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Adventure in Manhattan

  • 1936
  • Approved
  • 1h 13m
IMDb RATING
6.5/10
895
YOUR RATING
Jean Arthur and Joel McCrea in Adventure in Manhattan (1936)
AdventureComedyCrimeDramaMysteryRomance

A reporter meets an actress whose producer is a presumed-dead thief, and stakes his reputation on predicting the next crime.A reporter meets an actress whose producer is a presumed-dead thief, and stakes his reputation on predicting the next crime.A reporter meets an actress whose producer is a presumed-dead thief, and stakes his reputation on predicting the next crime.

  • Director
    • Edward Ludwig
  • Writers
    • Sidney Buchman
    • Harry Sauber
    • Jack Kirkland
  • Stars
    • Jean Arthur
    • Joel McCrea
    • Reginald Owen
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    6.5/10
    895
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Edward Ludwig
    • Writers
      • Sidney Buchman
      • Harry Sauber
      • Jack Kirkland
    • Stars
      • Jean Arthur
      • Joel McCrea
      • Reginald Owen
    • 21User reviews
    • 6Critic reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • Photos44

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    Top cast54

    Edit
    Jean Arthur
    Jean Arthur
    • Claire Peyton
    Joel McCrea
    Joel McCrea
    • George Melville
    Reginald Owen
    Reginald Owen
    • Blackton Gregory
    Thomas Mitchell
    Thomas Mitchell
    • Phil Bane
    Victor Kilian
    Victor Kilian
    • Mark Gibbs
    John Gallaudet
    John Gallaudet
    • McGuire
    Emmett Vogan
    Emmett Vogan
    • Lorimer
    • (as Emmet Vogan)
    George Cooper
    George Cooper
    • Duncan
    Herman Bing
    Herman Bing
    • Otto
    Robert Warwick
    Robert Warwick
    • Phillip
    Louise Bates
    Louise Bates
    • Woman Outside Crime Scene
    • (uncredited)
    William 'Billy' Benedict
    William 'Billy' Benedict
    • Office Boy
    • (uncredited)
    Mary Blake
    • Undetermined Role
    • (uncredited)
    Wade Boteler
    Wade Boteler
    • Police Sergeant
    • (uncredited)
    Romaine Callender
    Romaine Callender
    • Old Taxi Driver
    • (uncredited)
    Wallis Clark
    Wallis Clark
    • City Editor
    • (uncredited)
    Dora Clement
    Dora Clement
    • Nurse Katie - Actress in Play
    • (uncredited)
    Clyde Courtright
    • Doorman at Beauty Parlor
    • (uncredited)
    • Director
      • Edward Ludwig
    • Writers
      • Sidney Buchman
      • Harry Sauber
      • Jack Kirkland
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews21

    6.5895
    1
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    10

    Featured reviews

    searchanddestroy-1

    Why a comedy?

    It could have been a good, tough crime heist film without those comedy lines. A true excellent bank heist, through a tunnel, not an armed robbery plot. But Edward Ludwig, whose speciality will be adventure movies - CARIBBEAN, JIVARO, SANGAREE - Ed Ludwig missed the opportunity to give us a good film noir. He did it with THE LAST GANGSTER though, starring Edward G Robinson, for Metro Goldwyn Mayer, not a real tough and gritty noir either, but still good. So, back to this one, even the Joel McCrea's presence doesn't save the whole for me. Just entertaining, fun, yes, but with such crime ingredients, it could have been different and better. As if you decided to prepare an excellent dish, with the adequate ingredients choice and quantity, but with the wrong cooking time on the cooker or in the oven.
    7blanche-2

    A good cast brightens this mixed up mystery

    Joel McCrea and Jean Arthur have an "Adventure in Manhattan" in this 1936 film, also starring Thomas Mitchell and Reginald Owen, and directed by Edward Ludwig.

    McCrea plays a sharp criminal reporter who is convinced that a world-famous thief, believed dead, is actually very much alive and responsible for some big heists that have taken place. He meets Arthur, a young actress, and the two fall in love as McCrea tries to prove his theory.

