“Manhattan Melodrama” is a crime drama movie about two boyhood friends who go into very different careers as adults: One as a politician and the other as a casino owner involved in criminal activities. The stars are William Powell and Clark Gable delivering excellent performances early in their careers. Gable was solidified as a superstar here, and William Powell and co-star Myrna Loy went on to star in a total of 14 films together, most notably “The Thin Man” series.
Director W. S. Van Dyke (“Tarzan the Ape Man” 1932) had the Midas Touch at the helm of this project; this “Pre-Code” film became an unexpected hit with the public. The excellent screenplay was penned by Oliver H. P. Garrett and Joseph Mankiewicz. Arthur Caesar won the Academy Award for Best Original Story.
The supporting cast includes Leo Carrillo, Nat Pendleton, George Sidney, Isabell Jewell, Muriel Evans, Thomas E. Jackson, Frank Conroy, Noel Madison, Isabell Keith, Shirley Ross as the Cotton Club singer, Mickey Rooney as Gable as a boy, and Jimmy Butler as Powell as a boy. Butler was killed in action in World War II in German-occupied France in 1945 at the age of 23.
The very watchable “Manhattan Melodrama” was very popular escapist entertainment with Depression Era audiences from producer David O. Selznick and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.
Manhattan Melodrama (1934)
cinema
My Review
“Manhattan Melodrama” is a crime drama movie about two boyhood friends who go into very different careers as adults: One as a politician and the other as a casino owner involved in criminal activities. The stars are William Powell and Clark Gable delivering excellent performances early in their careers. Gable was solidified as a superstar here, and William Powell and co-star Myrna Loy went on to star in a total of 14 films together, most notably “The Thin Man” series.
Director W. S. Van Dyke (“Tarzan the Ape Man” 1932) had the Midas Touch at the helm of this project; this “Pre-Code” film became an unexpected hit with the public. The excellent screenplay was penned by Oliver H. P. Garrett and Joseph Mankiewicz. Arthur Caesar won the Academy Award for Best Original Story.
The supporting cast includes Leo Carrillo, Nat Pendleton, George Sidney, Isabell Jewell, Muriel Evans, Thomas E. Jackson, Frank Conroy, Noel Madison, Isabell Keith, Shirley Ross as the Cotton Club singer, Mickey Rooney as Gable as a boy, and Jimmy Butler as Powell as a boy. Butler was killed in action in World War II in German-occupied France in 1945 at the age of 23.
The very watchable “Manhattan Melodrama” was very popular escapist entertainment with Depression Era audiences from producer David O. Selznick and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.