"Merrily We Roll Along" is a song loosely based on the 1847 song "Goodnight, Ladies

Goodnight, Ladies

"Goodnight, Ladies" is a folk song attributed to Edwin Pearce Christy, originally intended to be sung during a minstrel show. Drawing from an 1847 song by Christy entitled "Farewell, Ladies", the song as known today was first published on May 16, 1867....

" by E. P. Christy. Written by Charlie Tobias

Charles Tobias

-Biography:Born in New York City, Tobias grew up in Worcester, Massachusetts with brothers Harry Tobias and Henry Tobias, also songwriters.He started his musical career in vaudeville. In 1923, he founded his own music publishing firm and worked on Tin Pan Alley...

, Murray Mencher, and Eddie Cantor

Eddie Cantor

Eddie Cantor was an American "illustrated song" performer, comedian, dancer, singer, actor and songwriter...

 in 1935, and used in the Warner Bros cartoon Billboard Frolics

Billboard Frolics

Billboard Frolics is a one of the Merry Melodies series of animated theatrical shorts, showcasing the song Merrily We Roll Along ....

that same year, it is best known as the theme of Warner Bros.

Warner Bros.

Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc., also known as Warner Bros. Pictures or simply Warner Bros. , is an American producer of film and television entertainment.One of the major film studios, it is a subsidiary of Time Warner, with its headquarters in Burbank,...

' Merrie Melodies

Merrie Melodies

Merrie Melodies is the name of a series of animated cartoons distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures between 1931 and 1969.Originally produced by Harman-Ising Pictures, Merrie Melodies were produced by Leon Schlesinger Productions from 1933 to 1944. Schlesinger sold his studio to Warner Bros. in 1944,...

cartoon series. In the 1970s it was adopted by WGN

WGN-TV

WGN-TV, virtual channel 9 , is the CW-affiliated television station in Chicago, Illinois built, signed on, and owned by the Tribune Company. WGN-TV's studios and offices are located at 2501 W...

 as the theme music to The Ray Rayner Show (Ray Rayner

Ray Rayner

Ray Rayner was a staple of Chicago children's television in the 1960s and 1970s on WGN-TV.-Early life:...

 used Warner Brothers cartoons on his show) and in 1995 it was used as the ending theme of Sylvester and Tweety Mysteries.

The song shares a title with the 1934 play Merrily We Roll Along by George S. Kaufman

George S. Kaufman

George Simon Kaufman was an American playwright, theatre director and producer, humorist, and drama critic. In addition to comedies and political satire, he wrote several musicals, notably for the Marx Brothers...

 and Moss Hart

Moss Hart

Moss Hart was an American playwright and theatre director, best known for his interpretations of musical theater on Broadway.-Early years:...

, but is unrelated to it.