The Mad Miss Manton
by Leigh Jason
List Price:
Our Price: $16.35
You Save: $10.64 (39%)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Category: DVD
See more DVD details
Buy this DVD movie at online store in your country
Canada
Canada
DVD details
Actor: Barbara Stanwyck, Henry Fonda, Sam LeveneDirector: Leigh Jason
Brand: Warner
DVD: Region Code 0
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language)
Format: Black & White, DVD, Full Screen, NTSC
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 80 minutes
Published: 2009
DVD Release Date: 2009-07-21
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: RKO RADIO
DVD Reviews of The Mad Miss Manton
DVD Review: "You're up to your beautiful hips in murder!"
Summary: 4 Stars
What has THE THIN MAN wrought? True, other madcap mysteries had arrived to cinema before Nick & Nora Charles's oh so memorable debut, but it was THE THIN MAN series which propelled this sub-genre into prominence. Anyway, THE MAD MISS MANTON came along in 1938, and was one of the better variations on the theme. It paired Barbara Stanwyck and Henry Fonda for their first of three films, with THE MAD MISS MANTON considered by many as a sort of dress rehearsal for their later screwball classic The Lady Eve - Criterion Collection (the third film they co-starred in is YOU BELONG TO ME).
The plot: Late one night, while walking her dog, Park Avenue heiress Melsa Manton espies a corpse. The police arrive in ten minutes, but in the interim the corpse vanishes. Thing is, Melsa and her flighty high society gal pals had garnered a reputation around the city as prankish merry makers (all for the cause of charity, the girls declare), and now the police believe that this is only the latest antic being pulled by Melsa. A newspaper editor sends out a blistering editorial condemning Miss Manton and accusing her of a murder hoax. In the face of the police's naked disbelief and the newspaper's disregard, Melsa Manton takes it upon herself to unearth the corpse and solve the murder mystery. Never mind that she's promptly threatened with an anonymous note and a knife on her door. Oh, and she also sues the paper for libel.
Rumor has it that Henry Fonda didn't care at all for his part, but he turns in a professional performance anyway. This film is more a vehicle for Barbara Stanwyck, an actress who really could do it all. Except that Stanwyck is such a ferocious and intelligent actress that even her version of the screwball dizzy dame can't help but demonstrate smarts and a sense of solidity. Fonda, on the other hand, loses some man cred by getting beaten and tied up by eight lovely society debs. THE MAD MISS MANTON is breezy and farcical and sets a very brisk pace. Things are hopping in this film. Even the mystery is staged so that it doesn't feel like a throwaway plot device. And perhaps the reason Fonda so detested his newspaper editor role is because of his character's churlish behavior with the fair sex. He tells Stanwyck's character: "You are a nasty creature, aren't you? But in time I'll beat it out of you." And later on: "Go away! You bother me!" His comments tend to come off as more mean than the police lieutenant's terse "Shaddup!" Still, it's Henry Fonda whom Stanwyck ends up with, so go figure. But I really prefer their chemistry in THE LADY EVE.
For fans of GONE WITH THE WIND, Hattie McDaniels appears as Melsa Manton's uppity servant and she delivers several good one-liners. Sam Levene has his moments as the often irritated, pill-popping (for his ailing stomach), much put-upon police lieutenant. THE MAD MISS MANTON is also a mini-study in how to stage group shots as, for a huge chunk of the picture, Miss Manton is surrounded by her bevy of belles, all of them stunners and dressed up to the nines and in the latest trends of the late '30s. I guess you can try to differentiate among the seven debs, but none of them really stand out. I did like one politically-minded girl's (I forget which one) running exchange. She seems to think that every suggested group activity is tantamount to a communist act. There's one scene in which the girls come upon the killer holding a gun to Melsa's head:
- one girl states: "If you kill her, you'll have to kill all of us."
- You know who: "Oh, you're always talking communism!"
More The Mad Miss Manton reviews:
1
1
Description of The Mad Miss Manton
Dizzy heiress Melsa Manton and her manicured band of Park Avenue pranksters think Manhattan is an amusement park built just for them. So when Melsa stumbles across a murder victim, the pranksters decide to play detective. The only trouble is that the murderer is playing too - for keeps.Bestsellers in DVD
![The Story of Jeremiah [VHS] Image](/images/noimg.gif)
The Story of Jeremiah [VHS]Vision Video; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Wresting With God [VHS]by Vision Video
Vision Video; Published: 1990-10-01; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Price in other shops:
Study Bible Video with Workbook [VHS]Spring Arbor Distributors; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Best price: $7.95
Price in other shops:
Tempo:Childrens TV Favourites Video [VHS]HarperCollins Audio; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Best price: $9.17
Price in other shops:
Tempo.Herbs:Parseley'Sb/ Party Video [VHS]HarperCollins Audio; VHS Tape; VHS Video
![Strike the Original Match [VHS] Image](/images/Strike-the-Original-Match-VHS-0001374079-X.jpg)
Strike the Original Match [VHS]New Liberty Films; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Price in other shops:
![Medjugorje The Miracles and the Message [VHS] Image](/images/Medjugorje-The-Miracles-and-the-Message-VHS-0001373293-X.jpg)
Medjugorje The Miracles and the Message [VHS]JPN Film Production; Release date: 1995-12-15; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Best price: $29.99
Mayo Clinic Echocardiography Review Course for Boards and Recertification DVD 2008by Mayo
DVD
Price in other shops:
Pediatric Diagnostic Imaging DVD: Single Userby Oakstone
DVD
Price in other shops:
Cost Accounting [VHS]by Charles T. Horngren, George Foster, Srikant M. Datar, Howard Teall
Pearson Canada, Toronto; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Similar DVDs, VHS Video, Audio CDs
Lady of Burlesque: The G-String MurdersIMG; Release date: 2001-05-01; DVD
Best price: $3.59
Price in other shops:
Bachelor MotherWarner; Release date: 2010-12-22; DVD
Best price: $15.29
Price in other shops:
The George Sanders Saint Movies Collection (The Saint Strikes Back / The Saint in London / The Saint's Double Trouble / The Saint Takes Over / The Saint in Palm Springs)Warner; Release date: 2011-11-10; Published: 2011; DVD
Best price: $27.95
Price in other shops:
The Woman In RedRelease date: 2010-12-22; DVD
Best price: $14.66
Price in other shops:
The Secret BrideRelease date: 2010-12-22; DVD
Best price: $17.58
Price in other shops:
Breakfast for TwoWarner; Release date: 2009-07-21; DVD
Best price: $15.29
Price in other shops:
The Lady Eve (The Criterion Collection)Image Entertainment; Release date: 2001-10-16; DVD
Best price: $21.00
Price in other shops:
![The Two Mrs. Carrolls [Remaster] Image](/images/The-Two-Mrs-Carrolls-Remaster-B004RA5AU4-X.jpg)
The Two Mrs. Carrolls [Remaster]Warner; Release date: 2011-04-20; Published: 2011; DVD
Best price: $15.69
Price in other shops:
The Ex-Mrs. BradfordWarner; Release date: 2010-11-10; DVD
Best price: $16.22
Price in other shops:
Remember the NightRelease date: 2010-10-18; DVD
Best price: $17.99
Price in other shops: