Strange Interlude 1932

     This film is adapted from a play written by Eugene O’Neill.  The play won a Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1928.  Gordon Shaw was a flyer and he was shot down and killed during WWI.  Nina wanted to marry him but her father wouldn’t give his consent.  Charlie is a friend but Nina doesn’t love him.  He’s too timid, too shy to talk about how he feels about her.  After Nina marries Sam, she learns that there is mental illness in his family.  For this reason, they won’t be able to have any children.  She has a secret affair with Ned and he wants her to leave Sam.  She has a son and his name is Gordon but he doesn’t know Ned is his father.  Nina still feels connected to Gordon, Sam and Ned.  The thoughts people think are never the words they speak.  In this film, we can hear what the people are thinking!!

     Clark Gable and Norma Shearer really had chemistry together on the screen.  There are difficult themes in this film.  There is insanity and infidelity with powerful and gripping scenes.  It examines life with its strange paths and disappointments.  There are times with the use of both dialogue and thought dialogue is too much!!  You want one of the dialogues to shut up!!  3 ½* (I liked this movie)      

109 min, Drama directed by Robert Z. Leonard with Norma Shearer, Clark Gable, Alexander Kirkland, Ralph Morgan, Robert Young, May Robson, Maureen O’Sullivan, Henry B. Walthall, Mary Alden, Tad Alexander.

Note:  Imdb 5.8 out of 10, Rotten Tomatoes 31% audience, TCM Leonard Maltin 3* of 4* average user rating 3* out of 5*, Amazon 3.9* out of 5* with 21 reviews.

Special Note:  Filmed at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios, Culver City and Santa Catalina Island, Channel Islands, California.  When Maureen O’Sullivan first met Clarke Gable on the set, he was in his old man makeup.  He asked her out on a horse-riding date, she turned him down because she thought he was too old for her?  Later, she saw him without make-up and regretted her decision.  Gable never asked her out again.  This is the first film with Gable sporting his trademark mustache.  Originally, Lynn Fontanne and her husband Alfred Lunt were to star.  They had the lead roles on Broadway but they didn’t’ want to do movies.  This film did fair at the box office and MGM received a profit of $90,000 ($1.54 million in 2017 money).