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Libeled Lady by Jack Conway
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DVD Cover InformationActor: Jean Harlow, Myrna Loy, Spencer Tracy, Walter Connolly, William Powell Director: Jack Conway Brand: Warner Brothers Cinematographer: Norbert Brodine Editor: Fredrick Y. Smith Producer: Lawrence Weingarten Writer: George Oppenheimer Writer: Howard Emmett Rogers Writer: Maurine Dallas Watkins Writer: Wallace Sullivan DVD: Region Code 1 Audio: English (Unknown), Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono; English (Subtitled); Spanish (Subtitled); French (Subtitled); English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono Format: Black & White, Closed-captioned, DVD, NTSC, Subtitled Picture Format: 1.33:1 Running Time: 98 minutes DVD Release Date: 2005-03-01 Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated) Studio: Warner Home Video
Movie Reviews of Libeled LadyMovie Review: Classic Farce with Powell and Loy plus Specer and Harlow Summary: 5 Stars
It is Warren Hagarty (Spencer Tracey) and Gladys Fenton's (Jean Harlow) wedding day. But Warren's paper has accidentally printed an article about Connie Allenberry (Myrna Loy) who is the daughter of a nemesis of the paper owner. The Allenberry's have filed a libel suit for $5,000,000.
Warren has decided to put a Casanova on the case, Bill Chandler (William Powell). The only problem is that Warren fired Bill. Warren finally locates Bill and Bill holds him hostage. Bill comes up with a plan - romance Connie then have his wife file suit against Connie. This will invalidate the libel suit. But the problem is Bill is not married. Warren offers up his fiancé to be Bill's wife.
Bill sails for South Hampton to return back to New York on the Allenberry's return voyage. But his attempt to seduce Connie fails, she has his number. Although he has struck out with Connie, he has impressed her father. He invites Bill to the Allenberry country estate for some fishing. This will give Bill another chance with Connie and the compromising situation happens but Bill realizes that he is in love with Connie.
Warren continues to try to set up Connie and Bill continues to stop these attempts. It ends with Harlow's great scene.
To millions of movie goers Powell and Loy were the perfect couple but in real life it was Powell and Harlow that had a torrid romance. So the romance scenes between Powell and Harlow have a reality.
Spencer Tracy has been rated by the AFI as the best actor in films ever. This film shows his comic ability that would peak with his film with Katherine Hepburn.
Jean Harlow was most of the time wasted as the dumb blonde. But she was a great actress. This film hid her as the dumb blonde until the final scene where she just lets go and shows you what she has.
William Powell was a great lead actor but his best roles were the suave but imperfect ladies man. Just as we now have the Hugh Grant character. In the thirties, forties and fifties, there was the William Powell character.
Myrna Loy is acknowledged as the perfect film wife. She always matched her performance to compliment her co star. Unfortunately, she was always better than her roles. This is one of her best films.
Powell and Loy made 13 films together including the six Thin Man films. This is the best of them. Loy and Harlow made an even better film with Gable called Wife vs. Secretary. So if you like this look for W vs. S hopefully on DVD or on TCM.
THIS IS A CLASSIC SCREWBALL ROMANTIC COMEDY!!
DVD EXTRAS:
Leo is on the Air - A 14 minute radio promotion for the film.
Summary of Libeled LadyLIBELED LADY - DVD Movie Newspaper comedy doesn't seem like an MGM genre--ink-stained wretches don't go with Adrian gowns and white deco furniture--but Jack Conway, the designated bull in the Metro china shop (Boom Town, Too Hot to Handle) does what he can to bring some dash and flair to a wildly complicated script. Spencer Tracy is the tough city editor who goes to some spectacular extremes when socialite Myrna Loy files a $5 million libel suit against his paper for calling her a notorious home-wrecker; he hires celebrated ladies' man William Powell to seduce Loy and asks his long-suffering fiancée, Jean Harlow, to marry Powell temporarily so she can play the wronged wife when Loy and Powell are discovered together. The couples crisscross, with frenetic and not entirely unpredictable results, but much of the pleasure here lies in seeing these iconic stars being so thoroughly themselves. The dialogue strains for champagne wit, but the movie's most memorable moment is pure, rotgut slapstick--Powell's bout with an unruly fly-fishing rod. --Dave Kehr
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