Customer Reviews

Love Crazy [VHS]

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A happily married couple prepare to celebrate their fourth wedding anniversary when Loy's mother (excellently portrayed by the great character actress Florence Bates) arrives and stays longer than originally anticipated due to a broken ankle. Powell attends to the battleaxe - a real meddling matriarch - and is bored to tears with her - so much so - that when Loy goes to visit her aunt, Powell has a few sips with Gail Patrick, an old flame who lives in the same apartment complex.... Naturally, the sour old beldame with the face of curds overhears their conversation which insures a hilarious misunderstanding...This seemingly little-known film is a mile-a-minute breakneck farce that looks as good today as it did back in 1941. The verbal wit and slapstick which was used in this picture was high quality and rather untypical for the Loy-Powell teaming & there is enough raillery to satisfy most of their sophisticated-language fans. Conway directed with such a swiftness that you'll find yourself laughing throughout this deftly handled but surprisingly little-seen Screwball jewel. As a footnote, Powell & Loy made a dozen films together, six as Nick and Nora Charles.

With the superb combination of William Powell and Myrna Loy could any production ever go wrong? If one had to define screen chemistry they would have to look no further than these two sparkling performers who in performance after performance over a dozen years, so effortlessly displayed that special kind of screen magic that really only comes along once every generation.

"Love Crazy" an uproarious comedy came quite late in the order of legendary teamings of these two performers. Their wonderful "Thin Man" films had already charmed and entertained movie goers for years but in reality their teamings outside of their Nick and Nora personas where just as special as evidenced in this stomach tickling marital romp filmed in 1941. Powell and Loy once again portray a high living, throughly in love married couple who have not let the wedding knot dull their fun and romance. They portray Stephen and Susan Ireland who are preparing to celebrate their fourth wedding anniversary when a chain of unforeseen circumstances finds not only their marriage headed for the divorce courts but Steve being committed to a home for the mentally insane! What unravels is a delectable hour and a half of pure mahem that will have you both laughing and loving these two performers even more for the sheer artistery they bring to their roles.

Jack Conway, who guided the pair through their other non Thin Man success "Libeled Lady" here works with a sure hand in the knowledge that his performers will create their special magic with the script regardless of the direction. While the story does tend to lose abit of steam during the last quarter of its running time it is a scenerio packed full of many memorable and hilarious situations. Steve's attempts to remain in Susan's custody by proving himself to be insane, the hilarious society party where not only he but his mother in law ends up in the swimmimg pool, Steve's "nude" romp in the garden trying to get his watch back from an interfering parrot all add to the general delightful madness. The superbly gifted character actress Florence Bates delivers a memorable performance as Susan's mother Mrs. Cooper, the mother in law to end all Mother in laws. Predictably she is the first to doubt Stephen's fidelty to her daughter and her opening scenes of just happening to "drop in" as the couple are about to being celebrating their anniversary "back wards" is an absolute riot. Powell's dialogue during this scene and the classic elevator scene complete with an injoke about a "certain wire haired terrier..... we all know who that means!!) are priceless and confirm why William Powell was the absolute master of this type of comic timing.

Gail Patrick and Jack Carson fill the main supporting roles and while Patrick's role is an extension of her usual other woman personas and adds little to the film, Carsons portrayal of Ward Willoughby , the Ireland's innocent neighbour who accidently gets caught up in the mayhem and finds himself dragged off to a mental institution is a classic. The scene of Myrna Loy mistaking him for Gail Patrick's husband is one of the best in the film and will have you laughing out loud.

"Love Crazy" is of course first and foremost a Powell& Loy vechicle but it benefits from the great care and attention that MGM lavished on its productions in this period. The sets, costumnes, music are all top notch and add greatly to the overraul look and feel of this production. This attention to detail constantly makes me wonder at the lack of care Hollywood seems to show towards its productions and performers nowadays

If you are a fan of William Powell and Myrna Loy like I am dont miss this one. By the time it came along these two were a well oiled team that played off each other to perfection. You can almost afford to forget the storyline and just allow yourself to be swepted along in all the madness that occurs. Believe me you wont be disappointed by the classic "Love Crazy"

If you love old "screwball" comedies, get this one right away and settle in for one of the best laughs you'll have. For those of you have seen this, all I have to say is "the elevator scene"....I've never laughed so hard! I accidently stumbled across this movie years ago and, having already loved the Powell/Loy partnership to begin with, was thrilled I had discoved a gem! I highly recommend this film, you won't be disappointed!

William Powell and Myrna Loy are teamed again in this movie, and what a good one it is too! Lots and lots of funny scenes: Powell caught in an elevator, "freeing" all the hats at a fancy party, and dressing in "drag" as his own sister! If you haven't seen this Powell/Loy movie, it's definately time you did!

LOVE CRAZY is a screwball comedy about a couple played by William Powell and Myrna Loy who are celebrating their fourth anniversary. As they begin the evening's activities they are interrupted by Loy's meddling mother who joins them uninvited for dinner. Powell leaves on an errand and runs into an old flame. The situation soon gets out of hand leading to a gross misunderstanding between Powell and Loy. She seeks a divorce and to delay matters Powell pretends insanity.

In many ways the dialogue will remind viewers of the Thin Man series. Powell and Loy are trading the same kind of barbs and getting involved in more goofy antics.

The supporting cast includes Gail Patrick and Jack Carson. Elisha Cook, Jr. plays an elevator operator. Director Jack Conway is known for his work on many other fine films such as THE GIRL FROM MISSOURRI, VIVA VILLA and A TALE OF TWO CITIES.

Marital bliss turns into amusing chaos as the only way William Powell can keep his wife Myrna Loy from divorcing him is to have himself declared insane, in Jack Conway's, "Love Crazy." While not quite as funny as the premise sounds, there are plenty of smiles and enough hilarious moments to put this in the upper echelon of the many films Powell and Loy made together. Pandro S. Berman's glossy production has a fine suporting cast that includes pretty Gail Patrick and Jack Carson, and a good screenplay from William Ludwig, Charles Lederer, and David Hertz, based on an original story by Hertz and Ludwig.

Steve Ireland (William Powell) and his wife Susan (Myrna Loy) have been happily married for four years and only Steve's mother-in-law (Florence Bates) can ruin their anniversary. He can't get rid of her fast enough when she drops in unexpectedly and ruins all their plans. On his way to mail something for her to help speed up the process he runs into his old flame, Isobel Grayson, winningly portrayed by Gail Patrick. She is fun and freespirited, and a little thing like marriage, his or hers, is of small consequence.

The mix-ups begin when they get trapped in an elevator and have to climb out the top to escape. It's hilarious when Steve gets his head caught and when the couple finally do manage to make it out, a discheveled Steve, his hat in Isobel's apartment and her shoes in his pocket, must make a different kind of escape from the carefree and more than willing Isobel.

Steve gets back and things settle down, but when his mother-in-law slips on a rug she brought them, Susan is forced to leave Steve alone with her while she picks up her aunt Laura at the train station. Looking for an escape, any escape, he manages through a ruse to slip out and have a drink with Isobel, who lives downstairs. Susan's meddling mother overhears Steve's plan to sneak out, and Susan attempts to make him jealous and get even by arranging a kiss with Isobel's husband. When she gets the wrong apartment by mistake, a confused Ward Willoughby (Jack Carson) plays along because Susan is quite a dish.

The merry mix-up results in Susan thinking Steve lied to her about his old girlfriend Isobel and she files for divorce. Steve's attorney pal advises him the only way he can keep Susan from making it final is to feign insanity. Just how far he'll go to convince everyone he's off his rocker may be too far, as a group of alienists from the lunacy board, in spite of Steve's protests, decide he's nutty as a fruitcake! When Susan, who knows, of course, he's faking it, refuses custody and has him wisked away to Doctor Wuthering's Rest Home, it just gets merrier.

A visit from Willioughby so he can gloat, and an escape by Steve that will involve him dressing up and pretending to be his own sister to avoid the cops and win over his love Susan, are just some of the highlights in this fun and amusing marital farce. The "Hiawatha" scene and Steve getting to slap around Willoughby as his own sister offer a lot of fun for classic film fans.

Loy is just a sweet doll here and Powell is his usual charming self as The Thin Man couple have an amusing outing that over six decades later still outshines anything Hollywood has to offer today. A sure bet for fans of our favorite screen couple, William Powell and Myrna Loy.

William Powell and Myrna Loy are best know for the six Thin Man movies they made but in all they starred together in 11 films. Love Crazy is one of those and like all the rest, the pair enjoyed and amazing chemistry and sense of timing whenever they worked together. In this film, they play Steve and Susan Ireland who are celebrating their fourth wedding anniversary when Susan's meddling mother Mrs. Cooper (Florence Bates) crashes the celebration and promptly breaks her ankle, lengthening her stay. She never liked Steve anyway so when she catches him talking to an old flame (played by Gail Patrick) she uses it to convince her daughter that Steve is cheating on her so she can divorce him. Steve then pretends that he is insane so he can prevent the divorce from going through. What ensues is a traditional screwball comedy involving a cast of wacky characters including the psychiatrists that Steven has to convince that he is insane.

The film was directed by Jack Conway who directed the pair in another one of their classic films, "Libeled Lady" from 1936. The dialog between Loy and Powell will remind viewers of the snappy, tit-for-tat lines from the Thin Man films as they trade barbs throughout. It's a very funny film and shows yet another example of how well these two worked together. Definitely see this one!

Reviewed by Tim Janson

I saw "Love Crazy" on TCM a few months ago, and I thought it was one of funniest movie (Screwball) comedy I have ever seen. I won't spoil if for you, but this man is very in love with his wife, and will do almost anything to keep her and his marriage intact, but a busy body mother-in-law will also do anything to break up the marriage for her daughter to a man she don't like.
To what length the husband will go, is what makes this movie so wonderful to watch, you will laugh at some of the thing he does to keep his wife. Man, he must really loves her.
We have had movies of mother-in-laws interfering in they children marriage before this movie and after this movie, but I think this is one the funniest, and it has the ever beautiful Myrna Loy as the wife, and William Powell as the husband. Their chemistry is just good together.
I would watch this movie just to look at Myrna Loy and admire her work. She is so so classy and that beautiful speaking voice, what can I say, it is so musical.
Good viewing, you will enjoy this movie.

Even after repeat viewings LOVE CRAZY is still very funny and a delight to watch. Married for four years Myrna Loy mistakenly thinks that husband William Powell has cheated on her with a ex-girlfriend who recently moved into their building.

Powell, convinced that if given enough time Myrna will cool down, relies upon a law that says you can't divorce a insane person for 5 years. He does his best to prove to the judge and doctors that he's crazy. In fact, he does it so well that they throw him into a insane asylum.

As always the chemistry between Powell and Loy is hypnotic. Too magical for plain ol' VHS that's for sure. What would be great is a non-THIN MAN Powell/Loy DVD box set. That'd be 8 movies.

Look for a young Elisha Cook Jr. (SHANE, ROSEMARY'S BABY) as the elevator operator and Bert Roach (THE CROWD, THE THIN MAN) as the front desk clerk!

D: Jack Conway (LIBELED LADY, TARZAN AND HIS MATE)

Steve Ireland - William Powell (MY MAN GODFREY, MISTER ROBERTS)
Susan Ireland - Myrna Loy (LIBELED LADY, THE BEST YEARS OF OUR LIVES)
Ward Willoughby - Jack Carson (CAT ON A HOT TIN ROOF, ARESNIC AND OLD LACE)
Isobel Grayson - Gail Patrick (MY MAN GODFREY, MY FAVORITE WIFE)
Pinky Grayson - Donald McBride (THE SEVEN YEAR ITCH, HIGH SIERRA)
George Renny - Sidney Blackmer (ROSEMARY'S BABY, HIGH SOCIETY)

This is one of my favorite movies of all time. Powell and Loy at their sparkling best, relaxed and having a good time.

If it ever gets to DVD, I'll be beside myself with happiness.