Category Archives: William Powell

The Casino Murder Case (1935)

rosalind russell paul lukas casino murder case on the set
Rosalind Russell and Paul Lukas filming a scene for The Casino Murder Case (1935)

“It was so bad, and I was so bad in it, that it gave my maid Hazel ammunition for seasons to come,” writes Rosalind Russell about the 1935 film The Casino Murder Case and her role in it. “’If you don’t behave,’ she’d say, ‘I’m going to tell people about that Casino Murder Case.’” This film was Russell’s first chance at a romantic lead, but it was forced upon her. She didn’t feel ready for leads, but she had to do it.

rosalind russell casino murder case
Rosalind Russell in The Casino Murder Case (1935)

The film stars Paul Lukas, who has a heavy Hungarian accent, and plays Philo Vance, previously played with great success by William Powell and once by Basil Rathbone. There were many film adaptations of the “murder cases” of Philo Vance, but it is difficult to say why they would cast someone like Paul Lukas in the role in 1935. He did not have the grace and charm that William Powell had, and because the character of Philo Vance was a New York city crime buster, it seems odd they would cast someone from Hungary.

The film revolves around an eccentric, dysfunctional family and the strange things that keep happening to them. We first see the matriarch of the family at an auction, bidding on worthless junk with the aid of her secretary/companion Doris (Rosalind Russell).

rosalind russell casino murder case
Rosalind Russell in The Casino Murder Case (1935)

Mrs. Llewellyn (Alison Skipworth) is outbid by Philo on an awful statue of Cupid, which he proceeds to break into pieces right outside the auction house. He had earlier received a letter that said in part that Lynn Llewellyn, Mrs. Llewellyn’s son, would experience an “awful tragedy” if he doesn’t act quickly. He is immediately intrigued by Doris and even offers to carry the purchases for her, but she tells him she doesn’t trust him (after seeing him break the Cupid) and leaves. Philo shows up at the Llewellyn house and this is when we first meet the rest of the family. First, there is Virginia (Louise Henry), who is married to Lynn (Donald Cook), but wants to leave the stuffy old house and go back to show business, which the elder Mrs. Llewellyn forbids. Next we have Amelia (Isabel Jewell), who is a sad young woman who feels she’ll never leave the big house, although she is engaged to a doctor who also lives there; she usually has a drink in her hand and drinks her sorrows and troubles away. Also there is Mr. Kinkaid (Arthur Byron), Mrs. Llewellyn’s brother who is completely uninterested in the goings-on most of the time. Besides a few other servants, there is Becky (Louise Fazenda), a funny, snooping maid who seems to have an opinion about everything.

After Philo Vance leaves the house after meeting everyone, Doris is leaving for some errands and he offers to give her a lift.

rosalind russell louise fazenda casino murder case
Rosalind Russell and Louise Fazenda in The Casino Murder Case (1935)

As they cheerfully drive down the road, Doris informs him that she knows he isn’t taking her to the library like she asked. He tells her it’s true, that he wants to take her back to his apartment to meet the district attorney about some trouble involving the Llewellyn family. One important thing to note about this scene is the wacky and wonderful way Rosalind opens her eyes wide, looks at him out of the corner of her eye, or rolls her eyes in reaction to something he has said. It is clear that even at this early point in her career, she was destined for comedy. She was already a master of funny facial expressions.

 paul lukas rosalind russell casino murder case
Paul Lukas and Rosalind Russell in The Casino Murder Case (1935)

In a later scene, Doris accompanies Philo to the casino, and Lynn asks her to please go back to the house to quiet things between Virginia and his mother, as they were usually bickering. When she goes back to the house, it is looming with creepy shadows and while she gets Philo on the phone, something extraordinary happens. Virginia has been poisoned there at the house, and at the same time, so has her husband back at the casino. Although Lynn survives the murder attempt, Virginia does not.  Later, Mrs. Llewellyn is found dead by a gunshot wound with a note by her side, admitting that she killed her daughter-in-law, Virginia. It is at this point that I glimpse a bit of bad acting on Rosalind’s part. She stands at the top of the stairs, puts her hand dramatically to her head, and screams out hysterically before fainting.

paul lukas rosalind russell casino murder case
Paul Lukas and Rosalind Russell in The Casino Murder Case (1935)

Although that is technically a dramatic part of the story, I laugh because it is ridiculous the way she does it. But it is likely Rosalind would not defend herself on this point because she thought she was rather bad in the movie.

Rosalind Russell provides a rather youthful female partner for Paul Lukas, who, at almost 44 years old, was 16 years older than her. Truthfully, I do not see the two as a plausible couple and do not see the chemistry radiating off of them in any of the (few) romantic scenes. And on another truthful note, it is revealed that the murder attempts on the Llewellyn family had something to do with something called “heavy water” and it appears Mr. Kinkaid is behind it. If heavy water, which has a larger than normal amount of the hydrogen isotope “deuterium”, is consumed in large quantities, it can result in death. Mostly, this film’s story is rather boring. Without the charm and charisma of a William Powell-type actor, the main character comes off bland, and the chemistry between the two romantic leads is almost nonexistent, which doesn’t help matters. I do not highly recommend this film. I would rather recommend one of the earlier film adaptations of the Philo Vance cases, especially the William Powell versions. However, if you are as big a fan of Rosalind Russell as I am and you must see it, then definitely do so!

casino murder case poster
Poster for The Casino Murder Case (1935)

Evelyn Prentice (1934)

Rosalind Russell Evelyn Prentice
Rosalind Russell in Evelyn Prentice (1934)

