On Our Merry Way (
1948The year 1948 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* Laurence Olivier's Hamlet becomes the first British film to win the American Academy Award for Best Picture.-Top grossing films : After theatrical re-issue
...
) is a
AmericanThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
comedy filmComedy film is a genre of film in which the main emphasis is on humour. Also, films in this style typically have a happy ending . One of the oldest genres in film, some of the very first silent movies were comedies...
, produced by
Benedict BogeausBenedict Bogeaus born Chicago 4 May 1904 died of a heart attack Hollywood 23 August 1968 was an independent film producer and former owner of General Service Studios....
and
Burgess MeredithOliver Burgess Meredith , known professionally as Burgess Meredith, was an American actor. He was best-known for portraying Rocky Balboa's trainer Mickey Goldmill in the Rocky films and The Penguin in the television series Batman...
, and released by
United ArtistsUnited Artists Entertainment LLC is an American film studio. The current United Artists was formed in November 2006 under a partnership between producer/actor Tom Cruise and his production partner, Paula Wagner, and Metro–Goldwyn–Mayer Studios Inc., an MGM company...
. At the time of its release,
King VidorKing Wallis Vidor was an acclaimed American film director whose career spanned nearly seven decades.He was born in Galveston, Texas, where he survived the great Galveston Hurricane of 1900...
and Leslie Fenton were credited with its direction, although the
DVDDVD, also known as Digital Versatile Disc or Digital Video Disc,is an optical disc storage media format, and was founded in 1995. Its main uses are video and data storage...
lists
John HustonJohn Marcellus Huston was an American filmmaker, screenwriter and actor. He was known for directing the films The Maltese Falcon , The Treasure of the Sierra Madre , Key Largo , The Asphalt Jungle , The African Queen , Moulin Rouge The Misfits , The Man Who Would Be...
and
George StevensGeorge Stevens was an American film director, producer, screenwriter and cinematographer.-Film career:Born in Oakland, California, Stevens broke into the movie business as a cameraman, working on many Laurel and Hardy shorts...
, who assisted with one of the segments, as well. The
screenplayA screenplay or script is a written work that is made especially for a film or television program. Screenplays can be original works or adaptations from existing pieces of writing. A play for television is known as a teleplay.- Format and style :...
by
Laurence StallingsLaurence Stallings was an American playwright, screenwriter, lyricist, literary critic, journalist, novelist, and photographer. The World War I veteran was noted for his anti-war book The First World War: A Photographic History.Stallings was born Laurence Tucker Stallings in Macon, Georgia...
and Lou Breslow, based on an original story by
Arch ObolerArch Oboler was a playwright, screenwriter, novelist, producer and director who was active in radio, films, theater and television. He generated much attention with his radio scripts, and his work in radio remains the outstanding period of his career...
, is similar in style to that of
Tales of ManhattanTales of Manhattan is a 1942 black-and-white anthology film directed by Julien Duvivier.Thirteen writers, including Ben Hecht, Alan Campbell, Ferenc Molnár, Samuel Hoffenstein, and Donald Ogden Stewart worked on the six stories in this film, three of which were released.-Cast:* Charles Boyer as...
(1942), another
anthologyAn anthology is a collection of literary works chosen by the compiler. It may be a collection of poems, short stories, plays, songs, or excerpts...
film comprised of several vignettes linked by a single theme.
Plot synopsis
Oliver Pease has deceived his bride Martha into believing he's an inquiring reporter for the
Los Angeles Daily Banner when, in fact, he is employed there as a
classified adsClassified advertising is a form of advertising which is particularly common in newspapers, online and other periodicals, e.g. free ads papers or Pennysavers...
clerk. When Martha suggests Oliver ask people on the street, "What influence has a baby had on your life?," he submits the question to the real reporter, who dismisses it outright. Oliver approaches the editor and introduces himself as a representative of the publisher, who he claims wants to improve the feature by having Oliver roam the city and ask the question suggested by his wife.
