Antonius Block This movie features Hollywood royalty in 1936: Jean Harlow, Myrna Loy, William Powell, and Spencer Tracy – that's quite a cast. And it's an interesting premise: Loy is the daughter of a rich businessman who is suing Spencer Tracy's newspaper for libel. Tracy is about to get married to Harlow, but puts off the wedding in order to deal with that, and turns to Powell to 'make it go away'. Their plan is to have Powell get on a ship crossing the ocean that he knows Loy and her father will be on, seduce her into getting into a compromising position, and then have someone burst in on them so that they can threaten her with a suit of their own. To make that work, Powell first gets married to Harlow, so that Loy would be subject to an "alienation of affection" lawsuit (a law that has since been abolished in most but not all states). Harlow isn't happy, but goes along with that because of Tracy's predicament, and because she knows she can later get a divorce.Not surprisingly, things don't go as planned. I loved the banter between Loy and Powell, as she dislikes him at the outset, and suspects he's scheming at something, she's just not sure what. The fishing trip she and her father take him on has some priceless slapstick comedy from Powell, and it's fun to see Loy out there fishing. Things get complicated as Harlow begins falling for Powell, and the movie finishes strong, with a nice twist in what is a great final scene. The movie was worthy of its nomination for Best Picture, but it was in a year when another Powell/Loy vehicle would win it ("The Great Ziegfeld"). It's a bit odd to me that it's considered a "screwball comedy"; I don't think that's the right designation at all, but it's fun, will make you smile, and is definitely worth watching.

SimonJack "Libeled Lady" has several things that make it a top comedy romance and among the best comedies of all time. First, it's one of more than a dozen film pairings of William Powell and Myrna Loy. In the golden age of Hollywood, they were the most famous and well-liked matched couple on the silver screen. Second, "Lady" also has an all-star cast beyond the famous duo, with Spencer Tracy and Jean Harlow as co-stars; and a first- rate supporting cast. Third, this film has one of the very best comedy plots of all time. Fourth, it is a sterling satire of yellow journalism that flourished well into the 20th century. Then, pepper the story with witty lines here and there, some hilarious situations, and what may be the funniest fishing scene ever filmed, and voila! One of the very best comedy romances of all time. I wonder if Powell's trout fishing sequence wasn't an inspiration for writers of the 1964 movie that was all about fishing and romance – "Man's Favorite Sport." "Lady" was nominated in a field of 10 excellent films for best picture of 1936. It was up against some powerful competition, and Powell and Loy starred in the movie that won best picture for the year, "The Great Ziegfeld." This isn't a rollicking laughter film. It's plot is simple yet with complex twists throughout. The script and production are excellent in not tipping what happens next. The film is always one step ahead of the viewer. Powell plays Bill Chandler, Loy is Connie Allenbury, Tracy is Warren Haggerty and Harlow plays Gladys. Harlow got first billing when it came out. She was at the peak of her career at only age 25. She and Powell were between marriages at the time and were serious about marrying, before her untimely death the next year from poisoning due to kidney failure. Nobody could play the angry, indignant female as well as Jean Harlow. Tracy's Haggerty is an excellent portrayal of what must have been typical for many of the newspaper editors of the day. He lived for flashy headlines to rope in the readers. Truth and accuracy were only important to the extent that they prevented libel suits against the paper. Haggarty is in a couple of direct jabs at the press of the day. After killing a phony front page, an editor asks him, "What will we use for a new headline?" Haggarty, "I don't care. Anything. War threatens Europe." Editor, "Witch country?" Haggarty, "Flip a nickel." Later, Haggarty tries a sob story on Connie to get her to drop the libel suit, and she outdoes his every line. Then her dad comes in – Walter Connolly playing Mr. Allenbury, and says, "And you can tell your owner, Mr. Hollis Bane, we're not entertaining any representatives of his yellow rag in this house." Haggarty, "I'll make it a point of telling him. You're entertaining no representatives of the Evening Star."Movie buffs know at the start that we're in for a delicious comedy by the message on the screen that rolls right after the credits. "The events and characters depicted in this photoplay are fictitious. Any similarity to actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental." Hmmm. I wonder if there weren't some real people whom the viewers of 1936 might have made a connection with in the film.Shortly after meeting on the ship, Bill and Connie are dancing. Bill, "I should say that dancing isn't exactly my line." Connie, "I should say it was part of your line." Bill, "Uh, hmmm? Ho, ho, ho. May I be frank with you?" Connie, "Why not?" Bill, "You dance superbly." Connie, "I was hoping for something more original." Bill, "Heh, heh, heh. Oh, dear, life is so full of disappointments." A short time later: Bill, "I'm afraid I wasn't concentrating. It was your eyes." Connie, "Beautiful, aren't they?" Bill, "They remind me …" Connie, "Yes. Yes, I know. Sparkling diamonds, deep sapphires." Bill, "No. No, they remind me of angry marbles."The film is replete with hilarious sequences like this. Bill and Connie, Haggarty and Gladys, Bill and Gladys, Haggarty and the paper owner, Hollis Bane, played superbly by Charley Grapewin. Here are some more samples of hilarious lines and exchanges. Editor, "I can't bust up his wedding." Managing editor, "If we don't, it's our funeral."Bill, "I thought that was rather clever." Connie, "Yes, I thought you thought so."Haggarty, "They're married, all right." Gladys, "But that's arson." Haggarty, "You mean it's bigamy."Gladys, "That's Warren for you. Crazy about me, but boy how he conceals it."Bill, "You're one girl in a million." Gladys, "You don't know the truth of it. You wouldn't believe the things I've stood for." Bill, "I know." Gladys, "The first night I met the guy he stood me up for two hours "Haggarty, "She may be his wife, but she's engaged to me."Gladys, "You'd make your crippled grandmother do a fan dance for that newspaper."Justice of the peace, "And don't forget to invite me to your silver anniversary." Gladys, "It'll have to be within the next six weeks."

