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| Libeled Lady - 1936 |
Coming up next is 1936's "Libeled Lady", the story of a newspaper story gone horribly wrong and the efforts to make a libeled lady drop her suit against the periodical.
The film's cast includes Jean Harlow, William Powell, Myrna Loy, Spencer Tracy, Walter Connolly, Charley Grapewin, Cora Witherspoon, Hattie McDaniel, and George Chandler.
Newspaperman Warren Haggerty has been called into the office after a story printed in the paper has major repercussions. Unfortunately for Warren, this takes place as he is preparing to leave for his wedding!
Warren tells his fiancée, Gladys (who has stormed into the newspaper office full of fury), that he has to take care of this first. If he doesn't fix this, he'll be out of a job and they won't be able to get married at all. Gladys is furious!
The story involves high society girl Connie Allenbury. It was alleged that she broke up a marriage and stole a husband while at a party in London. Naturally, the story is false, and she is now suing the newspaper for $5 million (Today that is roughly $100 million). So, Warren gets the only man he knows who can get them out of the suit: Bill Chandler.
The scheme involves Bill marrying Gladys (which she very much objects to), sailing to London, and then sailing back to the USA with the Allenburys. While on the way home, he plans to frame Connie Allenbury with the exact circumstances that were printed in the paper: husband stealer.
Naturally, the marriage officiant is surprised when Gladys reserves her best kiss for Warren instead of her new husband, Bill. Bill explains that Warren is a very old friend of the family.
Of course, things have to look legitimate. So, Warren has a telegram sent to Bill calling him to London right away. This is all done in front of witnesses. Gladys is quite the actress, portraying a wife whose husband is being taken from her on their wedding night.
So, Bill travels to London and then sails home to the USA with the Allenburys. Connie seems to think he's got an angle and doesn't really want to give him the time of day.
Back at home, Bill incurs the wrath of Gladys, who thought she'd be headed to Reno for a divorce by now. Bill explains that while he may have struck out on the boat, he's got another chance now. Mr. Allenbury, a fishing enthusiast, has invited him for a weekend fishing trip. On the boat, Bill learned all he could about the sport of fishing to fool Allenbury.
Connie remains skeptical. "I know a first-class angler
when I see one. Yes, and a first-class man, too," says Mr. Allenbury. Connie replies, "If he's first-class, I'll travel steerage."
The whole fishing scene is quite hilarious. Bill reads from a "how to" book as he goes and ends up getting completely soaked.
It happens again when he hooks a big one. Allenbury knows he's a good fisherman when he finds out that the fish Bill caught is a "walleye", which Allenbury had been trying to get for two years.
Bill and Connie spend a lot of time together and fall in love. This makes Bill dig in his heels about the real reason he came up on the fishing trip.
Warren goes over to the Allenbury place to appeal to Connie to drop the suit. He is surprised to see Bill there with no intention of holding up his end of the bargain.
Nobody seems to have a thought for poor Gladys, who is furious when she finds out that her husband is seeing Connie seriously. She's fallen for him herself.
While Gladys is busy having a beauty treatment, Warren confronts her about the Bill/Connie romance. She's ready for a showdown.
Connie asks Bill to marry her right away. He doesn't hesitate. The two are married that very night.
Gladys arrives and confronts them. However, Bill has told Connie the whole story. He also consulted the Hall of Records. Gladys was previously married to a Mr. Joe Simpson, and then filed for a Mexican divorce. Mexican divorces were declared illegal, so she is still married to Mr. Simpson. Therefore, there marriage is null and void, leaving him free to be with Connie.
Gladys has the final word when she tells them all she knew her Mexican divorce from Joe Simpson was no good. She went to Reno and got a second divorce. She also tells Bill that he can look that up in the Reno Hall of Records. It seems that Bill is a bigamist.
Eventually, Gladys realizes that she is in love with Warren and not Bill. The situation is resolved to everybody's satisfaction.
Except for one thing: someone's got to explain the whole situation to Connie's father!
Cast rundown:
Jean Harlow....................................Gladys Benton
William Powell.................................Bill Chandler
Myrna Loy.......................................Connie Allenbury
Spencer Tracy..................................Warren Haggerty
Walter Connolly................................J.B. Allenbury
Charley Grapewin.............................Hollis Bane
Cora Witherspoon.............................Mrs. Burns-Norvell
Hattie McDaniel................................Maid
George Chandler...............................Bellhop
And that's it for Libeled Lady. Jean Harlow and William Powell were romantically involved at the time of production. Harlow wanted to play Connie Allenbury so that she and Powell could end up together. However, studio executives knew that that William Powell/Myrna Loy combo was such a hit that audiences wanted to see THEM end up together. Harlow was already attached and could not back out. However, she eventually said that she liked the film and found she was more suited to the role of Gladys. Originally, Rosalind Russell was to play Connie Allenbury and Lionel Barrymore was to play J.B. Allenbury.
Jean Harlow died in June 1937, less than a year after this film was released. At her interment in Forest Lawn Cemetery, Glendale, Harlow was buried wearing the gown she had worn in this film.
