After Robert Osborne expressed the opinion that this film was better than the film that won Best Picture of the year in 1936, and was one of the very best screwball comedies ever, I was super-excited about seeing it last night on TCM. It was even nominated for Outstanding Production (Best Picture), while in the same year My Man Godfrey was not! For my money My Man Godfrey is a far superior film.
The acting quartet of William Powell, Myrna Loy, Spencer Tracy and Jean Harlow is an incredible ensemble. To me, nobody stole the show; Powell, Loy and Harlow were all fantastic; and Tracy, in his first comedy role is very good. Walter Connolly is also outstanding as Loy's millionaire father. All were deserving of nominations, in my opinion. Do not blink, you won't want to miss a moment of dialog. They never miss a beat in the rapid-fire quips that characterized films (especially, but not only, comedies) of this era. There is nothing like it today. What a shame that writing such as this has become a lost art!
However, it is the writing in this film that, in the end, left this movie a couple of notches below My Man Godfrey. The dialog is scintillating throughout. But the ending fails to live up to the lofty expectations established by the rest of the movie.
Without any prior hints, we are taken by surprise by the "illegal Yucatan divorce" that William Powell uses to show that he did not really marry Jean Harlow. Coming out of the blue, it is not only pretty contrived, but smacks of the kind of device that Truman Capote rails against in the classic, Murder by Death, when he accuses the assembled mystery novel writers of introducing new characters and unforeseen plot twists in the last chapter to solve mysteries in a way that is completely unforeseeable to their readers. In Libeled Lady, however, there is not just one, but two such surprises. Harlow counters Powell's illegal Yucatan divorce with a legal Reno divorce that is unknown even to Powell! Harlow's diatribe is outstanding, and she nails the other characters who have simply been manipulating her to achieve their own happy ends. That speech, however, is not dependent upon the double divorce contrivance, and it could have been used in any alternate scenario.
Another weakness of the ending, is Spencer Tracy. As Tracy prepares to depart, Myrna Loy suggests that he has forgotten something. He says, "Oh, yes, my hat." He doesn't convey any emotional involvement with Harlow. He kisses her goodbye, saying something like, "See ya later." This indicates, at best, that Tracy expects to resume his same old relationship with Harlow, focusing his real attention on the newspaper. Harlow is fantastic, and we hope that her fate is better than to be stuck with the same Tracy who has ignored her for their entire relationship. For the ending to be truly happy, Tracy needs to show that he has learned that he needs to demonstrate affection toward Harlow, rather than pay it lip service. But the evidence seems to show otherwise.
In fact, at the movie's "happy" conclusion, Harlow and Powell are still married. Loy and Powell are not. And Harlow is stuck with Tracy, who we aren't real certain has seen the light. For this to be a real classic, the ending should have been a little less contrived and some of these loose ends should have been tied up. As is, things seem too unresolved, leaving us feeling slightly unsatisfied. Consequently it is an extremely enjoyable screwball comedy, but it is a step or two below the classics.
The acting quartet of William Powell, Myrna Loy, Spencer Tracy and Jean Harlow is an incredible ensemble. To me, nobody stole the show; Powell, Loy and Harlow were all fantastic; and Tracy, in his first comedy role is very good. Walter Connolly is also outstanding as Loy's millionaire father. All were deserving of nominations, in my opinion. Do not blink, you won't want to miss a moment of dialog. They never miss a beat in the rapid-fire quips that characterized films (especially, but not only, comedies) of this era. There is nothing like it today. What a shame that writing such as this has become a lost art!
However, it is the writing in this film that, in the end, left this movie a couple of notches below My Man Godfrey. The dialog is scintillating throughout. But the ending fails to live up to the lofty expectations established by the rest of the movie.
Without any prior hints, we are taken by surprise by the "illegal Yucatan divorce" that William Powell uses to show that he did not really marry Jean Harlow. Coming out of the blue, it is not only pretty contrived, but smacks of the kind of device that Truman Capote rails against in the classic, Murder by Death, when he accuses the assembled mystery novel writers of introducing new characters and unforeseen plot twists in the last chapter to solve mysteries in a way that is completely unforeseeable to their readers. In Libeled Lady, however, there is not just one, but two such surprises. Harlow counters Powell's illegal Yucatan divorce with a legal Reno divorce that is unknown even to Powell! Harlow's diatribe is outstanding, and she nails the other characters who have simply been manipulating her to achieve their own happy ends. That speech, however, is not dependent upon the double divorce contrivance, and it could have been used in any alternate scenario.
Another weakness of the ending, is Spencer Tracy. As Tracy prepares to depart, Myrna Loy suggests that he has forgotten something. He says, "Oh, yes, my hat." He doesn't convey any emotional involvement with Harlow. He kisses her goodbye, saying something like, "See ya later." This indicates, at best, that Tracy expects to resume his same old relationship with Harlow, focusing his real attention on the newspaper. Harlow is fantastic, and we hope that her fate is better than to be stuck with the same Tracy who has ignored her for their entire relationship. For the ending to be truly happy, Tracy needs to show that he has learned that he needs to demonstrate affection toward Harlow, rather than pay it lip service. But the evidence seems to show otherwise.
In fact, at the movie's "happy" conclusion, Harlow and Powell are still married. Loy and Powell are not. And Harlow is stuck with Tracy, who we aren't real certain has seen the light. For this to be a real classic, the ending should have been a little less contrived and some of these loose ends should have been tied up. As is, things seem too unresolved, leaving us feeling slightly unsatisfied. Consequently it is an extremely enjoyable screwball comedy, but it is a step or two below the classics.