Customer Reviews

Manhattan Melodrama [VHS]

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I finally got my copy of Manhattan Melodrama, and I was pleasantly surprise by the quality of the acting, direction and the script. The is movie is a classic, and a must for any film library.
Myrna Loy as alway was fantastic in this movie, but so was Clark Gable and William Powell. It is a story about two orphan boys who grew up together, but took different path in life, and the woman who love them both.
Myrna Loy was beautiful as ever, and she play her part as well as could be played by any actress, William Powell was urbane as ever, but Clark Gable playing the role of a Mobster was a surprise to me, he did a credible job with his part.
If you are a Myrna Loy fan or even if you are not a fan, but love a good movie, I recommend that you get this movie for your library.

Melodramatic, yes, but this movie has some meat to it that I wasn't expecting. Clark Gable and William Powell play childhood friends who grow up to be a hood and a respected judge, respectively. Both have a thing for Myrna Loy, but the expected rivalry for which this plot would seem to be tailor made never comes. Instead, there's a refreshingly serious story about the boundaries of loyalty and friendship. When Gable is accused of murder and sentenced to the death penalty, it is Powell's duty to decide whether or not to let his personal feelings for Gable interfere with his practice of legal justice.

Loy pops up throughout, but, unfortunately, she's window dressing. (Side note: My wife and I decided to have a Myrna Loy theme to our New Year's movie night, and rented this and "The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer." We couldn't have picked two Myrna Loy movies that do a worse job of showing off Myrna Loy). No, this movie belongs to the men, and the whole affair is better than I expected it to be.

Grade: B+

I saw "Manhatten Melodrama" for the first time last night and I was very favorably impressed. This movie caught my attention right from the very novel beginning. We encounter our two male leads as youths on an outing. One of the child actors is a juvenile Mickey Rooney already displaying his talents. The scenes we witness are craftily designed to show us just how close a bond these two youths were developing. We get another series of scenes that let us know the different directions each of them takes toward their adult life. Naturally these glimpses show us two best friends headed in opposite directions. One becomes a criminal and the other a District Attorney. There is a woman who who doesn't so much come between them as serves as a connection between them. Their paths cross from time to time until a serious crime is committed. I'll leave the plot there because you probably would have guessed this much.

The movie features three big names (plus the up-and-coming Rooney) in Clark Gable, William Powell and Myrna Loy. Their acting is well done and they have a reasonable supporting cast. The picture won an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay and you should be able to tell that the writing IS the outstanding part of this production. It had plenty of other nominations but this was 1934; the year of "It Happened One Night". The movies moves itself from beyond the standard "gangster movie" fare of its' time as it unfolds into a great moral dilemna. This is all well developed and reaches a powerful and emotional level that you might not have been prepared for despite the movie's title. At least, that's how it hit me. I didn't give it the top rating available...but I thought about it. It is certainly worth a look.

Footnoted in American history as the film in which John Dillinger had watched just before he was gunned down outside the Biograph Theatre in Chicago, MANHATTAN MELODRAMA is a fast moving and most enjoyable diversion. Clark Gable plays Blackie Gallagger, a rebellious roustabout with the unpolished airs of a sophisticated gent; he's drawn to Eleanor (Myrna Loy), a beautiful girl whom he sets up as his mistress. Blackie's gansterish ways alienate him from Eleanor however, and she falls for Gable's upright friend, Jim Wade (William Powell). MANHATTAN MELODRAMA proved popular with both the public and critics alike when it was released in 1934 and producer David O. Selznick was rightfully proud of this "class film".

"Manhattan Melodrama" is almost more interesting for the "story behind the story." John Dillinger, a Myrna Loy fan, was killed immediately after seeing this movie in Chicago. The Powell/Loy magic is very much in evidence here, and Clark Gable is at his peak. Lots of fun!

First released in 1934, this is a fast-moving drama that is a surprisingly good piece of filmmaking considering the technical limitations of the time. It has all the elements of police corruption, murder, love and pathos.

The film opens with an incident that shocked and saddened New Yorkers in 1904. That's when the General Slocum, a passenger ship that was chartered by a church group to give New Yorkers an excursion around the City, caught fire and burned to the water line. More than 1,000 people died in the accident. It's on the deck of that ship that we first meet Blackie Gallagher and Jim Wade as children. The role of Blackie is played by Mickey Rooney. Even as a child he likes to gamble and we first meet him swindling a nickel from another child. His friend, Jim Wade, is very different. He likes to read books. All of a sudden, fire breaks out. There is panic. There is sadness. Blackie and Jim are orphaned and adopted on the spot by a kindly Jewish man who has lost his own son in the tragedy and is later murdered in front of their eyes because he speaks up against a rally for the Russian Revolution.

Fast forward twenty years. It takes a bit of imagination to believe it, but Mickey Rooney has grown up to be Clark Gable, a gambler who plays for high stakes, has Eleanor, played by Myrna Loy, as a girlfriend, and only kills people when they refuse to pay for their gambling loses. His friend, Jim Wade, is now the district attorney. The plot thickens. Blackie doesn't want to settle down. Eleanor wants home and family though and is attracted to the good qualities of Jim Wade, played by William Powell. Eventually, she marries Jim Wade, who later runs for governor. However, Jim Wade has an enemy who might thwart his chances at the governorship. Eleanor tells Blackie about this and Blackie murders the enemy.

Blackie is prosecuted by his district attorney friend and sentenced to die in the electric chair. Jim Wade has an opportunity to commute the sentence. How's that for a plot?

As far as acting goes, I think Myrna Loy and William Powell were exceptional. I understand that this was their first film together and that they went on to star as a couple in 14 other films. Clark Gable is handsome. But he is a terrible actor. Every line sounded wooden and awkward, so much so that I almost laughed out loud. I noticed that all the actors spoke very loudly and clearly, sometimes too loud and clear for the context of the role. Later I realized that the sound techniques of the time just weren't as sophisticated as we have today. I also had to smile at some of the slang that was used, like "I had a `swell' time" and "everything is `hotsie totsie'". William Powell was just not a good looking man according to today's standards. But he seemed more real than some of the plastic surgery icons of today. Also some of the techniques used in the film must have been cutting edge at the time. For example, a split screen was used to show the contrast of the two boys growing up, one with schoolbooks and the other shooting dice.

Also noteworthy is the fact that this is the movie that John Dillinger was watching before he was gunned down by FBI agents. This led to a tremendous amount of popularity for the film and it was a bigger box office success than expected. At the time Myrna Loy was among those who expressed distaste at the studio's willingness to exploit this event for the financial benefit of the film.

All in all I must say that I thoroughly enjoyed this film. It brought me back in time and gave me a sense of the 1930s and the events that shaped those times. I therefore give it a high recommendation.

Manhattan Melodrama is a highly emotional film with a great cast. Not everyone will like it though; it is a film about friendship and honor and can become rather gooey when it comes to the relationships between characters. However, as a fan of melodrama, I really enjoyed it.

Blackie (Clark Gable) and Jim (William Powell) have been friends since they were children. When they lost their parents in a shipwreck, they were adopted by a kindly man who did his best with them. Blackie always had a natural inclination toward gambling while Jim enjoyed reading and studying. Their differences in interest never severed their relationship though and each had a very strong love and respect for the other. Blackie becomes a gangster who only falls into trouble because he acts irrationally for the people he loves. Jim is the DA, a man with the possibility to become governer of New York City. Although the city knows he is a just man and loves him for it, his friendship with Blackie hurts him. Still, even when they fall in love with the same girl (Myrna Loy), their friendship is as strong as ever.

Everyone in the cast does his part to make this a top-notch film. It isn't a terribly important film, but it stars some of the brightest stars of the era in the type of film that the era did best.

Manhattan Melodrama tells the story of two young boys, Edward J. 'Blackie' Gallagher (Clark Gable) and James W. 'Jim' Wade (William Powell) who grow up together after their parents are killed in a fire onboard a steamboat just off New York City. While Blackie loves to play with dice and gamble--even as a young boy--Jim prefers to study and becomes New York's District Attorney and eventually Governor of New York State. Blackie runs his own illegal gambling parlor and even makes deals on the side with corrupt police officers.

One person connects the two men throughout time: their relationship with Eleanor Packer (Myrna Loy). At first Eleanor is in love with Blackie but when she realizes he'll never go straight she leaves him; and she eventually marries Jim. Blackie and Jim stay in touch as they meet from time to time; and they hear more about each other through Eleanor, too.

Of course, from here the plot can go anywhere. Jim wants to solve problems using the established laws and moral principles--but Blackie scorns this and solves his problems in a very different way. What happens when someone refuses to pay Blackie a debt? Will Eleanor remain happy with Jim or will she eventually be charmed back to Blackie and the good old days she had with him? What happen between Blackie and Jim when Jim runs for Governor? No spoilers here, folks, you'll have to watch the movie to find out!

The choreography works well in the steamboat scenes early on in the film; and the cinematography shines in the state assembly.

Overall, Manhattan Melodrama is a rather good film with a lot of punch and people who enjoy classic drama will want to see this one. Look also for a fine performance from a very young Mickey Rooney as Blackie when he was a kid; and Leo Carrillo also turns in a fine performance as Father Joe.

