On a volé les perles Koronoff

There are some good scenes but in general there's a forced contrivance to the playing, and the action scenes are amateurish. The plot of jewel thieves is preposterous and annoyingly depicted. Tracy and Loy are good as always but not enough to overcome a general feeling of lifelessness. However, John Qualen appears about 2/3 through and adds a spark by breathing life into the country-farmer cliche.

Whipsaw is the picture that answers that burning question in the title.

This was Spencer Tracy's second film under his new MGM contract when he switched studios from Fox in 1935. With few exceptions Tracy starred in routine action films while at Fox and working in Whipsaw must have made Spence feel he was still at Fox. Other than the fact Louis B. Mayer instead of Darryl Zanuck was signing his paycheck, he wouldn't have known the difference from the quality of material he was being asked to do.

Myrna Loy however had already found her screen persona in The Thin Man a year earlier at MGM. So why she was asked to do Whipsaw is beyond me.

Basically the plot is Myrna is the confederate of jewel thief Harvey Stephens who's just made a big score. Stephens has a problem though, he's got to watch out for the law and for another gang who wanted in on the robbery.

The FBI has decided that the best way to Stephens is through Myrna and they've sent ace G-Man Spencer Tracy to work undercover and gain her confidence. Of course Spence gains more than her confidence.

So how will it work out for our intrepid duo? See the film if you are big fan of both of the stars, but only if that. Myrna and Spence both did much better work.

But big things were breaking for Tracy soon. He got cast as Father Timothy Mullin in San Francisco, got the first of his Oscar nominations, changed his screen image, and the rest as he later said in one of his better films is cherce.

As for Loy, I'm sure she was grateful to get back to working with William Powell in another Thin Man film. In fact she got to work with Powell and Tracy in Libelled Lady one of the best screen comedies from MGM ever. See that film by all means.

Spencer Tracy is an FBI man who pretends he's a con man to capture Myrna Loy and her fellow criminals in "Whipsaw," a 1935 film. When Loy's confederates steal valuable pearls, Tracy attaches himself to her so she will lead him to the robbers and the pearls. The only problem is, Loy is onto him.

This is a meandering story and not up the level of either actor. Loy is very beautiful and Tracy is appealing, but they're burdened by a silly plot that has them driving, riding in an airplane, and staying in hotels without much else going on. There is a nice sequence when a horrible rainstorm traps them at a farmhouse where they help an expectant mother give birth to twins. That whole section is the best part of the film.

The stars are very good together and probably in 1935 this went over a lot better. But now we know what Tracy and Loy were capable of, so "Whipsaw" is disappointing.

Government agent Ross McBride is on the trail of stolen pearls. Pretending to be a crook, he tags onto Vivian Palmer on a cross country trail in the hope that she will lead him to her partners. However, she quickly discovers the truth, which puts each of them in a difficult position.

A film which flows smoothly throughout and one which works on two levels, as a crime drama and a love story, even if an unlikely one at the start. Add in the talents of Myrna Loy and Spencer Tracy and it becomes something which is worth watching.

Far-fetched and overly complicated plot gets in the way of stars Spencer Tracy and Myrna Loy as a cop posing as a thug and a would-be jewel thief on the lam.

Loy is part of a jewel thief gang but she wants to go straight. She's on her last job and doesn't know the jewels have been planted on her. Tracy is a cop posing as a thug who's helping her escape a rival gang that wants the jewels. Of course they fall for each other in the trains, planes & automobiles race across the country.

Not only is a rival gang after the jewels, but so are a gang of cops. Bad casting here as all these middle-aged actors look alike and no one stands out, so you can't keep them straight.

Film only comes to life when the stars get stuck in a storm and seek shelter in a remote farmhouse where a woman is about to give birth. The frantic father (a marvelous John Qualen) can't reach the doctor because the lines are down. Loy and Tracy pitch in and help in the emergency.

Then the film goes back to its ludicrous plot and plays out as expected. Loy and Tracy don't spark any chemistry and plot holes aplenty don't help. William Powell was lucky to have missed out on this clunker.