Product Description

This set includes: Manhattan Melodrama Loy and Powell's first screen pairing showcases an on-screen magic that also sparks the tense courtroom thriller Evelyn Prentice. Comedies however - urbane to insane - were the duo's mainstays and this set has three of their bubbliest. In Double Wedding Loy doesn't want her sister to wed bohemian Powell. Any guess who does? A clunk to the head convinces fuddy-duddy Powell he's a con man - and Loy finds her changed hubby appealing in I Love You Again. And the loopiness gets loopier when Powell pretends he's off his rocker to stop Loy's divorce proceedings in Love Crazy.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: DRAMA Rating: NR UPC: 012569798229 Manufacturer No: 79822

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #17926 in DVD
• Brand: Warner Brothers
• Released on: 2007-08-07
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Formats: Box set, Black & White, Subtitled, Color
• Original language: English, Spanish
• Subtitled in: English, French
• Number of discs: 5
• Dimensions: 1.00 pounds
• Running time: 454 minutes

Features

• This set includes: Manhattan Melodrama, Loy and Powell's first screen pairing, showcases an on-screen magic that also sparks the tense courtroom thriller Evelyn Prentice. Comedies, however - urbane to insane - were the duo's mainstays, and this set has three of their bubbliest. In Double Wedding, Loy doesn't want her sister to wed bohemian Powell. Any guess who does? A clunk to the hea

Amazon.com
The Thin Man was just the beginning. Myrna Loy and William Powell were one of Hollywood's best-matched screen teams, with the chemistry fairly bubbling in their scenes together, as this Warner treasure trove boxed set shows. Audiences in the '30s and '40s delighted in the fact that Loy's urbane sophisticate characters could match Powell's quip for quip, martini for martini.

Manhattan Melodrama (1934) showcases Powell and Clark Gable as longtime friends on opposite sides of the law, and is the first pairing of Loy and Powell (and the first of four films they would make in 1934 alone. The film is briskly directed and the crackling screenplay won an Oscar the next year. Evelyn Prentice (1934) is the troubled wife (Loy) of a preoccupied attorney (Powell) who appears oblivious. The story isn't one of the strongest in the collection, but the cast sparkles nonetheless. A witchy Rosalind Russell makes her memorable film debut as a femme fatale.

Double Wedding (1937) lets Loy and Powell flex their comedic chops. The plot is full of switchbacks and misunderstandings, but the key point is that their pal Waldo (John Beal) is that dreaded '30s male screen archetype, the milquetoast. Much of the film's fun is watching Powell's character coach poor Waldo to grow a backbone: "Women don't like noble, self-sacrificing men. Women are not civilized like we are. They like bloodshed!"

I Love You Again (1940) is one of the top screwball comedies of all time. George (Powell) is bonked on the head and realizes he's had amnesia for the past several years, has been terribly boring and has been, yes, a milquetoast--who's about to be divorced by his fed-up wife, Kay (Loy). The crazy plot is lofted by the brilliant screenplay and the delivery of the two leads, who spar like expert fencers: George: "You be careful, madam, or you'll turn my pretty head with your flattery!" Kay: "I often wished I could turn your head--on a spit, over a slow fire." Divine! Love Crazy (1941) is another classic farce, featuring Powell in drag, Powell faking insanity, Powell conniving to win back Loy's love--all in a witty, urbane way, of course.

The set is also chockfull of great extras, with each feature paired with a classic comedy or musical short, plus cartoon or audio radio interviews. The icing on the cake: The fabulous packaging, including an image from the original movie posters on the discs themselves. Film lovers won't want to miss this splendid collection. --A.T. Hurley

From the back cover
Fans know them as the champagne set of sleuthing: Nick and Nora Charles of the Thin Man movies. But the class acts don't end there. Manhattan Melodrama, Loy and Powell's first screen pairing, showcases an on-screen magic that also sparks the tense courtroom thriller Evelyn Prentice. Comedies, however--urbane to insane--were the duo's mainstay, and this set has three of their bubbliest. In Double Wedding, Loy doesn't want her sister to wed bohemian Powell. Any guess who does? A clunk to the head convinces fuddy-duddy Powell he's a con man--and Loy finds her changed hubby appealing in I Love You Again. And the loopiness gets even loopier when Powell pretends he's off his rocker to stop Loy's divorce proceedings in Love Crazy. Classic craziness! Plus delightful extras from the vault: Vintage shorts, classic cartoons, radio show on Love Crazy.

Customer Reviews

All but one of the Powell/Loy films are now on DVD
This collection contains five titles currently not on DVD that were made starring the famous duo during the same time frame as their "Thin Man" series. With the exception of 1947's "The Senator was Indiscreet", this puts all of the Loy/Powell films on DVD. The extras described below are from a press release from Warner Home Video. The biggest let-down about this set is the lack of commentary for any of the films, but Warner probably figures with the amount of documentary material they put in the Thin Man Boxed Set, they would just be going over old territory. The films, in chronological order, are as follows:

Manhattan Melodrama (1934)
This is more of a movie with Powell and Loy than one about them as a couple. The focus is more on Clark Gable and William Powell, who play two orphans who grow up together but wind up on opposite sides of the law. Myrna Loy plays the woman that both characters love. Gable plays the gangster in this film, Powell the guy who goes up the political ladder. The melodramatic part is that as D.A. Powell's character wins a conviction against Gable's character, and as a result he is sentenced to death. Later, as governor, Powell must decide whether or not to commute his childhood friend's sentence. Powell is very good here at playing a more serious role.
Special Features:
· Comedy short "Goofy Movies #2"
· Classic cartoon "The Old Pioneer"
· Theatrical trailer
· Subtitles: English & French (feature film only)

