Man of the World ** (1931, William Powell, Carole Lombard, Wynne Gibson, Guy Kibbee) – Classic Movie Review 6710

In 1931 the young Carole Lombard was teamed with William Powell in directors Richard Wallace and Edward Goodman’s Man of the World. And Powell and Lombard form a most alluring star team in Herman J Mankiewicz’s surprisingly mundane, and rather down-at-heel and tatty yarn of a conman/gigolo blackmailing his rich lady clients in Paris.

The story and screenplay are both credited to Mankiewicz, so it is he who must be to blame for the film’s shortcomings. In the story, when Michael Trevor (Powell) falls for his latest intended victim Mary Kendall (Lombard), his girlfriend Irene Hoffa [Harper] (Wynne Gibson) makes him give her up by threatening to go to the police.

There are no shortcomings in the performances, however. Powell is excellent cast against type in an unsympathetic part, Lombard is naturally skilled and appealing, and, surprisingly, the largely forgotten Gibson easily holds her own against the attractive and charismatic Lombard. And the film is handled with a lot of zest and a bit of style by director Wallace.

Also in the cast are Guy Kibbee, Lawrence Gray, George Chandler, Tom Ricketts, André Cheron, Tom Costello, Maude Truax, Harvey Clark and Rolfe Sedan.

Man of the World is directed by Richard Wallace, runs 74 minutes, is made and released by Paramount Pictures, is written by Herman J Mankiewicz (story and screenplay), is shot in black and white by Victor Milner and scored by Herman Hand. Edward Goodman had an uncredited hand in the direction.

Lombard and Powell hit it off while filming Man of the World (1931).

Lombard and Powell hit it off while filming, and they soon got married that same year, on 6 June 1931 at her Beverly Hills home. It was an attraction of opposites. She was 22, young, carefree and sweary. He was 38, mature, intellectual and sophisticated. She praised ‘love between two people who are diametrically different’, saying their relationship was a ‘perfect see-saw love’. But the marriage did not work out (‘We were just two completely incompatible people’) and they divorced on 16 August 1933, though they remained friendly and memorably starred together again in My Man Godfrey (1936).

Lombard and Powell.

Paramount Pictures had signed Lombard to a $350-per-week contract in 1930, and Lombard’s next film Ladies’ Man (1931), also teamed her with Powell, Paramount’s top male star. Lombard appeared in five 1931 releases. By 1937, Lombard was the highest-paid Hollywood star in a $450,000 deal with Paramount.

Wynne Gibson (1898–1987).

Wynne [Winifred] Gibson (1898–1987) made her last film in 1943.  She was married to John Gallaudet (1903–1983).

© Derek Winnert 2018 Classic Movie Review 6710

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