Pun Salad

An oldie (from 1934) but it's pretty good. It's easy to see why William Powell and Myrna Loy made so many movies together: chemistry, glamor, charisma, intelligence, you name it. ("Not bad for a guy with a weak chin!")

Ms. Loy plays Evelyn, and Mr. Powell is John, her high-powered, rich and famous lawyer husband. Only problem is that he doesn't spend a lot of time at home; he's always spending evenings in the office, or out of town. This makes Evelyn ripe pickings for local gigolo and all-around weasel Larry Kennard. And John is also targeted by his latest client, the beautiful widow Nancy Harrison (Rosalind Russell—woof!—in her first movie role).

As near as I can tell, nothing happens in terms of actual infidelity. But on the other hand, appearances can be very important, seeds of mistrust are sown, etc. And (worse) Kennard turns up dead somewhere around the middle of the flick, so whodunit? It all leads up to a dramatic courtroom finish, and John solves the mystery (literally) on his feet.

It's an interesting old-fashioned melodrama, with a few dashes of screwball comedy mixed in. Enough to make me check out those other Powell/Loy movies…