Evelyn Prentice (1934)

Strictly average movie

brilliant actors, brilliant editing

The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful

It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

We are so used to seeing them in the Thin man comedies that we forget that they are both excellent all around actors. This movie highlights their acting prowess and exquisitely shows the incredible chemistry that they both had with each other. I urge anyone who hasn't seen this film to please watch and enjoy. I relished every moment as they brought their skills to this production. I didn't even realize this film existed. It will definitely be part of my Powell and Loy library. Bravo!

In the case of defense attorney William Powell, it's as close as his beautiful and noble wife (Myrna Loy) who knows more than she's telling. Their marriage has struggled a bit because of his career, and she briefly finds herself entranced by another man who ends up being murdered. Powell is brought in to defend the accused (Isabel Jewell) who claims innocence. But as evidence begins to point to Loy being at the scene, she becomes desperate to keep her secret.An enjoyable melodrama, still Manhattan, and equally scandalous. Powell and Loy prove their excellence as a team, and the dark-haired Myrna is as elegant and sophisticated as Powell's previous brunette screen partner, Kay Francis. She's still the perfect wife and mother, and wins sympathy for her plight. Una Merkel provides fine support as Myrna's confidante, with a great supporting cast including Harvey Stephens as the murdered man (not a stereotypical snake), Cora Sue Collins as the young daughter, Edward Brophy as Powell's assistant and Rosalind Russell as Powell's client in the early scenes. I should point out the adorable Jessie Ralph as a major witness, that salty voice of wisdom so scene stealing in many films of the 1930's.Yes, this story has been told on screen, particularly during the golden age, so many times, but with the class of stars and the lavish treatment, it becomes really mesmerizing. The team would move from soap opera to screwball comedy after this, but the two serious entries in their teaming prove that they indeed were capable of doing every kind of film, even a musical with "The Great Ziegfeld". This may have the label of a woman's film, but many elements of it can be appreciated by men as well.

William Powell and Myrna Loy made fourteen films together; "Evelyn Prentice" was their third, released in 1934. Powell plays John Prentice, a busy attorney who isn't spending enough time with his wife Evelyn (Loy) and child; he drifts into an affair with a needy client (Rosalind Russell) whom he has successfully defended in a manslaughter case. Evelyn is being wooed by a so-called poet (Harvey Stephens) who in truth has blackmail in mind. When he presents Evelyn with incriminating letters (though she hasn't had an affair with him, the letters are suggestive), a struggle ensues, and he winds up dead. His girlfriend (Isabel Jewell) is accused.The acting helps what has now become a familiar story. Myrna Loy is absolutely gorgeous and sympathetic as a lonely wife resisting the attentions of another man; and you know that Powell, despite his philandering, cares for her deeply. Una Merkel is delightful as Evelyn's friend.Powell and Loy worked so easily together and by all accounts enjoyed their collaborations, keeping up their friendship even after Powell retired. They're always a joy to watch.

Despite the presence of stars Myrna Loy and William Powell (not to mention Rosalind Russell in her brief film debut), supporting player Isabel Jewell's performance is easily the most memorable in this drama. Powell plays a prominent lawyer, and Jewell plays a potential client, one who can't afford his serves as much as the glamorous socialite played by Russell. The legendary Loy has some fine scenes, but she really isn't given much of a chance to change her somber demeanor throughout the picture. There isn't really much action in this film, just a few well-placed confrontations and plot devices to keep up a modest amount of suspense, plenty enough to hold ones interest in a short running time. Films of this era didn't have to rely on spectacle or sensation to be good, and this is one example.