Manhattan melodrama. I like the title. The first time I ever knew about Manhattan melodrama
was when I saw a scene from a movie which was based on fact. It was about John Dilliger
the gangster and he went to the Biograph Cinema to see Manhattan melodrama and was shut to
death outside it. The story goes that John Dillinger's favorite movie star was Murr-Lawley
and that's why he went to see the movie at the Biograph. And the so-called Lady in Red
of course blew it that he was going to be there and that was the end of Dillinger. Is
there more legend and fact in that? Quite possibly. The movie itself is very interesting.
It was made in 934. Now anyone interested in movies can't help but be interested in
credits. Let me tell you a couple of things about the credits here. Produced by David
S. Selznick, one of his earliest films produced at MGM. The screenplay writers included Joseph
L. Mankewitz, Roland Brown, one of the minor cult figures of movies in the 30s and Pete
Smith, remember the Pete Smith specialties? The story by Arthur Caesar is known as Eastside
is also known as Three Men. That won the Academy Award for Best Original Story which was copied
and copied and copied in movies that followed. So don't say oh we know we've seen this story.
This is where it began in this film. Next, photography by James Wong Howe, one of the
greatest of all cinematographers particularly in black and white. And you know he was so
efficient he was so quick that it's said that he didn't have a reputation for being a good
cinematographer because the longer they took to set up the shots the more impressed people
were. He did it like that. Music and lyrics Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart, thereby hangs
a tale. I'll tell you that in a minute. Special effects by Slavko Vorkapic, one of the most
incredible montage makers ever in movies. If you've ever seen Maytime with Jeanette
MacDonald and Nelson Eddy, the montage of the separation of the two lovers in Maytime would
have to be one of the most stunning pieces of cinema ever to be witnessed by anybody.
In this film, Mickey Rooney made his MGM debut as a contract player. That's interesting,
isn't it? Let's get back to Rodgers and Hart. When they came to MGM, they wrote a song for
Jean Harlow to sing in a movie called Hollywood Party. And the lyric went, oh Lord, if you
ain't busy up there, I ask for help with a prayer, so please don't give me the air.
There's more to it than that. But prayer was not used in Hollywood Party because Jean Harlow
wasn't in it. So they revamped the lyrics for the song. It was called either Manhattan
melodrama or The Bad in Every Man. And the lyrics went something like this, oh Lord,
what is the matter with me? I'm just permitted to see the bad in every man. They weren't
ever keen on that song either. And after Manhattan melodrama was out of the way and had been
released, someone they know said to them, can you do something with that melody because
it would be, I think I could sell that. And it turned out to be the only popular song
ever written by Rodgers and Hart, not for a stage musical. And this was a new lyric.
Blue moon, you saw me standing alone without a dream in my heart, without a love of my
own. Yes, it was blue moon. Watch this scene particularly. It's set in Harlem in the cotton
club. Note the singer. She's a white woman. She's got black face on. She's supposed to
be a black girl. But she is a white woman. She's Shirley Ross. And you must remember
Shirley Ross being with Bob Hope on the screen, made two movies built around the same song.
Do you remember what the song is? I'll leave that one with you as a puzzle. See if you
can think of what the song is that Shirley Ross and Bob Hope sang together. Well, that's
Shirley Ross singing the song in the cotton club scene. Now let's get to the three principles.
The two leading males are William Powell and Clark Gable. I should have said that the other
way around. Clark Gable and William Powell. Now something interesting here. The third
man in the film from the original story Three Men is actually Leo Carrillo who plays a priest,
but his part isn't very big. Clark Gable had just been sent to Columbia and made it happen
one night. Little did he know when he made this film that he was going to get an Academy
Award for it happened one night. William Powell had been at Warner Brothers. They were getting
rid of their stars. They were heavily in debt, something like $6 million in debt. And
he was taken to MGM and this film revived his career. And now the third party in Manhattan
melodrama. Myrna Loy. Myrna Loy, how many movies did she make? I made a list that's
hard to believe. Myrna Loy had appeared in something like 48 movies and she was just
finding her feet in 33, 34 and she really found herself and so did William Powell in
the very first scene that they shot together and it's a scene in a car. When they appear
together on the screen for the first time tonight there's movie magic because here are
two individuals, never lovers or anything like that, two individuals who professionally,
dramatically and in comedy came together perfectly. It's rather exciting seeing Myrna Loy with
William Powell. That's one of the most fabulous things in the whole film. And the other fabulous
thing, the relationship between Gable and William Powell and their last scenes together
you will never forget. I hope you enjoy Manhattan Melodrama. I certainly hope you have enjoyed
Manhattan Melodrama, a most amazing film where in some scenes we almost get the intensity
and the unreality of Theatre of the Absurd or perhaps Greek Tragedy. I'm just rambling
at this point but there's just so much there if you'd like to explore that film further.
