Evelyn Prentice (1934) User Reviews

Another fine Powell-Loy teaming

[blanche-2 · 7/10 · 3 August 2010]

William Powell and Myrna Loy made fourteen films together; "Evelyn Prentice" was their third, released in 1934. Powell plays John Prentice, a busy attorney who isn't spending enough time with his wife Evelyn (Loy) and child; he drifts into an affair with a needy client (Rosalind Russell) whom he has successfully defended in a manslaughter case. Evelyn is being wooed by a so-called poet (Harvey Stephens) who in truth has blackmail in mind. When he presents Evelyn with incriminating letters (though she hasn't had an affair with him, the letters are suggestive), a struggle ensues, and he winds up dead. His girlfriend (Isabel Jewell) is accused.

The acting helps what has now become a familiar story. Myrna Loy is absolutely gorgeous and sympathetic as a lonely wife resisting the attentions of another man; and you know that Powell, despite his philandering, cares for her deeply. Una Merkel is delightful as Evelyn's friend.

Powell and Loy worked so easily together and by all accounts enjoyed their collaborations, keeping up their friendship even after Powell retired. They're always a joy to watch.

Hot Coffee

[marcslope · 8/10 · 28 June 2005]

Lenore Coffee was a prolific screenwriter whose specialty was the "women's picture," and she writes a honey of one here. William Powell is a too-busy lawyer who's dallying with client Rosalind Russell and who neglects his family (and boy, can I identify with that), to the point where good wife Loy is momentarily distracted by a lounge-lizard poet with a busy black book. Disastrous complications ensue. William Howard's direction is workmanlike at best, but Coffee keeps the fireworks popping. She balances things expertly between smart, sassy dialog and courtroom melodramatics, and she can write persuasively for tart-tongued best friends (a soignee Una Merkel), wide-eyed daughters (a relatively unannoying Cora Sue Collins), wronged women (a heavy-lidded Isabel Jewell), and a supporting cast of New York sophisticates. The windup is a little fast and the idyllic fadeout not entirely convincing, but in these days of overheated trials and yellow Murdoch journalism, it's not entirely implausible, either. A very fast and smart comedy-drama, and I didn't mind the absence of the Nick and Nora personas, or Asta, one bit.

Suspenseful and Intriguing

[vibeke-2 · 8/10 · 30 December 1999]

This is a mystery film that, although not quite of the calabre of The Thin Man, builds suspense and intrigue thoroughly. Both William Powell and Myrna Loy are superb, playing characters completely different from those they play in The Thin Man series. They breathe a new life into a common plot. This film may seem slow, but it is certainly worth it.

The strong performances distract us from the occasional creaks and groans in the plot and make this courtroom melodrama worth seeing

[J. Spurlin · 15 July 2010]

Evelyn Prentice (Myrna Loy) is the neglected wife of a prominent lawyer (William Powell) who briefly takes up with his beautiful client (Rosalind Russell). When Evelyn finds out, she does her own dallying with a conniving poet and playwright (Harvey Stephens) who has a jealous girlfriend (Isabel Jewell). Evelyn's ditsy friend and house guest (Una Merkel) acts as confidant when the dalliance turns disastrous and Evelyn finds herself involved in blackmail and murder. Now, her marriage and the future happiness of her little daughter (Cora Sue Collins) are in jeopardy.

This courtroom mystery could have stood fewer melodramatic contrivances, especially toward the end, but the dialogue and characterizations are strong. Far stronger, however, are the remarkable performances from everyone involved. Myrna Loy's quiet desperation is utterly convincing. Powell, good throughout, is especially deft after discovering a stunning secret during the climactic courtroom trial: without a trace of ham, he genuinely looks as if he is about to keel over from shock, as he is forced to go on. Isabel Jewell, eschewing all phony theatrics, is remarkably good during her testimony at the end. Cora Sue is charming as the little girl. These performances distract us from the occasional creaks and groans in the plot and make the movie worth seeing.

Worthwhile pre Thin Man Powell/Loy pairing

[AlsExGal · 6/10 · 20 December 2022]

Decent drama from MGM and director William K. Howard that marked the third teaming of Myrna Loy and William Powell. Powell is John Prentice, a successful workaholic defense attorney who provides well for his wife Evelyn (Loy) and young daughter Dorothy (Cora Sue Collins), but he's never home to share it with them. When Evelyn thinks that John is having an affair, she flirts with having one of her own with charming cad Lawrence (Harvey Stephens). This leads to even more trouble and heartache. Also featuring Una Merkel as Loy's best friend and Rosalind Russell in her film debut.

Loy is very good in this as the emotionally conflicted Evelyn who gets in over her head. Powell underplays the big finale courtroom scenes well. Russell is okay as a client of Powell's who's a little too grateful for his services. Her role could have been expanded, though. The presence of Merkel is always a plus in my book. Of the 3 films with Loy/Powell in 1934, the others being Manhattan Melodrama and The Thin Man, this is the least impressive, but it's still worth a look.

Isabel Jewell shines like a diamond in this.

[Clothes-Off · 7/10 · 18 July 2008]

Despite the presence of stars Myrna Loy and William Powell (not to mention Rosalind Russell in her brief film debut), supporting player Isabel Jewell's performance is easily the most memorable in this drama. Powell plays a prominent lawyer, and Jewell plays a potential client, one who can't afford his serves as much as the glamorous socialite played by Russell. The legendary Loy has some fine scenes, but she really isn't given much of a chance to change her somber demeanor throughout the picture. There isn't really much action in this film, just a few well-placed confrontations and plot devices to keep up a modest amount of suspense, plenty enough to hold ones interest in a short running time. Films of this era didn't have to rely on spectacle or sensation to be good, and this is one example.

Great 1934 Film to Enjoy

[whpratt1 · 8/10 · 16 January 2008]

This is a great 1934 film which had a great deal of mystery and entertainment right to the very end of the film. John Prentice, (William Powell), played the role as a very famous lawyer who was always busy with plenty of his clients and his wife was, Evelyn Prentice, (Myrna Loy). Evelyn Prentice had a small daughter and the family was very happy, but John was constantly busy all the time and Evelyn is approached by a man who seems to charm her and tempt her into some sort of a relationship with him. At the same time, John defended a very rich client and was able to free her from any judgments in a car accident and this client showered John with all kinds of affection and wanted to have an affair with him. There is a murder which occurs and turns this film completely around and takes the story in another direction. Please don't miss this film, it is just plain great to view and enjoy with great acting by Myrna Loy and William Powell.

Enjoyable, good solid 1934 film with a few surprises

[pik923 · 9/10 · 20 July 2010]

Besides the obvious factors of a great cast of that era, a great writer of women's films and how the writers, director and actors were able to tell all without showing it all - leaving much to the imagination, one of the great surprises of this film is a short scene in a nightclub where two male dancers, one white and one black, do a lovely tap dance number. This is one of the first integrated dance sequences in a white nightclub I remember seeing on film.

If anyone has more information about the dancers, and the history of this scene, i would be delighted to hear more about it! What a huge surprise.

And you may know that Rosalind Russell is in the film, her film debut and she is great as ever, with the camera loving her. She would soon go on to greater film roles like her comedy with Cary Grant, that classic, My Girl Friday.

The set designs are wonderful and reflect that period of Hollywood studio work. The cinematography too is wonderful. And the drama between William Powell and Myrna Loy is as wonderful as always. Una Merkel is a delight, filling in the gaps and the dialog of that period is also delightful.

I enjoyed it. If you enjoy those great black and white 1930s classics, I think you will also enjoy this little gem.

a 'minor' work saved by the actors

[Quinoa1984 · 7/10 · 12 February 2015]

There's nothing particularly *awful* about the script or story of Evelyn Prentice, but there's nothing that sparks out that it's particularly deep or original either. It runs just shy of 80 minutes and it was surely one of those "programmers", a movie that was put through by the studio to get some select butts in seats - not too dissimilar, of course, from much of the history of Hollywood, just that it doesn't really distinguish itself in any artistic way outside the box. In other words, William K. Howard puts the camera where it goes, gets his mediums and close-ups, and moves along to the next set-up once he's got what he needs. Scenes even fade-out and fade-in at the point where, perhaps with a more confident or creative director, they might go on or start a little sooner, give a little more depth to the characters. Not all terrible filmmaking, but, perhaps still not so impressive, it's... standard.

