Released - October, 1943 

Directed By - George Stevens

Starring – Jean Arthur (Constance ‘Connie’ Milligan), Joel McCrea (Joe Carter), Charles Coburn (Benjamin Dingle).

Description – Retired millionaire Benjamin Dingle has just arrived in Washington, D.C. to act as an advisor to the area’s housing shortage during World War II. The hotel suite he had planned to stay in will not be available for two days .

Dingle reads an ad for a roommate placed by Connie Milligan who reluctantly allows him to rent half of her apartment. She is a little unsure that she wants to share the apartment with a man, let alone two men.

Dingle has met Sergeant Joe Carter, who has no place to stay while waiting to ship overseas, and without Connie’s permission agrees to rent Joe half of his half of her apartment. When learning of this arrangement, Connie tells them both to leave, but then realizes that she has already spent the rent money and must let them stay.

Connie’s personal life is as unsettled as her living arrangement. She is engaged to bureaucrat Charles J. Pendergast whom she is not in love with and from who she must hide her new living situation.

It seems Connie’s mother married for love rather than security and had a rough life. Determined not make what she believes to be the same mistake she accepted Pendergast’s proposal of marriage.

Now it gets complicated as she finds herself growing increasingly attracted to Joe. At a luncheon, Dingle has the chance to meet Pendergast and immediately dislikes him. Feeling as though Joe is a much better match for Connie he decides to play cupid.

A highly delightful comedy!

NOTABLE: The More the Merrier was nominated for six Academy Awards, winning for Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Charles Coburn), with additional nominations for Best Picture, Best Director (George Stevens), Best Actress in a Leading Role (Jean Arthur), Best Writing, Original Story, and Best Writing, Screenplay.

The More the Merrier

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Released - August, 1943 

Directed By - Ernst Lubitsch

Starring- Gene Tierney (Martha), Don Ameche (Henry Van Cleve), Charles Coburn (Hugo Van Cleve), Marjorie Main (Mrs. Strable), Laird Cregar (His Excellency).

Description – Forget the pearly gates, Henry Van Cleve has to prove his unworthiness in order to enter Hell. He feels he deserves it. Told in flashbacks, Henry begins his story with his spoiled rotten childhood as the only child of stuffy upper class parents.

This overly privileged upbringing had made Henry a lazy man with an attraction for beautiful showgirls. On one particular day, Henry overhears an attractive woman lying to her mother on a public payphone. He follows her to a bookstore, pretending to work there, intent on getting to know her better.

Learning that the woman is engaged doesn’t stop Henry from making a pass at her. However, she learns that he too is lying and is not an employee of the bookstore. She leaves.

Later that day, Henry’s cousin has shown up to introduce his fiancee and her feuding parents to the family. Sure enough, the woman turns out to be the same woman from the bookstore. Her name is Martha and she has agreed to marry cousin Albert for fear that if she doesn’t she will end up an old spinster trapped in Kansas.

In a last ditch effort to win over Martha, Henry is able to get her to change her mind and elope with him. They live happily enough for awhile until Martha passes away.

Is this family betrayal deserving enough to get Henry into Hell for which he feels he deserves, or is their an option for a “better place” where he may reunite with Martha?

NOTABLE: Heaven Can Wait received three Oscar nominations; Best Picture, Best Director (Ernst Lubitsch), and Best Cinematography, Color.

Director Ernst Lubitsch was originally unhappy with the selection of Don Ameche for the lead role. However, Ameche’s dedication and professionalism won him over. In a 1983 interview, Ameche stated that this was his favorite film.

This film was director Lubitsch’s only completed film in Technicolor.

During filming, Gene Tierney found out that she was pregnant.

Personal Note:Director Ernst Lubitsch was often credited with adding “the Lubitsch touch” to his movies. This is an excellent example and remains one of the most enjoyable fantasy-love stories ever made.

In 1978, Warren Beatty starred in a film also titled Heaven Can Wait. There has often been some confusion regarding the belief that this movie was a remake of 1943′s Heaven Can Wait. In fact, the 1978 picture was actually a remake of 1941′s Here Comes Mr. Jordan.

Heaven Can Wait (Criterion Collection)

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Released - May, 1943 

Directed By - H. C. Potter

Starring- Cary Grant (Joe Adams/Joe Bascopolous), Laraine Day (Dorothy Bryant), Charles Bickford (Hard Swede), Gladys Cooper (Captain Veronica Steadman).

Description – A romantic comedy about a romance between a shady gambler and a wealthy socialite. Gambler Joe Adams has a couple of problems. First, he has just been drafted into the Army for World War II.

This may not be as big a problem as it seems with Joe planning on assuming the identity of a dead associate who’s draft status was 4F making him unfit to serve. The second problem is a little tougher.

