User reviews

"Trouble for Two" is a benign title that belies what an unusual film this is. Robert Montgomery plays a foreign prince who is approached by a beautiful, mysterious woman (Rosalind Russell) on board ship to London. She asks him to hold an envelope for her until they disembark, at which time she will meet him at the bottom of the gangplank. She never does. It turns out the envelope is full of blank paper. While in London, Montgomery meets Louis Hayward, who tells him and his aide (Frank Morgan) of the existence of a suicide club. The prince insists on accompanying Hayward there, over his aide's objections. There, in this exclusive club where people pay to die with another member's assistance so it looks like natural causes, he sees the mysterious lady again...

This is a very intriguing story with twists and turns that will keep the viewer interested. Montgomery and Russell did five films together and make a good team. She's quite striking-looking and somber in this. Montgomery does an excellent job as the prince, a young man who can't resist the idea of adventure and who is willing to take even foolish risks. Louis Hayward's role is small but a different one for him. He looks heavier and softer. As the actor who first portrayed The Saint, he normally was quite suave and dashing.

You have to pay attention during "Trouble for Two" - it moves fast. Based on Robert Louis Stevenson's story "The Suicide Club," the script could have been stronger, but it's a good effort and a change from the usual fare.

Starts off really intriguing and seems to differentiate itself from other films of its era. A successful mix of comedy and suspense at the beginning, and Rosalind Russell looking so surprisingly beautiful, that she seems to come across in her early scenes as a black-haired Garbo. I've never seen her look more beautiful. The film is worth seeing for Russell's early scenes alone. But unfortunately, silly and unbelievable coincidences surface midway in the plot that considerably weaken and conventionalize the film. At its finish, I ended up feeling vaguely disappointed at what could have been a really unique and special film. I still think its worth seeing though, as the performances were all around quite good. A great film that could have been!

Prince Florizel of Bohemia -- where have I heard that before? In one of Shakespeare's final plays, 'The Winter's Tale.' There, the young prince falls in love with a beautiful shepherdess, Perdita, who is actually a princess. She doesn't know that, of course (it's a version of the Cinderella story). Roz Russell is also incognito in the film, but she knows who she is. So 'Winter's Tale' gives MGM the idea for filling out the Stevenson story by giving a role to Russell. The film also has traces of Henry IV, where the king admonishes his son, and where, at the end, the son must fight for his kingdom, as Prince Hal does against Hotspur at the Battle of Shrewsbury. There's also a trace of 'As You Like It,' a play in which a disguised woman administers a love-test to the man in whom she is already interested. I do not believe that the Shakesperean elements of this film have been noticed. I'll have to reread the Stevenson "Suicide Club' stories, which I do not have at hand, to see how much of the Shakespearean context is there. It's a strange and sometimes compelling film, beginning with a musical comedy format, where we expect to see Nelson and Jeanette any moment, and then moving into a fogbound London mystery. Montgomery is very convincing as an absolutely fearless prince and Russell is lovely as the mystery woman assigned to kill the prince. This one is worth watching. I just read the Stevenson story. Prince Florizel is of Bohemia (a la 'Winter's Tale'), but there is no woman in the story, only the mention of a failed love affair at the outset that motivates the young man who introduces the two Bohemians to the Club. So Roz's role as the disguised princess is an addition to the story -- and a good one at that!

ROBERT MONTGOMERY and ROSALIND RUSSELL head the cast of this comedy/mystery based on "The Suicide Club" by Robert Louis Stevenson. After an intriguing start, it gets lost in a strand of threads that are never unraveled with any finesse. The result is a less than satisfying mystery but told in an entertaining manner.

Victoria London is the setting for the story which, like most Stevenson tales, wanders into the dark side with some proper mood and atmosphere. Frank Morgan is his usual blustery self (what a great Dr. Watson he would have made if Nigel Bruce weren't around), but his mannerisms are played for less comic effect than usual.

The plot unwinds in a snappy one hour and fifteen minutes of running time but explanations are skimpy and you have to be paying close attention to catch certain facts. As the President of the Suicide Club, REGINALD OWEN is burdened by some obvious make-up alterations but does a competent enough job in his unusual role.

Passes the time and is worth a watch as a programmer of mildly entertaining interest. Louis Hayward is impressive in a brief and rather thankless role.

This is an intriguing version of Robert Louis Stevenson's "The Suicide Club", with ever-urbane aristocrat being recruited by an apparent group of boring rich people, willing to kill themselves for sport ! All is not as it seems and after Montgomery encounters mysterious Russell, the stage is set for a surprising revelation and an exciting climax.

Robert Montgomery and Rosalind Russell after being teamed in Night Must Fall got a more upbeat film with Trouble For Two. Though the source for this movie is Robert Louis Stevenson's first book of a detective trilogy concerning Prince Florizel and sidekick Count Geraldine who as Prince and equerry have a whole lot of adventures going incognito.

