Customer Reviews

Myrna Loy and William Powell Collection (Manhattan Melodrama / Evelyn Prentice / Double Wedding / I Love You Again / Love Crazy)

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This collection contains five titles currently not on DVD that were made starring the famous duo during the same time frame as their "Thin Man" series. With the exception of 1947's "The Senator was Indiscreet", this puts all of the Loy/Powell films on DVD. The extras described below are from a press release from Warner Home Video. The biggest let-down about this set is the lack of commentary for any of the films, but Warner probably figures with the amount of documentary material they put in the Thin Man Boxed Set, they would just be going over old territory. The films, in chronological order, are as follows:

Manhattan Melodrama (1934)
This is more of a movie with Powell and Loy than one about them as a couple. The focus is more on Clark Gable and William Powell, who play two orphans who grow up together but wind up on opposite sides of the law. Myrna Loy plays the woman that both characters love. Gable plays the gangster in this film, Powell the guy who goes up the political ladder. The melodramatic part is that as D.A. Powell's character wins a conviction against Gable's character, and as a result he is sentenced to death. Later, as governor, Powell must decide whether or not to commute his childhood friend's sentence. Powell is very good here at playing a more serious role.
Special Features:
· Comedy short "Goofy Movies #2"
· Classic cartoon "The Old Pioneer"
· Theatrical trailer
· Subtitles: English & French (feature film only)

Evelyn Prentice (1934)
This one seems to miss a step as far as plot holes go, but it is still above average. Powell plays a defense attorney who is also part detective, and whose heavy-duty work habits cause him to neglect his wife, played by Loy in the title role. As a result of this neglect, Loy commits an indiscretion with a playboy and ultimately figures into her husband's next big murder case.
Special Features:
· Comedy short "Goofy Movies #3"
· Classic cartoon "Discontented Canary"
· Theatrical trailer
· Subtitles: English & French (feature film only)

Double Wedding (1937)
This is a different kind of film for Powell and Loy. Loy plays high-powered businesswoman Margit Agnew who is unhappy to learn that her little sister is planning to marry vagabond Charlie Lodge (William Powell) who, since he lives in a trailer, is hardly in a position to support her. Margit tries to intervene, and in the end winds up with Lodge herself. The plot is thin, but the comedy is very good. This film was shot partly before and after the death of Jean Harlow, who was Powell's lover and Loy's good friend. Filming was suspended for awhile due to the tragedy.
Special Features:
· Musical short "Dancing on the Ceiling"
· Classic cartoon "The Hound and the Rabbit"
· Theatrical trailer
· Subtitles: English & French (feature film only)

I Love You Again (1940)
My favorite non-Thin Man Loy and Powell movie and showcases everything that is great about the chemistry the two had on screen. Powell plays stuffy and rich Larry Wilson, who, after a blow to the head, realizes he is actually confidence man George Carey. Wilson is just some alternate identity he assumed after he first got amnesia nine years before. Realizing he has a sweet deal in his wealthy second identity, Carey decides to clean out Wilson's finances and leave town. However, when Carey meets Wilson's estranged wife, played by Loy, he falls for her and decides to hang around long enough to win her back.
Special Features:
· Crime Doesn't Pay Series short "Jackpot"
· Classic cartoon "Tom Turkey and His Harmonica Humdingers"
· Theatrical trailer
· Subtitles: English & French (feature film only)

Love Crazy (1941)
Another excellent entry in the Loy and Powell series of movies. After four years of marriage, Stephen Ireland (William Powell) runs into an old girlfriend that lives nearby. The two end up just talking, but a series of comic misadventures cause Stephen's wife, Susan (Myrna Loy), to believe Stephen is cheating on her and she decides to divorce Stephen. Desperate to keep Susan, Stephen decides to pretend he is not in his right mind to draw things out. He does such a good job that everyone believes him - except his wife. There is some great physical comedy here by Powell.
Special Features:
· Classic cartoon "The Alley Cat"
· Audio-only bonus: Screen Directors Guild Playhouse Radio Broadcast
· Theatrical trailer
· Subtitles: English & French (feature film only)

When it comes to screen chemistry between two stars, there were probably only four that stood the test of time...Fred & Ginger, Flynn & de Havilland, Tracy & Hepburn, and my personal (non-musical) favorites, the unbeatable combination of WILLIAM POWELL and MYRNA LOY.

