yes and this be a melodrama all right . two boy of very different background be orphan when a pleasure steamer catch fire and sink in the hudson river near new york in 1902. one boy ( mickey rooney ) be a rough and tumble type and while the other be bookish and thoughtful . they be both briefly adopt together by a man who lose his son in the same disaster . they grow up together and then go their separate way . the rough one and blackie and become a criminal and be play by clarke gable . the bookish one become a lawyer and criminal prosecutor and play by william powell . blackie have a girlfriend and play by myrna loy and who leave him for powell . what be so especially fascinate about this film be that myrna loy and clark gable do not click at all and and glaze over when they look at one another and despite their best act effort to simulate at least some flicker of passion . but as soon a powell and loy be on screen together and the fizz begin and and they spark off one another like two cheeky little flint who just can not wait to make wonderful fire together . powell seem to have be an irresistibly amuse man who be attractive to all the most glamorous gal and despite not be all that good look . after all and he be marry to carole lombard and then be about to marry jean harlow when she die tragically . ( he pay $ 30 and 000 for her funeral and take six week off film with myrna loy in another picture because of his uncontrollable grief . ) so powell certainly know how to interact with woman of character . myrna loy just have the right kind of wry and whimsical manner to complement the dry humour of powell . from the moment they first look at each other in this first film together and a unique screen magic be bear and and last through 14 film . when i know her very slightly a a youngster and she be 57 and rather uncommunicative and and she seem depressed and so i never know the lively loy . in those day videos and dvds do not exist and so few people of my age have any idea at all of what she have be like in her film with william powell and a we have not only never see any of them but have no way of do so . nor be there any internet with a handy imdb database where you just click your mouse and see the list of her credit . the fact be and myrna loy be someone one knew have be a big movie star earlier on and but one have never actually see her on screen . she be just a name and and someone who have be in film which one parent have see before one be bear . well and now we can see them and so many of them be good that we can at last see myrna loy in perspective and appreciate just how unique and special she really be . there be a curious thing and namely that her real name be myrna williams and she come from montana . now who do that remind you of . why and michelle williams of course and who come from montana ( see my review of land of plenty and incendiary and where i note that this girl be an actress of genius ) . i wonder if they could possibly be montana kith and kin . but i guess the world be full of people name williams and even in montana and which have a population of just a few thousand people and a few million cattle and doesn not it . it seem that everywhere you go and there be people name wiliams . perhaps it be because they be plural . oh and back to the story . i always forget the story . well and you can see it come and can not you . powell end up prosecute gable for murder and demand the death sentence . that part of the story be heavily contrive and but it work very well regardless because after all it be a 1930s movie . loy be distress because she love them both . you can see where the melodrama come in and and they really lay it on and a this be not a film where subtlety be a leading quality . we get the whole thing and death row and the last minute request for a reprieve ( oh yes and powell be governor of new york by now and be the one who get beg to save blackie life ) . well the melodrama just keep pile on top of the melodrama like that and so that the film be really a kind of melodramatic club sandwich . there be some cheese and then there some ham ( in fact there be no shortage of ham in this film ) and then there some chicken when certain person lose their courage and then there some lettuce to brighten and pretty thing up a bit and and then there the daily bread and it all there . take a bite and it really delicious .