Just perfect...

Excellent, Without a doubt!!

Great movie! If you want to be entertained and have a few good laughs, see this movie. The music is also very good,

As somebody who had not heard any of this before, it became a curious phenomenon to sit and watch a film and slowly have the realities begin to click into place.

An essential comedy mystery drama from director W.S. Van Dyke, this film features a screenplay by Frances Goodrich and Albert Hackett.Warner Baxter is a wealthy man about town who is also a successful lawyer. One that has just helped secure an innocent verdict for a known criminal, played by Nat Pendleton. Pendleton is so thankful, he offers Baxter a bonus and a place in his organization. Baxter declines because, although he knew Pendleton to be innocent of that particular crime, he doesn't want to be associated with him. Pendleton assigns two of his thugs to protect Baxter anyway, knowing rival crime bosses will be none too happy with Baxter for his help in getting Pendleton "off".Baxter's well to do firm, as well as his girlfriend Sue (Martha Sleeper), is unhappy with his association with Pendleton; both dump him. Sue favors Tom Siddall (Philip Holmes) who had been keeping her company while Baxter was working the trial. As an associate and friend of Baxter's, Siddall is reluctant to pursue Sue until Baxter says it's O.K. (which he does). He then must break his relationship to Mimi Montagne (Mae Clarke), a spoiled socialite who doesn't want to let him go. Mimi runs back to her boyfriend before Siddall, Jim Crelliman (Henry Gordon), a gang leader in his own right. Crelliman enacts revenge by inviting Siddall to his place to have Mimi tell him off permanently. He suggests she does it on the balcony. Seconds later, a shot is heard and, rushing to the balcony, the party sees Mimi dead with Siddall holding the gun.Sue rushes to Baxter to enlist his help in clearing Siddall, which he agrees to do (especially after he receives a phone call threatening him to stay away from defending Siddall). When Baxter asks Pendleton for help in getting his rival Crelliman, he introduces him to Gertie Waxted, played by Myrna Loy. Gertie was good friends with Mimi and lived in her same apartment building, which is owned by Crelliman as well as being the site of Mimi's murder. Baxter soon realizes that Loy knows things which can help convict Crelliman and decides to protect her, letting her stay in his apartment. His manservant Layton, humorously played by Charles Butterworth, is told to keep Loy there.From there, the plot continues with somewhat predictable results. However, there are some pre-code situations and innuendo throughout which are marvelous ... and Pendleton nearly steals the picture.This film was later remade as Society Lawyer (1939).

Quite decent crime mystery starring Warner Baxter as Jack Durant, a society lawyer who gets dumped by his law firm as well as his snooty girlfriend who doesn't want to marry a "gangster lawyer" (as she calls him) because he likes to defend criminal types such as gangsters, racketeers, bootleggers, and the like (doesn't fit in with her tennis, yacht dances, and lawn party lifestyle, I guess). Anyway, this gal immediately becomes engaged to a young "Park Avenue" man who soon gets arrested for murder - and Durant sets out to prove this young man was framed, along with the help of a gangster pal named Tony and Durant's newest female interest, a woman (played by Myrna Loy) who was best friends with the "night club hostess" who was murdered.This is an entertaining film with engaging story that held my interest. The story is somewhat predictable, but very interesting to watch with well done performances by all. I enjoyed Myrna Loy in this (though she is resigned to wearing the same big-front-bowed evening gown just about the entire film). Warner Baxter is handsome and smooth here - there is some amusing bedroom talk between him and Loy where she seems to want to spend the night with him, he wants to hold back and play the "gentleman". Nat Pendleton is fun here as Tony, the gangster with a good sense of humor. Quite good.

Charming MYRNA LOY plays a call girl who helps WARNER BAXTER get to the bottom of a mystery involving slain "night-club hostess" MAE CLARKE and PHILLIP HOLMES, the man wrongly accused of murdering her.The plot is a pleasant fabrication and obviously in pre-code, tongue-in-cheek manner, as for example when Myrna says to Baxter: "Well, I didn't exactly have to fight for my honor last night," the day after spending a night in his fancy suite. Baxter enlists her aid in solving the mystery since she's likely to come up with some facts about Clarke's background that will be helpful to him.She's given the improbable character name of Gertie Waxted--hardly the sort of name one would give a "call girl" character--and frankly, Loy is much to sweetly sophisticated to play the part convincingly enough. She's obviously several steps above the kind of girl she's playing.Baxter fares better as the criminal lawyer whose favorite client happens to be NAT PENDLETON, a man who knows more than he's willing to tell about the whole scheme behind Clarke's murder.It's a silky smooth production--and typical of early '30s melodramas, there's not a trace of background music on the soundtrack--just over the opening and closing credits. Too bad, because this would have helped make the tale a bit more suspenseful.For fans of MYRNA LOY, this should be required viewing. She's even more attractive here than she was in the Thin Man films. As for WARNER BAXTER, I never could see what Hollywood saw in him as leading man material. He seems to lack the charisma of a true star.

I bought the "Rediscovering Myrna Loy" laser disc set six years ago because it contained MANHATTAN MELODRAMA. Somehow, the rest of the movies in the box "fell through the cracks" and I did not watch any of the others until I "rediscovered" the box three weeks ago.I put this movie on and both my wife and I were astounded. It was like finding a diamond in a pile of stones.Myrna Loy, as a high-class "call girl," is thoroughly believable and I wonder why she didn't play many more parts such as this (not that she needed to! Her career was just fine!). The closeups of her face are absolutely fantastic. Her expressions and her acting are positively first-class. Plus she's downright beautiful! The rest of the players are terrific too and make this one of the most enjoyable films I have seen recently. (I have watched it three times so far.) Nat Pendleton, always a pleasure to have in a movie, is just great in the role of an "Al Capone-like" gangster (but with a heart of gold), and Charles Butterworth is, well, Charles Butterworth. Warner Baxter is an excellent lead (this was made the same year as 42ND STREET) and the chemistry between him and Loy is just a pleasure to see.I love risqué lines and innuendoes and this picture is loaded with them. I don't really think the following is a "spoiler," as it is very funny, but don't read it if you don't want to: as Warner Baxter, who is really beginning to like (and respect) her, leaves the bedroom after Myrna Loy is certain that he's going to sleep with her, she looks in the mirror with a horrified expression of "Why did he leave? Is there something wrong with me?" The moment is absolutely priceless and my wife and I both broke up so that we couldn't go on for a moment (it's great to have a "pause" button).By the way, not only is it a comedy, but it's also a suspense picture which will have you on the edge of your seat. They REALLY DON'T make them like this anymore! I would really love to see this picture with an audience! It would be a great crowd-pleaser.I highly recommend it to everyone.