- Actors: Jean Harlow, William Powell, Myrna Loy, Spencer Tracy, Walter Connolly
- Directors: Jack Conway
- Writers: George Oppenheimer, Howard Emmett Rogers, Maurine Dallas Watkins, Wallace Sullivan
- Producers: Lawrence Weingarten
- Format: NTSC
- Number of tapes: 1
- MPAA Rating:
- Studio: MGM (Warner)
- VHS Release Date: Nov 1 2001
- Run Time: 98 minutes
- Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
- ASIN: 6301973178
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #11,625 in Video (See Top 100 in Video)
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Product Details |
Product Description
Amazon.com Essential Video
Newspaper comedy doesn't seem like an MGM genre--ink-stained wretches don't go with Adrian gowns and white deco furniture--but Jack Conway, the designated bull in the Metro china shop (Boom Town, Too Hot to Handle) does what he can to bring some dash and flair to a wildly complicated script. Spencer Tracy is the tough city editor who goes to some spectacular extremes when socialite Myrna Loy files a $5 million libel suit against his paper for calling her a notorious home-wrecker; he hires celebrated ladies' man William Powell to seduce Loy and asks his long-suffering fiancée, Jean Harlow, to marry Powell temporarily so she can play the wronged wife when Loy and Powell are discovered together. The couples crisscross, with frenetic and not entirely unpredictable results, but much of the pleasure here lies in seeing these iconic stars being so thoroughly themselves. The dialogue strains for champagne wit, but the movie's most memorable moment is pure, rotgut slapstick--Powell's bout with an unruly fly-fishing rod. --Dave Kehr
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Most helpful customer reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Delightful Romp From the 1930s,
By A Customer
This review is from: Libeled Lady (DVD)
Another reason to enjoy DVDs, the remastering of old classics. This is is a thoroughly wonderful farce about social status, pretensions, and finding love. In some ways, it's a traditional costume piece from the Great Depression but really the film is timeless. The show is stolen by William Powell as the con-artist (who meets his match) and Myrna Loy (the socialite who sees through the con but still falls for him). With wonderful performances from Jean Harlow (as the - many times- jilted financee/bride) and Spencer Tracey (the cynical newspaper editor who sets up the con to block a libel suit). The dialogue is fast-paced, with marvellous puns and asides. But the best is good old-fashioned slapstick humour: Powell, who has portrayed himself as an expert angler, tries to catch a fish and you'll be rolling with laughter at the attempt. One of a series of classic films re-released recently and well worth your money. Enjoy.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Lots of fun!,
By Robert Ortiz (The Southwest) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Libeled Lady (VHS Tape)
This is a great movie and a 1930's classic! While the plot may be a bit complex to describe, it's easy to get into and understand once the film starts. To make a long story short, a newspaper accidentally prints a false story involving an heiress (Myrna Loy) who then slaps the paper with a five million-dollar lawsuit. The editor of the paper (Spencer Tracy) concocts an elaborate scheme involving his fiancée (Jean Harlow) and former colleague (William Powell) in hopes of having the lawsuit dropped. Everything seems to go according to plan, but romantic entanglements soon abound and everything spins hilariously out of control. This is a great film that's held neatly together with witty dialogue and fueled by the first rate performances of its lead stars Spencer Tracy, Myrna Loy, William Powell and Jean Harlow. Highly recommended!
4.0 out of 5 stars
Star Power,
This review is from: Libeled Lady (VHS Tape)
This film has a plot that is quite complicated to describe, although as the film progresses, it all makes sense. Essentially, Myrna Loy is an heiress suing a newspaper for libel (five million dollar lawsuit), and Spencer Tracy defends his newspaper by using fiancee Jean Harlow and writer William Powell to prove that the story his paper originally printed about Loy was actually true. Relationships then get very tangled as this comedy proceeds. The plot is fun, and some of the dialogue humourous, but the real strength is its star package. Jean Harlow gets some scenes where she cuts loose and shows the comedic range she possessed (might surprise you). Spencer Tracy plays the driven newspaperman with a lot of energy and edge. But it's really William Powell and Myrna Loy who own this film. What chemistry the two had on camera! Of course, they proved that in film after film, and this is a prime example. Witty, sophisticated, sexy are just some of the words for the two on screen. Powell in particular is in top form here, and as everyone notes about this film, his fishing scene is the highlight of the film. Star power is what this film is all about, with a complicated story and some good laughs thrown in for good measure.
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