AnhartLinkin This story has more twists and turns than a second-rate soap opera.

Zandra The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.

Guillelmina The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

Geraldine The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

lugonian NOTHING SACRED (Selznick International/United Artists, 1937), directed by William A. Wellman, stars Carole Lombard in one of her finer comedies. Unlike any of her other screen efforts, this movie is notable for being her only one done entirely in Technicolor. Produced under David O. Selznick, whose earlier works of THE GARDEN OF ALLAH (1936) and A STAR IS BORN (1937) were also lenced in Technicolor, it's a wonder why his swashbuckling adventure of THE PRISONER OF ZENDA (1937), wasn't produced in the same manner while products as NOTHING SACRED could have gone just as well in black and white format. Regardless, NOTHING SACRED provided Lombard her only opportunity in a Technicolor feature, which benefits this production all the more. Cast opposite Fredric March for the second and final time, following their initial pairing in the war aviation drama, THE EAGLE AND THE HAWK (Paramount, 1933), NOTHING SACRED also shows how much better they work together in comedy as opposed to melodrama.Opening title (over the visual of Rockefeller Center and other New York City landmarks): "This is New York, skyscraper champion of the world ... where the slickers and Know-It-All peddle gold bricks to each other ... and where truth crushed together rises again are more phony than a glass eye." Wally Cook (Fredric March), star reporter for the Morning Star newspaper, along with Oliver Stone (Walter Connolly), his publisher, are holding a banquet for an important guest of honor, Prince Surta (Troy Brown), who is immediately exposed by his wife (Hattie McDaniel) as Ernest Walker, a shoeshine man in Harlem. Because of the humiliation, and unable to fire Wally due to his five year contract, Oliver reduces his star reporter to obituary editor with his desk placed inside a small filing room. Not wanting to spend those remaining years at his present position, Wally talks Oliver into sending him on an assignment in Warsaw, Vermont, to interview a young girl named Hazel Flagg, a victim of radium poisoning with only six months to live. Believing this would boost circulation, Wally is given that assignment. Before his arrival to Warsaw, Hazel (Carole Lombard, appearing 16 minutes into the start of the story), learns from her physician, Doctor Enoch Downer (Charles Winninger) that her medical report regarding her poisoning was a mistake and that she will live after all. Initially planning to enjoy life to the fullest before she dies, she chooses New York City as her destination. It so happens that Wally, after meeting with Hazel invites her to a holiday in New York as guest of the Morning Star with all expenses paid, and a day-by-day exclusive up to the time she dies. Hazel accepts the offer, taking the doctor with her. Seeing the sites as Madison Square Garden and other landmarks, she also becomes a guest of honor at the Casino Moderne. Gathering all this attention from media and public alike, Hazel begins to feel guilty being a fraud, and wants to release herself from this situation without being exposed nor hurting Wally's reputation with the newspaper.Other members of the cast include such fine reliable character actors as Sig Rumann (Doctor Emile Egglehoffer); Margaret Hamilton (The Drug Store Lady); John Qualen (The Fireman); Maxie Rosembloom (The Prizefighter), with Hedda Hopper, Olin Howland, and George Chandler in smaller but notable parts. Comedian Frank Fay plays a master of ceremonies for the Casino Moderne sequence. Monty Woolley can be spotted as one of the doctors out to examine Haze; while Billy Barty gets a cameo bit as a child who bites Wally's leg.An amusing story with notable scenes such as the opening banquet that sets the tone of the story, along with the introduction to the residents of Vermont where they all respond with one word answers, as well as Lombard contemplating a staged suicide. Walter Connolly is typical and very amusing as the harassed publisher while Charles Winninger shows he could play something other than aging performer who believes vaudeville will never die. Great scenes of New York City in Technicolor process are also an added plus. The screenplay by Ben Hecht with story by James H, Street was later revamped by Paramount titled LIVING IT UP (1954) with the comedy team of Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis in the March and Lombard roles.Falling into public domain, NOTHING SACRED was not only distributed to video cassette by numerous distribution companies in the early 1980s, but was overplayed on various television and public TV channels for several years. Currently on DVD, NOTHING SACRED also had exposure on cable channels over the years, notably American Movie Classics(prior to 2001) and Turner Classic Movies. While there are better Carole Lombard comedies worth noting, NOTHING SACRED is one that has become better known, and surprisingly short (75 minutes) for a major production. (***1/2)

anthonydavid-25706 Nothing Sacred is a satire comedy that mostly focuses on death. It is witty, cynical, a bit race but really and entertaining, part of the screwball comedy genre. Carol Lombard is the lead in the film, and she give a great performance. She is stunning and funny through out. I found this film to be on par with My man Godfrey, but i did not enjoy it as much. In order to get some of the jokes you have to put yourself in a 30's mindset, but the film is funny no matter. The plot is a bit far fetched but its the acting that keeps it all together. I had a great time watching this film and recommend it to anyone interested in a good laugh.

JimDenney Nothing Sacred is a 1937 screwball romantic comedy filmed in Technicolor and directed by William A. Wellman. Carole Lombard and Fredric March star in this somewhat unrealistic, over the top story, but the acting is solid, entertaining, and there is a strong supporting cast as well. The cynical nature of the press is portrayed in an entertaining manner and the scenes in the newspaper offices are well done, with excellent cinematography, lighting and snappy dialog. The snappy dialog accompanies a snappy pace that starts at the beginning with character caricatures and whimsical upbeat music and then a transition to city scenery and narration. The "Hello Hazel" skywriting is pretty cool.

Cd1083 It's not often that a film is able to pull off punching a woman right in the face as fodder for comedy, but it was the 30's, and domestic abuse was funny back then. No points are deducted here for poor taste, mainly because Carole Lombard got her retribution in satisfying manner. 1937's screwball comedy, Nothing Sacred does nothing special. It's a short film clocking in at less than 80 minutes; wasting no time to throw down 'The End' once the conclusion was declared. Only ten years had passed since the first 'talkie' in 1927, yet Nothing Sacred unlike many others during this period has aged quite well in comparison. Rarely while watching this film, would anyone be detracted by any technological restrictions, this inaugural screwball filmed in color has been restored to levels that allow it to look marvelous, even by today's standards.This is not a film I would go out of my way to watch again, but when taking the time to consider where film was at in 1937, it's easy to be impressed with how enjoyable of a film this was. To provide some context, actress Margaret Hamilton has a bit part early in the movie as "the drug store lady." You might better know her as the "Wicked Witch of the West," a role she's iconically play two years later.Overall, Nothing Sacred does stand on it's own. It tackles an important topic in journalistic ethics along with presenting it in absorbable medium. The acting is solid and the chemistry between the two leads is strong. This is the type of a film that lays a strong groundwork for future classics though can stand on its own without excuses. There is much to like here for film lovers who have a soft spot for these 30s-40's romantic comedies.