<![CDATA[Pre-Code Myrna]]>Archived from the IMDb Discussion Forums — Myrna Loy

TheDuchessofM — 15 years ago(March 17, 2011 12:20 AM)

For some inexplicable reason, I was chewed out over at the CFB for expressing my opinion over Myrna's MGM films where she was the draw (for the record, I find them surprisingly sub-par for the studio and for someone of her talent).
Based on those films (Man-Proof, Third Finger, Left Hand, Lucky Night, Whipsaw, Stamboul Quest) and two of her Gable films, where she played second fiddle to his character's relationship with Tracy or Pidgeon, I was very much underwhelmed by her screen presence despite considering her to be an excellent actress. However, I've been able to get my hands on a few of her pre-code films and WOW. She was sexy, stunning, commanding, witty, and charismatic in a way I feel was dampened by her post-Thin Man image of the "perfect wife."
For example, in The Animal Kingdom, Emma, When Ladies Meet, and Penthouse, their mix of drama, worldliness, and a splash of wit fit Myrna's strengths to a tee. After seeing them, I feel that MGM did not really know what to do with her and that she was /not/ best supporting Powell, Gable, or any other MGM male star, or other male actors later on in her career. I also honestly feel Myrna would have fit nicely in a few of the meaty roles given to Mary Astor, Barbara Stanwyck, and Ann Harding in the 1930s. I would definitely have loved to see Myrna in a gritty film noir.
Now I'm curious as to why MGM did not develop unmistakably "Myrna Loy" vehicles the way they did for Joan, Jean, Greta, and Norma in the 1930s, and Greer Garson in the early 1940s. Could she have found better material at other studios?

]]>https://filmglance.com/discuss/topic/92898/pre-code-myrnaRSS for NodeTue, 12 May 2026 23:09:44 GMTWed, 15 Apr 2026 13:38:36 GMT60<![CDATA[Reply to Pre-Code Myrna on Wed, 15 Apr 2026 13:38:38 GMT]]>metalman091 — 10 years ago(April 01, 2016 01:34 AM)

I just wish that Myrna Loy had become a star during the pre-code era.

]]>https://filmglance.com/discuss/post/905818https://filmglance.com/discuss/post/905818Wed, 15 Apr 2026 13:38:38 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Pre-Code Myrna on Wed, 15 Apr 2026 13:38:38 GMT]]>Jrdmln — 11 years ago(March 10, 2015 07:33 PM)

I have not seen very many of Myrna Loy's pre code movies. I thought that Penthouse was good. I have not seen The Animal Kingdom. I agree. They should have given her more to do. I guess they liked her perfect wife image from The Thin Man and thought that it would be good if she kept play roles like that. I think that they should have given her more to do.

]]>https://filmglance.com/discuss/post/905817https://filmglance.com/discuss/post/905817Wed, 15 Apr 2026 13:38:38 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Pre-Code Myrna on Wed, 15 Apr 2026 13:38:37 GMT]]>metalman091 — 13 years ago(November 16, 2012 12:22 AM)

For some inexplicable reason, I was chewed out over at the CFB for expressing my opinion over Myrna's MGM films where she was the draw (for the record, I find them surprisingly sub-par for the studio and for someone of her talent).

Yeah, they can be a strange lot.
MGM probably didn't know what to do with a lot of their stars, despite being the greatest studio in Hollywood. Sometimes I wonder what it would have been like if stars like Ava Gardner working at Warner Brothers or 20th Century Fox instead.
The big reason why they didn't develop star properties for Myrna was because they found an image that was attractive at the box office.

]]>https://filmglance.com/discuss/post/905816https://filmglance.com/discuss/post/905816Wed, 15 Apr 2026 13:38:37 GMT