It's interesting to see that in 1934 William Powell and Myrna Loy got not one, not two, but THREE leading vehicles with one another, two of them melodramas, and both of those were with Powell as a lawyer. But where one of those other films was a smash of a comic mystery (The Thin Man, of course, which set them off to be super-stars), and the other a story that also featured Clarke Gable (Manhattan Melodrama, an underrated effort all things considered), this one shows them having to do a little extra leg-work with the script. It gives them moments, to be sure, especially in the first act with those little moments that creep into a marriage like with the Prentices - he a successful but usually-at-work lawyer, her the stay-at-home mom with too much time on her hands - where the actors show doubt and dismay very subtly. A moment where Loy discovers a note and necklace with some shocking conclusions to take from it, her restraint and her eyes say it all. Powell, too, gets those moments.

It was them, and some decent supporting work from Isabell Jewel (as the woman on trial for killing her husband) and Una Merkel (best-friend comic relief, though not so much comic but more, um, less dramatic I guess), that kept me interested and engaged in the film. There is also, I should admit, a courtroom climax that even in its midst of... is there another word for melodramatic (?) surprises does make for entertaining viewing as far as how the script makes its quick turns. A movie like Evelyn Prentice, with its relatively cute scenes of father-mother-daughter interactions (those are actually some of the best, showing the warmth that Powell could have acting with children, Loy too) and the sort of stagy but fine moments of will-they-won't-they infidelity, that reminds me of the axiom that a fair script can be made into a good movie with good actors.

If you like Powell, and particularly if you love Loy, this shows them doing good, honest dramatic performances and interactions *despite* the constraints of the material. It also makes for a helluva surreal viewing if you watch it on the same night as, say, one of the Thin Man flicks.

Courtroom Melodrama Fails to Ignite

[bkoganbing · 5/10 · 1 July 2007]

Evelyn Prentice was the third film that William Powell and Myrna Loy made together. It's hardly up to the standard that Manhattan Melodrama or The Thin Man were.

Myrna in the title role is far from Nora Charles. She's a dutiful mother, but a neglected wife of her husband John who is an ace criminal defense attorney. Powell the husband is wrapped up in a big vehicular manslaughter case where the beautiful Rosalind Russell is the defendant.

Loy gets the impression that Powell may have more than a legal interest in Russell so she starts flirting with Harvey Stephens who turns out to be one predatory gigolo. When Stephens ends up dead, his long time girl friend Isabell Jewell is arrested.

I'm not going to say any more because this is where a promising court room drama goes haywire. I just refuse to believe the behavior of everyone after this especially defense lawyer Powell and District Attorney Frank Conroy.

This was Rosalind Russell's debut and while she looks good, she shows not an inkling of the talent she showed in later films like The Women or His Girl Friday. Still there was indeed a spark.

But unless you're a fan of Powell and Loy, I doubt you'll be sparked.

Inbetween The Thin Man

[wrbtu · 14 May 2001]

"Evelyn Prentice" starred William Powell & Myrna Loy, who were inbetween working on the first & second movies in "The Thin Man" series. There are similarities between their roles in this movie & their roles in that series. In both cases, they're debonair rich folks with fancy clothes & a beautiful home. In both cases, Powell plays a character who likes to drink (more so in "The Thin Man") & is involved with solving a murder mystery. But "The Thin Man" series is more light-hearted, with more flippant, snappier dialog, & is generally more enjoyable than "Evelyn Prentice." Astra the Dog is missed, & replaced by the couple's young daughter. But this is a good movie, & has a more surprising plot twist than any entry in "The Thin Man" series. The plot here has more typical pre-code elements than the later "Thin Man" entries, which I won't mention here because I don't want to give away the storyline. Una Merkel is good as Loy's wisecracking friend. Isabel Jewell is very convincing in her role (I didn't think so at first, but as I began to watch her more closely, I started to think that she's a really good actress). I rate it 8/10.

