Wednesday, August 17, 2011

Movie review – “Libeled Lady” (1936) ****

It’s all a matter of personal taste of course but for my money Jean Harlow’s comedies have aged wonderfully well whereas the melodramas haven’t, particularly after the Production Code came in. This is a comedy, fortunately, with the benefit of a deluxe cast: Spencer Tracey, William Powell and Myrna Loy. The bulk of the plot concerns Powell pursuing heiress Loy, trying to con her father by pretending to be a fishing expert (this small section was used later for a whole movie – Man’s Favourite Sport). Powell’s doing it because Loy is suing the paper run by Spencer Tracey – Tracey gets his fiancée Harlow to marry Powell so they can concoct a breach of marriage suite.
All the leads are in good form, as is the support cast (Harlow does look a little pasty). Even though Powell and Harlow were a couple in real life, he plays better with Loy on screen – they both seem cut from the same cloth. Harlow is game as ever - it's fun to see her throwing her tantrums, being conned into marrying another man by her own fiancee. Excellent support cast as well.

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