secondtake The Last of Mrs. Cheyney (1937) Underrated! The dialog here is truly witty and hilarious. The play of types is of course old fashioned, and the drooling men chasing Joan Crawford (title character) around. But if you lighten up about any of that, you'll find it truly funny. So for the first half hour you have a model comedy, seemingly made up of British characters but all (but one) played by Americans. Such is Hollywood. What throws the movie into a bit of a tailspin is the big surprise twist that you can sort of smell coming after a stretch. It's a fun and funny idea, but the banter loses some sparkle and the pressure of the plot completely changes gears. Mrs. Cheyney is not longer the pursued (at least not in the same way). William Powell is terrific (he appears as a butler, of all things, one year after "My Man Godfrey") and Frank Morgan and Nigel Bruce are both fun. I was less familiar with the other female players, but they made a large ensemble work well. If you can click with the beginning, you might (like me) be really in stitches. It's that clever. Then if your interest fades a bit, that's okay. It's still an entertaining, farcical movie.

beyondtheforest This is quite an enjoyable film. The cast is first rate. The comedic skills of the supporting players, Robert Montgomery's charm, Robert Powell's sophistication, and Joan Crawford's glamour really sparkle with the help of the polished MGM production, costumes, and 1930s elegance. The plot is tight, the dialog and social interactions are nuanced and consistently amusing. The themes of the story regarding social class and disillusion were relevant during the depression and still today. Crawford is especially effective in a role that allows her to be calculating, disillusioned, and ultimately sympathetic. Crawford was always strong when playing characters with an intense drive, but she also does surprisingly well in scenes that require her to demonstrate charm and wit, which up against pros of the genre like William Powell and Robert Montgomery is no small feat.

mikhail080 Well, there is often something in many MGM productions of the mid to late 1930's that really leave me cold. If I expand on that metaphor, The Last of Mrs. Cheyney has me shivering in a deep freeze. Filmed only eight years earlier as a Norma Shearer vehicle, this attempt to resurrect a modestly successful 1920's drama falls flat in a big way.The Last of Mrs. Cheyney plays like a strictly by-the-numbers film, obviously prepackaged and green lighted by complacent MGM executives who seemingly felt that they could combine some of their most likable and charming stars in a glossy remake like this, and the money would come pouring in from devoted fans. Um, wrong.Saddled with an awkward title, unfocused, preposterous, and exceedingly dull, the film wastes the considerable talents of all involved. Arguably a drawing-room comedy, the film has no "intentional" laughs, implausible character motivations, and a romantic triangle that leaves viewers nodding off into their popcorn. Unfortunately for him, director Richard Boleslawski dropped dead sometime during the filming, and the project was finished by two other uncredited directors. I suspect that his futile attempt to make this turkey fly may have contributed to his demise.The plot introduces us to a gang of con artists led by Powell and Crawford, who oh-so-easily infiltrate the highest rungs of wealthy and titled British society. They are intent on stealing the strand of pearls belonging to aristocratic dowager Jessie Ralph during the course of a weekend party at her country estate. Complications arise when love-struck Robert Montgomery's fixation on Joan leads him to ask too many questions.All the players involved try their best to enliven the proceedings with their own particular brand of appeal, and they are certainly photogenic. But their efforts are wasted on a talky and lackluster script that stretches credibility and makes little sense. The endless exchanges of dialog fail to deliver any punch or sparkle, although veteran character actors Jesse Ralph, Frank Morgan, Nigel Bruce and Sara Haden come off better than the leading players.The bottom line may be that this is another one only for "completists" of the stars, and all others shouldn't even take their first look at The Last of Mrs. Cheyney.** out of *****

bkoganbing Joan Crawford in doing The Last of Mrs. Cheyney had to stand comparison with not one, but two previous actresses who essayed the part of a crooked adventuress who discovers she has a chance at love.The Last of Mrs. Cheyney was first presented on Broadway as a play by Frederick Lonsdale in the 1925-1926 season and it ran 385 performances with Ina Claire in the lead. Then it was done as an early sound feature film for Norma Shearer who got rave reviews.Not having seen Claire or Shearer in the part I only have Crawford to judge and she doesn't do badly at all in the part. Of course she and the film are helped greatly by the fact William Powell and Robert Montgomery are in the film and both can and have played this kind of light comedy in their sleep.Crawford is the shill, the come-on, for a gang of thieves of which William Powell is one of the members. She's taken on the identity of wealthy sophisticated American widow Faye Cheyney who ingratiates herself with the rich and famous and gets in their homes to rob them. We find her first working her wiles on shipboard with Frank Morgan, playing the usual befuddled Frank Morgan part. Powell serves as her 'butler'. But she also meets wealthy young Lord, Robert Montgomery and through him gets invited to old dowager Duchess Jessie Ralph's for the weekend.Jessie's got a big rock there that the gang would like to get a hold of. But Montgomery is offering Crawford a chance to break away from that life and it puts her in a dilemma. Since Powell's kind of stuck on her too, she's got another problem.I think Crawford carried off the part quite well. But the best one in the film is Jessie Ralph. Seems as though the old duchess married into the aristocracy and she spots that Crawford is not all she claims she is. But she likes her nonetheless. Very similar to the part Florence Bates played in Saratoga Trunk with Ingrid Bergman. Ralph steals every scene she's in.One of these days I met get to see the Shearer version. Till then I'll recommend this version of The Last of Mrs. Cheyney without hesitation.