{"id":29042,"date":"2012-12-07T11:45:54","date_gmt":"2012-12-07T18:45:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=29042"},"modified":"2021-02-04T12:43:21","modified_gmt":"2021-02-04T19:43:21","slug":"libeled-lady-1936","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=29042","title":{"rendered":"Libeled Lady (1936)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>&#8220;The things I do for that newspaper&#8230;&#8221;<\/strong><\/p>\n<table>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/12\/Libeled-Lady-Poster.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/12\/Libeled-Lady-Poster-214x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"214\" height=\"300\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-29046\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/12\/Libeled-Lady-Poster-214x300.jpg 214w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/12\/Libeled-Lady-Poster-91x128.jpg 91w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/12\/Libeled-Lady-Poster.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 214px) 100vw, 214px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Synopsis:<\/strong><br \/>\nA dedicated newspaper editor (Spencer Tracy) puts his wedding on hold when he learns about a potential libel suit involving an heiress (Myrna Loy) falsely accused of being a &#8220;husband stealer&#8221;. Tracy hires his former colleague (William Powell) to temporarily wed his own fiancee (Jean Harlow), then romantically pursue Loy in an attempt to prove she really is guilty of husband-stealing &#8212; but naturally, romantic entanglements prove this process much more difficult than originally conceived.\n<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p>\n<strong>Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Framed<\/li>\n<li>Heiresses<\/li>\n<li>Jean Harlow Films<\/li>\n<li>Journalists<\/li>\n<li>Myrna Loy Films<\/li>\n<li>Spencer Tracy Films<\/li>\n<li>William Powell Films<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Review: <\/strong><br \/>\nPeary argues that the &#8220;fast pacing, funny wisecracks by the dozens, and the sexual chemistry between the characters&#8230; make you overlook the confusing plot&#8221; of this &#8220;classic screwball comedy with a powerhouse cast&#8221; &#8212; but I disagree that the film is confusing in any way. While there are plenty of twists and turns in the plot (and in motivations of the characters), each one is simply a delicious new development in what amounts to an immensely clever script (by Maurine Dallas Watkins, Howard Emmett Rogers, and George Oppenheimer, based on a story by Wallace Sullivan). Peary points out that &#8220;highlights include the wedding scene, in which Harlow weakly kisses husband Powell and gives a heartfelt smooch to best man Tracy&#8221; and &#8220;charlatan Powell [proving] he wasn&#8217;t lying when he told Loy and her father (Walter Connolly) that he is a fisherman&#8221;. <\/p>\n<p>Peary accurately notes that the film &#8220;is a particularly strong showcase for Harlow, whose character is sometimes tough, sometimes sentimental, sometimes infuriated, sometimes a good sport, always sexy, always funny&#8221;. He writes that he loves &#8220;her angry pout and how she huffs and puffs through a room with shoulders and legs working in unison&#8221;. In his <em>Alternate Oscars<\/em>, Peary votes Harlow Best Actress of the Year for her role here as Gladys, noting that Harlow &#8220;has never gotten enough praise&#8221; as &#8220;one of the great movie discoveries of the thirties&#8221;, and further pointing out how ably she &#8220;exchang[es] wisecracks with Powell and Tracy&#8221;. I agree, but also find the lead performances by Powell and Loy to be spot-on, with Loy a particular treat to watch as she demonstrates unexpected layers of complexity to her seemingly ice-cold heiress; her initial rebuffs towards overly-confident &#8220;ladies man&#8221; Powell are especially humorous. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Redeeming Qualities and Moments: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Jean Harlow as Gladys<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/12\/Libeled-Lady-Harlow.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/12\/Libeled-Lady-Harlow.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"720\" height=\"540\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-29044\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/12\/Libeled-Lady-Harlow.png 720w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/12\/Libeled-Lady-Harlow-128x96.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/12\/Libeled-Lady-Harlow-300x225.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>William Powell as Bill Chandler<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/12\/Libeled-Lady-Powell.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/12\/Libeled-Lady-Powell.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"720\" height=\"540\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-29043\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/12\/Libeled-Lady-Powell.png 720w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/12\/Libeled-Lady-Powell-128x96.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/12\/Libeled-Lady-Powell-300x225.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Myrna Loy as Connie Allenbury<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/12\/Libeled-Lady-Loy.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/12\/Libeled-Lady-Loy.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"720\" height=\"540\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-29045\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/12\/Libeled-Lady-Loy.png 720w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/12\/Libeled-Lady-Loy-128x96.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/12\/Libeled-Lady-Loy-300x225.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Must See? <\/strong><br \/>\nYes, as a delightful screwball comedy. Voted one of the Best Pictures of the Year in Peary&#8217;s <em>Alternate Oscars<\/em>. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Categories<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Genuine Classic<\/li>\n<li>Oscar Winner or Nominee<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Links: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt0027884\/\">IMDb entry<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/1936\/10\/31\/archives\/sardonic-comedy-is-libeled-lady-at-the-capitol-east-is-west-opens.html\">NY Times Original Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.allmovie.com\/movie\/libeled-lady-v29138\/review\">All Movie Guide Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/2ATaQrhtG_I\">Tired Old Queen at the Movies Video Review<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;The things I do for that newspaper&#8230;&#8221; Synopsis: A dedicated newspaper editor (Spencer Tracy) puts his wedding on hold when he learns about a potential libel suit involving an heiress (Myrna Loy) falsely accused of being a &#8220;husband stealer&#8221;. Tracy hires his former colleague (William Powell) to temporarily wed his own fiancee (Jean Harlow), then romantically pursue Loy in an attempt to prove she really is guilty of husband-stealing &#8212; but naturally, romantic entanglements prove this process much more difficult&#8230;<\/p>\n<p class=\"read-more\"><a class=\"btn btn-default\" href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=29042\"> Read More<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">  Read More<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-29042","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-responses-to-peary"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29042","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=29042"}],"version-history":[{"count":13,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29042\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":68638,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29042\/revisions\/68638"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=29042"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=29042"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=29042"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}