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I have to imagine that in order for MGM to justify using two of their top leading men with Joan Crawford, their parts in Forsaking All Others would have to have been built up considerably. The original Broadway production of this comedy that ran 110 performances in 1933 starred Tallulah Bankhead and it was strictly her show. As if it would have been any other way.

I have to give Joan Crawford credit on this one. Unlike her later film Susan and God where she tries to imitate Gertrude Lawrence with accent and all, she wisely does not try to do a Tallulah impersonation. She creates her own character here and it's a good one. She's got both Robert Montgomery and Clark Gable after her, but she chooses early on and in the end she finds out she chooses wrong. In fact the only impersonation Crawford does is one of her Grand Hotel co-star Greta Garbo.

Both Clark Gable and Robert Montgomery settle into familiar stereotypes for them. Gable is another reporter character like he is It Happened One Night and Montgomery is an irresponsible playboy like he was in a gazillion films.

Montgomery and Crawford are set to be married, but Montgomery leaves her at the altar and runs off with his demanding mistress Frances Drake. But Crawford has Gable's shoulder to cry on for most of the rest of the film. By the way, Drake gives a performance that's a case study in canine feminus. She makes Joan Collins in Dynasty look like Maria Von Trapp. Drake dominates in whatever scene she's in. No way that Tallulah Bankhead would have let that happen on stage.

Charles Butterworth and Billie Burke are also on hand and young Rosalind Russell on her way up has a small part as one of Crawford's friends. Nothing new in Forsaking All Others, but the ground is familiar enough.

An ideal vehicle for Joan Crawford, and a role to which she applies herself consummately! The chemistry between Ms. Crawford and Clark Gable is palpable and registers like a blister. The ever-clever and witty Robert Montgomery is in fine form as the character of "Dill", and an apt foil for the combine of Ms. Crawford and Mr. Gable. I particularly enjoyed Frances Drake's portrayal of Connie, as her elegant piquancy in this characterization is right on the nose.

Clark Gable, Joan Crawford, and Robert Montgomery are childhood friends who are in not only a love triangle but a love quadrangle in "Forsaking All Others," from 1934.

Crawford is Mary Clay, who is about to be married to Dill (Montgomery). Gable is Jeff Williams, who returns from Spain with the intention of proposing to Mary. When he walks in, there's a party going on celebrating the upcoming wedding. Jeff puts on a brave face as Dill and Mary are two of his closest friends. Dill, however, has some old business, and that's his ex-girlfriend Connie (Frances Drake). Turns out Connie's business isn't as old as Mary and Dill thought because, as Mary prepares to walk down the aisle, Jeff gets a telegram saying that Connie and Dill are married.

This is an entertaining comedy, with the three stars in top form. Montgomery is a riot, and Gable - what can I say. I always liked him, but let's face it, at this point in the 1930s the man was irresistible! That smile! That dimple! And that dynamite screen presence - he's wonderful. And he injects the film with warmth. Though comedy was never Crawford's forte, she actually plays this straight and is very good.

Billie Burke costars and Rosalind Russell has a small role. Good fun.

A witty film that benefits mostly from the pairing of Clark Gable and Joan Crawford. After a brisk and entertaining first half, things start to drag a bit when Gable is absent from the screen for a protracted period. Nevertheless, its well worth seeing.

Although the plot didn't sound that special, with it being quite old hat and predictable, there were a couple of interest points. Namely the cast, being somebody who has liked very much a lot of the work of Joan Crawford and Clark Gable individually and Robert Montgomery is good when in the right role. Not to mention Charles Butterworth, Rosalind Russell and Billie Burke. WS Van Dyke was a very talented director who was hardly out of his depth in this sort of film and golden age comedy with touches of romance are my kind of film.

'Forsaking All Others' is not one of the best of the genre. Have also seen everybody in the cast give better performances than here, though they do come off very well still and are the main reason for seeing the film. 'Forsaking All Others' is one of those films that starts off very well but runs out of steam in the latter stages in material and momentum. It is certainly not a bad film, let alone terrible, but considering the talent it had potential to be much better.

