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 | Poet | Neglected Wife | Womanizer

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:

The third of fourteen films pairing William Powell and Myrna Loy.

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:

Mrs. Blake: Does your husband beat you?
Evelyn Prentice: No, I wish he did. He'd have to be home to do it.

Movie Connections:

Version of Stronger Than Desire (1939)

Soundtrack:

Lullaby

Inbetween The Thin Man

"Evelyn Prentice" starred William Powell & Myrna Loy, who were inbetween working on the first & second movies in "The Thin Man" series. There are similarities between their roles in this movie & their roles in that series. In both cases, they're debonair rich folks with fancy clothes & a beautiful home. In both cases, Powell plays a character who likes to drink (more so in "The Thin Man") & is involved with solving a murder mystery. But "The Thin Man" series is more light-hearted, with more flippant, snappier dialog, & is generally more enjoyable than "Evelyn Prentice." Astra the Dog is missed, & replaced by the couple's young daughter. But this is a good movie, & has a more surprising plot twist than any entry in "The Thin Man" series. The plot here has more typical pre-code elements than the later "Thin Man" entries, which I won't mention here because I don't want to give away the storyline. Una Merkel is good as Loy's wisecracking friend. Isabel Jewell is very convincing in her role (I didn't think so at first, but as I began to watch her more closely, I started to think that she's a really good actress). I rate it 8/10.