Evelyn Prentice (1934)
This one seems to miss a step as far as plot holes go, but it is still above average. Powell plays a defense attorney who is also part detective, and whose heavy-duty work habits cause him to neglect his wife, played by Loy in the title role. As a result of this neglect, Loy commits an indiscretion with a playboy and ultimately figures into her husband's next big murder case.
Special Features:
· Comedy short "Goofy Movies #3"
· Classic cartoon "Discontented Canary"
· Theatrical trailer
· Subtitles: English & French (feature film only)

Double Wedding (1937)
This is a different kind of film for Powell and Loy. Loy plays high-powered businesswoman Margit Agnew who is unhappy to learn that her little sister is planning to marry vagabond Charlie Lodge (William Powell) who, since he lives in a trailer, is hardly in a position to support her. Margit tries to intervene, and in the end winds up with Lodge herself. The plot is thin, but the comedy is very good. This film was shot partly before and after the death of Jean Harlow, who was Powell's lover and Loy's good friend. Filming was suspended for awhile due to the tragedy.
Special Features:
· Musical short "Dancing on the Ceiling"
· Classic cartoon "The Hound and the Rabbit"
· Theatrical trailer
· Subtitles: English & French (feature film only)

I Love You Again (1940)
My favorite non-Thin Man Loy and Powell movie and showcases everything that is great about the chemistry the two had on screen. Powell plays stuffy and rich Larry Wilson, who, after a blow to the head, realizes he is actually confidence man George Carey. Wilson is just some alternate identity he assumed after he first got amnesia nine years before. Realizing he has a sweet deal in his wealthy second identity, Carey decides to clean out Wilson's finances and leave town. However, when Carey meets Wilson's estranged wife, played by Loy, he falls for her and decides to hang around long enough to win her back.
Special Features:
· Crime Doesn't Pay Series short "Jackpot"
· Classic cartoon "Tom Turkey and His Harmonica Humdingers"
· Theatrical trailer
· Subtitles: English & French (feature film only)

Love Crazy (1941)
Another excellent entry in the Loy and Powell series of movies. After four years of marriage, Stephen Ireland (William Powell) runs into an old girlfriend that lives nearby. The two end up just talking, but a series of comic misadventures cause Stephen's wife, Susan (Myrna Loy), to believe Stephen is cheating on her and she decides to divorce Stephen. Desperate to keep Susan, Stephen decides to pretend he is not in his right mind to draw things out. He does such a good job that everyone believes him - except his wife. There is some great physical comedy here by Powell.
Special Features:
· Classic cartoon "The Alley Cat"
· Audio-only bonus: Screen Directors Guild Playhouse Radio Broadcast
· Theatrical trailer
· Subtitles: English & French (feature film only)

A TRUE 5-STAR SALUTE FOR ONE OF FILMDOM'S GREATEST SCREEN TEAMS!
When it comes to screen chemistry between two stars, there were probably only four that stood the test of time...Fred & Ginger, Flynn & de Havilland, Tracy & Hepburn, and my personal (non-musical) favorites, the unbeatable combination of WILLIAM POWELL and MYRNA LOY.

A million thank-you's to those amazing folks at Warner Brothers who keep managing to find a way to drain my bank balance...and I couldn't be happier. Every set from Warner is a winner, but this one is particularly appealing, because I've practically worn out my 6 Thin Man discs!

Here we get a broader spectrum of this terrific twosome. Their screwball shenanigans take center stage in laugh-filled romps such as DOUBLE WEDDING, I LOVE YOU AGAIN, and LOVE CRAZY. All hysterical. All worth countless viewings. Equally compelling are the more serious films in this set, the box-office smash MANHATTAN MELODRAMA, where CLARK GABLE shares the screen with Loy and Powell, and the highly underrated EVELYN PRENTICE which is a great showcase for both Ms. Loy and Mr. Powell. All five films will be joined by extra features, as is always the Warner way.

If you only know these two as NICK & NORA, you're in for even more fun...
and you might as well pick up the already-available LIBELED LADY, which is truly one of the greatest comedies of all time.

Thank you Warner Home Video for honoring this terrific twosome so wonderfully!

A DEBUT FOR ROSALIND.
In her film debut, Rosalind Russell plays Nancy Harrison, a woman who gets acquitted for manslaughter by her lawyer Powell - and the plot thickens......EVELYN PRENTICE demonstrated that Powell and Loy could enthrall audiences in a serious drama. In their third time out, Powell and Loy found themselves again involved with criminal doings, although not as Nick and Nora Charles!. The proceedings this time are more solemn, with less opportunity for fey humour and amusing sallies, the prevailing mood being somber. Powell turned in a performance of considerable dignity in this film as he gets across to the audience the character of a seriously dedicated man of the law who pays the price for sacrificing his personal life with his wife and child to the exigencies of his career. Myrna Loy is charming and capable as usual in the title role, and Isabel Jewell is memorable in a key role. William K. Howard directed with an expert eye for the tensions implicit in the drama, and the excellent Lenore Coffee screenplay helped Howard put a lot a narrative punch into the film. A strong supporting cast includes Una Merkel, Jessie Ralph and Edward Brophy.