Manhattan Melodrama (1934)

Manhattan Melodrama - 1934

Next on our list of films is 1934's "Manhattan Melodrama", starring Clark Gable, William Powell, and Myrna Loy.  The film follows the story of two orphaned boys who are raised together and follow remarkably different paths in life.

The film's supporting players include Leo Carrillo, Nat Pendleton, Isabel Jewell, Mickey Rooney, Shirley Ross, Leonid Kinskey, and Sam McDaniel.

The film opens with a disastrous riverboat fire.  Two young boys, Blackie and Jim are left orphaned and are taken in by a man who has lost his son in the fire.  Blackie is a prankster, and Jim is more bookish.  Look for a young Mickey Rooney as a young Blackie (Clark Gable).

The years roll by.  The man who took the two young boys in is killed in a violent protest against Communism.

Blackie (Gable) turns toward the gambling houses and eventually owns one.  He gambles with one of the patrons and wins a yacht in the process.  Blackie also has a reputation for murder.

Jim follows the path of politics, becoming a district attorney and eventual governor.  Jim cautions Blackie, "I'm gonna clean out every rotten spot I can find in this city, and Blackie, I don't want to find you in one of them."

Blackie's girlfriend is the lovely Eleanor (Myrna Loy).  He sends her to talk with Jim after Blackie is detained.  They hit it off and Eleanor sees everything in Jim she can't find in Blackie.  This is the first on-screen pairing of William Powell and Myrna Loy, and the chemistry is electric.  Producers noticed it, too, and cast them in fourteen films together.  Eleanor marries Jim with Blackie's blessing.

Jim is eventually elected governor.  On the eve of the election, a former employee threatens Jim.  Eleanor mentions it to Blackie in passing, but Blackie tells her he'll take care of it.  Later, Blackie shoots and kills the man.

The film can be a bit heavy, but aside from Powell and Loy, a bright spot are these two, Nat Pendleton and Isabel Jewell, whose antics are very funny.  Jewell is constantly telling Pendleton that she wants a hot dog, no matter the setting.

Eventually, Blackie is tried and convicted for murder.  Governor Jim wants to commute his sentence, but Blackie won't hear of it.  He wants to die the way he's lived.  The two reconcile to the fact and go their separate ways.

Cast rundown:

   Clark Gable...................................Blackie Gallagher

   William Powell...............................Jim Wade

   Myrna Loy.....................................Eleanor Packer

   Leo Carrillo...................................Father Joe

   Nat Pendleton...............................Spud

   Isabel Jewell.................................Annabelle

   Mickey Rooney..............................Young Blackie

   Shirley Ross.................................Cotton Club Singer

   Leonid Kinskey..............................Trotskyite

   Sam McDaniel...............................Death Row Prisoner

And that's all for Manhattan Melodrama.  It's a bit of a heavy film, but the wonderful chemistry between the movie's top-billed stars makes it a definite must-watch.

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