lolarites-68701 I absolutely love this screwball. I don't care if it's a Godfrey remake or not. It's full of heavy hitters from Patsy Kelly to Alan Mowbray (who was in Godfrey) to Constance Bennett and Billie Burke. It seems no screwball can be without Billie in it. However, to me, it's Clarence that makes it all worthwhile. He can't do anything without making me laugh. His attempts at trying to rein in his family alway make things worse. He does this spectacular pratfall in the kitchen that had me howling. He was obviously very athletic and coordinated to pull it off. I wonder how many takes it took. I loved him on Margie and every time he would bellow "Albright, you're fired!" I would laugh, but this is really his show. I wish we had wonderful character actors like him around now, but sadly they are all gone. I love the way the two great Danes played him too. He played the stooge to everyone. I suspect Preston Sturges had something to do with this, but there is no mention of him. It's so unfortunate how some gems like this one get buried and forgotten when they could be making so many people happy.

jacobs-greenwood Produced by Hal Roach, directed by Norman Z. McLeod, and written by Jack Jevne and Eddie Moran, all of whom were responsible for Topper (1937) the year before, this essential screwball comedy also features Constance Bennett, Billie Burke, and Alan Mowbray. Even though its core story (and more) is similar to My Man Godfrey (1936), it delivers laughs by the bundle with its quirky characters and clever dialogue. Eric Hatch, who wrote "Godfrey", worked with McLeod, Jevne and Moran on "Topper".Brian Aherne plays a writer mistaken for a "forgotten man" (a tramp) and "hired" by a ditzy wealthy woman philanthropist (Burke) after her seventh "project" made off with the family silver. Her beautiful blonde daughter (Bennett), and practically every other female within range (like the family maid, played by Patsy Kelly), falls for the handsome stranger while the family butler (Mowbray) and her husband (Clarence Kolb) try to get rid of him. Bonita Granville plays Burke's youngest daughter, a prankster that delights in extorting money for her inside information while she corrals the family's many pets. Additionally, Tom Brown plays Burke's son and Marjorie Kane plays another live-in servant; neither is given very much to do. Sidney Bracey exhibits his characteristic (Buster) Keaton-like stone face, playing an additional butler hired for a party; Willie Best appears late in the film, playing the scared, mumbling character he always did, as does Pat Flaherty (uncredited as a police officer).Aherne, whose next (and serious) role in the biographical drama Juarez (1939) would earn him his only Academy Award nomination, does a terrific job with comedy. Though we don't learn that his character Wade Rawlins is a novelist until late in the story, it is entirely credible that a writer could quickly assess the situation and adopt the mistaken the identity of a bum in order to play along for the experience therein, especially after he'd seen Bennett! For herself, Bennett inhabits her character Jerry Kilbourne much better in this film than she did her role in Topper (1937), which came off as a poor (wo)man's version of Carole Lombard. Jerry's romantically pursued by Philip Reed's character while she's made jealous by Ann Dvorak's bold flirtations towards Rawlins. Mowbray is better in this film as well; then again, he's given more to do. He comically plays the Kilbourne family's longtime butler who's fed up with the constant flow of indigents that are instantly accepted into the home, such that he frequently contemplates quitting. Granville's character lights up every scene she is in as the teenager daughter who relishes (and indeed causes some of) the crazy goings on in the household. Kolb is funny as the cranky head of the household who's family only partially respects his authority; funnier still is his change of heart from the one who insists they get rid of Rawlins to the one who orders "Mowbray" to serve him breakfast in bed, once he realizes the value Rawlins is to his pending bond issue with Senator Harlan (Paul Everton, whose wife is played by Marjorie Rambeau).But the star of the film is far and away Burke, who earned her only Academy Award recognition when she received a Best Supporting Actress nomination for her hilarious character in this film, which also received Oscar nominations for Art Direction, Cinematography, Sound, and the title Song. Burke's character is blissfully unaware of the big picture, while at the same time suffering from a lack of short term memory. Other than that, she has a kind heart which leads her to take in tramps off the street to be their family's live-in chauffeur, despite the fact that these transients often don't work out well - the last one, before Rawlins, was a thief! Her lilting voice fits her perfectly (and better than it does Glinda the Good Witch in The Wizard of Oz (1939)) and, unlike her husband, she interprets her children's mocking (e.g. of her voice, the fact that she greets the family's pets each morning, etc.) as if they were "terms of endearment". Virtually all of the film's "laughing out loud" moments involve Burke's character, like the scene where she's "training" Rawlins how to serve, before her dinner party. During this subsequent dinner party, Aherne's character, thanks to the Senator Harlan's daughter's (Dvorak) interest in him, makes the transition from the Kilbourne's chauffeur to their guest.

