Starring Fredric March and Sylvia Sidney, Merrily We Go to Hell is a gripping Pre-Code drama about a rich young woman who falls in love with an abusive alcoholic. Reporter Jerry Corbett (March) aspires to be a playwright but finds himself drinking more than writing. Everyone is stunned when heiress Joan Prentice (Sidney) agrees to marry him—though it initially appears that he has changed his ways. However, when his work takes the couple to New York, Jerry's bad behavior and a persistent old flame seem to doom their chances for a happy ending. Directed by Dorothy Arzner, one of only a few female directors during the time, and featuring future screen legend Cary Grant in one of his earliest screen appearances, Merrily We Go to Hell remains a cautionary tale about desire and addiction.