The story is not entirely coherent, but the leads and Frank Morgan as the equerry make it enjoyable. Not unlike the former Prince of Wales and King Edward VIII ever so briefly, Robert Montgomery's silly behavior has forced dear old dad King E.E. Clive to send him into temporary exile of sorts. Stay incognito and stay out of trouble are the two commands.

Montgomery and Morgan come upon a club called the Suicide Club dedicated to dispatching folks to another plane of existence if you have the right fee. It seems to have a particular appeal to wastrel types who've decided they've gorged enough on hedonism. Such a one is Louis Hayward who has a brief and memorable role as such a one. In fact Hayward was particularly effective here and in other similar type roles.

Rosalind Russell is a princess who Montgomery is to be betrothed and he's not liking the idea. But she's targeted by this group as well and the shared adventure might just make this royal marriage a royal romance.

Head of the club and one nasty customer is Reginald Owen. He and Hayward in many ways steal this film from the leads.

It's not Stevenson's verbatim story, but an enjoyable film

Crown Prince Florizel (Robert Montgomery) and Princess Brenda of Irania are both leery of their arranged marriage. They haven't seen each other since childhood. The political situation back home is tense. Florizel is sent to Victorian London accompanied by Colonel Geraldine. He encounters Miss Vandeleur (Rosalind Russell) and is taken by her. He learns of a mysterious private group with a dark common purpose called the Suicide Club.

I like the reveal but I don't really like the various fights and escapes afterwards. It needs some better writing. It's a little unreasonable at times. I wouldn't mind a bit of a rewriting and rework the staging. I do like these characters. I would like Montgomery and Russell to have more time together. This has some fun, some good mystery, and some good connection. It just needs a bit of fixing.

Adapted from a Robert Louis Stevenson story called "The Suicide Club", this is a rapid-fire brain teaser with plenty of terrific acting and witty dialogue, Robert Montgomery is wonderful in the lead, and Frank Morgan matched him parry for thrust. Reginald Owen (later Scrooge) is marvellous whenever he appears. I enjoyed it immensely.

Very imaginative reworking of Stevenson's classic short-story, The Suicide Club. Montgomery and Russell make a well-matched and very attractive couple, and Frank Morgan is superb as his faithful and loyal second. Reginald Owen is marvelous as the head of the club. And, the rest of the supporting class including a young and handsome Louis Hayward, is equally compelling. The score and photography are exquisite as well. This is one to be watched and enjoyed.

At first sight this MGM oddity looks like a typical over-the-top 30s effort, but I found it growing on me (despite the ever-increasing number of loose ends - why? what? how?). If you can accept Montgomery and Russell as 18th century foreign Royals who blend perfectly in a Britain even more nutty than it's usually depicted, then this is quite an enjoyable and unusually imaginative slice of early Hollywood.

"Trouble for Two" is based on a collection of short stories by Robert Louis Stevenson. While Stevenson wrote some wonderful stories (such as "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde"), he also occasionally had a misfire...and this MGM version of the story makes the mistake of actually sticking close to the source material!

Prince Florizel (Robert Montgomery) of some kingdom or other is in London along with his friend and bodyguard, Colonel Geraldine (Frank Morgan). The Prince is a very annoying sort of character...a guy who is bored with life and who longs for adventure. When he hears about something called a 'suicide club' he decides to join and see what sort of adventure awaits him in joining. Later, you learn the true purpose of the club...but it's all amazingly contrived and silly...and the film is also filled with lots of overly mannered and stilted dialog. Overall, a silly and impossible to believe film that often makes little sense and is a waste of fine talents. Incredibly contrived and a bit stupid.

I think this is one of those stories that I could see easily remade into a classy suspense period film. Why are they butchering stories like "Sherlock Holmes" when more interesting and unique stories like this have basically sat on Hollywood's shelf since 1936. I know there have been other remakes of this story but none worth mentioning or at all famous. It would introduce this intriguing story to a new audience who know nothing of this Robert Louis Stevenson tale. Why is Hollywood remaking movies that are 20 years old and were giant hits to begin with in their own right (how can you even assume you could make a bigger hit than the original hit, i.e.- "The Karate Kid") when their are lost gems/stories out there from much longer ago that should be retold...stories that need to be reintroduced to the world- whose forgotten about some of these marvelous tales.

Bring back... "The Suicide Club".

Fanciful comedy based on an R.L. Stevenson story that is not as ghastly as it sounds. It is an underrated, 'sleeper' comedy masterfully played by a cast of Hollywood veterans, and relies heavily on Hollywood's British colony for support. The two principals, Robert Montgomery and Rosalind Russell, are at their best and get help from Frank Morgan, Reginald Owen and Louis Hayward, to name a few.

Montgomery is heir to a throne and scheduled for an arranged marriage he wants nothing to do with. He goes to London incognito and meets some strange people enroute and stumbles upon a Suicide Club. Keen for an adventure, he involves himself in the dangerous club and with a mysterious woman. Sound funny? Well, it is. The principals are two of Hollywood's best in this type of off-beat story. Very enjoyable and entertaining film from MGM and runs a quick 75 minutes.