Manhattan Melodrama
by W.S. Van Dyke, George Cukor
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Product details
Actor: Clark Gable, Leo Carrillo, Myrna Loy, Nat Pendleton, William PowellDirector: George Cukor, W.S. Van Dyke
Edition: VHS Tape
Audio: English (Original Language), Analog
Format: Black & White, NTSC
Running Time: 91 minutes
Release Date: 1994-06-30
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Publisher: MGM (Warner)
Studio: MGM (Warner)
VHS Movie Reviews of Manhattan Melodrama
Movie Review: Corruption, murder, love and pathos - a fine piece of filmmaking
Summary: 5 Stars
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.
Movie Review: a "class film"--just like Selznick said it was
Summary: 5 Stars
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.
Movie Review: Manhattan Melodrama is a Classic
Summary: 5 Stars
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.
Movie Review: Emotions in Full Swing
Summary: 4 Stars
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.
Movie Review: Impressive for its' Time
Summary: 4 Stars
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.
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