Beginning with the good, it looks good with some lovely shots and Crawford's typically knockout wardrobe. Van Dyke's direction is slick and accomplished for the first half. Really liked the song choices for the soundtrack, some real classics here and all used appropriately and it was surprising to hear a few of the songs sung by the cast a capella. The script is very witty and sophisticated in the first half and is also very funny.

The first half also moves at a lively pace and has fun and charm. Crawford clearly enjoys herself while not playing her role too heavily, which she did do in some of her comedies, and has nice comic timing. Gable despite being underused later is charming and dashing, didn't like how his character was written in the second half but Gable really makes the most of what he is given. Montgomery also has great comic timing and is suitably caddish, though again his character didn't appeal to me. Butterworth and Russell are very amusing.

However, 'Forsaking All Others' could have been better. The second half for me was not near as good as the first, it drags in pace, any turns are predictable and the material becomes tired and contrived. It actually felt like a different film. The ending comes over as hokey and would have made more sense and rang true if Gable's character was written better in the second half and didn't make such an unwarranted and out of the blue decision.

The character does come over as simpering and too easily fooled and Montgomery's character's negative character traits are also overblown to the extent that his appeal gets lost on the viewer. Van Dyke's direction also isn't as focused and it was like he lost control or gave up. Burke has too little to do to shine.

In conclusion, uneven but just about above average. 6/10.

Dillon 'Dill' Todd (Robert Montgomery) is marrying Mary Clay (Joan Crawford). Their friend Jeff Williams (Clark Gable) returns from Spain to ask her for her hand and he gets the shock of his life. The three of them are longtime best friends. Jeff had always loved Mary, but seems to be friend-zoned. Dill's ex Connie has not given up.

The potential for drama is greater before the wedding. After that, the story is just a matter of time. With Gable and Crawford, none of this is much of a surprise. Still, I would prefer the story before the wedding and the event would be the climax. As it stands, this is a snappy little love triangle, but it's mostly just waiting for the inevitable.

A better than average comedy that certainly entertains. Plot is believable and somewhat unusual. Clark Gable returns from Madrid (we are not told what he was doing there nor really what anyone does for a living) in order to propose to Joan Crawford. Clark has secretly loved Joan since they were children but in his absence, Joan has agreed to marry Robert Montgomery who she has loved since they were children. Enter the old flame, Frances Drake, who whisks Montgomery away on the eve of his nuptial leaving Crawford standing at the alter. The marriage does not work and soon Crawford steps out with Montgomery on the side. Gable criticizes and consoles Crawford eventually making plans to return to Spain. Good performances by Crawford (opening shot with cream on her face is in contrast to other stars who preferred glamorous introductions), Montgomery (he really is funny), Gable, Billie Burke (who can do "flustered" any better), Rosalind Russell (does well in one of her early films) and a very droll Charles Butterworth. I never thought Frances Drake was believable as the lower class wife but this can easily be overlooked. Recommended as an evenings good entertainment.

Mary (Joan Crawford) loves Dill (Robert Montgomery) but he leaves her waiting at the altar and elopes with another woman. Their friend Jeff (a miscast Clark Gable) loves Mary but won't say so because she loves Dill, even after the humiliation and despite him being married to another woman. Why either Mary or Jeff would even want to be around this guy is beyond me but I guess they had to fill time with something.

Crawford looks great but her character has little self-respect. I hated seeing her pursue Bob Montgomery's character despite his dumping her to marry another woman. I know times change and all but it taints the enjoyment of the movie for me when most of it is based around Joan wanting that creep back. Montgomery is fine I guess but the character of Dill is a royal class jerk. Gable, as I said before, is miscast. It's just very hard to buy him as the wimpy sort of guy he comes across as here. Rosalind Russell is wasted in a minor role. Charles Butterworth (the vocal inspiration for Cap'N Crunch) is OK as Gable's sidekick. Billie Burke is annoying. It's a weak effort overall but at least it ends right. Sort of.

