March 30 movie: Penthouse. Detective story starring Warner Baxter as a lawyer with underworld connections who solves a murder mystery with the help of Myrna Loy. Based on that description this sounds like a gritty crime drama, but it was actually a light & fluffy comedic, um, crime drama. Pre-Hayes code they were fairly explicit about some plot elements. For instance the ladies' jobs (Loy and her best friend are sort of bar hostesses/prostitutes), Loy's disappointment when Baxter behaves like a gentleman, and her willingness to shack up with him. I enjoyed this, although I found the male lead didn't have much presence. I had difficulty telling him apart from one of the other characters. Loy, on the other hand, was wonderful as ever. This movie was made the year before The Thin Man made her a huge star.
Post a comment