JazzJazz is a musical art form which originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States from a confluence of African and European music traditions....
musicianA musician is a person who performs or writes music. Musicians can be classified by their roles in creating or performing music:* An instrumentalist plays a musical instrument.* A singer uses his or her voice as an instrument....
s Slim and Lank mistake the word "baby" for "babe" and reminisce about a female
trumpetThe trumpet is a musical instrument with the highest register in the brass family. Trumpets are among the oldest musical instruments, dating back to at least 1500 BC...
er they met when their tour bus broke down in a rundown
CaliforniaCalifornia is the most populous state in the United States, and the third largest by area. California is the second most populous sub-national entity in the Americas, behind only São Paulo, Brazil...
seaside resortA seaside resort is a resort located on the coast. Where a beach is the primary focus for tourists, it may be called a beach resort.- History of the seaside resort :...
, where they tried to
fixIn organized sports, match fixing or game fixing occurs when a match is played to a completely or partially pre-determined result, violating the rules of the game and often the law. Where the sporting competition in question is a race then the incident is referred to as race fixing. Games that...
a talent contest so the
mayor"Mayor" is a modern title used in many countries for the highest ranking officer in a municipal government....
's son would win.
Hollywood film star Gloria Manners (Lamour) recalls the time she was hired to work with precocious child star Peggy Thorndyke, who unintentionally triggered her big break in the movies, transforming her from a drab
IowaIowa is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States of America, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland." It derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the many American Indian tribes that occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa was a part of...
secretaryA secretary is an administrative assistant in business office administration.The executive secretary has a myriad of administrative duties. Traditionally, these duties were mostly related to correspondence, such as the typing out of letters...
into a
PolynesiaPolynesia is a subregion of Oceania, comprising a large grouping of over 1,000 islands scattered over the central and southern Pacific Ocean.-Definition:...
n goddess.
In a story similar to the
O. HenryO. Henry was the pen name of American writer William Sydney Porter . O. Henry's short stories are well known for their wit, wordplay, warm characterization and clever twist endings.-Early life:...
short storyA short story is a work of fiction that is usually written in prose, often in narrative format. This format or medium tends to be more pointed than longer works of fiction, such as novellas and novels or books...
The Ransom of Red Chief"The Ransom of Red Chief" is a 1910 short story by O. Henry.-Plot summary:This story tells of a young boy held for ransom by two money hungry criminals, Bill Driscoll and Sam Howard. The two men are fugitives who have escaped to the Deep South searching for an easy way to get their hands on $2,000...
, successful stage
magicMagic is a performing art that entertains an audience by creating illusions of seemingly impossible or supernatural feats, using purely natural means...
ian Al relates how he and his buddy Floyd once were con artists who stumbled upon young runaway and
practical jokeA practical joke or gag is a stunt or trick to purposely make someone feel foolish or victimized, usually for humor. Practical jokes differ from confidence tricks in that the victim finds out, or is let in on, the joke rather than being fooled into handing over money or other valuables...
r Edgar Hobbs in the woods. Upon learning he lived with his wealthy banker uncle, they conspired to return the boy and claim a reward, only to discover his uncle didn't want him back. All ended well when Al married Edgar's sister and made the two siblings part of his magic act.
At the end of the day, Oliver returns to the newspaper only to discover he's been fired from his real job for being
AWOLIn military terminology, desertion is the abandonment of a "duty" or post without permission from one's Government or superior. The term AWOL is an acronym for "Absent Without Leave." Ultimate "duty" or "responsibility," however, under International Law, is not necessarily always to a "Government"...
. When he tells his wife what has happened, she surprises him by telling him she has known all along about his job and doesn't mind in the least. The paper's editor, impressed by the notes Oliver made while talking to his various subjects, arrives to tell him he likes his column and plans to print it, and asks how he thought of the question in the first place. Martha confesses it came to her because she's going to have a baby.
Production notes
The film's original title
A Miracle Can Happen was inspired by a segment that was deleted from the film prior to its release. In it,
Charles LaughtonCharles Laughton was an English-American stage and film actor, screenwriter, producer and two-time director.While best known for his historical roles in films, he started his career as a remarkable stage actor...
portrayed a minister who is asked by a young boy to pay a visit to his dying father (
Henry HullHenry Hull was an American character actor with a unique voice, most noted for playing the lead in Universal Pictures's Werewolf of London...
