The More The Merrier Review

A madcap attempt to carry the carefree screwball comedy of the 30s into a more serious wartime setting, making romantic fun of the dullest-sounding of all subjects, the housing shortage in Washington DC during the first months of World War II. Kindly old Charles Coburn does his best to play cupid for tough-talking single girl Arthur and amiable hunk McCrea, though the fact that they’re sharing a tiny flat leads to much friction before the inevitable final clinch. Stevens doesn’t quite have the light touch, but the cast is unbeatable: Coburn scooped a Best Supporting Actor Oscar, and Arthur rattles off funny dialogue like a machine gun.