Joe’s got big plans to build a gambling ship, but has no money to do it. How to solve this problem? How about convincing the local War Relief organization that the ship will be a “charity ship” and all gambling revenue will go for relief.

All Joe and his men have to do is put false bottoms in the cash boxes and skimming off the money raised will be easy.

On the day of the grand opening charity ball, Joe receives a letter addressed to the man who’s identity he has assumed from the mans mother in Greece. The letter is written in Greek and Joe takes it to a Greek Orthodox priest for translation.

The content of the letter is heavy with sadness. It is from the mother of the man Joe is impersonating informing him of a German invasion of his home town that resulted in the deaths of all the Greek men who tried to defend their country’s honor.

The contents of the letter stop Joe in his tracks, bringing on a period of serious reflection and a change of heart regarding the stealing of War Relief money.

Not all of Joe’s men are happy with his change of heart, and his false identity is about to be revealed putting his new relationship with wealthy socialite Dorothy Bryant in jeopardy. Add a sinking ship that Joe is on as  result of a torpedo and things don’t look good.

NOTABLE: This film spawned a 1959 television series of the same name.

Lead actress Loraine Day was loaned to RKO Radio Pictures for her role from MGM.

Mr. Lucky was RKO’s second biggest hit of 1943.

Mr. Lucky

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Released – November, 1942 

Directed By - Preston Sturges

Starring – Claudette Colbert (Geraldine ‘Gerry’ Jeffers), Joel McCrea (Tom Jeffers), Mary Astor (Princess Centimillia), Rudy Vallee (John D. Hackensacker III).

Description – A fast-paced screwball comedy about a married couple down on their financial luck. Tom Jeffers is an inventor with, what he believes is, a great idea. It’s Tom’s plan to build an airport suspended over the city by wires.

Tom’s wife Gerry has a solution to help finance this grand plan; divorce Tom and marry a millionaire.

On a train to Palm Beach, Gerry meets the wacky and eccentric John D. Hackensacker III one of the richest men in the world. After learning of his wife’s plan, Tom also heads to Florida in the hope of saving his marriage.

When he arrives, Gerry still intent on completing her plan, introduces Tom as her brother. Things start to get a little crazy when Hackensacker falls for Gerry, his man-hungry sister Princess Centimillia chases after Tom, and her former suiter still desires the Princess.

But, is everyone who they say they are? It turns out Gerry is a twin and so is Tom. So who is really married to who?

NOTABLE: Don’t miss the opening sequence where Claudette Colbert is seen tied up in a closet and one minute later in a wedding dress.

The Palm Beach Story was singer Rudy Vallee’s first comedic role. He did such a good job that Paramount offered him a film contract.

This film is #77 on AFI’s list of 100 Films…100 Laughs.

The motion pictures original title was to be Is Marriage Necessary? However, this title caused some problems with the Production Code.

The Palm Beach Story

Preston Sturges – The Filmmaker Collection (Sullivan’s Travels/The Lady Eve/The Palm Beach Story/Hail the Conquering Hero/The Great McGinty/Christmas in July/The Great Moment)

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Released - November, 1942 

Directed By - David Butler

Starring – Bing Crosby (Jeff Peters), Bob Hope (Orville ‘Turkey’ Jackson), Dorothy Lamour (Princess Shalmar), Anthony Quinn (Mullay Kasim).

Description – The third of the famed ‘Road to…’ movies to star Crosby, Hope, and Lamour has the boys cast away on a desert shore where Bing sells Bob into slavery, and both competing for the hand of a beautiful princess.

However, there is a third suiter for the hand of the princess; the dangerous desert chieftain Mullay Kasim.

How bad can being a slave to Dorothy Lamour be? Especially, after she immediately offers to become his wife? If this sounds too good to be true, it is. The reason for the marriage offer is a prophet’s prediction that the first husband of the princess will be killed within a few days of the marriage.

So, hitch yourself a ride on a camel and join the boys for a Moroccan adventure.

NOTABLE: In 1996 this motion picture was added to the National Film Registry in the Library of Congress.

The film received two Oscar nominations; Best Sound, Recording, and Best Writing, Original Screenplay.

The scene where a camel spits in Bob Hope’s face was the camel’s own doing with Bing Crosby’s  reaction proving to be so funny it was left in the picture.

In 2006, Premiere voted The Road to Morocco as one of “The 50 Greatest Comedies of All Time.”

Personal Note: Another of the very entertaining Road pictures and possibly the best of the bunch. 

Road to Morocco

Bob Hope Tribute Collection – The Road Show Series (The Road to Morocco / The Road to Singapore / The Road to Utopia / The Road to Zanzibar)

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