). In an effort to boost the man's spirits, the minister offers an overly dramatic rendition of the
BiblicalThe Bible contains the central religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. Modern Judaism generally recognizes a single set of canonical books known as the Tanakh, or Hebrew Bible, as it is written almost entirely in the Hebrew language, with some small portions in Aramaic...
story of
DavidDavid was the second king of the united Kingdom of Israel according to the Bible. He is depicted as a righteous king, although not without fault, as well as an acclaimed warrior, musician and poet .The biblical chronology sets his life c.1037–970 BCE, his reign over Judah c.1007–1000 BCE,...
and
Saul-People:Saul is a given/first name in English, the Anglicized form of the Hebrew name Shaul from the Hebrew Bible:* Saul , including people with this given namein the Bible:* Saul , a king of Edom...
that sparks the man's full recovery. Only then does the minister learn the boy who had asked for his help actually had died years earlier. Producer Benedict Bogeaus thought the story was too serious for the otherwise comic film and replaced it with the Gloria Manners (Lamour) episode. According to co-producer/star
Burgess MeredithOliver Burgess Meredith , known professionally as Burgess Meredith, was an American actor. He was best-known for portraying Rocky Balboa's trainer Mickey Goldmill in the Rocky films and The Penguin in the television series Batman...
, he showed the footage to
David O. SelznickDavid O. Selznick, born David Selznick , was one of the iconic Hollywood producers of the Golden Age. He is best known for producing the epic blockbuster Gone with the Wind which earned him an Oscar for Best Picture. Not only did Gone with the Wind gross the highest amount of money in the U.S...
, who offered $500,000 for it with the idea he would release it as a short, but Bogeaus refused and the sequence was destroyed.
Although the Laughton episode had been deleted, the film opened as
A Miracle Can Happen in
New York CityNew York is the most populous city in the United States, and the center of the New York metropolitan area, which is among the most populous urban areas in the world. A leading global city, New York exerts a powerful influence over worldwide commerce, finance, culture, fashion and entertainment...
, Philadelphia, and
DetroitDetroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the seat of Wayne County. Detroit is a major port city on the Detroit River, in the Midwest region of the United States. Located north of Windsor, Ontario, Detroit is the only major U.S. city that looks south to Canada. It was founded...
in February 1948. Reviews were dismal -- the
New York Daily NewsThe Daily News of New York City is the fifth most-widely circulated daily newspaper in the United States with a daily circulation of 632,595, as of June 13, 2009. The first U.S. daily printed in tabloid form, it was founded in 1919, and as of 2007 is owned and run by Mortimer Zuckerman...
described it as "a million dollar cast in a ten-cent film" -- and it was pulled from release. Public polls revealed most people thought the movie had a religious theme, so after nine minutes were trimmed from the running time, it re-opened in June as
On Our Merry Way, accompanied by an advertising campaign that emphasized it was a comedy .
Dorothy LamourDorothy Lamour was an American film actress. She is probably best-remembered for appearing in the Road to... movies, a series of successful comedies co-starring Bob Hope and Bing Crosby.-Early life:...
spoofed her tropical screen image singing "Queen of the Hollywood Islands," with
Frank LoesserFrank Henry Loesser was an American songwriter who wrote the scores to the Broadway hits Guys And Dolls and How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying, among others. He won separate Tony Awards for the music and lyrics in both shows, as well as sharing the Pulitzer Prize for Drama for the...
providing the music and lyrics.
The song "Baby Made a Change in Me" was written by
Skitch HendersonLyle Russell Cedric “Skitch” Henderson , was a pianist, conductor, and composer. His nickname reportedly derived from his ability to quickly "re-sketch" a song in a different key.-Biography:...
and Donald Kahn.
Principal cast
- Burgess Meredith
Oliver Burgess Meredith , known professionally as Burgess Meredith, was an American actor. He was best-known for portraying Rocky Balboa's trainer Mickey Goldmill in the Rocky films and The Penguin in the television series Batman...
