More the Merrier, The

Wartime Washington D.C. is suffering from a housing shortage and single career girl Connie Milligan (Jean Arthur) feels its her duty as an American citizen to sublet her apartment, so she rents a room to a kindly gentleman, Benjamin Dingle (Charles Coburn). Joe Carter (Joel McCrea) is also in desperate need of a room while in town preparing for a government mission. Unknown to Arthur, fatherly Coburn lets McCrea use the extra bed in his rented room. The madcap fun starts when McCrea runs into Arthur in the hallway and convinces her that she is obligated to let him stay. In the meantime, Coburn tries his hand at matchmaking between the two and is quite successful. This romantic comedy directed by George Stevens was a welcome diversion to the second World War. Garnering a Best Actor Oscar® for the legendary Coburn, the film also received five other Oscar® nominations, including Best Picture, Director, Screenplay, Story and Actress for Arthur, whose comedic gifts prompted Stevens to refer to her as "one of the greatest comediennes the screen has ever seen."