Courtroom Melodrama

[lugonian · 7/10 · 1 September 2018]

EVELYN PRENTISS (Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, 1934), directed by William K. Howard, offers William Powell top-billing over Myrna Loy who assumes the title role. Not as well-known as other titled heroines during Hollywood's Golden Age, ranging from Katharine Hepburn as ALICE ADAMS (RKO, 1935), Joan Crawford as MILDRED PIERCE (Warners, 1945), or Ann Sheridan as NORA PRENTISS (Warners, 1947), among others, EVELYN PRENTISS, in fact, is a courtroom melodrama that happens to be the least known or discussed of the 13 screen collaborations of Powell and Loy during their 13-year span. Initially teamed in MANHATTAN MELODRAMA (1934), for which they supported Clark Gable, Powell and Loy reached their peak almost immediately for their second union in THE THIN MAN (1934), a mystery-comedy that spawned five additional sequels and many imitators. Unlike THE THIN MAN, EVELYN PRENTISS is straight- forward drama, having none of the mix-comic/mystery elements one might expect from them. This time Powell plays a lawyer rather than a detective, although as a lawyer, Powell shadows his Nick Charles/"Thin Man" character at times through his methods of reasoning and getting the fact, while Loy's Evelyn may be wife, but not as perfect as one would expect.

Taken from the book by W.E. Woodward, the scripted story by Lenore Coffee opens not on the title character, but on John Prentiss (William Powell), an attorney on trial defending Nancy Harrison (Rosalind Russell) on a manslaughter charge. John is a happily married man with a beautiful wife, Evelyn (Myrna Loy), and daughter, Dorothy (Cora Sue Collins). Also living in the Prentiss home is Evelyn's best friend and loyal companion, Amy Drexel (Una Merkel). After Mrs. Harrison is acquitted through John's expert testimony, she shows how grateful she is by forcing her advances on him, first in his private chambers, then on the train bound for Boston where John is to spend a week away from his family on business. Because of John's extended stay away from home, Evelyn, Amy and Chester Wylie (Henry Wadsworth) have an evening for themselves at Barney's (Billy Gilbert) night club. While there, Evelyn attracts the attention of poet, Lawrence Kennard (Harvey Stephens). At first, Evelyn doesn't take the young man seriously, but after having some suspicions of John's rendezvous with Mrs. Harrison during his business trip does Evelyn begin to see Lawrence more frequently, much to the chagrin of Judith Wilson (Isabel Jewell), his jealous girlfriend. After Evelyn breaks off her relationship with Lawrence, he decides to blackmail her for $15,000 on her love letters he holds to expose to her husband. A gunshot is heard, with Judith found by Lawrence's body. Accused for his murder, as a favor to Evelyn, John acts as Judith's attorney, only to come to some unforeseen circumstances at the trial that could ruin his marriage. Others members of the cast include: Edward Brophy (Eddie Delaney); Jessie Ralph (Mrs. Blake); Jack Mulhall (Greg); Herman Bing (Mr. Klein); Samuel S. Hinds (Newton); Frank Conroy (District Attorney Farley) and Sam McDaniel (The Porter).

Although the character and story may have been more plausible starring MGM's top actresses as Joan Crawford, Norma Shearer, or even as an introduction to Rosalind Russell making her movie debut as opposed to her flirtatious widow-client, Myrna Loy shows her diversity and skill playing a typical wife who strays away during her husband's absence in business. Unlike other top actresses who might have overplayed the character somewhat, Loy keeps her performance in low-key level until a brief moment at the trial. Aside from Loy who played Oriental vamps during her early movie years in the 1920s and beyond, and being capable of dramatic roles, she's best loved in comedy, especially those opposite William Powell outside "The Thin Man" series as LIBELED LADY (1936), LOVE CRAZY (1941) and a few others. Una Merkel, usually the "comedy relief" in many MGM productions, resumes her part as the best friend as well, while Cora Sue Collins does her bit as the Prentiss daughter who goes to her parents for guidance, especially when involving a broken vase. Let's not overlook Isabel Jewell in a fine dramatic performance that might have paved the way for her brief yet serious role of the seamstress that made A TALE OF TWO CITIES (MGM, 1935) opposite Ronald Colman so memorable.

Distributed on video cassette in the 1990s, and later available on DVD, EVELYN PRENTISS first aired on cable Turner Network Television (TNT) in 1989 before becoming a permanent fixture on Turner Classic Movies beginning since 1994. (***)

Polished marital / courtroom melodrama

[gridoon2024 · 6/10 · 4 February 2018]

What begins as a self-described "commonplace situation" tries to turn into a murder mystery, but does not really play fair: there are clues that are kept hidden from the audience until the final scene. William Powell and Myrna Loy have that palpable chemistry that made them such an enduring screen pair, Una Merkel is a joy as Loy's gal pal, and Isabel Jewell acts up a storm in the climactic sequence. The production has the typical MGM polish. **1/2 out of 4.

