Heiress Joan Crawford runs out on her wedding and becomes involved with reporters, spies, and a castle in "Love on the Run," a 1936 comedy also starring Clark Gable, Franchot Tone, William Demarest and Donald Meek.
A really top cast makes this a winner. There were so many of these nutty heiress comedies in the '30s - "Bringing Up Baby," "Taming the Wild," "The Mad Miss Manton" come to mind without trying. Despite the Depression, there must have been a lot of heiresses around. This particular comedy has shades of another madcap heiress film, "Love is News," but is quite a bit crazier. Crawford plays Sally Parker, who, on finding she must sign a paper giving her new royal husband $3 million, bolts. An attractive man all decked out for the wedding offers to help her escape. It's Mike (Clark Gable) and he's playing an ambitious reporter who actually cheated his main rival, Barney (Franchot Tone) out of this particular story. Mike and Sally take off in a plane intended for two Russians and their highly publicized flight - except that while in the plane, Sally finds a strange-looking map, and Mike realizes these Russian fliers are spies. After a crash landing in Europe, the two spend the night in a palace with a crazy caretaker (Donald Meek). Meek, with his bowing and scraping to what he thinks are two ghosts and petting his imaginary dog, nearly steals the entire movie. He's hilarious, particularly when he checks to see if a gun is loaded by pointing it at his head and shooting.
Eventually the Russians appear trying to get their map and the hapless Barney catches up with Mike, who keeps duping him, and Barney falls for it every time.
It doesn't matter if the basic plot is derivative, it's still energetic fun and highly entertaining. Crawford is excellent and looks smashing in a series of outfits - even one originally worn by the Russian spy - it fits her perfectly! Gable is a charming devil, and Tone, a marvelous actor, plays the comedy to perfection. They all have terrific chemistry with one another, as well they should, with Crawford being Mrs. Tone and having been involved with Gable.
A very funny entry from MGM.