It has, like Rear Window, multi-levels. There's so much in it. So easy to sit back and just
say, oh I enjoyed that or I didn't, but it's when you question what you're seeing that's
when the real fascination begins. I promised last night at the end of our film Backlash
that I'd talk about a few books that have been sent to me recently. I always go through
the books very carefully and decide which ones that I feel I should draw your attention
to if you're interested in books or in movies. And I've got just a few that I'll do very,
very quickly. This is published in Australia by Oxford University Press and it's terrific.
Who played who on the screen? I really feel it should be who played whom on the screen.
It's by Roy Picard. It lets you know who played Cleopatra or Robin Hood or Howard Hughes or
Miss Marple or Scarlet Pimpernel. They're all here, the real people and the fictional
characters. It's not everything that's ever been played by any means but it's a wonderful
book, a source book, a reference book for all those people who write to me saying who
played whom on the screen. And boy do I get some letters on that one. So that's one of
the definitive books. Not that I'd tell thousands of people at once. Not movies but very interesting.
Another book from Oxford University Press that I found totally readable, very entertaining,
the Oxford Book of Royal Anecdotes. It's just been published in Australia, has a wonderful
cover and I thoroughly recommend it. If you can't get a copy for yourself, ask at your
local library. Always say the publisher's name, Oxford University Press. Now Alan Unwin,
one of the most enterprising publishers, a book I meant to tell you about the night I
presented Sequoia and thank you for all the wonderful letters about Sequoia. I think we
sent out about 500 copies of the article that I promised those who wrote in to me about
Sequoia would receive. Gary Kilworth, Hunter's Moon, A Story of Foxes. If you loved Sequoia,
you would love this novel, published in Australia by Alan Unwin. It's beautifully written and
I found it very moving. Right, now we get on to another movie book. This one comes from
Hodder and Stooten and it's a twin biography, a biography of both Joanne Woodward and Paul
Newman. I think you'd find that very entertaining and quite informative by Joe Morella and
Edward Z. Epstein. Just published in Australia by Hodder and Stooten. And if you want to
read something that will have you on the edge of your seat with suspense, the kind of book
where you can't turn over the pages quickly enough, I have two that were released by Hodder
and Stooten recently, both of them by a favourite author of mine that I discovered with a book
called The Watchers and now I have to read everything he ever wrote. Dean R. Coons, have
you seen this one around? Look at the terrific cover, Midnight. Not for those who are easily
frightened, believe you me. Midnight is a terrific story, an unusual story and I think
for adults only. And available in paperback also from Hodder and Stooten by the same author,
Dean R. Coons, Lightning. Amazing story. I'm just surprised that movie makers haven't yet
made movies of his books. One of the most incredible writers I've ever encountered.
Well there you are, very quickly some interesting new books that I thought you should know about.
Next week, Wicked Women are our leading characters. First, Jean Taney in the film version of Ben
Ames Williams' incredible story Leave Her to Heaven. Do any of you know whence comes
the title? Interesting thought. Jean Taney with Cornel Wilde, Jean Crane and Vincent
Price. A remarkable movie, a film noir with a difference. Following Leave Her to Heaven,
a wicked lady but a more lovable lady. Barbara Stanwyck as the Lady Eve with Henry Fonda,
a film written and directed by one of the greatest writer directors of the century,
Preston Sturges. So two extraordinary movies next Saturday night on the golden years of
Hollywood. Leave Her to Heaven followed by the Lady Eve and of course Friday night, a
yank in the RAF with Tyrone Power and Betty Grable. I look forward to your company on
that occasion too if you can join me. Good night and I hope you're enjoying a very happy
weekend.