Scanialara You won't be disappointed!

JinRoz For all the hype it got I was expecting a lot more!

Console best movie i've ever seen.

Jenni Devyn Worth seeing just to witness how winsome it is.

Edgar Allan Pooh . . . who blurts "That's Communism!" every time someone suggests a group outing or collaborative effort. If THE MAD MISS MANTON remarks "Let's all meet back at my place at eight," this bimbo objects, "That's Communism!" When Manhattan Detective Lt. Mike Brent orders this ditsy Missy's gaggle of girls into his paddy wagon so that he can "harass them, pound them, beat them, and humiliate them," she squeals out "That's Communism!" As police snipers surround decoy "bait" characters played by Barbara Stanwyck and Henry Fonda in order to shoot the Real Killer in the back, the lame-brain blonde quibbles, "That's Communism!" As the crowd solemnly rises as One for Kate Smith's stirring rendition of the Star-Spangled Banner before the Rangers hockey contest at Madison Square Garden during the subsequently cut Hockey Game Alibi Scene concluding with that hallowed phrase "O'er the Land of the Free, and the Home of the Brave," this cockamamie socialite bellows "That's Communism!" Can RKO Radio Pictures be preparing her for the Rump Administration 79 years in advance?

Robert J. Maxwell It's as if someone at Warners had discovered a script for a B murder mystery in the rear of some almost forgotten file cabinet and decided it would be clever to impose the elements of one of the fashionable screwball comedies on it. The result is a B murder mystery with some screwball elements lathered over it.It's not a failure. The pace is so fast, the abrupt conversational exchanges are flung back and forth with such speed, that some people might classify it as "frenzied." But "Bringing Up Baby" it is not.I doubt very much that anyone will care about who gets murdered and who the murderer is. And the romance between a handsome young Henry Fonda, as a newspaper editor, and Barbara Stanwyck as a flighty socialite, evolves out of nothing much.But those are the kinds of slapdash properties that you expect to find in a B feature. And this one must have had a substantial budget. The writing may not be nearly as outrageous as it thinks it is, but there are some good lines."I don't know which is more pernicious -- you or anemia." Half a dozen young women are held at gunpoint. "If you kill one of us you'll have to kill all of us," and another girl exclaims, "Quit that communist stuff!" There are one or two successful sight gags too, one involving Fonda and Hattie McDaniel, that will bring a smile if not a full-blown laugh.Stanwyck is okay. Those used to seeing her in later roles, when her features had hardened, may not realize how attractive and vulnerable she seemed in the 1930s. Fonda can handle his comic role but the script presents him with problems that no human being could conquer. I can't avoid mentioning Olin Howland in a small role who was later to give the greatest performance ever committed to celluloid in "Them!" ("Make me a sergeant in charge of the booze!")Best of all is Sam Levene in the James Gleason role of the tough, cynical, Brooklynite police lieutenant. Gleason was convincing enough when he snarled, but his snarl was believable. It lacked any dimension other than anger. Levene is better at the role. He snarls at everyone too, but with a quality that is both resigned and humane. Underneath that rebarbative demeanor, you sense that Levene has a heart.

gridoon2018 Barbara Stanwyck and Henry Fonda have a strong, sometimes even sensual chemistry in "The Mad Miss Manton", particularly when he tells her things like "I realize that I should let go of your hand, but I'm finding that I don't want to", or when they're alone in a moonlit room, talking about their mutual acrophobia. He is young and handsome, she is hot and has probably the best, most toned arms of any actress in the 1930s. The plot can be confusing on the first viewing (with some previously unintroduced characters suddenly popping up as suspects), but this is still an entertaining comedy-mystery, with the novelty of an all-girl squad of amateur detectives on the side, plus James Burke playing the exact same kind of dumb cop he repeated in the entire "Ellery Queen" series of the 1940s. *** out of 4.

blanche-2 This is a delightful comedy/mystery, very much of its time, starring Barbara Stanwyck and Henry Fonda. Stanwyck does a great job as a madcap socialite (though the title would have you think she's a crazy bag lady) who gets involved in a murder and with reporter Fonda. Miss Manton has a mouthy maid played by Hattie McDaniel (listed as McDaniels in the credits) and many girlfriends, all of whom are at her beck and call.Stanwyck's gift for comedy is apparent, and Manton was a perfect character for her - sophisticated, clever, and vulnerable. Fonda is very juvenile and ardent. They make a great pair.