    This is a really enjoyable film, with delightful performances by McCrea and Arthur. It's a bit all over the place - part screwball, part mystery. I frankly didn't see much of Nick and Nora Charles in it as others have. But the dialogue is bright, McCrea and Arthur have good chemistry, and some aspects of the mystery are good. McCrea is often thought of as sort of a poor man's Gary Cooper: a handsome, hunky all-American. In westerns there is more of a similarity, with Cooper having more gravitas, but McCrea's lighter touch and more overt personality lent themselves well to comedy. That's where he and Cooper parted company.

    Enjoyable, and with a better script, it would have been terrific.
    9clanciai

    Great entertainment by flippant journalism and shrewd theatre acting brought together

    Joel McCrea gets robbed of his wallet by some weird blonde, who proves to be mixed up with the theatre business, while he is a controversial journalist who is famous for presenting predictions that come true. It's a screwball comedy with straight and witty dialog all the way getting smarter all the time, as the plot gradually thickens, and a great bank robbery is synchronized with a great premiere of a first world war drama with reckless gunfire, bombs, explosions and plenty of smoke, and for some reason Jean Arthur gets the hang of it. She is brilliant, and so is Joel McCrea, they work splendidly together as an odd couple in constant arguments with each other about their incurable differtences, but it's a comedy - nothing to worry about.
    6planktonrules

    Decent, if not particularly inspired

    This isn't a bad film. The problem is, that this type of mystery comedy was done so much better in The Thin Man films that it pales in comparison. Plus, the character played by Joel McCrea is pretty unlikable, unlike Nick Charles.

    McCrea is a top crime reporter for the newspapers. His insights and predictions are uncanny and the problem is he is 100% sure of himself and quite the fat-head! Because he's so smug, I found it hard to like him and couldn't see why nice Jean Arthur was taken in by him. So what if he was so smart--he's still kind of a jerk. As a result, the chemistry just isn't quite right.

    The plot itself concerns a master criminal that everyone EXCEPT McCrea thinks is dead. Throughout the film, McCrea swears he will eventually catch this "gentleman criminal", though this man's exact identity is unknown.

    The acting is decent and the film does offer a few laughs and interesting moments--but not enough to make this a "must see" film.
    7den_quixote

    Fun

    This is a fun film for all Jean Arthur and Joel McCrea fans and it is available online. The basic premise is that Joel McCrea is a likable newshound who angers some of his cronies with his boundless ego and they play a little joke on him. Enter Jean Arthur. After some ready made coincidences and a lot of tomfoolery the mystery is solved. In between we have some ideas stolen from earlier pictures and at least a couple that are stolen for later films. I find that kind of stuff fun so I definitely recommend this one as time well spent.

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    Related interests

    Still frame
    Adventure
    Will Ferrell in Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004)
    Comedy
    James Gandolfini, Edie Falco, Sharon Angela, Max Casella, Dan Grimaldi, Joe Perrino, Donna Pescow, Jamie-Lynn Sigler, Tony Sirico, and Michael Drayer in The Sopranos (1999)
    Crime
    Mahershala Ali and Alex R. Hibbert in Moonlight (2016)
    Drama
    Jack Nicholson and Faye Dunaway in Chinatown (1974)
    Mystery
    Ingrid Bergman and Humphrey Bogart in Casablanca (1942)
    Romance

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      On the map of Manhattan that George is doodling on, what is now Roosevelt Island (in the East River) is labeled Welfare Island. It was named that from 1921 to 1973, for the several hospitals there. It was renamed Roosevelt Island in 1973, in honor of FDR.
    • Goofs
      While playing pool the level of Joel McCrea's beer goes from half-full to almost full.
    • Quotes

      Claire Peyton: [looks around the room] My, how the Ritz has shrunk.

    • Connections
      Featured in One Rogue Reporter (2014)
    • Soundtracks
      It's a Long, Long Way to Tipperary
      (1912) (uncredited)

      Written by Jack Judge and Harry Williams

      Sung a cappella by soldiers in the play

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    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • October 8, 1936 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Languages
      • English
      • French
    • Also known as
      • Purple and Fine Linen
    • Production company
      • Columbia Pictures
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      • 1h 13m(73 min)
    • Color
      • Black and White
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.37 : 1

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