Meu Querido Maluco

Worth the price of admission is seeing William Powell pretending to be insane in order to postpone divorce proceedings--and then, to top that, disguise himself as a female relative in what has to be one of the funniest madcap screwball comedies ever!

Jack Carson, Gail Patrick and the wonderful Florence Bates (as the mother-in-law from hell) are captivating in supporting roles. It's a riot from beginning to end--fast-paced and sure to tickle your funnybone--if you have one.

Powell and Loy were a wonderful team as Nick and Nora Charles--but this is their finest screwball comedy and they're both at the top of their form. Well worth viewing, it's a surprisingly little known gem.

I'll start by saying seeing William Powell in drag is probably worth the price of admission on its own. Early on, you also have his playful repartee with Myrna Loy, in this the 10th of the 14 movies they made together. In 'Love Crazy', the happily married couple is about to celebrate its 4th anniversary, but get interrupted first by her mother-in-law (Florence Bates), and then by his old flame (Gail Patrick). In a comedy of errors, Loy thinks Powell has cheated on her, seeks a divorce, and then Powell attempts to postpone the proceedings by feigning insanity. It's fun to see Powell in various screwball moments, including getting his head stuck between elevator doors, pretending he's a teapot, and doing things like shoving round blocks into his mouth. Powell had tremendous range and carries the movie; Loy isn't bad herself, but has less to work with. The movie degenerates a bit towards the end, but it was reasonably engaging and fun to watch.

Stephen Ireland (William Powell) has been deliriously happy with his wife, Susan (Myrna Loy), for four years, but a series of misunderstandings begin on their fourth anniversary, involving a stalled elevator, Steve's old flame (who has just moved in downstairs) and a forgotten taxi cab. They end with Susan leaving Steve and taking up with the neighboring apartment dweller (Jack Carson), an expert archer who works best in his undershirt. Susan's mother (Florence Bates) is thrilled with this new choice, but Steve is out to win back his wife despite all obstacles. He pretends to be mad in order to delay the divorce, but winds up in an insane asylum. He escapes but is forced to dress as a woman and pretend to be his own sister in order to evade the police and win back his wife.

This delightful screwball comedy is solid and laugh-filled enough to please anyone, but hasn't got quite enough zest to rank with the best in the genre. Powell and Loy together guarantee good entertainment. And if they aren't enough this film is bursting at the seams with familiar character actors.

By the way, you know that thing people do when they mimic insanity, the thing that provides a running gag in this film? It involves running one's index finger up and down over one's lips to make a noise that sounds like "beedeebeedeebeedeebee." A friend of mine has coined a term for this bit of business: the "lip flubby." We need a term for this thing, so please help spread it.

There are genuinely funny moments in this film; I didn't want to take my eyes off Powell and Loy for a second during the first half. The last act, however, really gets ridiculous with the psychiatrists' examination of Powell. It may have been inane just for laughs, but it seemed to escape me. Besides that, all the misunderstandings between characters, and especially the elevator scene, are prime examples of comedy that will be hard to top. It's hard to find that excellent Powell/Loy chemistry anywhere else, though their other films are of higher quality.

"Love Crazy" is a rather uneven comedy starring that wonderful team of Myrna Loy and William Powell, along with Jack Carson and Florence Bates. The film starts out one way - a madly in love couple celebrating their fourth anniversary - and then goes another - divorce court.

When Stephen Ireland (Powell) runs into an old girlfriend (Gail Patrick) living in his building, the fun begins. They spend the evening talking, but due to a variety of circumstances, Susan (Loy) doesn't believe his story and decides to file for divorce immediately. Stephen does everything he can to get his wife back, but as the divorce becomes close to being finalized, he feigns insanity to buy more time.

Powell is great at slapstick, of course, and there's plenty of it as he slips on the rug his mother-in-law (Bates) gave them and swings upside down from trees. The extra little kick here comes from his scenes in drag, which are phenomenal. Powell is perfect as his own sister and even shaved his trademark mustache! One of the funniest scenes occurs when a thread from his fake breast gets caught on the spindle of the record player and unravels.

There's little to be said about Powell and Loy - they are always a delight. Jack Carson has a great role as a neighbor interested in Loy. "Willoughby, Ward Willoughby," is how he introduces himself. He's wonderful. Florence Bates is appropriately annoying. Gail Patrick, with her good looks and magnificent voice, has a part that actually disappears for a good deal of the film, but returns later. She's excellent. But Powell in drag is a revelation and the best thing about the film for me.

I read recently with interest that Don Adams' voice in "Get Smart" was actually modeled on Powell's speaking patterns and pitch. Of course, during this film, I couldn't stop thinking about it and realizing the similarity. Don Adams couldn't have chosen a better model.