A million thank-you's to those amazing folks at Warner Brothers who keep managing to find a way to drain my bank balance...and I couldn't be happier. Every set from Warner is a winner, but this one is particularly appealing, because I've practically worn out my 6 Thin Man discs!

Here we get a broader spectrum of this terrific twosome. Their screwball shenanigans take center stage in laugh-filled romps such as DOUBLE WEDDING, I LOVE YOU AGAIN, and LOVE CRAZY. All hysterical. All worth countless viewings. Equally compelling are the more serious films in this set, the box-office smash MANHATTAN MELODRAMA, where CLARK GABLE shares the screen with Loy and Powell, and the highly underrated EVELYN PRENTICE which is a great showcase for both Ms. Loy and Mr. Powell. All five films will be joined by extra features, as is always the Warner way.

If you only know these two as NICK & NORA, you're in for even more fun...
and you might as well pick up the already-available LIBELED LADY, which is truly one of the greatest comedies of all time.

Thank you Warner Home Video for honoring this terrific twosome so wonderfully!

After a considerable wait, the remaining five movies which starred Powell and Loy is available on DVD and it is really great to be able to enjoy their efforts. Powell and Loy were stars of the very successful "Thin Man" series (the title character was actually the murder victim in the first series, but most of the fans thought it referred to Nick Charles). Along with the six movies in the Thin Man series, the pair made seven other movies (not counting the Powell vehicle "The Senator was Indiscrete" in which Loy makes a cameo appearance) leading many to believe that they were in fact married in real life.

The movies in this series run the gamut from the sorts of melodramas that MGM famously churned out in the 30s. To be honest, I prefer the later comedies. Clearly, after the success of the first of the Thin Man movies, producers understood that the pair was very well suited to light comedy and animated banter. In films like "Love Crazy," "I Love You Again" and "Double Wedding," Powell and Loy perform well in romantic comedy roles. Loy's personna as "the perfect wife" and her own skills at light comedy make her a perfect foil for Powell's wisecrakes and prat falls. My favorite of this series is "I Love You Again" in which Powell plays a gangster who due amnesia has spent ten years as a squirral stuffing club joining guardian of civic virtue much to Loy's dismay. In "Double Wedding" and "Love Crazy," Powell gets to stretch his comedic range. Loy is of course perfect.

The two non-comedies are interesting as well. "Manhatten Melodrama" was a massive hit in its day and looks more like the sort of films that Warner Brothers became famous for in which childhood friends follow different paths and Loy is the romantic interest. It is the pair's only teaming with Gable (although Loy made several really good films with "the King"). "Evelyn Prentis" appears to have been billed as a romantic comedy, given the trailer (included in all the movies). It is the story of a marriage on the rocks due to the husband's career and his refusal to spend more time at home. Rosalind Russell is one of the clients in the film in an early role.

This is a wonderful series and even includes some cartoons and short subjects. Powell and Loy's other movies include "Libeled Lady" (with Jean Harlow (who was slated to marry Powell), and "The Great Zigfeld" along with the boxed set of Thin Man movies are all available on DVD.

This is a beautifully presented box set of Powell & Loy which gives you
an insight to films they made together other than the "Thin Man" series
the clarity of the discs and the sound quality surprised me considering
the films age.
As for the actors I would buy a film of Powell and Loy shopping in
Wal-Mart i'm that easily pleased, but if you want to see the golden age
of Hollywood and a mixture of drama and screwball comedy at its best
then look no further

This set of William Powell/Myrna Loy films contains all of the MGM films, with the exception of "The Great Ziegfield" and "Libeled Lady", which they made together not featuring "The Thin Man" characters. While the dramas are OK, comedy was their forte. Powell usually played some sort of nutty character and Loy was the sane base around which the nuttiness revolved. The set is a showcase for Powell's versatility but their smooth rapport and warm charm is always a pleasure.

First off is "Manhattan Melodrama" a drama starring Clark Gable and the first film in which Powell and Loy appeared together. This is the oft repeated yarn about boyhood friends who take different paths in life. Gable is a gangster and Loy switches allegiance from him to lawyer Powell. It is interesting to watch how she reacts to the different acting styles of the 2 male stars; brittle with Gable and soft with the other. All of them are excellent. One very odd standout is the song in a nightclub, sung by white Shirley Ross, with a bad black wig and swarthy makeup, fronting a black band and singing "The Bad in Every Man" in torchy style, a song which evolved into "Blue Moon" - bizarre! The film was directed by W S Van Dyke, who was the one who saw Powell and Loy's potential and teamed them in "The Thin Man", their next film. Van Dyke was known for the speed of his direction and this film has a pace which makes it more comparable to a Warner Brother's product than the usual overblown MGM product. Keep an eye out too for a very young and talented Mickey Rooney as Gable as a kid.