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) presents "MANHATTAN MELODRAMA" (1934) (93 min/B&W) -- Starring: Clark Gable, William Powell, Myrna Loy, Leo Carrillo, Nat Pendleton, George Sidney, Isabel Jewell, Muriel Evans, Thomas E. Jackson, Isabelle Keith, Frank Conroy, Noel Madison, Jimmy Butler, Mickey Rooney, Shirley Ross

Directed by W.S. Van Dyke

Orphans Edward "Blackie" Gallagher (Gable) and Jim Wade (Powell) are lifelong friends who take different paths in life. Blackie thrives on gambling and grows up to be a hard-nosed racketeer. Bookworm Wade becomes a D.A. vying for the Governorship. When Blackie's girlfriend Eleanor (Loy) leaves him and marries the more down to earth Wade, Blackie harbors no resentment. In fact, their friendship is so strong that Blackie murders an attorney threatening to derail Wade's bid to become Governor.

The morally straight Wade's last job as D.A. is to convict his friend of the murder, and send him to the electric chair. After he becomes Governor, Wade has the authority to commute Blackie's death sentence-- a decision that pits his high moral ethics against a lifelong friendship.

Direction, casting, acting, editing, photography, storyline, all flawless in a class by themselves.

William Powell, showing more depth and sensitivity than in most of his films, especially in the climactic scene.

And what a performance by Clark Gable was outstanding and compelling from start to finish. We were secretly rooting for him toward the end credits.

I feel the picture is underrated and highly recommend to all who want good drama and a story you can sink your teeth into.

Watch for a young Mickey Rooney who always gives an outstanding performance.

Oscar Winner for Best Writing, Original Story (Arthur Caesar)

* Special Footnote: -- This is the first of 14 pairings of Myrna Loy and William Powell and the first of three films they would make together in 1934. They were a perfect couple together, love all of their films.

** Another Special Footnote: -- George Cukor was assigned as director for additional scenes after the preview showing on 14 April 1934, because director W.S. Van Dyke had already started on his next movie, The Thin Man.

BIOS:
1. W.S. Van Dyke (Director)
Date of Birth: 21 March 1889 - San Diego, California
Date of Death: 5 February 1943 - Brentwood, California

1A. George Cukor (Director) [Additional Scenes]
Date of Birth: 7 July 1899 - New York City, New York
Date of Death: 24 January 1983 - Los Angeles, California

2. Clark Gable
Date of birth: 1 February 1901 - Cadiz, Ohio,
Date of death: 16 November 1960 - Los Angeles, California

3. William Horatio Powell
Date of Birth: 29 July 1892 - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Date of Death: 5 March 1984 - Palm Springs, California

4. Myrna Loy [aka: Myrna Adele Williams]
Date of Birth: 2 August 1905 - Radersburg, Montana
Date of Death: 14 December 1993, New York City, New York

5. Leo Carrillo
Date of Birth: 6 August 1881 - Los Angeles, California
Date of Death: 10 September 1961 - Santa Monica, California

** Also available on DVD in this collection Myrna Loy and William Powell Collection (Manhattan Melodrama / Evelyn Prentice / Double Wedding / I Love You Again / Love Crazy)

Mr. Jim's Ratings:
Quality of Picture & Sound: 5 Stars
Performance: 5 Stars
Story & Screenplay: 5 Stars
Overall: 5 Stars [Original Music, Cinematography & Film Editing]

Total Time: 93 min on VHS ~ Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) ~ (June 30, 1994)

It's a cut above the traditonal gangster movie. Part of the reason is that Gable, Powell & Loy were not Cagney, Bogie or Edward G. Myrna Loy went on to co-star with both Gable & Powell (mostly Powell) in many future movies & is always beautiful & smart. A bonus was Mickey Rooney in the early scenes of Blackie (Gable) as a child. He & Jim (Powell) have a powerful lifetime bond, close as brothers. Flash forward 20 years to the 1920's, Gable is a hood with lots of money. Powell is the up & coming DA. As a government worker he seems to be doing pretty well. Gable as Blackie seems to have little motivation. As an actor he doesn't display much of his acting talent & is just average. Very little emotion when he kills sombody or loves his girl, Eleanor. She gets tired of his criminal ways & takes up with Powell. You'd expect some type of conflict here but there is none. Blackie even helps Jim in his run for govenor, without his knowledge. None of these stars gives a lifetime performance. The fact is it is early in their careers. None of them is a finished product. But the writing carries the day. Blackie's character is much too fatalistic when the law catches up to him. He still loves Jim & is proud of his career. But Jim must do his duty, despite their friendship. Hey, I liked it so did John Dillinger. What more recommendation do you need?