The script for The
More the Merrier was custom written as a vehicle for Jean Arthur. And while
she was nominated for Best Actress, it was Charles Coburn who walked away with the
Best Supporting Actor Oscar for his performance of the rapscallion Mr. Benjamin
Dingle. Coburn tended to be given the same type in all the films he was
featured, but in The More the Merrier,
his character is given more room than normal, taking an impish delight in
outwitting those around him while playing matchmaker. The movie does its best
to show how crowded Washington, D.C. was during WWII. The actors are tripping
over each other in their apartment, and when we see their characters anywhere
outside their apartment, there’s a crowd of people in every scene, in every room,
at every table, even
on every rooftop. You
will also notice that throughout the movie, the camera draws closer to the
couple as their feelings for each other become closer. The madcap comedy does a
great job of holding up over seven decades. Mr. Dingle’s antics and audacity
remains fresh and entertaining. While I couldn’t capture the antics in the
comic, I did my best to make it look crowded by filling each frame with a
different character from the movie.
Received an Academy Award out of six nominations.