Powell and Loy Excell in Drama as well!

[mcpatti · 7/10 · 9 August 2018]

We are so used to seeing them in the Thin man comedies that we forget that they are both excellent all around actors. This movie highlights their acting prowess and exquisitely shows the incredible chemistry that they both had with each other. I urge anyone who hasn't seen this film to please watch and enjoy. I relished every moment as they brought their skills to this production. I didn't even realize this film existed. It will definitely be part of my Powell and Loy library. Bravo!

Irresistible pairing of of Loy and Powell

[tles7 · 7/10 · 4 April 2019]

The movie feels like pre-code. I won't say anymore about that. Anytime you can get Loy and Powell in an early 30s movie....grab the popcorn. Gotta also mention the fine monologue given by Isabel Jewell at the end of the pic which shows off her Broadway chops. Sadly, she committed suicide at age 64.

This movie is worth your viewing because of the star - Myrna Loy

[Rastamon41 · 9/10 · 5 June 2006]

I saw this movie last night, it kept me guessing how it will end, (which I won't spoil for you). Yes, some of the action is not plausible in today's court room drama, but for a pure entertainment value, this movie is a "9". Myrna Loy looks fabulous in this movie, but with a best friend, like her girl-friend in this movie, you don't need enemies. Your best friend should help keep you out of trouble not get you in trouble. There are a moral issues to this movie, watch out for the friends you keep, pick better friends, and it is not all greener on the outside of the street. I won't tell you anymore, I won't spoil it for you. Go to eBay or Amazon and buy this movie, you will enjoy the hour or so that you will spend watching this movie. Not as well-known as other movies starring Myrna Loy, but "Evelyn Prentice" is most definitely worth your while.

Great performance from Myrna

[HotToastyRag · 7/10 · 8 August 2023]

William Powell and Myrna Loy are once again paired together in Evelyn Prentice, although this one was early on for the famous team. Released the same year as The Thin Man, it's a completely different tone for both of them. Bill is an intelligent, workaholic lawyer instead of an alcoholic socialite. Myrna is a neglected wife with a wandering eye instead of a faithful partner in crime. With a very solid performance from Myrna and unexpected plot twists, I'd definitely recommend this one.

There are quite a few recognizable faces in the supporting cast, including an early Rosalind Russell (who later joked that she got the parts Myrna Loy turned down) and Una Merkel. Una is a loyal friend of Myrna's with good intentions, and Roz is a high class client of Bill's. Harvey Stephens is the playboy who sets his sights on Myrna and won't take no for an answer. Keep an eye out for Edward Brophy, Jessie Ralph, and a performance from the Nicholas Brothers. Check out this forgotten oldie; it's even more entertaining than The Thin Man!

Just a Joy to Watch

[Eric266 · 8/10 · 7 August 2018]

I'm an unabashed Powell/Loy fan. Ever since I watched the Thin Man series a few years ago on TCM, I've been watching everything they appear in. After just watching the lackluster Double Wedding, I was overjoyed to find this movie on the docket as well.

Powell is John Prentice, a highly successful and driven lawyer. Loy is his neglected wife (Evelyn), who always seems to come second to his job. When John has to go away on yet another business trip, he is almost seduced by a former client, Mrs, Harrison (Rosalind Russell in her debut). Through a plot quirk, Evelyn thinks he might be having an affair with Harrison so she starts an innocent flirtation with a poet, Larry Kennard (Harvey Stephens), who is actually a ruthless con man. When Evelyn asks Larry for the innocent letters she has written, he refuses and threatens to blackmail her. He soon winds up dead and his girlfriend, Judith, is arrested for the crime. Does Evelyn know more than she is letting on? When John takes on Judith's case it creates some serious tension and anxiety for both Evelyn and us, the viewer.

Powell and Loy are amazing in this drama. Unlike the Thin Man movies, the tone is dark and foreboding. This movie is more Manhattan Melodrama than Thin Man. Both leads are fantastic as they try to find a way to make their marriage work as it is crashing down around them. There are no slapstick pratfalls or snappy dialogue. Its a straight drama and Powell and Loy burn up the screen with their talent. I've seen 13 of their pairings (I haven't seen The Senator was Indiscreet which has a Loy cameo) and this is right up there with the first Thin Man and Manhattan Melodrama.