This will be the first post in a series in which I will write about all of the films in Rosalind Russell’s filmography chronologically. That being said, let’s start with her debut—Evelyn Prentice. This film stars the versatile and loveable William Powell and Myrna Loy, a screen couple franchise—that’s what I like to call them—whom the public adored and made MGM a lot of money. Rosalind Russell, 27 years old at the time, was absolutely green in the movie industry, coming from a career on the stage (most recently with an English stage troupe led by the great C.C. Clive) right to sunny California where she didn’t know anyone. She was a lucky one, too, because although she wasn’t very well known as an actress, she got herself a contract with the most revered studio of the day, MGM studios, whose motto was “More stars than there are in heaven.” And for Roz to be put immediately into a movie with William Powell and Myrna Loy? That was just icing on the cake. While she shares no scenes with Myrna Loy, Roz became great friends with both Powell and Loy, two actors who enjoyed Roz’s sense of humor and bubbling personality. Rosalind came to adore William Powell, who was kind enough to help her with her first movie project. She didn’t quite know what to do in front of the cameras, and so she would simply walk across the soundstage, say her line, and walk out. But she was doing it all wrong, Powell pointed out to her. She had to hit the “marks” on the floor—walk and then stop on the chalk marks that guided the actors and cameramen. She appreciated his help and called Powell a “divine man and a great friend.” She was brought in as a back-up for Myrna Loy whenever Miss Loy didn’t like a movie she was put into or threatened to walk out. As Rosalind said, she was “a threat behind Myrna.”

Rosalind Russell Evelyn Prentice
Rosalind Russell, publicity shot for Evelyn Prentice (1934)

Evelyn Prentice centers around John Prentice and his wife, Evelyn (William Powell and Myrna Loy). John is a busy lawyer who seems to spend more and more time at the office than at home, which has his wife restless and lonely. In the beginning of the film, he is busy on a case for Nancy Harrison (Rosalind Russell), who has been charged with manslaughter when she got into a car accident with a man who died at the scene. After John gets her acquitted, it is obvious she likes him as more than just her lawyer. She even takes a train for Boston because she knows he will be on the same train. Later, she sends a to John’s wife Evelyn, which is marked to be a gift to Nancy from John with a note saying it was found in John’s compartment. Roz’s character is a troublemaker, trying to ruin an already fragile marriage. She isn’t successful, and although 15 minutes into the movie, we never see her again, she certainly is noticeable. Being a widow, she always wears black in the film, and she looks lovely in the outfits, matching her equally dark hair.

Rosalind Russell William Powell Evelyn Prentice
Rosalind Russell and William Powell in a deleted scene from Evelyn Prentice (1934)

I highly recommend this movie because of Myrna Loy. The movie includes a wonderful courtroom scene, where Evelyn is on the stand, giving her heart-shattering testimony. Her testimony is beautifully moving and I always find my eyes glued to the screen during this scene. Isabel Jewell also gives a great performance on the stand, sparking a few tears in my eyes.

william powell myrna loy evelyn prentice
William Powell and Myrna Loy in Evelyn Prentice (1934)
myrna loy una merkel evelyn prentice
Myrna Loy and one of my favorite character actresses, Una Merkel

Here are some links pertaining to the film:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0025091/

http://screensnapshots.blogspot.com/2012/03/evelyn-prentice-1934-wheres-asta.html

Buy the film here

The full movie on YouTube

 

 

 

"Evelyn Prentice" –A Good Start

Howdy folks,

I see from the results of the first poll that Hildy Johnson is the favorite character. Good choice, all J Mame Dennis is my personal favorite, in case you were wondering. I watched the movie Evelyn Prentice about a week ago. It is from 1934 and stars William Powell and Myrna Loy, my favorite on-screen couple. Of course I’ve seen this movie several times already because not only is it a Bill and Myrna film, but it was Roz’s screen debut. While Roz is gone within the first 15 minutes of the movie and comes off as somewhat of a “homewrecker,” it is very interesting to see her in her first movie at the age of 27.

I remember reading that she did not quite know how the movie business worked, having been in summer stock up until that point. Bill Powell had to tell her that she could not just simply walk into the scene and walk out. She had to stop on the marked spots on the ground. The shot had to be just right, after all, hence the marks on the floor.

One thing I notice in this film is how low and soft Roz’s voice is. It is not quite the voice we are probably used to—that loud voice full of excitement and energy, ready to instill laughter at any given moment. I am glad she went on to her famous comedic roles, but “Evelyn Prentice” was a still a good start for her. I believe the small roles she received in the first few years at MGM probably gave her plenty of time to hone her acting skills in a variety of roles, from drama to comedy. Another thing that stood out to me was how her dark clothing (her character is a widow) looked with her equally dark hair and eyes. Very interesting effect and she did well her first time up at bat.

On a last note, Bill and Myrna are as adorable as ever, although this is more drama than comedy. The last courtroom scene with Myrna crying on the witness stand always moves me. She just breaks my heart in that scene!

I’m signing off for now, friends. See you later 🙂

"Evelyn Prentice" (1934)

TCM will be showing two daytime marathons this month of Rosalind Russell movies (10/19 and 10/28). Each day this month, I will post a series of photos from each movie they will show.

The first one they will be showing (10/19) is also Roz’s debut movie, Evelyn Prentice. She appears very briefly, but catch it to see her first screen appearance, and if you are a fan of William Powell and Myrna Loy, you will surely enjoy it: Read about Evelyn Prentice