David_Brown I cannot overestimate how much I love this film. People compare it to "My Man Godfrey". Guess what? That film is not even close. Carole Lombard was not even remotely as beautiful as Jean Harlow, and she should not even be mentioned in the same breath as Myrna Loy. The two fishing scenes with Bill Chandler (Powell), first where he hooks Gladys (Harlow), and the second, where he catches "Old Walleye", and after taking a beating trying to land the fish, and cannot even take the hook out, is a sight to behold, and those scenes surpass the shower scene in "Godfrey." This is without question Powell's film, and he steals every scene he is in. But guess what? Who wins? Connie Allenbury (Myrna) that is who. Spoilers ahead: She makes Newspaperman Haggerty (Tracy) look pathetic when he tries to talk her out of the lawsuit, she actually proposes to Powell (What other woman did that in a film?), and in the final scene when Harlow will not give up Powell, she shows who is boss to Harlow, and until her dad (Walter Connelly) came in and yelled "Quiet", Harlow was going to suffer a serious smack down. Needless to say, Loy and Powell will end up together and Harlow will still be chasing after Tracy. There is not a single wasted moment in the entire film (Particularly the Powell and (or) Loy scenes)Which is why it is my favorite comedy of the 30s. is my favorite comedy of the 30s.

Michael O'Keefe Four stars at their best in this classic directed by Jack Conway. Warren Haggerty(Spenser Tracy)is a hard working dedicated newspaper man, who has put off his wedding to Gladys(Jean Harlow)probably one time too many. His paper has ran an erroneous article accusing an international society playgirl Connie Allenbury(Myrna Loy)of being a home-wrecker; she threatens to sue the newspaper for five million dollars. Haggerty connives a scheme to stop the lawsuit, by talking a former colleague Bill Chandler(William Powell)into temporarily marrying his fiancée Gladys and trapping Miss Allenbury in a "real" scandal...thus hoping to force her into dropping her lawsuit. This movie is fast paced and funny. Most of the best lines go to Ms. Harlow, who actually steals the show. The funniest sequence is watching non-outdoors sportsman Chandler trying to fish for trout. Trust me...this is a comedic gem. Also in the cast: Walter Connolly, Charley Grapewin, Charles Trowbridge and Cora Witherspoon.