Fast and Loose (1939)

just watch it!

Amazing worth wacthing. So good. Biased but well made with many good points.

Easily the biggest piece of Right wing non sense propaganda I ever saw.

A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

"Fast and Loose" was one of the many husband and wife murder mysteries spawned by the success of "The Thin Man" franchise. Living up to its title at 80 minutes, this lighthearted contemporary M-G-M crime story featured a married couple forged in the mold of Nick and Nora Charles. Robert Montgomery and Rosalind Russell were ideally cast as an amusing couple of amateur detectives, Joel, and Garda Sloane, investigating the theft of the only existing excerpt of a genuine William Shakespeare manuscript valued at half-a-million dollars. At least three people die under mysterious circumstances because of this priceless manuscript. Since this is an M-G-M effort, the production values are glossy, the cast immaculate, with glamor in every department, particularly the villainous gambling entrepreneur. Indeed, everything is its proper place, and the amusing banter between Joel and Garda Sloane is more fun than the formulaic plot. Rare book dealer--and resident smart-aleck--Joel Sloane (Robert Montgomery of "The Lady in the Lake") is approached by a client, Christopher Oates (Etienne Girardot of "The Kennel Murder Case"), who wants him to buy a scrap of Shakespearean manuscript from a wealthy gentlemen desperately needing money. The economy of Edwin L. Marin's invisible direction is surpassed only by charisma of the two leads. Montgomery and Russell belong together. They have rhythm. Like traditional heroes and heroines, they don't blunder into this investigation from the get-go, they are desperate for work themselves. The office landlord has threatened to evict them if they don't pay up in ten days. Joel and Garda are in their office surrounded by book shelves bristling with valuable texts when she utters forbidden sentiments. "Too bad they abolished slavery, you'd bring a nice price," quips Garda flippantly. I'm surprised that comment didn't spark some controversy.You can tell "Fast and Loose" is an M-G-M film because even the police look like they have better salaries. Mind you, this murder mystery unfolds in a large house, and everybody here had been there when the murders were committed. Furthermore, this crime follows infighting among the wealthy Torrent family. Nicholas Torrent (Ralph Morgan of "Strange Interlude") suspects that his son, Gerald Torrent (Tom Collins of "The Secret of Dr. Kildare"), may be stealing his prized books from his collection and selling them to pay off his gambling debts to 'Lucky' Nolan. The father plans to cut his son out of his will because of his son's larcenous spree. Joel phones one of his close friends, Phil Sergeant (John Hubbard of "The Mummy's Tomb"), who works for Torrent, Phil gives Joel nothing. Everything kicks into gear after Joel's insurance agent friend Dave Hilliard (Alan Dinehart of "Hotel for Women") asks him to visit Torrent and snoop around for him. The agent shows Joel a rare hardback copy of a book that Hilliard's company obtained. Hilliard and company are suspicious about what is happening out at the Torrent estate. Joel Sloane isn't a defenseless amateur. He pulls some mighty slick moves, especially when he disarms Nolan in the gambling house. Garda ridicules Joel about his rush to heroism and wishes that he would refrain from it. You'll chuckle when you see what condition Joel is in at the close of "Fast and Loose." Even if the climactic payoff isn't as surprising as it is, "Land of the Pharaohs" scenarist Harry Kurnitz parcels out the appropriate scenes in agreeable order. Light comedy is the order of the day. Indeed, Kurnitz would later pen the stage play "A Shot in the Dark" that would become the basis for an Inspector Clouseau comedy. Anyway, Garda needles her impetuous husband about what happened when he got in the way of a crime investigation. We learn that Joel was shot in the buttocks. Garda wiggles a finger through the bullet hole as she holds up his pants and reminds him how painful the aftermath was with an inflatable donut tube. When Joel and Garda aren't picking at each other, Joel interferes with Nolan's dame, Bobby Neville (Joan Marsh of "Anna Karenina"), to question her about her presence at the house. Harry Kurnitz provides swell dialogue, interesting characters, but the revelation about the villain's identity isn't startling. This individual was fairly smart, but like all villains tripped himself up in the long run. "Fast and Loose" doesn't wear out it welcome.

Sixth and final film with Montgomery and Russell. Kind of a Thin Man knockoff, but both were from MGM, so no-one's going to complain. Robert Montgomery is Joel, married to Garda (Rosalind Russell). Joel is hired on to figure out why books from a rich guy's collection are mysteriously appearing on the street, and no-one is reporting them missing. Keep an eye out for Ralph Morgan, as Nick Torrent, owner of the collection. You probably know Morgan's BROTHER, Frank, who was busy making Wizard of Oz, around the same time! Sound and picture are pretty good...looks like it has already been restored. You'll see the same recipe they used in Thin Man... clever but antagonistic banter between hubby and his feisty wife, and they slowly but steadily try to solve the mystery at hand. Reginald Owen is "Charlton", probably best known as the cult leader in Rosemary's Baby. Étienne Girardot is the nervous, little twitchy guy, "Oates", who seems to be mixed up in here, somehow. Girardot was already 82, and he died soon after this came out. some good chemistry between Monty and Russell, who had already worked together so many times. It's fun. shows on Turner Classics here and there.

Brush up your Shakespeare, 'cause you may need it for clues in solving this murder involving original Shakespeare manuscripts replaced by phonies. Well, MGM thought its original stars of the first entry in this three part series to be phonies, too, and out were Melvyn Douglas and Florence Rice, and in were Robert Montgomery and Rosalind Russell. Roz's addition was fine, but Montgomery seems slightly out of his element replacing Douglas. He's great in romantic comedy or drama and even in action, but after terrorizing Roz in "Night Must Fall", seems to be a desperate choice. The chemistry might have worked had Douglas been back, but he got Garbo that year, so he didn't loose in the deal. There is a bit more intrigue here, including an attempt to kill the couple in a car accident which ends up being played for laughs. Etienne Girardot is amusing as a little sprout of a man whom Montgomery orders to keep an eye on Roz. Other than the typical MGM gloss, there is nothing really remarkable about this, which comes as a major disappointment considering the talent involved. Russell gets a few opportunities to show off her comedic skills but is lost amidst the many convoluted plot twists which may make you lose attention and miss important clues in order to solve the crime. Something is definitely rotten in this state of confusion!

I love the films with Robert Montgomery. There was no one better at light comedy roles. And Roz was no slouch either. That's why this picture was so disappointing.This picture is about two murders and 40 minutes too long. Don't try to keep up with who killed whom and why-you'll get a headache! Normally with a 30's whodunit you wouldn't expect to keep up with the plot twists. But here they just bog down the lifeless story more. It's dull and formulaic. Only the charm, wit and affection of the stars make this watchable at all.But still, I'm not sorry I saw It-because as a film "buff," I wouldn't have believed otherwise that Montgomery and Roz had made such a stinker!