Manhattan Melodrama

Last night I was lucky enough to catch Manhattan Melodrama on the big screen. Not only that but it was paired with The Public Enemy! It's a rare occasion that movies from the early 30's play in Vancouver so this was something that I couldn't possibly pass on, for in my opinion, the 30's were one of the best decades for film (not too mention the movie stars).

Manhattan Melodrama starts in 1904 with the infamous sinking of the steamship "General Slocum" in the East River of New York. On board are two young best friends, Blackie Gallagher (a wee Mickey Rooney) and Jim Wade. Their families perish in the fire/sinking but they are rescued by a priest and promptly taken in by a man who has lost his own son in the disaster.



The two boys remain the best of friends, now close like brothers, as they grow up to be very different men.

Blackie, now a grown man (Clark Gable) has become a racketeer, owning and running his own successful casino. The cops are on his payroll and turn a blind eye to the goings on inside. Meanwhile, Jim (William Powell) has become the District Attorney. Although they are so very different and do not see each other as much as they once did, their love for one another still runs very deep.

Blackie's main gal, Eleanor (Myrna Loy) is becoming increasingly fed up with Blackie's lifestyle and longs for a more normal life with the man she loves. After a night in which Blackie arranged for Jim to entertain Eleanor, she decides enough is enough and she leaves Blackie. A few months later she meets up with Jim and a romance blooms followed quickly by a marriage that Blackie supports.



Jim runs for governor during this time and is warned that his association with Blackie and what seems to have been preferential treatment in regards to a murder, may hinder his chances in the race.

Another murder takes place and all signs point to Blackie as the culprit. Jim, having to do his job, must prosecute his best friend in what leads to a guilty verdict and the sentence of death.

I really enjoyed this. Starting off with a young Mickey Rooney made it a sure bet that I would love this film. There's always something about him that fills me up with such happiness. Even at such a young age he just had that spark and the acting chops to go with it.

I thought all of the leads were well cast. They were a joy to watch on screen together. I really felt the connection and devotion between Blackie and Jim, especially in the emotional ending scenes. It felt very real to me.



And I loved Loy and Powell together. It makes sense that over the course of their career they were in 14 films together, including The Thin Man series and The Great Ziegfeld!

Actually, an interesting tidbit is that William Powell was married to Carole Lombard from 1931-33 and then in 1936, Lombard met Clark Gable. They were married in 1939 until her death in 1942. Just interesting to me? Ok, that's fine.

Clark Gable really is charming, isn't he? Although he's never been an absolute favourite of mine, I couldn't ignore how good he was in this. While he used to make all the ladies swoon, I myself have a hard time getting past that little moustache. I'm drawn to the William Powell's, Jimmy Stewart's and Mickey Rooney's of the world.

All in all a very pleasing tearjerker (if you're a pansy like me). Check it out.

-Amanda

1934, B&W
Rotten Tomatoes: N/A
IMDB: 6.9/10