The Mad Miss Manton (1938)

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Siskoid
The Mad Miss Manton is a fun little Barbara Stanwyck vehicle in which she plays a socialite who keeps stumbling on dead bodies and since the police are kind of idiots, swears she and her group of gals can solve the mystery before they can. A gritty procedural, this isn't. Expect nocturne investigations in evening wear, coppers pulling faces and doing shtick, and a romance with Henry Fonda's calumnious newspaper editor. But the mystery has some good twists and turns, even if it took me a while to figure out who was who. Getting to know the particulars through gossip second-hand is perhaps not the best way to lay out the stakes. It's a go with the flow and don't ask too many questions type of affair, mostly worth it for the cracking dialog. I especially enjoyed the socialites working together, as if this were just another book club night. They were quickly drawn but distinctive enough to please. I'm certainly becoming a Stanwyck fan. 5 years 3 months ago
DerekFME
A bit of a shaky start but got that bit more engaging as it went on. Barbara was a delight to watch as always. 12 years 8 months ago