"Evelyn Prentice" was the first film Powell and Loy made after the standout success of "The Thin Man". In this one, Powell is a lawyer who works too hard and neglects wife Loy. Adultery and murder result in an unusual courtroom drama with a twist but Loy underacts to the point of inertia. In terms of reality, the film suffers from the usual MGM gloss, overdressed stars and glamorous sets. Warner Brothers would have made this more dynamic and convincing.

In 1938, "Double Wedding" was farce whereby bohemian Powell melts officious Loy. The film is quite amusing due to the smooth performances of the stars but there are too many close-ups of supporting Florence Rice and John Beal, who obviously were getting a build up, one which neither subsequently warranted. Once again, the MGM house style with production line direction from Richard Thorpe makes this a pleasant way of passing 90 minutes but Powell and Loy are better than their material. By the way, Loy has some great close ups and looks terrific.

Released in 1940, "I Love you Again" is a quite amusing comedy showcasing Powell as an amnesia victim. Like most of these films, the comedy revolves around the scrapes which Powell gets into and he is very funny as an amnesia victim. Loy's role, as his wife, is much less interesting. There is the usual good supporting cast but the film is overlong, once again with too many close-ups and that stolid feel from which many MGM films suffered.

The last film is "Love Crazy", a marital/divorce farce, the highlight of which is Powell in impeccable drag. This might be the funniest film of all. There is a great performance by Florence Bates as Loy's mother and other good supporting players such as Sig Rumann and Gail Patrick

All of the prints are unrestored and therefore variable but mostly good. "Manhattan Melodrama" notably looks pristine. The set contains original trailers, some mostly dumb MGM cartoons, some in faded colour, and a few MGM goofy movies, Pete Smith narrated scripts to an antique silent melodrama - very corny. "Double Wedding" contains an unusual musical short with Busby Berkeley cuties set in an art deco dentist's office. This has to be seen to be believed.

The set is good value.

I was glad to see my mother at work at MGM two years before I was born. I am 73 years old.
Mother was an MGM starlet in 1934. I had not been able to find a copy of this short after it was seen in part on TCM. I wrote TCM and searched the IMDB to no avail.
And then this collection appeared! It fills the bill and is probably also appreciated by William Powell and Myrna Loy fans as well.
Mother stars in the short musical film "Dancing on the Ceiling." She plays the dentist. What is significant about this film is that it may have been the precursor to the ceiling dancing film done by Fred Astiare.
This short is not associated with the Lionel Richie, Frank Sinatra or Ella Fitzgerald works of the same name done more recently.
I am still looking for a copy of the first MGM Technicolor musical short which starred Mother titled "Gypsy."

William Powell and Myrna Loy were paired together for eleven films: the six Thin Man movies (available in their own collection)and these five. They had good rapport, and people enjoyed them in a variety of settings. Admittedly, Myrna Loy frequently played 'straight man' to Powell's mischieviosity. In the commentary to the Thin Man series, it says that by the last film she was eager to do more serious 'topical' roles. And certainly her Nora doesn't get to play to her (Loy's) potential.

In this group of five films, stories unrelated to each other, we frequently see her in a more serious character, whether in melodrama or comedy. The mobster's-moll-turned-reformer's-wife in "Manhattan Melodrama" is serious, but not one of her better performances. Or perhaps the intervening sixty-five plus years have changed sensibilities enough that it is hard for us today to consider 'melodrama' well done! While Loy may have wanted to take on serious issues, her performances shine in comedy. And she may have realized that 'issues' can be addressed through a palatable comedy without the heavy-handed approach of melodrama.

Each disk also contains extras -- a bit different variety on each disk: a radio broadcast version of the film (of least interest to me), period cartoons, and shorts or 'public information' films. It is hard to tell from today's perspective if the short accompanying 'Manhattan Melodrama' on the evils and social degradation of slot machines is meant to be tongue in cheek humor or serious morality tale. I suspect the latter, but today it seems outrageous. Quite a contrast is the short 'Dancing on the Ceiling' in which a man follows a woman into a dentist's office, only to find the entire staff is made up of women who use laughing gas on their patients and engage in strange fantasies with them while under the influence.

