|
Libeled Lady (1936)
In director Jack Conway's funny screwball comedy -
a Best Picture nominee:
- after the MGM lion and before the opening credits
- there was a medium shot of the four stars (Harlow, Powell, Loy,
and Tracy) walking arm in arm toward the camera and into a wind
- in the film's plot,
the managing editor of the New York Evening Star Warren Haggerty
(Spencer Tracy) printed a libelous, false story about sophisticated,
wealthy heiress Connie Allenbury (Myrna Loy), who was accused of
breaking up a marriage by having an affair with another woman's husband;
the publication resulted in Connie threatening to sue the paper for
libel with a $5 million lawsuit, just as Haggerty was planning to
get married (he was forced to postpone his wedding)
- Haggerty cooked-up a
scheme to re-hire his ex-employee and ladies man Bill Chandler (William
Powell) and convince him to temporarily marry (in name only without
consummation) his own wisecracking, long-suffering, impatient
bride-to-be divorcee/girlfriend Gladys Benton (Jean Harlow), one
of his employees - while promising her a quickie Reno divorce afterwards;
Chandler would then court, seduce and frame or trap Connie in a compromising
situation with him (witnessed by his 'wife' Gladys) to force Connie
to drop the expensive lawsuit, if Gladys dropped hers
- in the clever and fast-paced script, memorable scenes
included the very long "bride kisses the best man" congratulatory
kiss sequence at the city magistrate wedding of Bill Chandler to
Gladys, with 'Best Man' - Gladys' own fiancee Warren: (Justice of
the Peace: "Well, I hope you'll be very happy and don't forget
to invite me to your silver anniversary." Gladys: "It'll
have to be within the next six weeks!")
- there were two humorous fishing scenes: first, inept
Chandler received fly-fishing lessons in his hotel room, and then
in an outdoor scene, Chandler was nearly-drowned trying to impress
Connie's angler father Mr. James B. Allenbury (Walter Connolly)
by catching an elusive walleye trout
- their perfect plan fell apart, in a plot
twist of ensuing complications, when Chandler
became truly smitten by Connie and then changed his strategy of fooling
her to sweet-talking her to drop the suit - and she asked to marry
him - he was flabbergasted: ("Will
I? Is there a preacher in the house?")
- there were multiple confusions in the rushed concluding
scene in a hotel room; Bill and Connie were now married
(and on their honeymoon) when Gladys affirmed that
she really wanted to remain married to Bill; Bill announced that
he had found out that 'wife' Gladys' previous Yucatan divorce to
her first husband was illegal (and therefore their marriage was a
fake), but his assertion was countered by Gladys' claim that she
had a second confirming divorce in Reno and was actually still married
to Bill
- now, Chandler had to convince
Gladys to drop her interest in him (and realize that she really
loved Haggerty) so it wouldn't break up his relationship with Connie; real
romantic allegiances were finally revealed after Chandler and Haggerty
had a brief fisticuffs encounter
'Married' Chandler with Connie - Falling in Love
|
Chandler After Being Married to Connie
|
Bill Chandler and Warren's Fisticuffs
|
- the ending line of Connie's father Mr. Allenbury
demanding an explanation - and then after he was filled in on the
marital complications, he screamed exasperatingly: "Quiet,
will you please be quiet!"
|
Opening Credits
Gladys Complaining to Newspaperman Fiancee Warren: "Today,
I get married!"
Warren's Scheme: Gladys Was Forced to Instead Temporarily
Marry Bill Chandler - to Force Connie's Lawsuit to be Dropped
The "Bride Kisses the Best Man" Wedding
Kiss Sequence
Fishing Sequence
|