Director: Jack Conway
Distributor: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)
Top Billed Actors: Jean Harlow, William Powell, Myrna Loy
Won 0 Oscars
Nominated for 1 more:
Outstanding Production - Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Plot: A newspaper makes a big mistake in accusing a millionaire playgirl of shenanigans so she threatens to sue; when the newspaper tries to frame her to make the headlines true, everyone gets married except for the people actually engaged.
Distributor: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)
Top Billed Actors: Jean Harlow, William Powell, Myrna Loy
Won 0 Oscars
Nominated for 1 more:
Outstanding Production - Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Plot: A newspaper makes a big mistake in accusing a millionaire playgirl of shenanigans so she threatens to sue; when the newspaper tries to frame her to make the headlines true, everyone gets married except for the people actually engaged.
Oh, its one of those movies. One of the rare films nominated for Best Picture but was up for for nothing else. This happened in the early years of the Academy Awards when the Best Picture pool was 10-12 films and there wasn't much history with the other awards. I'm grateful this was the case as we've seen a couple of these screwball comedies make the cut (my favorite being The Thin Man (1934)). Like The Thin Man, Libeled Lady (1936) is a Myrna Loy-William Powell vehicle that excels in situations that puts marriage and other traditional values on a slight swivel. The Code was very much in effect in 1936 so the scenarios couldn't be too risque but knowing how prudent society was makes it all rather comedic. Because it is a Loy-Powell vehicle, they get the most screen time. The top billed actor, Jean Harlow, wanted the Loy role on account of her dating Powell in real life, but MGM kept their tried and true combination going (this was the fifth time Loy and Powell starred together). Harlow would tragically die at the young age of 26 a year later. She was buried in a dress she wore in this film.
Continuing the discussion of the actors, William Powell continues to shine. He is quickly becoming my favorite actor from the 1930s. He displays romance and comedy in a way few other performers can muster. One moment, he is swooning Loy as he attempts to win her affection and in the next, he is falling face first in a running river. He realistically captures the hearts of both of the leading ladies in this story and it works so well. Loy's witty demeanor translates nicely in a role that calls for a rich girl being on guard from gold-digging suitors; she's never weak-kneed but when she finally falls for Powell, its an adorable marvel. The chemistry between these two was off-the-charts and its easy to see why their films are so highly regarded - so much so that the Best Picture winning film from this very year, The Great Ziegfeld (1936), also featured them both. The fourth leading actor in this is Spencer Tracy, someone I am always ecstatic to see in Hollywood's old catalogue. His character is more for progressing the story, but he does so in amusing ways.
I don't like to be too harsh on a movie that left a smile on my face for so long after its conclusion, but the runtime is a bit too long. A majority of the plot involves Powell trying to win over Loy's father character. Walter Connolly as the father doesn't work as well for me so I just kept hoping this part of the narrative would resolve and move along. It does facilitate that excellent fishing sequence though. There's also no other cinematic element on display here. Director Jack Conway keeps things simple so the four stars could be in the spotlight but this makes for some static scenes. The marital twists and turns in the waning moments of the film are a little farfetched and ties up the story a little too tidily.
Overall, the fact that these screwball comedies were able to put their hat in the Best Picture ring makes me endlessly grateful so they could be included in this Project. Powell and Loy never disappoint, marital boundaries being pushed make the story interesting, and seeing four major '30s stars in one film creates a sense of historical wonder.
My Score: 7/10
Continuing the discussion of the actors, William Powell continues to shine. He is quickly becoming my favorite actor from the 1930s. He displays romance and comedy in a way few other performers can muster. One moment, he is swooning Loy as he attempts to win her affection and in the next, he is falling face first in a running river. He realistically captures the hearts of both of the leading ladies in this story and it works so well. Loy's witty demeanor translates nicely in a role that calls for a rich girl being on guard from gold-digging suitors; she's never weak-kneed but when she finally falls for Powell, its an adorable marvel. The chemistry between these two was off-the-charts and its easy to see why their films are so highly regarded - so much so that the Best Picture winning film from this very year, The Great Ziegfeld (1936), also featured them both. The fourth leading actor in this is Spencer Tracy, someone I am always ecstatic to see in Hollywood's old catalogue. His character is more for progressing the story, but he does so in amusing ways.
I don't like to be too harsh on a movie that left a smile on my face for so long after its conclusion, but the runtime is a bit too long. A majority of the plot involves Powell trying to win over Loy's father character. Walter Connolly as the father doesn't work as well for me so I just kept hoping this part of the narrative would resolve and move along. It does facilitate that excellent fishing sequence though. There's also no other cinematic element on display here. Director Jack Conway keeps things simple so the four stars could be in the spotlight but this makes for some static scenes. The marital twists and turns in the waning moments of the film are a little farfetched and ties up the story a little too tidily.
Overall, the fact that these screwball comedies were able to put their hat in the Best Picture ring makes me endlessly grateful so they could be included in this Project. Powell and Loy never disappoint, marital boundaries being pushed make the story interesting, and seeing four major '30s stars in one film creates a sense of historical wonder.
My Score: 7/10