Of the five films represented "I Love you Again" is my favorite, though that may be due to greater familiarity. It is the only one I had found to purchase (on VHS) before this set was released. But it still seems to have a story line and banter that has the best timing and the fewest elements that take you out of the story to say 'boy, this was really made a long time ago!'.

Not every film is magic. But it is a good thing to have this set available so that -- despite their mixed qualities -- we can still enjoy the Powell-Loy pairing.

Myrna Loy and William Powell Collection (Manhattan Melodrama / Evelyn Prentice / Double Wedding / I Love You Again / Love Crazy)

Is there a better way to spend the day than with the charming Powell or the beautiful & witty Loy. The best ever coupling of two hollywood stars. If you enjoy watching class in action or witty dialogue you will love these 4 movies especially Manhattan Melodrama that has the extra bonus of the wonderful CLARK GABLE.

I had previously bought The Thin Man collection before buying this, which was excellent!! I bought the Myrna Loy and William Powell Collection in the hopes it would be just as wonderful, and it is!! The first movie, Evelyn Prentice is half murder mystery, half court room drama. Evelyn is shamefully neglected by her ambitious husband. Feeling lonely she agrees to have tea with a different gentlemen, although this is as far as the relationship goes, the young man begins to blackmail Evelyn. When a corpse turns up it puts Evelyn and her unaware attorney husband in a tough spot. Manhattan Melodrama is just that, a melodrama. It tells the tale of two boyhood friends that were orphaned together and raised through hardship together. One boy turns out very well (William Powell) being honest and successful and scholarly. The other boy's (Clark Gable) life goes awry. he prefers pool halls and gambling and dishonesty to school and his studies. Although both remain loyal lifelong friends, Myrna Loy drives a wedge between the two which is driven deeper when William Powell must decide whether to help his outlaw pal or choose his honesty. I Love You, Again is a hilarious comedy about stoic Larry Wilson (William Powell) who is hit on the head and suddenly remembers that he has had a lapse of memory for the past 9 years and is actually George Carey, the gangster. Soon discovering that during his state of amnesia he had married beautiful Kay (Myrna Loy). Larry/George gets all geared up for some romance only to discover that his wife is filing for divorce. Also he is setting up a big scam for the people of Habersville. Between trying to win back his wife's affection and manage in a town where he is well known yet knows nothing himself puts him in many hilarious scrapes. Double Wedding is also a comedy. Margit (Myrna Loy)is a controlling woman who decides her sister's and her sister's fiancee's every move. When the sister decides not to marry her fiancee, Charles (William Powell) decides to help her ex-fiancee win her back, in the process falling in love with Margit. Now Powell must find a way to loosen the formidable Loy up enough to be able to accept his love. Love Crazy is by far the best film in the entire collection. Steve and Susan Ireland are all set for a romantic anniversary only to be interrupted by Susan's meddling mother. Mother sends Steve off to mail a policy and when he runs into old flame Isobel Grayson, his mother-in-law blows the situation out of proportion to Susan. Susan then calls Mr. Grayson,Isobel's husband, and asks him if they can give their spouses a "taste of their own medicine" by kissing when they come home. Much confusion ensues when Susan, never having met Mr. Grayson, goes to the wrong man's apartment. After a confusing and troubling night Susan leaves Steve. The night before Susan and Steve are to go before the judge for their divorce, Steve's lawyer comes up with a scheme that if Steve pretends to be insane, that Susan cannot divorce him for at least five years (which was the law of that day and age). After many hysterical antics Steve convinces the court and the public that he is insane. Susan, who is not fooled a bit, retaliates by having him committed to an institution. Steve is now caught in his own trap but has no way out. I wont spoil the ending for y'all! Anyway this is a wonderful collection of classic movies. All fans of "The Thin Man" won't be disappointed by this collection!
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I've only had the chance to see one of the movies in the box set, which is Manhatan Melodrama. Very good movie, good performances. If you love Myrna and William, then it's a sure must have. The box contains comedy, melodrama and thriller with one of the screen's most celebrated couple of actors. Don't miss it, as the movies are very rare!