The Mad Miss Manton (1938)
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73% of users liked it
(169 ratings)
Wealthy socialite Melsa Manton (Barbara Stanwyck) is taking her pooches for a walk in the dead of the night when she stumbles upon a dead body and a car fleeing the scene of the crime. She alerts the police but the corpse has disappeared by the time they arrive, and the lieutenant, knowing of her… More Wealthy socialite Melsa Manton (Barbara Stanwyck) is taking her pooches for a walk in the dead of the night when she stumbles upon a dead body and a car fleeing the scene of the crime. She alerts the police but the corpse has disappeared by the time they arrive, and the lieutenant, knowing of her madcap reputation, believes she was playing a practical joke. After newspaper editor Peter Ames (Henry Fonda) takes her to task in print, she sues him for libel and enlists the aid of her society friends in tracking down the body and finding the killer. Eventually, Ames comes around to believing Melsa's story and aids her in her search. It isn't long before the two antagonists find they're attracted to each other -- but they have to catch the murderer before they can settle down and live happily ever after. Fonda and Stanwyck would team up again in You Belong to Me and The Lady Eve. ~ Craig Butler, Rovi
- Directed By
- Leigh Jason
- Written By
- Philip G. Epstein, Wilson Collison
- Genres
- Drama, Romance, Mystery & Suspense, Comedy
Unrated,
- In Theaters
- Oct 21, 1938 Wide
Critic Reviews
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Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews
A mildly funny screwball comedy-mystery thriller that is overall more thirties stylish than witty.
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Matt Bailey, Not Coming to a Theater Near You
The Mad Miss Manton succeeds as a romantic comedy more than it succeeds as a mystery.
See more critic ratings and reviews on Rotten Tomatoes
Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)
Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)
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Cast
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Barbara Stanwyck
as Melsa Manton
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Henry Fonda
as Peter Ames
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Sam Levene
as Lt. Mike Brent
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Frances Mercer
as Helen Frayne
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Stanley Ridges
as Edward Norris
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Whitney Bourne
as Pat James
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Vicki Lester
as Kit Beverly
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Ann Evers
as Lee Wilson
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Catherine O'Quinn
as Dora Fenton
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Linda Terry
as Myra Frost
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Eleanor Hansen
as Jane
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Hattie McDaniel
as Hilda
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James Burke
as Sgt. Sullivan
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Paul Guilfoyle
as Bat Regan
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Penny Singleton
as Frances Glesk
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Leona Maricle
as Sheila Lane
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Kay Sutton
as Gloria Hamilton
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Miles Mander
as Fred Thomas
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John Qualen
as Subway watchman
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Grady Sutton
as District Attorney's Secretary
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Olin Howland
as Mr. X/Red the Safecracker
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Irving Bacon
as Spengler the Process Server
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Eddy Chandler
as Detective
- Otto H. Fries
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Charles Halton
as Popsy the Lawyer
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Vinton Haworth
as Peter's Secretary
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George Magrill
as Policeman
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Matt McHugh
as Waiter
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Robert Middlemass
as District Attorney
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Leonard Mudie
as Managing Editor
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Ted Oliver
as Detective
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Emory Parnell
as Doorman
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Jack Rice
as Doctor
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Walter Sande
as Investigator
- Charles Trowbridge
- Pierre Watkin
- Clarence H. Wilson
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Jack Arnold
as Peter's Secretary
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Mary Jo Desmond
as Extra
- Buck Mack
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David Ward
as D.A.'s Secretary
- Sam Levine
- Vickie Lester