The courtroom scene at the end is the best part of the movie. The plot twist and revelations are great without being pandering. John's slow realization of the truth and his reaction to it are a joy to behold both from the character and the actor.

An Anti-Perry Mason Moment

[boblipton · 7/10 · 4 May 2023]

In their third pairing, William Powell and Myrna Loy are married with a daughter. He's a lawyer, and she's bored, as she confides to exposition device Una Merkel. Powell is hard at work and gets Rosalind Russell (in her screen debut) off on Murder One, and gets off with her, too. Miss Loy has a harmless flirtation with Harvey Stephens and writes him letters which, Stephens tells her, could easily be misinterpreted by her husband. That will be $50,000. So she shoots him and flees, and soon enough there's an arrest in Stephens' murder: Isabell Jewell. Meanwhile, Powell has dumped Miss Russell and proposes a trip to Europe, but Miss Loy persuades him to take Miss Jewell's case.

It's a nicely written and directed soap opera-cum-courtroom thriller, and for the era, there aren't too many errors in court procedure. Of course, I rate Powell as always superior, and Miss Loy is very good. Miss Merkel doesn't get many wisecracks, but there's certainly value for money with appearances by Edward Brophy, Jessie Ralph, Herman Bing, and the usual much-storied cast members working as extras here.

Minor film for the Thin Man pair

[jjnxn-1 · 5/10 · 10 October 2013]

Very episodic, overwrought drama with Myrna Loy succumbing to the overacting bug at times and Bill Powell rather stiff. They were always a great team but seem off their game here perhaps the mediocrity of the script failed to inspire their best work. The best performances come from the supporting players. Isabel Jewell is good as a wronged woman but without question Una Merkel steals the picture single handedly saving this from total soap opera with her terrific wisecracking. Rosalind Russell made her film debut here but is wasted as a devious society harlot. Even with its brief running time the film trudges along at a deadly dull pace making it seem interminable. The ending is too precious for words.

Style and substance

[jaykay-10 · 7 January 2004]

This is an absorbing, intelligent picture, bolstered by sensitive performances and adept handling of an adult story. Its fundamentals may be overly familiar, and perhaps a bit too much plot gets in the way of believable, touching characterizations. But you will care about the main characters, whose weaknesses and oversights lead them to the brink of ruin - even if (in a questionable decision by the film makers) they are given the trappings of art deco luxuries, instead of being brought closer to a lifestyle familiar to the audience.

Powell and Loy, alone and together, are fine, as always. Credit Isabel Jewell with a low-key, yet emotionally-charged performance. Jessie Ralph is excellent is one extended scene in which she babbles and equivocates as the tension builds to a quiet frenzy. Una Merkel softens her familiar screen mannerisms to play the character, rather than vice versa.

Not a well-known film, "Evelyn Prentice" is most definitely worth your while.

different kind of Powell Loy pairing

[SnoopyStyle · 6/10 · 20 August 2020]

Defense lawyer John Prentice (William Powell) is married to Evelyn (Myrna Loy) with a young daughter. He is often busy with work. He gets an acquittal for his sexy client. Evelyn suspects that they are having an affair. She tries to have an affair of her own but she stops in time. Nevertheless, she gets blackmailed.

It's a little odd to have Powell and Loy as this couple. They are different from the Thin Man. They probably filmed this before Thin Man's release so the lost of chemistry can be forgiven. It's like an alternate universe story. They still have moments together but the little girl can block some of the connection. As a story by itself, the attempted affairs can be off-putting and I'm not sure if people are simply lying. The movie never shows the big reveals so I'm never sure. As for the trial reveal, I have some questions. It does turn into a dramatic confession and it's fine for what it is. The confession is not a given and it doesn't automatically solves the problem. This might be interesting for this pair's fans.

Not too bad

[cbryce59 · 6/10 · 5 July 2012]

I like Myrna Loy, so I watched this today on tape. Mostly good acting, except for the child, who was insufferable to me...I had to fast forward through those parts, but I hardly ever can bear child actors; still, she was especially grating.

The story was good...but as with so many of these films from the 30's and 40's, I only enjoy about the first 80% due to the way they were forced to wrap them up. The ending here was a little more creative than some others, but still awfully pat.

