Critic Reviews

Manhattan Melodrama (1934) Rank 5 Reviews

Expert Review Summary

Movie critics combined give Manhattan Melodrama (1934) a score of 2.9470 out of 4

based on (10) reviews

Click on the numbers to the right of the graph to see reviews of that rating

Excellent

(3)

Very Good

(5)

Good

(1)

Fair

(1)

Poor

(0)

Reviews by Score:

eFilmCritic.com (Greg Muskewitz)

Supposing the "melodrama" was specifically in reference to the disconnected love triangle formed between two childhood orphans grown up and the damsel with higher aspirations, it maintains a maturity and sophistication that the term's current use ...read the complete Manhattan Melodrama movie review at eFilmCritic.com (Greg Muskewitz)

Movie Mirror

n 1904 a fire on a boat results in Blackie (Mickey Rooney) and Jim losing their parents. They are taken in by a Jewish man, but he is soon killed by police at a protest rally. By 1920 Jim has earned a law degree while Blackie gambles. When a man ...read the complete Manhattan Melodrama movie review at Movie Mirror

Three Movie Buffs (Patrick Nash)

To modern movie audiences the plot follows a clearly visible path. But remember that in 1934 it was considered an original storyline and, in fact, one the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay. One final historical note: This is the movie that John ...read the complete Manhattan Melodrama movie review at Three Movie Buffs (Patrick Nash)

Chicago Reader

This 1934 feature was the last movie John Dillinger saw before being gunned down outside the Biograph, and he might have had better luck on both counts. "A time-killer," wrote Don Druker in his original Reader commentary. "Clark Gable, William Powell, ...read the complete Manhattan Melodrama movie review at Chicago Reader

Channel 4 Film

Known to some as the film John Dillinger saw prior to being gunned down outside the cinema. Gable and Powell star as lifelong friends who grow up on opposite sides of the law; one, Wade (Powell), becomes a respectable DA, the other, Blackie (Gable), a ...read the complete Manhattan Melodrama movie review at Channel 4 Film

New York Times (--)

In the Capitol's screen offering, "Manhattan Melodrama," one finds a mechanical plot which is scarcely worthy of the cast, which includes Clark Gable, William Powell, Myrna Loy and Leo Carrillo. The story was written by Arthur Caesar, who is evidently a ...read the complete Manhattan Melodrama movie review at New York Times (--)

Time Out (--)

The last movie John Dillinger ever saw (he was fingered by the lady in red and shot as he left the cinema), this is an archetypal gangster movie of the period, a product of the moral backlash instigated by Hoover and the Hays Office in response to the ...read the complete Manhattan Melodrama movie review at Time Out (--)

Classic Film Guide

Directed by W. S. Van Dyke (The Thin Man (1934) & San Francisco (1936)) & George Cukor (My Fair Lady (1964)), uncredited, with a screenplay co-written by Joseph L. Mankiewicz (All About Eve (1950)), this film is reported to be the one that Myrna Loy fan ...read the complete Manhattan Melodrama movie review at Classic Film Guide

Frank's Movie Log

Manhattan Melodrama benefits from the casting of Clark Gable, William Powell, and Myrna Loy, who help it overcome a somewhat suspect script. ...read the complete Manhattan Melodrama movie review at Frank's Movie Log

The New York Times

In the Capitol's screen offering, "Manhattan Melodrama," one finds a mechanical plot which is scarcely worthy of the cast, which includes Clark Gable, William Powell, Myrna Loy and Leo Carrillo. ...read the complete Manhattan Melodrama movie review at The New York Times