Moviecut—Double Harness

source: Double Harness

Double Harness

As a huge fan of Powell, I thought I'd seen all his films. But I was surprised to discover this gem. The star here is really Ann Harding, but Powell shines as the object of her affection. The plot is simple, but the script is amazing and Harding's character is perfect - quiet, smart, and subdued. She manages to manipulate her life, and Powell's, until things get out of control. Then, her honesty and frankness save her. I LOVED IT!

The wonderful William Powell one year before playing Nick Charles! Just found out via Robert Osborn on TCM why this film hasn't been seen in 50 years. This picture was not available when Ted Turner bought the RKO Pictures catalog. It was tied up in litigation which was finally resolved. At that point it became available to TCM for showing. Also, TCM found a print in France that had 2 1/2 minutes which had been cut from the version available here. So TCM restored the missing footage to the film. My mother was growing up when this film came out. She tells me that Ann Harding was a big star at the time. William Powell, according to Osborn was having difficulties in his personal life. His marriage to Carol Lombard was on the rocks.

Ann Harding thinks that a woman's business is making a marriage, and she sets her sight on playboy William Powell, whose inherited shipping business is in the hands of managers who have no understanding of modern conditions. She believes that emotions have no place in business like shipping or marriage, and she can push Powell into using his native brains to running the business well. So she does, and he does, and she discovers to her horror that she loves him, while he was being gentlemanly about the whole matter. It's a witty little effort from a stage play by Edward Poor Montgomery, with two leads who are made for their roles, with a fine cast under the direction of John Cromwell. Lucille Browne has a fine role as Miss Harding's whiny, spendthrift sister. Definitely worth a look!

Just saw this on TCM and I have to say I was floored by Harding's performance, who I saw here for the first time. It takes real talent to act in melodramatic scenes and deliver them so naturally that the viewer never questions your authenticity. Harding adds hundreds of little touches - a gesture here, an eye movement there, that make her performance show you what natural acting is all about. In fact, she makes everyone else pale by comparison - Powell is his usual charming self, but next to Harding he comes off as a typical Hollywood performer. And talk about sophistication! Harding has to be the ultimate in "cool". I can only guess the reason she didn't become as big as Hepburn or Davis is that she didn't fight for better films. I'll be sure to look for more of her work soon.

Really well done adaptation of the play to the screen. Rather wordy as was most early 1930's films, but quite charming nevertheless. And, indeed, rather risque for its day since there is a supposition at one point that Ann Harding's character, Joan, in trying to trap William Powell into marriage, is giving pre-marital favors and is actually caught in the process. The chemistry between Harding and Powell is quite good and it is unfortunate that the two were never paired again in another film.

I just caught this sixty-nine minute comedy/romance from RKO (released to American theaters in 1933) on TCM as part of their lost-and-found spot tonight. Very fun picture directed by John Cromwell and starring Ann Harding, William Powell, and Lucille Browne. I am not very familiar with Ms. Harding's career, but I must say that I was very much impressed with her performance here. Actresses today should watch her in this film and take lessons. Her facial expressions had so much depth and realism, something that we, with few exceptions, do not see in modern actors. Powell holds his own as a playboy wanting to do little with his life besides play Polo and women. This was a nice warm-up spot for Powell until he would make his most legendary 'The Thin Man' ('34) the following year. DOUBLE HARNESS has a heck of a lot to offer in its 69 minute runtime. Let's hope we see this one appear on DVD soon.

Ann Harding and William Powell are terrific in this strange little gem of a movie which runs the gamut from Pre-Code Drama to Screwball Comedy! (the closing dinner party scene is worth the price of admission). John Cromwell directs with a sure hand, especially in a great tracking shot involving the two sisters. It's incredible how modern films seem to lack any sense of sophistication and style in comparison with even lesser known films from the 30's like this one. A pure joy to watch.