Myrna Loy and William Powell Collection (Manhattan Melodrama / Evelyn Prentice / Double Wedding / I Love You Again / Love Crazy)

I cannot offer a normal critical review. I've been a fan of both actors since I first watched the Thin Man series, so all I can say is that my positive expectations were rewarded. There really is a kind of dynamic between them that the camera can capture but not control or impose.When I wrote the first version of this review (6mar14), I had only watched each movie once; I hadn't noticed many details. For example, I didn't notice any bloopers or goofs. This website, however, remarks on such things: IMDb. I plan to read up next time before watching. [Note: When I first posted this, I put in the link to the other website, but I see that it was removed--even though Amazon owns IMDb. Now I've just written the initials. 9mar2014]For people like me who were expecting the humor of the Thin Man series, it's important to note that two of the films are not comedies: "Manhattan Melodrama" (MM) and "Evelyn Prentice." The first of these was also the first time for them to act together, according to the slipcover. Both of these films let us see Powell & Loy outside their more familiar comedy roles.I just re-watched MM and looked more carefully at what is going on. I like these two performers even more, now.By the time MM movie was made, the word 'melodrama' already had a slightly negative connotation of being an over simplification of life: A completely pure Dudley Do-Right opposes a completely evil Snidely Whiplash. A woman is thrown in, so to speak, as a 'romantic interest'; she, too, must be as pure as the hero. In this movie, we get a similar set up, at least on the surface. Consider the name of Clark Gable & Mickey Roonie's tough-guy character, Blackie. Consider the name of the seemingly dull-witted boy Blackie outwits: Spud. Yet later Blackie hires Spud (played by Nat Pendleton) as his right-hand man.I mention these points because all through the film there are instances of black/white moral oppositions with a third or fourth person in "gray," who sometimes moves to one or the other color. It seems as if the makers of the film are saying that in life there are in fact opposites as well as those in the middle. Yet, they also seem to be saying that what we think is 'good' sometimes is not so good after all, as when Powell's character Jim Wade must make decisions about Blackie, who runs illegal gambling joints. In short, it occurs to me that the makers of the film--writers, director, producer--might have purposely used the somewhat despised vaudeville title of 'melodrama' to highlight people's core character.This takes me to Myrna Loy, who plays Eleanor, Blackie's girlfriend, who tires of his gangster lifestyle. As we discover early on, Eleanor is not a pure heroine in the old school variety but a modern hero(ine): a person who reflects on life and makes some tough decisions about what it means to live a good life. Throughout the movie she serves as a foil to both male leads. [I'm trying not to give the film away.]The next film, "Evelyn Prentice," is also serious drama with black-and-white characters as well as those who move in the gray. As in MM, Powell plays a famous attorney, but Loy, his wife, is the central figure. Loy's character recalls Desdemona in some respects, a credit to the writing as much as the acting.As for the three comedies, they're fun. The slipcover comment about "I Love You Again" says that, after a hit to the head, boring husband (Powell) becomes "convince[d]" he's a "con man." Watching the film a second time, I'm convinced he may have originally been a con man!At some point it might be worthwhile to compare the way certain screen couples work against the times in which they live--and the way Hollywood thought they should be shown. Powell & Loy in the 30s vs say Hanks & Ryan in the 90s. (Somebody has probably done this already, and I'm just not aware of it.)Finally, the more I see work by director W.S. Van Dyke, the more I like it.[revised 9mar14 mv]

I had previously bought The Thin Man collection before buying this, which was excellent!! I bought the Myrna Loy and William Powell Collection in the hopes it would be just as wonderful, and it is!! The first movie, Evelyn Prentice is half murder mystery, half court room drama. Evelyn is shamefully neglected by her ambitious husband. Feeling lonely she agrees to have tea with a different gentlemen, although this is as far as the relationship goes, the young man begins to blackmail Evelyn. When a corpse turns up it puts Evelyn and her unaware attorney husband in a tough spot. Manhattan Melodrama is just that, a melodrama. It tells the tale of two boyhood friends that were orphaned together and raised through hardship together. One boy turns out very well (William Powell) being honest and successful and scholarly. The other boy's (Clark Gable) life goes awry. he prefers pool halls and gambling and dishonesty to school and his studies. Although both remain loyal lifelong friends, Myrna Loy drives a wedge between the two which is driven deeper when William Powell must decide whether to help his outlaw pal or choose his honesty. I Love You, Again is a hilarious comedy about stoic Larry Wilson (William Powell) who is hit on the head and suddenly remembers that he has had a lapse of memory for the past 9 years and is actually George Carey, the gangster. Soon discovering that during his state of amnesia he had married beautiful Kay (Myrna Loy). Larry/George gets all geared up for some romance only to discover that his wife is filing for divorce. Also he is setting up a big scam for the people of Habersville. Between trying to win back his wife's affection and manage in a town where he is well known yet knows nothing himself puts him in many hilarious scrapes. Double Wedding is also a comedy. Margit (Myrna Loy)is a controlling woman who decides her sister's and her sister's fiancee's every move. When the sister decides not to marry her fiancee, Charles (William Powell) decides to help her ex-fiancee win her back, in the process falling in love with Margit. Now Powell must find a way to loosen the formidable Loy up enough to be able to accept his love. Love Crazy is by far the best film in the entire collection. Steve and Susan Ireland are all set for a romantic anniversary only to be interrupted by Susan's meddling mother. Mother sends Steve off to mail a policy and when he runs into old flame Isobel Grayson, his mother-in-law blows the situation out of proportion to Susan. Susan then calls Mr. Grayson,Isobel's husband, and asks him if they can give their spouses a "taste of their own medicine" by kissing when they come home. Much confusion ensues when Susan, never having met Mr. Grayson, goes to the wrong man's apartment. After a confusing and troubling night Susan leaves Steve. The night before Susan and Steve are to go before the judge for their divorce, Steve's lawyer comes up with a scheme that if Steve pretends to be insane, that Susan cannot divorce him for at least five years (which was the law of that day and age). After many hysterical antics Steve convinces the court and the public that he is insane. Susan, who is not fooled a bit, retaliates by having him committed to an institution. Steve is now caught in his own trap but has no way out. I wont spoil the ending for y'all! Anyway this is a wonderful collection of classic movies. All fans of "The Thin Man" won't be disappointed by this collection!)

