Following the popularity of The Thin Man in 1934, MGM decided to keep the golden pairing of William Powell and Myrna Loy running on two parallel streams. One was to be the series of increasingly tepid and unimaginative sequels to The Thin Man. The other was a string of stand-alone comedies, all of them betterContinue reading “Love Crazy (1941)”
Category Archives: Myrna Loy
The Thin Man (1934) – 2. Novel vs. Movie
One shouldn’t spend too much time comparing an original story with its film adaptation. All writers know that as soon as the options are picked up and the payments deposited, the film version is out of their hands. It’s lucky that they aren’t forced to sign non-disclosure agreements enjoining them from claiming that they actuallyContinue reading “The Thin Man (1934) – 2. Novel vs. Movie”
Libeled Lady (1936)
Libeled Lady hits the sweetest spot of Hollywood comedies of the interwar era. It’s a transcendent example of the genre, a fusion of literate script, sharp-witted dialogue, brilliant acting, pacing, mise-en-scène, and all the screwball virtues: quick-reacting women, overconfident men with absurd plans, rapid-fire repartee and pratfalls, newsroom machismo and high-society suavité. It’s miraculous, actually,Continue reading “Libeled Lady (1936)”
The Thin Man (1934)
The Thin Man is one of the most influential films that Hollywood ever produced. It’s included in the American Film Institute’s list of 100 funniest films (in a list made in 2000 the film comes in at #32); IMDB users have given it a stratospheric score of 8 of 10 (only three films have scoredContinue reading “The Thin Man (1934)”
Wife vs. Secretary (1936)
Wife vs. Secretary was another experiment in combining comedy and melodrama, but with far more success than most of the others. The melodrama is managed with a light touch and elegance; so is the comedy. The core value of elegance is simplicity, and few films of the time can match Wife vs. Secretary for simplicity.Continue reading “Wife vs. Secretary (1936)”