Merrily We Live (1938)

The scatterbrained wife (Billie Burke) of a wealthy businessman (Clarence Kolb) has a habit of taking in hobos and tramps into her household and attempt to reform them but they inevitably end up ripping the family off. When his car breaks down nearby, a man (Brian Aherne) attempts to use their phone but is mistaken for a tramp and pulled into the ditzy household by the wife. Loosely based on the book THE DARK CHAPTER by E.J. Rath (and its 1926 Broadway adaptation) and directed by Norman Z. McLeod (HORSE FEATHERS). The hobo and the heiress plot may sound like a rip off of MY MAN GODFREY but I find it infinitely funnier. Everyone is at the top of their game and Billie Burke who specializes in lightheaded characters takes ditzy to new heights and earned an Oscar nomination for it! The dialog is witty and fast paced and everyone seems to be having a grand old time. It may not have the reputation of better known screwballs like BRINGING UP BABY or THE AWFUL TRUTH but trust me, this one ranks right up there with them. With Constance Bennett, Ann Dvorak, Bonita Granville, Patsy Kelly, Alan Mowbray and Tom Brown.