The Mad Miss Manton

Barbara Stanwyck was 31 years old playing opposite stone-faced 33 year old Henry Fonda in this comedy love story/murder mystery, and if you want to see how Barbara steals every scene, this is a good one to watch. This movie was selected by TCM as one of the films to highlight for their series "Black Images in Hollywood" due to the presence of Hattie McDaniel just prior to her Oscar-winning performance the next year in "Gone With the Wind." Hattie plays a sassy-talking maid for delicious comic relief. But it's a small role for Hattie and the main focus is on the delightful Barbara. There is an interesting scene at the end of the movie which foretells the use of S.W.A.T. teams today in both the cinema and on the streets. All in all, this is a pleasant movie to while away an afternoon with a friend, and who knows, you may even want to re-visit it again in a few years.

My favorite aspect of this movie is the manner in which this gaggle of giggly débutantes present themselves. They wear sparkling, full-length evening gowns and fabulous furs, and sport impeccable manicures, while sleuthing about in the dark. You go girls! It was also interesting to observe Penny Singleton, aka the infamous Blondie, with extremely dark hair, reciting a couple of lines. Barbara Stanwyck is, as always, seamlessly gorgeous, and she takes on a tireless leadership role while constantly flirting with a young and handsome Henry Fonda. Everything from the beautiful, sleek and shiny cars to the stunningly brilliant fashion displays make this a great choice for old movie fanatics.

Several factors need to be in place for you to enjoy The Mad Miss Manton. First, it helps to like Barbara Stanwyck. I love her! Second, it helps to like Henry Fonda. He's great! Third, it helps to like Hattie Mc Daniel. Not only do I, but she's quite hilarious! Next, Miss Manton (Stanwyck) is constantly surrounded by her group of elitist girlfriends. If it had just been Miss Manton, then it would have been mighty scary vs. mysterious. Miss Manton's flighty friends in their 40's gowns with their big 40's furs and their typical 40's hairstyles keep this film light and fluffy. Fluffy due to their big fluffy furs:) Also, it helps to enjoy screwball comedies. This one is screwball to the max. It's not a perfect screwball. It's not award worthy. It is a fun film with a great cast. It's also fun to mix some mystery into the mix. Finally, it's just pure entertainment. It may be a bit dated now, and many great films have come after it. However, if you put yourself back in time, you might imagine the abundance of entertainment you'd get from a dime or a quarter at the movies. Sometimes perspective helps make a movie better. I doubt anyone making it at the time thought people would still be watching it in the next century. With those factors in mind, I appreciate the entertainment value from this obscure comedy with a delightful cast.

I think this may be Henry Fonda and Barbara Stanwyck's first movie together and sparks fly. The dialog is fast and witty. The actual mystery shown in the movie is irrelevant. If you like films from the 30's and have already seen the classics such as The Lady Eve and Palm Beach Story, then definitely see this. I wish Henry Fonda had done more comedy but he makes up for lost time here. Unlike The Lady Eve, where he is primarily the straight man (with terrific physical comedy), in the Mad Miss Manton he gives as good as he gets with his leading lady. I don't know why this movie doesn't get more attention. I think it is a lot funnier than "The Male Animal". For another comedic effort of Fonda's, watch Tales of Manhattan. He has a gem of a scene with Ginger Rogers.

The stars of this film were paired twice before striking gold in Preston Sturges' The Lady Eve, appearing in a rather humorless comedy called You Belong To Me and two years prior in Mad Miss Manton. MMM was a combination of murder mystery and madcap heiress nonsense with aspects of screwball comedy before it had been defined as such. Stanwyck had been nominated for an Oscar in Stella Dallas the year before, and was given this role to add some glamour, as recent roles in Internes Can't Take Money(the first Dr.Kildare) and the fluffy Breakfast for Two were A list fillers. Stanwyck was just a film away from better vehicles as Golden Boy, Union Pacific, Remember the Night, Lady Eve, Ball of Fire, etc.(she survives earlier films by committing to realism, making pap pictures better than they deserved, and was Frank Capra's favorite actress). Fonda, on the other hand, had just made waves in Jezebel, with Young Mr. Lincoln, Jesse James and Grapes of Wrath ahead in the next few years. So you have two great, popular actors, thrown into a contrived script about Stanwyck as the heiress who sees someone slipping away from a murder scene, only to have the body missing when she calls the police. Fonda is the newspaper hack who slams her in the papers and of course, when they meet, there's supposed to be fireworks. The stars try, but there's really nothing for them to play on. It would take script writers a few more years to learn you shouldn't make Hank Fonda speak quickly and Stanwyck, much as I love her, never really does manage the glamour. She and her friends tend to play a brainless and unchallenged group, excited to solve the murder mystery as a relief from the boredom of wealth and society and a chance to "prove" themselves. Of course, it's not as bad as I write - it's entertaining fluff with hints of each stars' future in several scenes. This is the film where Hattie McDaniel gets to throw a vase of water in Fonda's face, and there's some genuine suspense when Stany sits down with the unbalanced murderer for the denouement. However, Double Indemnity was years away and as this was supposed to be a comedy, Hollywood rules with a happy ending. It was never meant to be social commentary and as such, is an enjoyable watch for three to three and a half stars out of five. However, for both performers at their peak and a truly magnificent supporting cast, see the 5 star THE LADY EVE, a screwball classic.-MDMPHD: