Gioia di vivere

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?

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.

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.

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.

A highly intelligent ‘tramp' is hired to become chauffeur for an eccentric, wealthy family.

MERRILY WE LIVE is a prime example of a tremendously funny screwball comedy which has become undeservedly obscure with the passage of time. Bright & breezy, with snappy dialogue and some wonderful performances, it is a complete delight. The production values are excellent and the film's free spirit is perfectly encapsulated by the opening shot in which the principal cast marches arm-in-arm along the estate's long driveway while the credits and title song role.

Suave, sophisticated and just a wee bit naughty, British Brian Aherne is the perfect match for crisply cool blonde Constance Bennett. Their growing attraction to each other, hidden behind a rivalry for intellectual dominance, is great fun to watch. This ‘hobo' has much to teach the rich girl about life & love.

A very fine supporting cast offers much to the film's enjoyment. In one of her best roles, dithering Billie Burke, as Miss Bennett's utterly out-of-touch mother, is a complete joy. Alan Mowbray plays the proper English butler who experiences frequent bouts of emotional distress. Ensconced in the kitchen, tough-talking Patsy Kelly is the family's cook with a strong yen to stir-up some romance with handsome Aherne.

Impressively agile Clarence Kolb is Miss Burke's grumpy husband. Tom Brown & Bonita Granville are their two younger, spoiled children. Philip Reed plays a bullying society Lothario interested in Miss Bennett. Ann Dvorak is a senator's headstrong daughter who usually gets what she wants and what she wants now is Aherne.

Even the smaller character roles can be fun: watch for Sidney Bracey as a sour-faced temporary butler & Willie Best as a very frightened country store janitor.