Penthouse (1933)

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Penthouse is 88 minutes long, and it takes about 35 for Myrna Loy to put in an appearance, despite her high billing. Instead, we're far more concerned with defense attorney/detective Warner Baxter, looking like frequent Loy pairing Clark Gable on the poster there, and even he seems secondary in a first act that introduces a large cast and sets up the murder mystery. When Loy does appear, it's as a high-price call girl (pre-Code, baby!) who, if not exactly a witness, is at least an informant. And a charming one. But there's always the risk in this kind of movie that she'll be a fatale and end up betraying our daring lawyer. Director W.S. Van Dyke does for her here what he'll do for her again and again in the Thin Man movies and others - help her shine in bantery romcoms and flippant mystery tales. Penthouse is historically notable as the first of many collaborations for them over the next 8 years. But as a mystery? It's just okay. Not so much a whodunit as it is a how-to-prove-it, its best twist the lawyer's guardian angel, a racketeer he recently got off. And the worst bit is the women's fashions, so not too bad. More Myrna would have undoubtedly raised its rating. 1 year 8 months ago