SimonJack No wonder this movie received five Academy Award nominations! The script, the antics, the characters, and the plot make "Merrily We Live" a riot of laughter from start to finish. The plots of screwball comedies often ramble all over the place as does this one.Constance Bennett has top billing, and she is good as Jerry Kilbourne. But Billie Burke and Brian Aherne carry the film, with major contributions by Alan Mowbray and Clarence Kolb. Burke's wacky Mrs. Kilbourne is the core around which the insane household carries on. Aherne's Wade Rawlins plays perfectly off her lines and all others. Billie Burke, hair-brained as always, in some films sometimes becomes tiring or seems not quite to fit after a time. But here she delivers perfectly with an overflow of deft and daffy humor. It seems infectious and invites others in unwittingly. Her performance here reminds me of Gracie Allen, arguably the best ding-bat persona comedienne ever. Burke was nominated for an Oscar as best supporting actress for this film. But she has daffy rivals, including almost every character with at least one guffaw. Alan Mowbray, always a delight as a butler or man servant in comedies, has one of his largest roles here. His Grosvenor, the butler, may be his funniest and best performance. Clarence Kolb, who usually plays gruff older patriarchs and businessmen, does so again but with a wonderful touch of humor here. He is riotous as Mr. Kilbourne. The rest of the cast are good and finish the window dressing fr the film. I mentioned that "Merrily We Live" got five nominations for Oscars in 1938. There was great competition among all films that year, with 10 nominated for best picture. Another screwball comedy – "You Can't Take It With You," won the best picture Oscar. It's one of the very best screwball comedies of all time. But I think "Merrily We Live" is just as good. I suspect that it didn't get a best picture nomination because of all the other comedies that year, including the two that were nominated. And, because its cast didn't have quite the big names. "You Can't Take It With You" included James Stewart, Jean Arthur, Lionel Barrymore, Edward Arnold and Spring Byington. This film may hold the record for the most people fainting, especially in one scenario. It's one of the funniest segments I've ever seen in a movie. And, those who didn't faint were falling all over the floor – one person (Mr. Kilbourne) fell a few times. The Kilbourne's have two large dogs. The first one's name is "Get Off the Rug," and the other's name is "You Too." Each morning, these lines are repeated as people come down to breakfast. "Good morning, Get Off the Rug. Good morning, You Too." It's a riot, but it goes by so fast. Some day I may sit down and try to rank my film favorites in various genres. Right now, I would say "Merrily We Live" is high on my list of screwball comedies. It would surely be in the top 10, and maybe in the top five. I heartily recommend this movie for great laughs and fun.Here are some Sample lines -- the humor of which is enhanced by the visual scenes. But, one can get an idea. For more funny dialog, see the Quotes section on this IMDb Web page of the movie. Wade is walking backwards to leave and Jerry says, "Is that the way you always walk?" Wade, "Yes. Oh, I don't care where I'm going. I like to see where I've been."Jerry, "Pa! If anyone tells you you look good this morning, slug 'em."Mrs. Kilbourne is teaching Wade Rawlins how to serve at a formal table. Mrs. K, "Oh, no, Rawlins. You must always serve from the left." Rawlins, "Um, this is your left, madam." Mrs. K, "Oh, so it is. I get mixed up sometime. You see, I'm right handed." Rawlins "Well, I was pretending I was a left-handed butler." Mrs. K, "Oh, that's different. Then you're doing splendidly."Senator, "If ever you are in Washington, you must come visit us." Mrs. K, "Thank you so much. But I was there once, during the last coronation." (The senator looks askance.)Senator, "Say, Kilbourne. They tell me there's a very eccentric woman in this district. Heh. It seems she has a hobby of inviting hobos into her home and trying to reform them. Ha, ha, ha, ha." Mrs. K, "Ho, ho, ho. What's wrong with that?" Senator, "What's wrong with that? Suppose one was sitting here right now?"Mrs. K, "Senator, tell me more about the woman who's nuts." Later, "I'm so glad you could all come. Because if you hadn't, I don't know what we would have done with all the food."Mr. Kilbourne, "Isn't there any respect at all in this family?" Jerry, "Don't get discouraged, pop. There must be."Jerry, "Oh, I'm just making some fudge." Wade, "With pickles?" Jerry, "Oh, yes. I always make my fudge with pickles."Mr. Kilbourne, "Listen, young lady. What's the idea of getting home so early and scaring people?"

CFOGenie OMG! this is one of the cutest, funniest of the 30's screwball comedies. Wish I could find a DVD of it. Constance Bennett is so good, as is Allen Mowbray playing the much put-upon butler. There's the long suffering father who loves them all, but oh my does he have to put up with a lot! One of my favorite lines - when the little sister points to the family's two Great Dane dogs who have the run of the house - 'This is "Hey You"and this is "Get off the Couch"!' Billie Burke does, as usual, a good job of playing the ditsy mother. Everyone in the cast is good. All in all, a funny and feel good movie! The film lives up to its title. They all, in spite of the chaos,live very merrily. And it has happy ending. Of course! All in all, a silly and enjoyable feel good movie.