The one outfit worn by Una Merkel was just too much, the white with the black wing collar-thing...I couldn't stop looking at it, so missed the whole scene pretty much. Wow that was a scene stealer. Surprised Myrna let her get away with that.

Better Than Some Might Have You Think

[krocheav · 8/10 · 2 November 2015]

I had passed up this movie many times after reading mixed reviews, but taking a closer look at those involved realized it just had to be seen. Glad I did, was compelled all the way.

Over the top plot...? maybe so, but maybe not. I've mostly liked the screenplays of Lenore Coffee ~ notably: "Four Daughters" in '38. The long lost: "The Way of all Flesh" '40 (one of those many Paramount gems that got swallowed up in a deal by MCA TV then largely ignored! shameful.) Then in '52 "Sudden Fear", just a few among many. Under versatile director William K. Howard's hand, this story carries the thoughtful viewer through a variety of complex, moody situations. The treatment given to family values is possibly as good as any you may see in a 30's film...especially given the fact it's a story about neglect, infidelity, and murder.

Reviewers rave about Powell and Loy in their 'Thin Man' movies (these are fine within their genre) but this film offers up a worthwhile study of the pitfalls within our own human condition, with its temptations, ego, and various commitments. With an interesting original story as a starting point, paired with Coffee's intelligent screen adaptation, then backed up by convincing performers (Isabel Jewell is especially good during the courtroom scenes) these elements mostly add up to delivering first class entertainment that moves along fast enough as not to outstay its welcome. There's also a night club treat featuring a performance of the old standard "Me and My Shadow" that should delight any musical eyes and ears.

There's a reoccurring aspect of some early film studio's product that's a little difficult to understand...and it appears to be a possible miss-reading of the majority of their intended target audiences living conditions. They persisted in choosing overly opulent settings for a vast number of story characters - while the larger audience population was beset with debt or poverty. Seems perhaps America may have been selling an image to the world, while ignoring their own even larger struggling class. Putting this aside, take a look, if you enjoy well made 30's drama, you could just find this pleasing, even quite special.

Foot Note: Good to see TCM Australia giving us more newly added titles, also good to note they are replacing some of their earlier bad focus prints with re-masted quality. Although, other copies of classics such as "Border Incident" and Mystery Street" remain, at the time of this writing, in bad need of replacing. It would also be a treat for its subscribers if TCM put aside the wailing of various industry eccentric's and gave its viewing public the chance to see some of their better 'colorized' prints...especially the musicals, after all, what audience ever really needed a B/W musical?

KenR..............

Stupid plot and lukewarm script

[planktonrules · 4/10 · 8 February 2008]

Despite having Myrna Loy and William Powell in the lead roles, this is a thoroughly forgettable film due to a ridiculous plot and poor writing throughout. Oddly, while this wasn't a very good film, they remade it just a few years later as STRONGER THAN DESIRE--complete with the same plot problems.

The film begins with work-a-holic lawyer, Powell, winning a case for his client, Rosalind Russell. At this point, Russell throws herself at Powell even though he is a married man. At this point in the film, you aren't certain if Powell reciprocated, but his behavior would seem to indicate he did--as he was rarely home and worked 4954 hours a week--a recipe for marital disaster. This and Loy's desire for love would have made a fine film. However, the writers decided to chuck the entire setup and have Loy be blackmailed by a man with whom she really didn't do anything!! And in a move that makes absolutely no sense, she appears to kill the guy instead of just walking out of his apartment.

There's more to the film than this, but it's all pretty contrived and tough to swallow--particularly in the last half of the movie during the courtroom scene in which Powell (the defense attorney) works hard to prove his own client is guilty!! Wow, I'm sure the Bar Association would have felt proud to have him as a member! The bottom line is that you've got two excellent actors in a sticky and poorly written film that is simply beneath their abilities. See it if you are curious but don't watch it if you'd like to be entertained!

By the way, take a look at the entry for this film in the Leonard Maltin Guide--the entry is pretty funny. He describes Cora Sue Collins (who plays Powell's and Loy's child) as "an obnoxious brat"! This is uncharacteristically candid for this book but also rather true. While she isn't as hatefully dreadful an actor as Lee Harcourt Montgomery (from such movies as BEN) or David Kory (from DONDI), she is a pretty obnoxious and saccharine-sweet little....kid. Despite her inability to act, she did appear in almost 50 films!