Too Hot to Handle (1938)

TOO HOT TO HANDLE is a screwball mixture of comedy, action and romance but most of it is too incredible even though it is well played by the star trio--Gable, Loy and Pidgeon.Throughout the story, the tricks and downright deception (including lots of unethical behavior) are the dominant factors that keep the plot spinning. Walter Catlett has a high time as a temperamental newsreel boss who wants wartime footage from Gable, the kind that will scoop a rival newsreel company. This rivalry pits Gable and Pidgeon against each other for the entire running time and includes rivalry over a woman aviatrix (Myrna Loy), who needs their help in finding her brother missing in the Amazon.The strands of the story are woven uneasily in a mixture of comedy and drama that doesn't always work. Clark Gable has the pivotal role as one of the world's most conniving newsreel photographers. He has one hilarious scene at the start where he's faking an aerial bombing in China, calling all the shots and getting everything mixed up due to the language barrier. It's Gable at his comedic best.But the script is overly busy in too many directions and the hi-jinks become tiresome before the story is over. Certainly not the best of Gable's MGM movies, even though he's paired with Myrna Loy. Walter Pidgeon has a livelier part than usual and makes the most of it.Summing up: A major disappointment, considering the cast.

The opening scenes of this film reminded me a bit of how the much later "Airport" (1970) begins, where you learn a little about how the business works. In this case, the business is newsreels.This film was produced just a year before "Gone With The Wind", but what a difference with cinematography and general sophistication between the very 1930-ish "Too Hot To Handle" and the decades ahead of its time "GWTW". And, the aerial stunts Gable supposedly portrayed here just aren't believable.Nevertheless, it's an entertaining flick, despite its flaws. And one of the chief flaws is the likable scoundrel Clark Gable...and he was likable, but not lovable...so why exactly did Myrna Loy's character fall in love with him? Did women in the 1930s really have a total lack of good taste? Just when you think the film is preposterous, things begin to look up. Myrna Loy's brother is missing in South America, and our pals (Loy, Gable, and Walter Pidgeon) head for the Amazon where they encounter South American natives, all of whom happen to be African????? And what those African transplants fall for is just plain hokey; where in blazes does Gable's compadre get a movie projector in the middle of the jungle, let along the electricity to run it. Preposterous.The acting of Gable, Loy, and Pidgeon is all great. But the script is pathetically foolish. And speaking of acting -- kudos to character actor Walter Connolly, who turns in a heck of a performance as Gable's newsreel company boss.Perhaps if they had simply had Latinos playing the South American natives one could forgive the inconsistencies in this film. But this blunder is all too much.There's nothing wrong with this film...except 78 years of sophistication. Entertaining? Yes. Believable? No. NOT a flick for your DVD shelf!

The reviews on this board caused me to give this old one a look this time around, having skipped it before. I didn't like the venue - all that native stuff, etc. But were they ever right about this being a great movie, actually one of the best for the interaction of these stars. Clark Gable just had the quality that always provided interest. He seemed to go into overdrive when playing a hustler type. Same for Myrna Loy about being interesting particularly in comedy. I like Walter Pidgeon differently, appreciating him in his active roles like this one and also for his gentlemanly portrayals. Very durable and reliable stars working well together in this. And funny and wild and fast. They really cranked them out back then; and sometimes they really cranked it up!!! Do see.

I liked this movie, probably a little more than I expected to. Loy sometimes seems confused unless she's strongly supported by a leading man, but this is one of those cases where the leading man (Gable) is up to the task. Pigeon also has a large role in the film but his is pretty much the subordinate role and almost no attempt is made to mask the fact that he will not "get the girl".The film's plot basically has Gable and Pigeon as rival photographers for newsreel companies in NYC. Loy is a daredevil female pilot (think Amelia Earhardt) who they both try to woo on a professional and personal level. Her main angle is that her brother was lost in a crash in South America and she's trying to raise money to send out a rescue party.The characters aren't too convincing or realistic, but this is an action/romance so that doesn't really matter. The dialogue is fun and Conway's direction makes the film flow very smoothly. The most impressive photography in the film is the aerial footage where Gable and Loy are photographing a burning ship at sea.... the effects for this were quite well done for the time.Overall a pleasing, not too memorable, adventure film. I expected a sort of "Red Dust" type of film but found Gable's character somewhat less interesting, and the story somewhat more, than in that film.