The Mad Miss Manton

Barbara Stanwyck seemed incapable of giving a bad performance, even when the film was not good (and some of her films are not that) and regardless of the quality of what she was given. Am not as in love with Henry Fonda, but he did give fine performances and that is including his performance in another collaboration with him and Stanwyck 'The Lady Eve' (a classic and a much better film). Hattie McDaniel was always a scene stealer.

'The Mad Miss Manton' to me was very entertaining, has a lot more good with it than bad and does nothing to waste its fine cast or the talent involved. It is not great, would put it more in the pretty good category myself and there are a few quite big flaws all story-related, so it is not hard to see why as to why some may not be totally enamoured by it. Those that love Stanwyck, Fonda or both will be glad to see that they are well served and that in the right mind-set there should be a lot to enjoy.

In terms of the story, 'The Mad Miss Manton' is pretty slight and formulaic. A lot more could have done with the mystery aspect of the plot, it tended to lack suspense and surprises and it gets convoluted towards the end.

Also felt that the romance was introduced too out of the blue and didn't have enough time to develop, so it feels too hasty. Not through any fault of Stanwyck and Fonda, but more the writing.

However, Stanwyck is in more light-hearted form, compared to her more dramatic roles that she did at this point of her career, and she is a delight wih the right lightness of touch while giving steel at the same time. Fonda is more subdued but does mild mannered amiably and he has good timing. He and Stanwyck sparkled more in 'The Lady Eve', but they do work together very well here. Sam Levane is amusing, even if he is playing an incompetent character, but the best supporting performance belongs to McDaniel, bringing plenty of sparkling sass to hilarious effect.

Even if 'The Mad Miss Manton' may not be a lavish looking film as such, it is well photographed and Stanwyck looks great. The film is efficiently directed and the music fits nicely mood-wise. The pace is crisp throughout and the script is deliciously witty. The story is far from perfect, but is still lots of fun and charming. If the mystery aspect was more up to scratch it would have made even more impact.

Overall, pretty good if not great. 7/10

This movie, a warmup for Stanwyck and Fonda for the later The Lady Eve, is entirely enjoyable. A lighthearted piece of fluff, true, but everybody is having such a good time that it becomes totally infectious. Stanwyck, a rich deb, while walking her dogs in the middle of night, stumbles over a murdered man who disappears when she summons the police, of course. Fonda, a news editor/reporter, castigates her in print, and she threatens to sue. They, in the time-honored tradition of Hollywood comedy/mysteries, jointly, and sometimes separately and at loggers head, try to solve the mystery and find the murderer. Stanwyck is aided by a cohort of fellow debutantes, who do things helter-skelter en masse. The scene when Stanwyck sics 'em on Fonda ("Get him, girls"), with Fonda crawfishing as they advance, alone is worth the price of admission, as is the final avowal of love and proposal of marriage.

I sI saw this on TV when I was young and, though it was trumpeted as hilarious, I didn't like it. Now, I have seen 30 or more movies of around the same period that combine romance, comedy, and mystery. And I have grown to appreciate Barbara Stanwyck as one of the great stars in Hollywood's history. So: I really enjoyed it a lot.

Stanwyck, as the title character, is mad only in the sense of madcap. Probably it is a matter of alliteration more than anything else. Henry Fonda is fun as the newspaper man who hates and then falls for her.

A few years later, they were to be teamed again in Preston Sturges's great "The Lady Eve."

The subway is a good gimmick, and all the minor players are fun. Miss Manton, or as we'd say today Ms. Manton, has a whole crew of gal-pals, who scream and giggle and make the whole affair very lively indeed.

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: