Manhattan Madness

I caught this garbage today and I don't know about the previous reviewers..one calling it a classic. I always found Marie O'Sullivan a plane Jane. No pun intended ( Jane in Tarzan ). One called her seductive....please. It might of passed the year it was made, 1935 as a "B" movie as a second feature for a double bill which was popular in those days. Great acting? I think not...the dialog even in the contest of the early '30's sounded ridiculous. Joel McCrea was completely wasted here, but obviously he had not arrived at his peak of his popularity as leading man. Robert Grieg, the butler was humorous and thats about it. My TV guide gave it 1 star out of 4...even that was being generous.

Ann Graves (Maureen O'Sullivan) is a woman on the run that has been accused of murder who hitches a ride with hot shot lawyer (Tony Baxter). The movie has several interesting characters that makes the journey interesting and entertaining. Maureen O'Sullivan is fantastic and charming and Joel McCrea is a perfect pairing for her. This movie is only 1 hour 15 minutes and if you like classic movies it will be well spent. Victor J.

Innocent Maureen O'Sullivan is waiting while the jury decides whether to find her guilty and hang her, while mobster Louis Calhern tells attorney Charles Lane he's not going to pay for an appeal. Instead, he arranges for her escape, and she jumps into business lawyer Joel McCrea's roadster. It sounds like the sort of movie that RKO was producing at this time, but this is MGM, and so it has a lot of fine actors, including Lewis Stone, Edgar Kennedy, and Robert Greig as McCrea's inevitable put upon gentleman's gentleman. Even with George Seitz directing, this is pretty weak stuff as screwball. While Greig is funny, everyone else takes the plot points very seriously. There were at least seven screenwriters on this, credited and not, and it loks like almost all the juice was squeezed from it. There are a lot of uncredited people attached, like producer Phil Goldstone, which makes me think no one wanted to be known for it.

Ann Gray (Maureen O'Sullivan) maintains that she's innocent of murdering her husband. The jury finds her guilty. In fact, mobsters believe that she is hiding the stolen $250k for her husband and they actually were the ones who killed him. They set up an accident for the transport to prison and she is mistakenly picked up by lawyer Tony Baxter (Joel McCrea). The best part is the combination of Maureen and Joel. They have a good section in the middle. The movie needs more of their connection. I don't think Betty is necessary but she does provide some good scenes early on. Movies back then is only an hour or so. It's not enough time for a lot of complexity. It probably needs to get rid of Betty so that the leads can do more together. The story needs to get simpler and this should be more straight forward.

Always enjoyed viewing Maureen O'Sullivan when she played "Jane" in the Tarzan films in the 30's and 40's. In this film, she plays a young gal with a big cloud over her head from a horrible court room decision. Maureen, plays Ann Gray," Never Too Late",'65, who comes into contact with Joel McCrea,(Anthony,"Tony" Baxter), "The Virginian",'45, who plays a hot shot ladies man lawyer in this picture, and not a cowboy. However, Louis Calhern,(Smiley Gordon),"Blackboard Jungle",'55 plays the crooked crime lord who wants to make certain that Ann Gray is not put into jail for his own personal reasons. This is a well produced B&W film and truly a great classic. Maureen O'Sullivan, made this film a classic and also the mother of Mia Farrow and her father John Farrow all outstanding actors and producers. Enjoy the 1930's.

Maureen O'Sullivan was beautiful. She was a fine actress as well. And Joel McCrea was one of the most handsome, versatile actors of the 1930s and forties. He did well settling into Westerns after that but I always feel it was the movie world's loss. These two don't have a whole lot of chemistry here but they work well individually. Louise Calhere is as always fine as a sleazy underworld figure, too. The cinematography of Charles Clarke -- not someone generally associated with film noir in later years -- is beautiful. It employs a lot of exciting shadows. The movie is part crime drama, part romance, and a little bit comedy. My preference is for movies that stick with one or another of these genres. But "Woman Wanted" works on its own terms: It has sinister moments. It's suspenseful. And we root for the lead couple.