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Wonderful character development!

The Worst Film Ever

Admirable film.

I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

In black and white for everyone to see.A gangster movie starring Clark Gable, William Powell and Myrna Loy, thankfully I was not disappointed. Watching these three titans of classic Hollywood in action (and sadly the only picture in which Gable and Powell appeared together), Manhattan Melodrama not only had me enthralled from beginning to end, its hypnotizingly good. Gangsters, dames, urbanites, class and sophistication, this movie encompasses elements of 1930's cinema which I'm a sucker for - and yes, the film has the word melodrama in the title, something that would never happen in contemporary cinema.The Angels With Dirty Faces style plot allows for poignant social commentary, with Powell as a district attorney trying to avoid corruption and not allowing his personal feelings affect his decisions. William Powell's performance as Jim Wade is the best I've seen him deliver; just listen to the emotional plea he gives during the movie's courtroom scene. His character is essentially a fantasy, an elected member of government who's entirely honest. When Wade goes against his ethics and engages in cronyism he tells the truth to the public and resigns from office rather than trying to desperately cling onto power. There's doubt Powell had a real knack for playing lawyers and elected members of office. Not to undo Gable as Blackie Gallagher, the manner in which he acts during the film's final third is simply heartbreaking as he constantly jokes around despite being sentenced to the electric chair in the film's finale. The ending of this movie just kills me as Wade's friend since childhood is sentenced to death; it's near the top of my list of all time tear jerking scenes, pure cinematic tragedy. The lights of prison even dim as the switch is pulled, the ever classic cliché. In real life that doesn't actually happen but in the film it is the final tug of the heart strings. Also it seems hard to believe now that Mickey Rooney would play a child version of Clark Gable but in 1934 audiences couldn't have seen what he would turn out to be as an adult.Does there exist an actress who doesn't have great chemistry with Clark Gable, or even any actor for that matter? Manhattan Melodrama is the first of fourteen screen pairings of Powell and Loy, and their first scene together couldn't be more perfect, in which she falls into his lap in the back seat of a car as she starts to deliver exposition in the most adorable manner.MGM is not generally associated with the gangster genre. Manhattan Melodrama doesn't have the grit of Warner Gangster films but works in its own style of MGM's glossy high production values and ranks as one of the best gangster films I've seen from the 1930's. The movie seems to be more famous for being the last movie seen by gangster John Dillinger, who was shot by federal agents as he exited a Chicago movie theater. His reason for going to see the movie, apparently he was a Myrna Loy fan. The love of Loy killed John Dillinger, I guess I can't blame him.

Clark Gable, William Powell, Myrna Loy. How could it be a bad movie? Two kids that are best friends from a very young age that both become orphans when the river boat they are all on burns up. A priest who has lost his son in the same accident semi-adopts them. He raises them as his own until he is run over by the mounted police responding to a disturbance caused by rabble rousing Bolsheviks. The kids are now seen to go their divergent ways. Clark (Blackie) goes to the dark side and gets involved in gambling, betting, etc. Powell goes the other way and studies law. He becomes a lawyer, runs for DA and wins. Gable has sent his girlfriend (Myrna)to pay his respects. She is treated like a lady and likes it. She then leaves Clark and goes out on her own. When Blackie kills a mobster who owes him money, after the guy tries and draw a gun. Now things get interesting as Blackie and Jim Wade start going head to head. Wade goes after the criminals and of course he is an honest man and goes after Blackie too. At the wedding of Wade and Myrna, Blackie is suppose to be the best man but runs out. Probably to keep Wade's reputation clean. Nominated for governor he dismisses his senior assistant for cause. The assistant then re-opens the Manny Arnold murder case to embarrass Wade and cast doubts on his viability as a candidate. By this time Blackie has gone really bad and he murders the assistant. Blackie's crime is semi-witnessed by a not blind beggar sitting just outside the bathroom. So Blackie comes to trial. Jim goes to court and asks for the death penalty. He gets it but it sure isn't a happy occasion. Elected governor Wade has a chance to pardon Gable. He denies the pardon and Blackie is fried. Clark is very noble in the end and goes to his execution with panache. At the end Powell goes before the state legislature and resigns when he learns that Blackie killed a man to protect Wade from scandal.

Solid MGM crime drama that is best remembered today as the film John Dillinger saw just before being gunned down by federal agents. The story is a simple one about two men (William Powell, Clark Gable) who grew up together but are on opposite sides of the law. Myrna Loy also stars as the woman initially with Blackie (Gable) who falls for and marries Jim (Powell). Great director and trio of stars with fantastic chemistry elevate this above otherwise banal plot. Young Blackie is played by, of all people, Mickey Rooney! Must've been one hell of a puberty. Also of note is the song "The Bad in Every Man," sung by Shirley Ross here. The song would later be given new lyrics by Lorenz Hart and become the classic standard "Blue Moon."

Two boyhood friends end up being on opposite sides of the law as adults. At least the film can't be accused of false advertising. This is definitely melodrama, which can be fun if done right; here, however, it starts off as merely uninteresting and ends up as being rather corny. Unfortunately, the star power of Gable, Powell, and Loy can't overcome the lackluster script. The film is mainly of interest for historical reasons. It was the first teaming of Powell and Loy, made just before "The Thin Man," also directed by Van Dyke. More notoriously, this was the film Dillinger went to see at the Biograph Theater in Chicago and was killed by the FBI upon emerging from the theater.