‘The More the Merrier’ is Mostly Marvelous 1943

 

Joel McCrea & Jean Arthur play wartime lovebirds, with matchmaker
Charles Coburn in the middle, in 1943's "The More the Merrier."

A terrific trio of actors—Jean Arthur, Joel McCrea, and Charles Coburn—play wonderfully with one another in The More the Merrier, a 1943 wartime comedy capitalizing on the Washington DC housing shortage.

George Stevens was a director of diverse genres before he went off to war: dramas, comedies, action, even an Astaire-Rogers musical. Stevens was a changed man after WWII, directing several documentaries regarding the war’s atrocities. Post-war, Stevens’ film output became sporadic, with subject matter that was always serious. Pre-war, Stevens directed several comedy-dramas, including the previous year's The Talk of the Town, with Arthur, Ronald Colman, and Cary Grant. Stevens' humanistic touch fully blossomed later in I Remember Mama and Shane, was evident even in his comedies, making their romantic aspects especially engaging.

Charles Coburn's Mr. Dingle cuts to the head of the line in Washington DC's
wartime housing shortage, in 1943's "The More the Merrier."

The tale of The More the Merrier is when Connie Milligan (Jean Arthur) feels it’s her patriotic duty to rent out half of her apartment. What she doesn't count on is aging alpha male Benjamin Dingle (Charles Coburn) charging his way in to her home and telling her that he's the new renter. Not even a day in, he then sublets his room to soldier Joe Carter (Joel McCrea), without consulting Connie. Mr. Dingle naturally plays matchmaker to these two young folk, so comedy and romance ensue. As written, I didn’t care for these introductory scenes with the pushy retiree, who wouldn’t have gotten past my front door.

I love old movies when the leading lady is putting on cold cream, all around her fully
 made-up face! Jean Arthur as Connie Milligan, in 1943's "The More the Merrier."

Let me say that I'm not a fan of slapstick, so the first half hour of The More the Merrier was excruciating for me. While it is expertly plotted and performed, the introduction of the three strong-willed characters clashing, complete with door slamming and misunderstandings, is hard to take if you're not fond of such antics.

Jean Arthur's Connie reacts to the sounds of her male roomies "bonding!"
From 1943's "The More the Merrier."

Let me also confess that I'm a bit allergic to the charms of Jean Arthur. Yes, I respect her as a talent, both adept in comedy and drama. Arthur's right up there with Carole Lombard as a supreme practitioner of screwball comedy. Her choice in films was superb and she aged beautifully onscreen. Born in 1900, she was at least a half a dozen years older than most of her contemporaries of the '30s and her career sailed along through the half of the '40s, and only ended by her choice.

Jean Arthur's Connie unwinds by practicing her dance moves to some Latin music.
 From 1943's "The More the Merrier."

That said, I find Jean Arthur hard to take for the reason most people love her, that cartoon voice that goes right through my head. It’s the same reason I can't abide June Allyson, Judy Holliday, and Melanie Griffith. Their voices may be unique, but I find them irritating, especially with their matching personas. When Arthur plays officious types, like here and the post-war A Foreign Affair, she's too good at it, to the point of obnoxiousness. Luckily, the scripts of The More the Merrier and Billy Wilder's A Foreign Affair are three-dimensional enough to give her redeeming qualities. My aversion to Jean Arthur was the main reason that I’ve never watched The More the Merrier until this year. And I can now say that I’m glad I did!

Little does Jean Arthur's Connie know that new tenant Joel McCrea is got the
Latin groove, too! From George Stevens' "The More the Merrier."

I've had the impression that Joel McCrea, while very popular in his time, was considered a poor man's Gary Cooper in the film industry. While I have a soft spot for Coop, I find Joel McCrea's naturalistic, no-nonsense manner very appealing and modern. And he doesn't have that halting way of speaking like Cooper, who sometimes sounded like English wasn't his first language!

Here, Joel's soldier, who's only in DC for a week before being shipped out, is comically deadpan at first, but is soon affable toward Coburn's Mr. Dingle. And natch, it's love at first sight for practical soldier Joe and even more practical Connie, who has her whole life mapped out. 

Joel McCrea is in his prime here and there are several scenes of his showing off his fine tan form, which he wasn’t shy about in his heyday. Arthur is lovingly photographed, stylishly dressed, and looks most appealing. As Connie and Joe let down their mutual guard and fall in love, the movie really comes alive for me. 

Joel McCrea, tan and trim, as soldier Joe Carter, in 1943's "The More the Merrier."

Charles Coburn is at his most irascible as Mr. Dingle and he's wonderful. A top character actor of the era, Coburn could be just as great as a villain, like the incestuous uncle to Bette Davis’ vixen from In This Our Life or the cold doctor who needlessly amputates Ronald Reagan's legs in Kings Row. Or he could be highly amusing, such as the blustering Binky in Gentleman Prefer Blondes or here, as the meddling retiree in The More the Merrier. Coburn won a Best Supporting Actor Oscar as Mr. Dingle. 

Even Charles Coburn's Mr. Dingle gets in the dance spirit, in 1943's
"The More the Merrier."

After a first half hour of slapstick, it’s the Washington DC atmosphere, the stars’ tender romance, and funny supporting cast that make The More the Merrier truly enjoyable. The breakfast scene, where Connie and Joe not so subtly question each other, with unwanted interjections from Mr. Dingle, is sharply funny. The rooftop scene is my favorite, offering a charming war-time scene of various tenants relaxing and socializing. Connie knits and has her diary with her, while the two guys read a Dick Tracy cartoon strip to each other. Since Connie has a safe fiancee, she and Joe’s romancing is furtive. First, with the scene where they try to go on a non-date date, then their apartment stoop wooing, and ending with pillow talk through a bedroom wall—sweetly funny and genuinely romantic. The climatic cab scene, with all the characters concerned hashing things out is great fun. The only thing that mars the ending is Arthur's comically fake crying that is grating, only topped decades later by Diane Keaton breakup bawling in Something's Gotta Give.

I love this rooftop scene, with Connie, Mr. Dingle, and Joe hanging out with the
other tenants, in 1943's "The More the Merrier."

Yes, Connie has a dork boyfriend. And yes, Joe has to go on military assignment in Africa. By the finale, they marry and will wait for one another. The More the Merrier is a wartime fairytale, with everyone rubbing elbows and more, is great fun and depicted with genuine feeling, thanks to its great stars and director.

Jean Arthur's Connie & Joel McCrea's Joe, married at last, but not without a few
 minor hitches, in 1943's "The More the Merrier."

My look at Jean Arthur in a very similar role, in Billy Wilder’s post-war comedy/drama, A Foreign Affair: https://ricksrealreel.blogspot.com/2023/05/billy-wilders-adult-foreign-affair-1948.html

And here’s my take on Joel McCrea, just fine as Alfred Hitchcock’s Foreign Correspondent: https://ricksrealreel.blogspot.com/2025/01/hitchcocks-fine-foreign-correspondent.html

Another lovely scene from 1943's "The More the Merrier." Joe & Connie pour
their hearts out while in single beds, through a bedroom wall.
Joel McCrea & Jean Arthur make a fine romantic team here.