Folie douce

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.

In watching Love Crazy I was amazed at how the film picked up in the second half. In the first half William Powell and Myrna Loy are the usual happy married couple, but through some typical movie situations, some of them very forced, they wind in divorce court.

Powell realizes that things have just gotten completely out of hand and wants to apply a break to the divorce. But Loy won't hear of it. So Powell decides to put on a crazy act because if insanity is claimed a thirty day hold is put on the proceedings.

Sad for Powell, but hilarious for the viewer the scheme succeeds all to well. The second half of the film reaches a frantic pace that comes close to something Mel Brooks might put together. Powell is first trying to prove he's insane and then very much trying to prove he's not.

Such wonderful supporting players as Florence Bates, the mother-in-law from hell, neighbors slinky Gail Patrick and slow burn Donald MacBride; blow-hard Jack Carson, a redundancy if there ever was one, Viennese psychiatrist Sig Ruman, make this Powell-Loy film a joy to watch and one of the better ones where they're not Nick and Nora Charles.

Powell does more physical type comedy in this film than in any other I've ever seen. Even more than Libeled Lady because it had only that one classic scene in the trout stream. Here Powell is engaging in all kinds of screwy behavior because he's trying to convince people he's just that. Topped off by him shaving his famous mustache and getting into drag to play his own make believe sister.

Great screwball comedy one of the best of its kind.

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.

"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.

Although two of the "Thin Man" films, and "I Love You Again" usually have their fans as the best Powell-Loy romp, this one is in that select bunch. Powell never did another film with a drag scene in it - and what a scene (his fake breast slowly collapses when it is snared on a record player). The scenes with psychiatrists Vladimir Sokoloff and Sig Ruman are funny too, as are the various confrontations with mother-in-law Florence Bates (notice that business about the unwanted rug she gave them), and ...best of all... the other man in the plot - Jack Carson who is always ready to explain he is Ward Willoughby (one wonders if Rod Sterling watched this and Willoughby's eventual fate, when he created the "Twilight Zone" episode about the town of that name). I found this an absolute scream, and recommend it highly.