Evelyn Prentice (1934)

User Rating:

6.7/10   

Director:

William K. Howard

Writers:

Lenore J. Coffee (writer)
W.E. Woodward (novel)
(more)

Release Date:

9 November 1934 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Mystery | Romance

Plot:

The neglected wife of a high profile attorney dallies with a unscrupulous womanizer and finds herself involved in blackmail and murder.

Plot Keywords:

Blackmail | Murder | Neglected Wife | Womanizer | Poet

Cast

William Powell	...	John Prentice
Myrna Loy	...	Evelyn Prentice
Una Merkel	...	Amy Drexel
Rosalind Russell	...	Mrs. Nancy Harrison
Isabel Jewell	...	Judith Wilson
Harvey Stephens	...	Lawrence 'Larry' Kennard
Edward Brophy	...	Eddie Delaney
Henry Wadsworth	...	Chester Wylie
Cora Sue Collins	...	Dorothy Prentice
Frank Conroy	...	Dist. Atty. Farley
Jessie Ralph	...	Mrs. Blake
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Mariska Aldrich	...	Prison matron #1 (uncredited)
Stanley Andrews	...	Judge (uncredited)
Herman Bing	...	Klein (antiques dealer) (uncredited)
Georgia Caine	...	Mrs. Newton (party guest) (uncredited)
Sam Flint	...	Dr. Lyons (uncredited)
Billy Gilbert	...	Barney (cafe owner) (uncredited)
Sherry Hall	...	Court clerk (uncredited)
Howard C. Hickman	...	Mr. Whitlock (party guest) (uncredited)
Samuel S. Hinds	...	Mr. Newton (party guest) (uncredited)
John Hyams	...	Mr. Humphries (party guest) (uncredited)
Perry Ivins	...	Dr. Gillette (uncredited)
Joe Keaton	...	Undertermined Role (uncredited)
Isabelle Keith	...	Miss Meade (Prentice's secretary) (uncredited)
Crauford Kent	...	Party guest (uncredited)
Robert Livingston	...	Reporter (uncredited)
James T. Mack	...	Albert (butler) (uncredited)
Wilbur Mack	...	Reporter #1 (uncredited)
Sam McDaniel	...	Porter (uncredited)
Francis McDonald	...	Charles (chauffeur) (uncredited)
J.P. McGowan	...	Det. Mack Clark (uncredited)
Jack Mulhall	...	Gregory 'Greg' (uncredited)
Pat O'Malley	...	Det. Pat Thompson (uncredited)
Garry Owen	...	Reporter #2 (uncredited)
Milton Owen	...	Waiter (uncredited)
Bob Perry	...	Juror (uncredited)
Ruth Renick	...	Undetermined Role (uncredited)
Matty Roubert	...	Offscreen newsboy (voice) (uncredited)
Larry Steers	...	Dining extra (uncredited)
Billy Sullivan	...	Undetermined Role (uncredited)
Phil Tead	...	Reporter #3 (uncredited)
David Thursby	...	Juror (uncredited)
Richard Tucker	...	Mr. Dillingham (party guest) (uncredited)
Clarence Wilson	...	Public Defender (uncredited)

Directed by
William K. Howard

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Lenore J. Coffee		writer
Howard Emmett Rogers		adaptation (uncredited)
W.E. Woodward		novel

Produced by
John W. Considine Jr.	....	producer

Original Music by
R.H. Bassett		(uncredited)

Cinematography by
Charles G. Clarke

Film Editing by
Frank E. Hull		(as Frank Hull)

Art Direction by
Cedric Gibbons

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Horace Hough	....	assistant director (uncredited)

Art Department
A. Arnold Gillespie	....	associate art director
Edwin B. Willis	....	associate art director

Sound Department
Douglas Shearer	....	recording director

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Dolly Tree	....	wardrobe

Music Department
Oscar Radin	....	musical director

Production Companies

• Cosmopolitan Productions (for)
• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Distributors

• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1934) (USA) (theatrical) (controlled by Loew's Incorporated)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (1998) (USA) (VHS)
• Warner Home Video (2007) (USA) (DVD)

Other Companies

• Turner Entertainment  package design (1994 & 2007 releases)
• Turner Entertainment  supplementary material (2007 release)

Runtime:

79 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Certification:

USA:Approved (PCA #379)

Company:

Cosmopolitan Productions

Trivia:

Film debut of Rosalind Russell.

Goofs:

Continuity: In the last scene of the film, as John and Evelyn are at Dorothy's bedside, Evelyn's position at the side of the bed keeps changing from shot to shot.

Quotes:

Evelyn Prentice: There's nothing wrong with those letters. They're innocent.
Lawrence 'Larry' Kennard: Then why are you here?
Evelyn Prentice: There's nothing safe with a man like you.

Movie Connections:

Version of Stronger Than Desire (1939)

Soundtrack:

Me and My Shadow

Some good points, but ...

... not what it could have been. I'm always willing to check out a Myrna Loy/William Powell pairing, which is why I chose this one. William Powell is surprisingly good in a serious role, while Myrna Loy makes what she can of her dutiful-wife-and-mother character. The first half of the movie is quite promising, but it gets both clichéd and unbelievable in the courtroom scene in the second half. I was disappointed, because I think they really could have made something of this movie, and they didn't. As someone else has said, Una Merkel is great as Loy's best friend, while Cora Sue Collins as the couple's precious little daughter mostly makes me grit my teeth (I know, good child actors are hard to find at any time!). If you're an ML/WP fan, go for it, if not, there are other golden oldies you should probably see first!