..... Oliver Pease
- Paulette Goddard
Paulette Goddard was an American film and theatre actress. A former child fashion model and in several Broadway productions as Ziegfeld Girl, she was a major star of the Paramount Studio in the 1940s. She was married to several notable men, including Charlie Chaplin, Burgess Meredith and Erich...
..... Martha Pease
- James Stewart
James Maitland "Jimmy" Stewart was an American film and stage actor, best known for his self-effacing persona. Over the course of his career, he starred in many films widely considered classics and was nominated for five Academy Awards, winning one in competition and receiving one Lifetime...
..... Slim
- Henry Fonda
Henry Jaynes Fonda was an American film and stage actor, best known for his roles as plain-speaking idealists. Fonda's subtle, naturalistic acting style preceded by many years the popularization of method acting....
..... Lank
- Dorothy Lamour
Dorothy Lamour was an American film actress. She is probably best-remembered for appearing in the Road to... movies, a series of successful comedies co-starring Bob Hope and Bing Crosby.-Early life:...
..... Gloria Manners
- Victor Moore
Victor Frederick Moore was a star of stage and screen, as well as being a comedian, writer and director.-Personal life:...
..... Ashton Carrington
- Fred MacMurray
Frederick Martin "Fred" MacMurray was an American actor who appeared in more than 100 movies and a highly successful television series during a career that spanned nearly a half-century, starting in 1930 and extending into the 1970s.MacMurray is well known for his role in the 1944 film noir Double...
..... Al
- William Demarest
William Demarest was an American character actor.-Early life and career:Born in St. Paul, Minnesota, he was a prolific film and television actor, having worked on over 140 films. He started in show business working in vaudeville, then moved on to Broadway. His film career began in 1926 and spanned...
..... Floyd
- David Whorf ..... Edgar Hobbs
Principal production credits
- Producers ..... Burgess Meredith, Benedict Bogeaus
Benedict Bogeaus born Chicago 4 May 1904 died of a heart attack Hollywood 23 August 1968 was an independent film producer and former owner of General Service Studios....
- Original Music
A film score is an alternative word used for the background music of a film . The term soundtrack is often confused with film score, though a soundtrack may also include songs featured in the film as well as previously released music by other artists, while the score does not...
..... Heinz Roemheld
- Cinematography
Cinematography , is the making of lighting and camera choices when recording photographic images for the cinema. It is closely related to the art of still photography...
..... Gordon Avil, Joseph F. BirocJoseph Francis Biroc, A.S.C. was a highly successful film and television cinematographer. Biroc, born in New York City, began working in film at Paragon Studios in Fort Lee, New Jersey. After working for about six years with that company, he moved to Los Angeles after working for Paramount's...
, Edward Cronjager, John F. SeitzJohn Francis Seitz, A.S.C. was an American cinematographer and inventor.He was nominated for seven Academy Awards.-Career:...
- Art Direction
The term art director is a blanket title for a variety of similar job functions in advertising, publishing, film and television, the Internet, and video games.-General role:...
..... Ernst FegtéErnst Fegté was a German art director. He won an Academy Award and was nominated for three more in the category Best Art Direction.He was born in Hamburg, Germany and died in Los Angeles, California....
Critical reception
In his review in the
New York Times,
Bosley CrowtherBosley Crowther was a journalist and author who was film critic for The New York Times for 27 years. His reviews and articles helped shape the careers of actors, directors and screenwriters...
said, "Apparently all the actors had themselves a wonderful time clowning around . . . this is one of those multi-episode pictures in which a dozen or so familiar names are turned loose in comedy sketches and permitted to let themselves go — a simple temptation which few actors would do anything drastic to resist. In this particular instance, the pleasure of the actors seems to be a great deal more satisfying than that which the audience can expect."
The
VarietyVariety is a weekly entertainment-trade magazine founded in New York City, New York, in 1905 by Sime Silverman. With the rise of the importance of the motion-picture industry, Daily Variety, a daily edition based in Los Angeles, California, was founded by Silverman in 1933. In 1998, the Daily...
critic stated, "The cast couldn't have been better. The story's execution falters because a scene here and there is inclined to strive too much for its whimsical effect. But Meredith responds capitally to the mood of the character he plays, being given more of a chance to do so than any of the other stars."
External links