Grade: C-
Synopsis: Jewel thieves (Joan Crawford and William Powell) pose as a socialite and a butler in order to stage a robbery.
The Last of Mrs. Cheyney is an uneven, uninspired comedy-drama that never realizes its potential.
The problems started before production even began. Myrna Loy was originally slotted to star in the titular role, but when Joan Crawford refused to do Parnell (1937), their roles were switched. This would prove to be a problem, as Crawford and Powell have next to no chemistry, which, in turn, undermines one of the story’s dramatic sub-plots involving a love triangle between Crawford, Powell, and Robert Montgomery’s characters.
The other casting flub was Montgomery, who, while he does his best, simply doesn’t work as an English nobleman. While he does manage better chemistry with Crawford then Powell, it’s still only marginal.
Compounding matters, once into production, director Richard Boleslawski died midway through, only to be replaced by George Fitzmaurice, who himself fell ill, and was replaced by an uncredited Dorothy Arzner. Given all this it’s amazing the film even got made, let alone that it even shines at points.
All of the credit goes to William Powell, who’s easily the film’s highlight. While his role is relatively small compared to Crawford and Montgomery’s, he makes the most of it, getting the film’s biggest laugh with his great line “I blush for them,” toward the finale. With Loy opposite him and a director like W.S. Van Dyke at the helm, The Last of Mrs. Cheyney might have been great, but unfortunately, we’ll never know.
