The More the Merrier (1943)
- General info
- Available formats
- Synopsis:
Arriving in Washington to help with the war effort, Benjamin Dingle (Charles Coburn), a retired, well-to-do millionaire, needs a place to stay. So when patriotic Connie Milligan (Jean Arthur) decides to rent out half her apartment, Mr. Dingle promptly moves in. Firmly believing that everybody's business is everybody's business, Mr. Dingle quickly determines that Connie should be married to a clean-cut nice young man. So he rents out half of his half to Joe Carter (Joel McCrea), an Army sergeant who most certainly fills the bill. But when the newspapers get wind of their "scandalous" living arrangement, it's up to Mr. Dingle to save careers, reputations and a budding romance, in this delightful screwball comedy. - Actors:
- Jean Arthur, Joel McCrea, Charles Coburn, Richard Gaines, Bruce Bennett, Frank Sully, Donald Douglas, Clyde Fillmore, Stanley Clements
- Directors:
- George Stevens
- Producers:
- George Stevens
- Writers:
- Robert Russell, Frank Ross, Richard Flournoy, Lewis R. Foster, Garson Kanin
- Others:
- Lewis R. Foster, Richard Flournoy
- Aka:
- Merry-Go-Round
- Genres:
- Classics, Comedy, Romance
- Collections:
- Oscar Nominations Competition 2025, Oscar Nominations Competition 2026
- Awards:
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Reviews (1) of The More the Merrier
Room to Recommend - The More the Merrier review by griggs
Charles Coburn spends this film behaving like Cupid with emergency wartime powers, and I'd happily watch him rearrange strangers' lives for another ninety minutes. Less keen if I were one of the strangers.
Washington is short of housing, so Jean Arthur sublets half her flat to Coburn, who promptly passes half of his half to Joel McCrea. George Stevens gets huge mileage from the cramped layout, with curtains, doors and a few inches separating people who all pretend not to listen. Arthur is terrific at controlled exasperation. McCrea, relaxed where she's coiled, makes a fine match. The steps scene earns its reputation because proximity does most of the talking.
I could hear the gears grinding once the last stretch turned mechanically screwball. The middle could lose a little furniture without damaging the flat. Looked at coldly, Coburn's Dingle is an astonishing houseguest. Airbnb review: one star, repeatedly tried to restructure my love life.
Crowded, nosy and ridiculously charming. The flat's a nightmare, but the film's a delight.