Visit IMDb page Manhattan Melodrama (1934)'s favorites Please note that the number of user displayed might differ from the total number of users that favorited this movie, due to users choosing not to share their favorite movies. Manhattan Melodrama is a trivial pursuit game all in itself. So, we have this one film of the two great actors sharing the spotlight, and it comes off very well. When Gable is accused of murder and sentenced to the death penalty, it is Powell's duty to decide whether or not to let his personal feelings for Gable interfere with his practice of legal justice. 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. The friendship between two orphans endures even though they grow up on opposite sides of the law and fall in love with the same woman. When Blackie's girlfriend Eleanor leaves him and marries the more down to earth Wade, Blackie harbors no resentment. IMDb Poll Board Favorite Couple. After he becomes Governor, Wade has the authority to commute Blackie's death sentence-- a decision that pits his high moral ethics against a lifelong friendship. Star Sign. | The song would later be given new lyrics by Lorenz Hart and become the classic standard "Blue Moon.". Van Dyke—with a starring trio of William Powell, Clark Gable, and Myrna Loy—the film piles on the melodrama in an unabashed and predictable manner, but still manages to deliver a quality story, elevated by its three powerful leads. Manhattan Melodrama Synopsis: Orphans Edward "Blackie" Gallagher and Jim Wade are lifelong friends who take different paths in life. Oversized ears Nickname. No, this movie belongs to the men, and the whole affair is better than I expected it to be. - two orphans who grew … William Clark Gable Clark Gable is the happy-go-lucky gangster Blackie who is being tried for murder by his boyhood best friend Jim, William Powell, a D.A. Menu. Blackie thrives on gambling and grows up to be a hard-nosed racketeer. Blackie was always the streetwise kid and as an adult, now works on the edge of the criminal world running casinos and speakeasies. 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! Manhattan Melodrama Awards and Nominations. They are taken in by a kindly Russian Jew who lost his son in the same tragedy. Melodramatic, yes, but this movie has some meat to it that I wasn't expecting. Manhattan Melodrama (1934) Plot. Both have a thing for Myrna Loy, but the expected rivalry for which this plot would seem to be tailor made never comes. 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. The second was the Great Depression, and how it impacted the traditional notion of the "American dream." U.S. release: 6 May 1934. London opening at the Empire, 24 May 1934. Van Dyke—with a starring trio of William Powell, Clark Gable, and Myrna Loy—the film piles on the melodrama in an unabashed and predictable manner, but still manages to deliver a quality story, elevated by its three powerful leads. 5. As a Myrna Loy/William Powell fan, I love the whole scene from their first meeting, as she flings herself into his taxi, and he thinks she is out to wreck his career by pretending he assaulted her! They are taken in by a kindly Russian Jew who lost his son in the same tragedy. And, of course, it was the last picture seen by the notorious bank robber John Dillinger, who, upon exiting Chicago's Biograph Theater on July 22, 1934, was killed during a gun battle with police and G-men. Trademark. One for each actor and one with both of them together. IMDb Score 7.2. Although all the players were great, special kudos to William Powell, whose uncompromising morals cause him to lose almost everything he has. Quotes. Australian release: 19 September 1934. 9 reels. Showing all 16 items. “Manhattan Melodrama” is the story of childhood friends who take very different paths in life. User Ratings Manhattan Melodrama (1934) - Skip it, Kid Old pal and gangster Blackie (Clark Gable) visits the new D-A Jim (William Powell), with lots of catching-up to do, in W.S. With Clark Gable, William Powell, Myrna Loy, Leo Carrillo. The friendship between two orphans endures even though they grow up on opposite sides of the law and fall in love with the same woman. Boyhood friends grow up into different professions, one a dedicated Royal Canadian Mountie, the other a notorious if well liked gambler. 88 min. The first teaming of William Powell and Myrna Loy. The mounting, the sets, the large cast and the story line all mesh very well into a collectively made work of art. His is a gut-wrenching performance, and the scene in which he addresses the assembly with tears in his eyes to tell of his own "weakness"--wow. They didn't name this "Manhatten *Melodrama* for nothing - it's classic melodrama! Solid MGM crime drama that is best remembered today as the film John Dillinger saw just before being gunned down by federal agents. Gable, Powell, And Loy In A Tragic Love Story, Gable and Powell click in their only film together. Loy is lovely here, as usual, but she doesn't really have much of a role. You do gotta like it. Orphans Edward "Blackie" Gallagher and Jim Wade are lifelong friends who take different paths in life. | It was the first teaming of Powell and Loy, made just before "The Thin Man," also directed by Van Dyke. Shirley Ross (born Bernice Maude Gaunt, January 7, 1913 – March 9, 1975) was an American actress and singer, notable for her duet with Bob Hope, "Thanks for the Memory" from The Big Broadcast of 1938.She appeared in 25 feature films between 1933 and 1945, including singing earlier and wholly different lyrics for the Rodgers and Hart song in Manhattan Melodrama (1934) that later became "Blue Moon 'Manhattan Melodrama' is the kind of film that has been referenced so often to the point where it's kind of become a cliché. | Copyright 3 May 1934 by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Corp. A Cosmopolitan picture. Blackie thrives on gambling and grows up to be a hard-nosed racketeer. Parents Guide, Shannon Patrick Sullivan . The same can be said of the fine acting from all players. Directed by W.S. Synopsis Music editor: W. Donn Hayes. Plus, as always, the writing, direction and production values were top-notch for the period. In the first scenes of the film, we see that they are orphaned and taken in by a man who has lost his son in the same fire that killed the boys' friends and family. And the film is a delight from beginning to end. Of course, in this story about unpunished crime vs. betraying a friend, nobody ever considers the third way, but then it wouldn't be a melodrama anymore, would it? 4. “Manhattan Melodrama” is the story of childhood friends who take very different paths in life. Perhaps at the time, the circumstances, what have you, it was not so unusual. Manhattan Melodrama Jim Wade (1934) Fashions of 1934 Sherwood Nash (1934) The Kennel Murder Case Philo Vance ... IMDb Poll Board Favorite Performances by Actors. FAQ Manhattan Melodrama (1934) – IMDb Directed by W.S. Media in category "Manhattan Melodrama" The following 2 files are in this category, out of 2 total. 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