''Merrily We Go to Hell'' is a 1932

pre-Code Pre-Code Hollywood was the brief era in the American film industry between the widespread adoption of sound in film in 1929LaSalle (2002), p. 1. and the enforcement of the Motion Picture Production Code censorship guidelines, popularly known ...

film directed by

Dorothy Arzner Dorothy Emma Arzner (January 3, 1897 – October 1, 1979) was an American film director whose career in Hollywood spanned from the silent era of the 1920s into the early 1940s. With the exception of longtime silent film director Lois Weber (who d ...

, and starring

Fredric March Fredric March (born Ernest Frederick McIntyre Bickel; August 31, 1897 – April 14, 1975) was an American actor, regarded as one of Hollywood's most celebrated, versatile stars of the 1930s and 1940s.Obituary '' Variety'', April 16, 1975, ...

and Sylvia Sidney. Its title is an example of the sensationalistic titles that were common in the pre-Code era. Many newspapers refused to publicize the film because of its racy title. The title is a line March's character says while making a toast. March plays a man undone by

alcoholism Alcoholism is, broadly, any drinking of alcohol that results in significant mental or physical health problems. Because there is disagreement on the definition of the word ''alcoholism'', it is not a recognized diagnostic entity. Predomi ...

and adultery. Sidney plays his wife who, when she discovers his adultery, begins an affair with another man.Merrily We Go to Hell
tcm.com, accessed October 12, 2010. The film received a mixed review from ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

'' upon its release.

Plot

Jerry Corbett, a Chicago reporter and self-styled playwright, meets heiress Joan Prentice at a party and they begin dating. Jerry soon proposes to Joan, and even though his economic prospects are dim and he is an alcoholic, Joan accepts his marriage proposal, against the objections of her father. Even though Jerry becomes heavily intoxicated just before their engagement party, ruining it, Joan stands by him. Jerry writes some plays which are rejected, and fights his alcohol addiction. He manages to sell a play and the couple travels to New York to watch the production. The star of the play turns out to be Jerry's former girlfriend, Claire Hampstead, and on the premiere night he drinks heavily, becomes drunk, and mistakes Joan for Claire. Still, Joan stands by him. But, when Joan catches Jerry trying to sneak out to Claire's one night she kicks him out. The following day she tells him that they will have a " modern marriage" and that she intends to have affairs herself. When Jerry is next seen, he is making a "Merrily we go to hell" toast with Claire. In turn, Joan and her date toast to the "holy state of matrimony–single lives, twin beds and triple bromides in the morning." Joan becomes pregnant and learns from her doctor that her health is poor. She tries to tell Jerry, but he is too occupied with Claire and she decides to move on. After he is unable to write a successful follow-up play, Jerry eventually realizes that he loves Joan, and regrets his behavior. He commits to sobriety, returns to Chicago, and works as a reporter again, but Joan's father keeps them apart. Jerry discovers Joan has given birth from a gossip columnist and goes to the hospital to see her. Joan's father tells him the baby died two hours after his birth, that Joan is very ill, and that she does not want to see him ever again. However, Jerry sneaks into her room anyway, while Joan in pain is asking the nurse to send for Jerry, she has to see him. He discovers his distraught wife has been pleading to see him all along. A repentant Jerry pledges his love to her and they kiss.

Cast

* Sylvia Sidney as Joan Prentice *

as Jerry Corbett *

Adrianne Allen Adrianne Allen (7 February 1907 – 14 September 1993) was an English stage actress. Most often seen in light comedy, Allen played Sybil Chase in the original West End production of ''Private Lives'' and Elizabeth Bennet in the 1935 Broadw ...

as Claire Hempstead * Richard "Skeets" Gallagher as Buck * George Irving as Mr. Prentice *

Esther Howard Esther Howard (April 4, 1892 – March 8, 1965) was an American stage and film character actress who played a wide range of supporting roles, from man-hungry spinsters to amoral criminals, appearing in 108 films in her 23-year screen career ...

as Vi * Florence Britton as Charlcie * Charles Coleman as Richard Damery *

Cary Grant Cary Grant (born Archibald Alec Leach; January 18, 1904November 29, 1986) was an English-American actor. He was known for his Mid-Atlantic accent, debonair demeanor, light-hearted approach to acting, and sense of comic timing. He was one o ...

as Charlie Baxter *

Kent Taylor Kent Taylor (born Louis William Weiss; May 11, 1907 – April 11, 1987) was an American actor of film and television. Taylor appeared in more than 110 films, the bulk of them B-movies in the 1930s and 1940s, although he also had roles in more pr ...

as Greg Boleslavsky *

Robert Greig Robert Greig (December 27, 1879 – June 27, 1958) was an Australian-American actor who appeared in more than 100 films between 1930 and 1949, usually as the dutiful butler. Born Arthur Alfred Bede Greig, he was the nephew of Australian pol ...

as Baritone Bartender (uncredited) * Theresa Harris as Bathroom Attendant at Nightclub (uncredited)

Reception

Mordaunt Hall Mordaunt Hall (1 November 1878 – 2 July 1973) was the first regularly assigned motion picture critic for ''The New York Times'', working from October 1924 to September 1934.The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

'', gave the film a mixed review upon its release. Hall, Mordaunt.br>Merrily We Go to Hell (1932) - "I, Jerry, Take Thee, Joan."
''The New York Times'', June 11, 1932, accessed October 12, 2010. Hall believed the film was wildly funny in stretches, and described the acting by the two leads as "excellent", but believed the scenes in which March played intoxicated went nowhere, and that the script was lacking. However, despite similar reviews, which often noted that it had been directed by a woman, the film was one of the more financially successful films that year.Mayne, p. 59 Jessie Burns of ''Script'' criticised the casting of Fredric March in the film, finding him to be unconvincing, though thought that Adrianne Allen showed her "star" quality in her portrayal of an otherwise "artificial" character.

References

Bibliography

* * *

External links

* *
''Merrily We Go to Hell: Gingerbread, Cake, and Crème de Menthe''
an essay by Judith Mayne at the Criterion Collection {{Dorothy Arzner 1932 films 1932 drama films Adultery in films American black-and-white films American drama films 1930s English-language films Films about alcoholism Films directed by Dorothy Arzner Paramount Pictures films 1930s American films