Libeled Lady (1936)

User Rating:

7.9/10   

Director:

Jack Conway

Writers:

Maurine Dallas Watkins (screenplay) and
Howard Emmett Rogers (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

9 October 1936 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Romance

Plot:

Warren Haggerty is the chief editor of the New York Evening Star. He keeps on delaying his marriage...

Plot Keywords:

Marriage | Editor | Newspaper | Restaurant | Truck

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar.

Cast

Jean Harlow	...	Gladys
William Powell	...	Bill Chandler
Myrna Loy	...	Connie Allenbury
Spencer Tracy	...	Haggerty
Walter Connolly	...	Mr. Allenbury
Charley Grapewin	...	Mr. Bane
Cora Witherspoon	...	Mrs. Burns-Norvell
E.E. Clive	...	Fishing Instructor
Bunny Beatty	...	Babs (as Lauri Beatty)
Otto Yamaoka	...	Ching
Charles Trowbridge	...	Graham
Spencer Charters	...	Magistrate
George Chandler	...	Bell Hop
William 'Billy' Benedict	...	Johnny (as William Benedict)
Hal K. Dawson	...	Harvey Allen

Runtime:

98 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Certification:

USA:Approved (certificate #2585) | Canada:PG (video rating) | USA:Passed (National Board of Review) | Finland:S | USA:TV-G | Australia:G

Filming Locations:

California, USA

Company:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Trivia:

Along with Grand Hotel (1932), this is one of the few pictures to receive an Academy Award nomination for Best Picture without receiving any other nominations.

Goofs:

Errors made by characters (possibly deliberate errors by the filmmakers): Spencer Tracy refers to William Benedict's character as "Joe", although the opening credits identify him as "Johnny".

Quotes:

Warren Haggerty: She may be his wife, but she's engaged to me!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Thou Shalt Not: Sex, Sin and Censorship in Pre-Code Hollywood (2008) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Wedding March

A galaxy of stars in a delightful comedy

The beginning of "Libeled Lady" shows its four stars walking arm in arm toward the camera. The stars being Jean Harlow, William Powell, Myrna Loy and Spencer Tracy, some of the best actors working in Hollywood in the thirties!

Only a studio like MGM could pull this coup. They had in its heyday some of the best and more radiant figures in its payroll. As a studio, it could gather the best talents working in those days and create fabulous vehicles for them to shine, which is the case with this film. This delightful screwball comedy with romantic overtones has kept its luster even after almost seventy years since it was produced. Jack Conway directed with a light touch.

"Libeled Lady" got away with a lot having been filmed before the Hays Code got its grip in everything that was produced in Hollywood in the succeeding years. The dialog is quite frank and sophisticated, even for that era.

Jean Harlow had perhaps her best moment in the movies playing Gladys Benton, the woman who is engaged to be married and has her wedding postponed. William Powell, who was at the height of his career, and popularity, plays Bill Chandler, the man who is called to do a favor to the man that has fired him, by taking an interest in an heiress who is notorious for suing any newspaper that dares to print anything about her that is not true. Myrna Loy is the heiress, Connie Allenbury, who falls for the ruse that Bill Chandler is made to perform, but deep down she has fallen in love with him. Spencer Tracy is the editor of the newspaper in question, who concocts the plan to get the paper off the hook in paying the five million dollars.

In supporting roles we get to see some of the best actors of the time: Cora Witherspoon, William Connolly, Charlie Grapevine, William Benedict, Bunny Beatty, and others that enhance the film with their presence.

The film will not disappoint. It is one of the funniest comedies of that period.