This is one of the several movies that Joan Crawford made with Clark Gable, and fortunately quite a few of them (maybe all) have made it to at least DVD-R via the Warner Archive. This is one of the best the two did together. It's a romantic comedy in which Joan plays socialite Mary Clay, who is about to marry lifelong acquaintance Dillon Todd (Robert Montgomery). Clark Gable plays another of Mary's lifelong friends, Jeff Williams. Jeff has been long away from home and decides to come back just to ask Mary to marry him, unaware that Mary is about to marry Dillon. When he learns about their upcoming marriage he decides to keep his feelings to himself, although the look he has as if having been punched in the stomach when he hears the news says it all. Robert Montgomery is playing the usual harmless playboy character here that he did so much of in the early 1930's. It looks like Mary and Dillon's marriage is about to go off without a hitch until one of Dillon's old girlfriends appears on the scene.

This film was released about six months after the precode era ended, so there is nothing really racey going on here. About the most extreme thing you will see is Robert Montgomery in a dress. However, W.S. Van Dyke is the director of this film, and he knew how to combine sexual tension and comedy in an age of aggressive censorship, and this is a fine example of his work. I highly recommend it to fans of films of the 1930's.

FORSAKING ALL OTHERS (Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, 1934), directed by W. D. Van Dyke, is a light comedy made theatrically popular through the star power casting of Joan Crawford, Clark Gable and Robert Montgomery. With this being Crawford's fourth movie role opposite Montgomery, and her sixth opposite Gable, which proves with this chemistry, the movie could not fail. Though unknown through the passage of time due to the lack of television revivals in later years, having this later available for viewing on video cassette, DVD and broadcasts on cable television such as Turner Classic Movies simply assures FORSAKING ALL OTHERS being one of the many films from this era to be both revived and rescued from oblivion. Even though it may not have aged well to some, the casting of this product and interest for film historians has not.

The plot begins the day before Mary Clay (Joan Crawford) is to marry her childhood sweetheart, Dill Todd (Robert Montgomery). Also part of their childhood past is good friend, Jeffrey "Jeff" Williams (Clark Gable), who also loves Mary. Returning home from his vacation in Spain, the first thing Jeff wants to do is propose marriage to Mary. Much to his surprise, he learns Mary is set on marrying Dill, but keeps silent about his feelings about it. Later that evening, Connie Barnes (Frances Drake), a casual acquaintance of Dill's, shows up and returns to his life again. On the day of the wedding, a telegram reaches Jeff that Dill has married Connie, leaving him to pass on the news to Mary. She drowns out her sorrows spending time alone in the Adirondack mountains. With the hope of winning Mary, Jeff and Mary get an invitation to a function hosted by Mrs. Todd. Though Mary claims that Dill is out of her system, seeing him in a loveless marriage finds her trying to win him back, much to Jeff's dismay. Featuring Billie Burke (Aunt Paula); Charles Butterworth (Shep); Rosalind Russell (Eleanor); Greta Meyer (Bella) and (uncredited) Arthur Treacher playing Dill's butler, Johnson; along with Harold Huber (Frankenstein); Jan Dugan (Mrs. Coble) and Clarence Wilson in smaller roles.

Joan Crawford gets her abundance of opportunity here with her male co-stars. With Gable being a stronger presence than Montgomery, naturally Gable's scenes come off best. Though Montgomery has done similar chores in other movies since his screen debut in 1929, it would be NIGHT MUST FALL (1937) that not only cast him against type, but the first movie to honor him with a strong and meaningful performance, and an Academy Award nomination as well. With Rosalind Russell, who would later achieve stardom as well, fans of the actress would have to endure her limitations and little else. Comedy types of Charles Butterworth and Billie Burke support for amusement purposes, but it's Arthur Treacher whose final scene gets the last laugh. (***)

This love triangle comedy is worth tracking down for its great script, which is filled to the brim with humorous wit and colorful dialogue that keeps viewers on their toes. (Joseph L. Mankiewicz wrote the screenplay, based on a stage play.) And it certainly helps to have these lines read by the likes of Billie Burke and Charles Butterworth, whose inimitable comedic talents boost the so-so story.

