using all kinds of devices as utensils in order to get through breakfast. The younger daughter Marian (Bonita Granville) spends most of her time fooling around with the chimes so that when the harried butler Grosvenor (Mowbray) tries to ring them, they fall apart. Grosvenor, by the way, keeps his bags packed and ready to go at all times and leaves in disgust at least once a day. When Marian isn't making Grosvenor's life miserable, she's hitting people up for money in exchange for information. Mr. Kilbourne (Kolb) drinks to escape. Jerry, the older daughter (Bennett, who is 19 years older than Granville) seems to be the one who keeps things together. Then she falls for Aherne.

The last scene in this film should be regarded as the ultimate in screwball. It's one of those things you laugh out loud at even when you're alone.

It was commented that Bennett was too old for the role - 34. She definitely was playing a woman in her twenties, but given that Burke was 53, Tom Brown (the son) was 25, and Granville was 15, the ages work out, and those age gaps exist in families. In those days, it was not uncommon, as in my own family, for a woman to have 9 pregnancies and only have three living children spread far apart. Bennett didn't have the best role but she was believable and beautiful. She was almost at the end of her "A" picture leads by 1938. Tom Brown doesn't have much to do but is very good. Mowbray is terrific, as is Kolb, as a man who knows more about what's going on than he pretends. Patsy Kelly plays one of the house staff, and she gives a stagy and loud performance. She's seen to better advantage elsewhere. Burke is a delightful dingbat. Granville is energetic bordering on hyper, as she always was, and she's perfect as the mischievous daughter.

Aherne is very handsome and makes not only a great hobo but a great butler. This was definitely one of his finest roles, and he handles it elegantly.

"Merrily We Live" is a real treat, another lost treasure of the '30s.

...that it's basically a remake of "MY MAN GODFREY"? I can't be the only person to have noticed this. It's a screwball comedy about a hobo taken in as butler for a wealthy but eccentric family. There's the exasperated father, airhead mother, two daughters each with ulterior motives, wisecracking other servants, and the handsome young man who seems a little too polished to be a tramp. Even right down to the closing water-splashing payoff involving the leading man and the ingénue.

But to this film's credit, it's worthy of viewing in its own right. The gags are clever, the dialogue is sharp, and the plot is well-structured and fast paced. Solid screwball comedy with a great cast: Constance Bennett, Billie Burke, Alan Mowbray, Patsy Kelly, and young Bonita Granville. It's a forgotten classic only because people remember MY MAN GODFREY better.