On Our Merry Way

Starring:Paulette Goddard, Burgess Meredith, James Stewart, Henry Fonda, Harry James, Dorothy Lamour, Victor Moore, Fred MacMurray, William Demarest, Hugh Herbert, Charles D. Brown, Henry Hull, Eduardo Ciannelli, John Qualen, Betty Caldwell (II), Dorothy Ford, Eilene Janssen, Frank Moran, Nana Bryant, Carl 'Alfalfa' Switzer
Director: George Stevens, Leslie Fenton, King Vidor
Studio: Kino Video
Product Type: DVD

Editorial Review:
Amazon.com
Made during the heyday of Hollywood anthology films (such as O. Henry's Full House and Tales of Manhattan), this meandering movie is wound around the adventures of a lowly classified-ad clerk (Burgess Meredith, who also produced) who plays roving "man on the street reporter" for a day. He asks the question, "What influence has a baby had on your life?" and gets a collection of comical responses. Hapless jazz musicians Henry Fonda and Jimmy Stewart mistake the word "baby" for "babe" and describe how a shapely trumpet-playing dish upended their lives, movie star Dorothy Lamour remembers how a child star turned an Iowa day player into a South Seas screen goddess, and Fred MacMurray tells a story suspiciously similar to "The Ransom of Red Chief." It's fun to see Fonda stumble and stammer through a slapstick performance and Lamour spoof her Polynesian Princess image, but it's a lightweight lark with only fitfully funny stories.

Amazon.com

Made during the heyday of Hollywood anthology films (such as O. Henry's Full House and Tales of Manhattan), this meandering movie is wound around the adventures of a lowly classified-ad clerk (Burgess Meredith, who also produced) who plays roving "man on the street reporter" for a day. He asks the question, "What influence has a baby had on your life?" and gets a collection of comical responses. Hapless jazz musicians Henry Fonda and Jimmy Stewart mistake the word "baby" for "babe" and describe how a shapely trumpet-playing dish upended their lives, movie star Dorothy Lamour remembers how a child star turned an Iowa day player into a South Seas screen goddess, and Fred MacMurray tells a story suspiciously similar to "The Ransom of Red Chief." It's fun to see Fonda stumble and stammer through a slapstick performance and Lamour spoof her Polynesian Princess image, but it's a lightweight lark with only fitfully funny stories.

Customer Reviews:

.....One of the Best Comedies of ....1948.......2007-05-04

I saw this comedy in 1948 at the RKO Keith Memorial Theatre...in those days, if a movie was held over for a 2nd week, it meant the movie/goer fans [millions of them] considered a film to be a BIG/HUGE hit...well, this movie remained for 3 weeks in Boston and it was hilarious from start to finish...a trilogy of funny skits by: Henry Fonda and Jimmy Stewart [big band musicians]...the lovely brunette/star Dorothy Lamour's skit....and Fred MacMurray with William Demarest...decades later the latter duo teamed up in TVs, "My Three Sons" fame...you want laffs??...then get this DVD...it's rather pricey [why, I don't know]...the important thing is I'm glad it wasn't lost to the mist and fog of proven films.....SSGT CHRIS SARNO-USMC FMF

Stewart and Fonda Together Again For The First Time........2006-12-23

These great friends also starred together in the comedy Western "The Cheyenne Social Club" in the 70s. It's about a Cowboy (Stewart) who inherits a "Sporting House" in Cheyenne Wyoming. See it if you can.

Hopefully O. Henry Got Some Royalties Off of This One.......2002-08-20

Known for being the only film Jimmy Stewart and Henry Fonda starred in together, I thought I'd check out "On Our Merry Way" for its historical significance. Unfortunately, it's not very good.

The film is split into three seperate stories tied together by a rather odd framing device. Burgess Meredith and Paulette Goddard play a married couple having monetary problems, with Meredith conning his way into a reporting job to earn extra cash. He then proceeds to interview three seperate sets of people, with the angle being the way in which a child has affected each of their lives. Jimmy Stewart and Henry Fonda are musicians that lose their band to a "babe", Dorothy Lamour is an actress contending with a spoiled child star (echos of Shirley Temple) and finally Fred McMurray fights a battle of wits with a 10 year-old holy terror.

The first segment is pretty dull, and Jimmy and Henry are not given much to do. The second story is a little better, with Lamour doing a nice musical number sending up her exotic image called "Queen of the Hollywood Isles". The last section is a blatant [take] of O. Henry's classic short story, "The Ransom of Red Chief", only stressful instead of funny. The framing device with Goddard and Meredith is the best part of the movie, due to the strong chemistry between them.

I recommend "On Our Merry Way" as a rental for hard-core Stewart or Goddard fans, otherwise it's not really worth your time.

Highly entertaining.......2002-07-17

I loved this movie. It is loaded with stars all of which are surprisingly funny in their roles. In particular, Jimmy Stewart and Henry Fonda shine in a hilarious episode which really emphasizes their true to life friendship. For sheer entertainment you can't miss with this one.

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