Robert Montgomery's and Joan Crawford's characters grow tiresome after a while, but the film is saved by the performances of Butterworth and Burke in their sidekick roles. Billie Burke is at her fluttery best. Clark Gable is Clark Gable: solid the whole way through. His character is the most likable of the three leads, but he drops out from the middle of the film.

The plot takes some tedious turns, but the ending is satisfying. I like how the scenes at the end of the film mirror the scenes at the start of the film. While I felt the production overall was uneven, I must say that the script really sparkles in places, setting this overlooked comedy apart from the pack.

Forsaking All Others (1934): Brief Review -

Got just enough for an 30s rom-com. Dyke's Forsaking All Others has a fine cast as it brings together three popular names: Robert Montgomery, Joan Crawford, and Clark Gable. This is a love triangle that we are all familiar with, but in the mid-30s, it wasn't that widely known. The film tells the story of three childhood friends, Dill, Mary, and Jeff. Dill and Mary are set to be married, but on the same day, Jeff arrives in town from Spain to propose to Mary. However, after learning about Mary's love for Dill, he keeps his feelings hidden, and for good reason. Dill is visited by an old flame, who takes him away, and they get married, leaving Mary standing at the altar. Dill and Mary meet again at a party hosted by Dill, who admits that he is still in love with her. They begin seeing each other again, despite Jeff warning Mary not to fall for the same trap again. Will Jeff be able to stop Mary and win her back? Based on the 1933 play of the same name, this love triangle becomes predictable by the end. I know it wasn't that predictable back in the 30s, but I think it could have aimed for a tragic happy ending if the writer wished. It feels like reversing the revenge of the wedding day, as Mary leaves Dill empty-handed on their wedding day and runs away to marry Jeff, just as Dill did to her. That pretty feminist touch was evident and was appreciated for its time, no doubt. I was just thinking of some other kind of climax, especially when things got a little heavy when Jeff finally proposed to Mary and told her to be happy. What if Mary had married Dill again? Wouldn't that have made a fitting ending? I suppose it would have. But let it be. It would have only left audiences unhappy at that time because it was an era of rom-coms with happy endings, and don't we all love to see happy endings? Robert Montgomery, Joan Crawford, and Clark Gable delivered fantastic performances as W. S. Van Dyke summed up a typically fine romantic comedy for fans.

RATING - 6/10*

By - #samthebestest.

Reporter Clark Gable returns from Spain, ready to tell longtime friend Joan Crawford how he really feels. But she's about to get married to Robert Montgomery, and blissfully happy about it, until he leaves her at the altar for former lover Frances Drake. Miss Drake soon reveals her character, and Montgomery is unhappy. So Miss Crawford is more than pleased tobe his companion in light-hearted escapades.... until they get caught.

Something is missing in this movie, and I think it is a point to it. Here we are, with Joe Breen riding the production, forcing retakes because Gable isn't wearing a shirt, or Miss Crawford is getting a massage; either might cause the country to turn communist. Although there are snappy lines, and Charles Butterworth gives one of his finest performances as a man who is so cynical that no one can take his straightforward utterances seriously, the problem is that this needed to be a sex comedy, with Miss Crawford carrying on an affair with the married Montgomery -- and they had to neuter it. Lest the youth of Utah turn to free love. Neither can Montgomery be rewarded for his dalliances. Gable must get the girl.