Great movies but 2 of the 5 movies had issues with the discs and stopped half way through watching them.

I purchased this collection only on the strength of how much I enjoyed Myrna Loy in her later performances and the occasional 'Thin Man' movie I saw. I was pleased with the condition of the jacket on delivery, delivery was very fast, and, as I thoroughly enjoyed watching these old movies, I was so happy I have the opportunity to locate them on Amazon.ca.

Gleich der wichtige Hinweis, diese Box beinhaltet nicht nur den Film Evelyn Prentice, sondern gleich fünf absolut sehenswerte Filme des zu Recht beliebten Duo's William Powell und Myrna Loy. Es sind neben dem o.g. Manhattan Melodrama, Double Wedding, I love you again und Love crazy.Es handelt sich hier um eine DVD mit dem Ländercode 1. Der wohl mit den meisten hier in Deutschland verkauften DVD-Playern nicht abgespielt werden kann. Ich hatte das Glück einen DVD Player zu besitzen, der das aber kann.Die Filme sind alle nur in der englischen Original-Fassung. Da aber mindestens Powell und Loy ein recht deutliches englisch sprechen, kann man es gut verfolgen.Alle Filme sind in sehr guter Qualität. Man muß logischerweise allerdings immer berücksichtigen, das es sich hier um Filme aus den 30ér bzw. Anfang 40ér Jahre handelt. Für mich als großen Fan des Duo's ein absolutes Muß. Alle Filme der beiden zusammen sind sehenswert, daher fällt es mir schwer zu sagen, welcher der hier enthaltenen mir am besten gefällt. Am besten kaufen und selber ein Bild machen. Im wirklichen Leben nur lebenslang sehr eng befreundet, haben Powell und Loy im Zusammenspiel eine Chemie, die ihresgleichen sucht. Kein Wunder das viele Menschen glaub(t)en, das sie auch im richtigen Leben verheiratet waren. Wer Unterhaltung auf bestem Niveau sucht, ist mit dieser Box genau richtig bedient. Zu empfehlen wäre hier natürlich auch noch die Box zu den berühmten "Thin Man" bzw. "Dünner Mann" Filmen, die es auch in deutsch zu kaufen gibtMit diesen Filmen wurden William Powell und Myrna Loy weltberühmt und bleiben unvergessen. Schade, das es solche Darsteller heute nicht mehr gibt.

Amoureux de Myrna Loy et trouvant génial la série des films " The thin man " traduit chez nous par " L'introuvable " ou l'on retrouve une alchimie parfaite entre ces deux grands acteurs, je me suis régalé en visionnant ces films de grandes qualités !

I won`t give away any detailed plots in this review, just what you need to know. There are five films in this collection, two dramas and three comedies. "Manhattan Melodrama" and "Evelyn Prentice" are both from 1934; "Melodrama" also co-stars Clark Gable. Gable and Powell are boyhood friends who take different paths; Gable the gangster, Powell the lawyer and Loy the woman who loves them both. "Evelyn Prentice" is a less well-known film, but a real find; Loy plays the neglected wife of a top lawyer (Powell) who finds herself a victim of attempted blackmail. Both films have a steely morality running through them which comes across in this day and age as a little naieve, but they are nevertheless well-crafted and hearfelt examples of 30`s social drama. "Evelyn Prentice" suffers slightly from over-editing in a couple of key scenes but this is the complete film, running at 79mins. Of the comedies, "Love Crazy" from 1941 is perhaps the funniest of the three, a comedy of errors which finds Powell, in an effort to stall his wife (Loy) from divorcing him over a misunderstanding, faking insanity; an action which of course, backfires with further comic results. "Double Wedding" from 1937 sees Loy as a controlling elder sister who thinks bohemian artist Powell is out to wed her sister in a plot that has echoes of "The Taming Of The Shrew" "I Love You Again" from 1940 sees a staid and boring Powell Lose his memory, reverting to his earlier character as a con-man and discovering he has a wife (Loy) on the brink of divorcing him, and an opportunity to fleece the local businessmen through his respectable position in the community. The comedies in the collection are silly, but the magic of the Loy/Powell partnership make them a real joy to watch; the dramas are excellent entertainment. Any fans of the "Thin Man" series will want this set. Extras include cartoons, a couple of Pete Smith specialties, a "Crime Does Not Pay" short, a musical short and a radio version of "Love Crazy" Trailers for all the films are included. Picture Quality is excellent throughout; sound is a little weak on "Manhattan Melodrama" but otherwise as good as it can be. Now, why isn`t this set available on region 2? I`ve found that these TCM releases run on region 2 systems but be sure your TV can display the NTSC format. And it would be nice if someone could confirm this for the benefit of other buyers just in case I am in error!