Love Crazy **** (1941, William Powell, Myrna Loy, Gail Patrick, Jack Carson, Florence Bates, Sidney Blackmer, Sig Ruman) – Classic Movie Review 3689

Director Jack Conway’s 1941 comedy does itself and us the enormous favour of teaming The Thin Man (1934) couple William Powell and Myrna Loy yet again.

Powell stars as Steve Ireland, who attempts everything he knows to try to stop his four-year-itch wife Susan (Loy) from leaving him, including trying to show that he is crazy and dressing up as his sister.

Producer Pandro S Berman’s movie is a fast-moving, scatter-brained, scatter-shot comedy, at least half of which is extremely funny. The tried-and-tested Powell-Loy team handle the slapstick and screwball comedy as gracefully and amusingly as their usual more sophisticated stuff.

The splendid stars are both on fine form and so are the supporting players, especially a funny Jack Carson, as Ward Willoughby, and Florence Bates as Loy’s dragon mother, Mrs Cooper.

The mostly highly expert writing is by William Ludwig, Charles Lederer and David Hertz.

Also in the cast are Gail Patrick, Sidney Blackmer, Sig Ruman, Vladimir Sokoloff, Donald MacBride, Sara Haden, Kathleen Lockhart, Fern Emmett, Joseph Crehan, George Meeker, Clarence Muse, Elisha Cook Jr, Barbara Bedford, Wade Botelier, Lee Phelps, Emmett Vogan, Richard Allan, Jimmy Ames, Joan Barclay, Wilson Benge, Aldrick Bowker, Ralph Bushman, Naomi Childers, Ken Christy, Jay Eaton, Harry Fleischmann, Pat Gleason, Roy Gordon, Jesse Graves, George Guhl, Mahlon Hamilton, Eddie Hart, Edward Hearn, George Irving, Selmer Jackson, Richard Kipling, Bill Lally, George Lollier, George Magrill, Philo McCullough, Charles McMurphy, James McNamara, James Milican, Jack Mulhall, Spec O’Donnell, Broderick O’Farrell, Paul Palmer, Edward Peil Sr, James Pierce, Bert Roach, Ky Robinson, Byron Shires, Larry Steers, Rudolf Steinboeck, Harry Strang, William Tannen, Edward Van Sloan, Ian Wolfe and Douglas Wood.

© Derek Winnert 2016 Classic Movie Review 3689

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