None of which has anything to do with the underlying issues of actual love and respect and, yes, lust, that underlie the entire mess. With sex removed overtly, the way was opened to the screwball comedy, in which people behave inappropriately with people they shouldn't.... but they never really mastered that at Metro, and they were just figuring it out elsewhere, with movies like TWENTIETH CENTURY and IT HAPPENED ONE NIGHT. Instead, it's people making bad choices on the spur of the moment, and that just might include Miss Crawford's final choice here.

The first part of this film establishes that Mary (Joan Crawford) loves Dill (Robert Montgomery) and that Jeff (Clark Gable) loves Mary. Jeff comes back to the states after a two-year stint in Spain, hoping to wed Mary, only to discover that she is marrying Dill.

The middle section of the film, which is by far the largest part, is an attempt at screwball comedy, with Montgomery trying to generate the manic energy and the whimsically silly humor that a screwball comedy requires. But the writing is too silly, and the film loses any gravitas surrounding the importance of the unrequited love. Also, all love is thwarted due to plot developments.

The final section of the film is interesting and back on track. But it is too little too late. What might have been a great comedy has already been frittered away. And the story of a great love has become second tier.

Crawford shows flashes of brilliance in her portrayal of Mary, the center of the love triangle. Gable is consistently worth watching. Frances Drake plays Connie, the other woman. She is steely strong as a woman who knows what she wants (money and status),

Designed Adrian usually produces wonderful fashions; here his results are hit or miss. His better designs only serve to incriminate the fails, like the wedding fashions in this film.

And another thing: why did anyone think that the inclusion of "Row, Row, Row Your Boat" at random times would be extremely funny? It is only distracting.

Watch for Rosalind Russell in a small part---one of her first film roles.

Granted I am a huge Clark Gable fan, I thought this movie was one of the most fun films I had seen in a long time and not just because he's pretty to look at-- the whole cast was great as was the writing. I wish it hadn't been overlooked on AFI's recent top 100 comedies. I felt it was a very humorous, screwy comedy that deserves more recognition.

As much as I usually love Robert Montgomery and usually dislike Clark Gable, I was forced to eat my words in the love triangle Forsaking All Others. Joan Crawford starts the movie engaged to the spoiled, wealthy, very silly Robert Montgomery, and her best friend is Clark Gable. Clark is coming home from a long vacation and has decided to finally tell Joan he's been in love with her for years, but as he bursts through the door with balloons and flowers, he's told he's crashing her engagement party!

The movie promises to be an early version of My Best Friend's Wedding as Clark shows his acting chops and pretends to be happy for his friend, but the plot quickly deviates when Bob cheats on Joan and leaves her to marry someone else! His character is quite the villain, and even though it's hard to see why Joan still carries a torch for him, many women follow that same pattern in real life.

This movie isn't that bad, especially if you like the cast, but Robert Montgomery's character is so unlikable and does so many terrible things, at times it's not very fun to watch. The beginning scenes are the best, so if you're a sucker for a good premise, you'll probably like it.

throughout the film, all the big names are laughing, joking, playing, having a grand ol time, until every now and then some real life adult situations get in the way. liberal use of backdrop scenery. also a lot of getting dressed and undressed. Miss Joan Crawford (Mary) getting spanked. naughty naughty. Billie Burke with the hair curler contraption on her head. all right at the beginning of enforcement of the film production code, with the official card at the beginning of the movie to prove it. Clark Gable (Jeff) and Robert Montgomery (Dill) keep stepping out of the shower. Montgomery in a dress. Fun stuff! Rosalind Russell and Charles Butterworth ("Shemp"... not to be confused with one of the Stooges... has nothing to do with that) thrown in for more wisecracking. Even the butler gets a couple funny lines. Why isn't this shown more often? and why is it rated so low? Catch this one and see Joanie in a glamorous but not over-done over-bearing role.... before she turned to the dark side...

This is one of more than a dozen 1930's films which were blockbusters for Crawford. She is nothing less than hilarious in this film and it paved the way for I Live My Life and Susan and God. She and Gable had major chemistry, although her acting skills made his look inferior, which of course they were. Rosalind Russell and Crawford work very well together.