A film can become famous for the wrong reasons. Those reasons often have nothing to do with authors’ intentions and sometimes even less to do with what the audience was able to see on the screen. An example can be found in Manhattan Melodrama, 1934 crime drama directed by W. S. Van Dyke, a film that became one of the more (in)famous and controversial titles in history of 1930s Hollywood.
The plot begins with a prologue set on 15th June 1904 when PS General Slocum, passenger ship carrying children from New York City on the excursion on the East River, caught fire, resulting in more than a thousand deaths and becoming the worst disaster in the 20th century New York. Among survivors are two boys – Blackie Gallagher (played by Mickey Rooney) and Jim Wade (played by Jimmy Butler) – who are best friends. They are both orphaned and, although being raised by Poppa Rosen (played by George Sidney), a Jew that lost his son in disaster, take different paths in life. After Rosen gets accidentally killed by police during a riot, Blackie becomes disdainful of the law, while Jim dedicates himself to studying. Years later, adult Blackie (played by Clarke Gable) is loan shark and owns popular illegal casino, with many policemen and politicians in his pocket. Jim (played by William Powell) became a district attorney with political ambitions. Both men continue to be friends, with Blackie, despite his own criminal activities, admiring Jim’s integrity and refusal to take bribes. After Jim’s electoral victory, he sends his girlfriend Eleanor (played by Myrna Loy) to congratulate him in his name. Jim makes an impression on Eleanor and she, after Blackie’s refusal to marry him, leaves Blackie and marries Jim instead. Both men are still friends, but Jim’s political future is under the shadow of Blackie who committed cold blooded murder, leading to Jim’s disgraced associate Snow (played by Thomas E. Jackson) trying blackmail scheme against Jim in the middle of his gubernatorial campaign.
Made by MGM and David O. Selznick, one of the most distinguished producers of Classic Hollywood, Manhattan Melodrama is a good film, but hardly anything more than that. The plot is rather thin, with two main characters being defined by simple friendship that proves to be more important than being on the opposite sides of the law or being in love with the same woman. The characterisation looks particularly weak when it is compared with two main characters of Angels with the Dirty Faces film that used similar scenario. Apparently aware of those flaws, scriptwriters Oliver H.P. Garrett and Joseph L. Mankiweicz filled the film with references to real life personalities, events and places. They, among other things, include Russian revolutionary Leon Trotsky (played by uncredited Leonid Kinskey) who used to live in America before Revolution; famous 1923 fight between Jack Dempsey and Louis Firpo which is considered the best in history of boxing; and legendary Cotton Club. The scene taking place there features song “The Bad in Every Man” that would later get new lyrics and under title “Blue Moon” become one of the most recognisable pop music standards. Yet, despite solid direction by W. S. Van Dyke and nice cinematography by James Wong Howe, Manhattan Melodrama can’t rise above its script limitations. Even the stellar cast struggles at times. That includes Clark Gable which is not particularly believable as cold-blooded killer, although his scenes with William Powell work. Myrna Loy also has to deal with some cheesy dialogue lines, but in the end, she has great chemistry with Powell and, unsurprisingly, two of them would soon become stars of Thin Man film series and appear together in thirteen more films, becoming one of the most successful on screen couples of Classic Hollywood.
In the end, Manhattan Melodrama earned its place in history books months after its premiere. On 22nd July 1934 John Dillinger, notorious gangster, bank robber and most wanted fugitive in the country, decided to go watching the film at Biograph Theatre in Chicago, unaware that was betrayed to the authorities by Romanian immigrant friend Anna Sage. Immediately after leaving the premises he was ambushed by FBI agents led by Melvyn Purvis and shot to death. The event caused media sensation and brought additional publicity to film and also boosted careers of Gable, Powell and Loy, who many years later expressed mixed feelings about the whole affair.
RATING: 6/10 (++)
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