Tales of Manhattan

The master director's hand of Julien Duvivier is very notable in the first episode of the film showing the drama of a triangle between actor Charles Boyer, Rita Hayworth and her husband Thomas Mitchell, but then the film turns to comical trivialities with Ginger Rogers and Roland Young, while the highlights are the episodes with Charles Laughtion as a conductor and Edward G. Robinson as a bum. W.C.Fields adds some hilarious comicry in his lecture at a gathering of teetotallers on the topic of the damnation of alcohols which doesn't quite turn out the way it was intended, while Paul Robeson dominates a finale in the deep south. The hand of Ben Hecht as the script writer is very prominent here, the stories and the dialog show him off at his very best, and it is a tremendous entertainment with some very profound social tendencies as well, but it is Robinson and Laughton here you will never forget.

Another variation of the same theme was used by writer Charles Beaumont on Rod Serling's TWILIGHT ZONE. That story was entitled DEAD MAN'S SHOES. In the TV drama, the shoes are taken by a derelict and his life becomes that of the deceased man from whom he took them. The only problem with this film is that it was made in 1942, when the American film studios were asked to show support for Communist Russia. The concluding sermon by Paul Robeson is more Marxist then Pro-Soviet, but its message will still haunt those who were blacklisted for their support of Royalist Spain, or made the mistake of attending Communist meetings in the early 1940's. I still rank it as a must see, and I hope that the VHS edition will become available as a DVD.

This is a forgotten classic. It's funny, moving and old fashioned. Add the fact that it's chock full of stars and you have one fun movie to watch. Edward G. Robinson is a standout as a bum trying to make good. If you like old movies, try to hunt this one down.

This is a clever frame story that follows the "experiences" of a formal tails jacket from the upper crust of the idle rich down through all levels of society. The all-star cast give great performances in five well-written stories. The film's theme has to do with the American Dream and what it really means. To some it is just social pretense and money. But to others, it is the right to express one's own art, to retain one's dignity, and to live free from fear of poverty. This is a charming and moving film. Don't pass it up.

This movie is made up of many vignettes featuring many capable stars--all centering on the same second-hand tuxedo as it is passed on from one owner to the next. I won't try to elaborate on all the segments, as one of the previous reviewers did a very thorough job of describing them. However, they are all extremely well-crafted and engaging. I would also agree that stylistically, this film is reminiscent of IF I HAD A MILLION, though the stories in Tales of Manhattan are generally less funny but more polished. The one portion of the movie that really stood out for me was the one featuring the down-and-out Edward G. Robinson attending his college class reunion (from Harvard, I think). He goes in a tattered old hand-me-down tux hoping to fool his old chums into thinking he's made it in life. You really feel for the guy in his plight--especially when a mean-spirited member of the class seeks to expose the ruse! So give it a try, why don't ya?