gridoon2018 "Penthouse" has the makings of a good mystery, but they decide to tell you whodunit rather quickly. That leaves mainly the romance between Warner Baxter and Myrna Loy, and he is a little too old for her (the film's only pre-code element is Loy's disappointment that Baxter won't sleep with her on the first night they meet!). As an aristocratic racketeer, ex-wrestler Nat Pendleton gives probably the most enjoyable performance, but his character stretches credibility in the extremes he goes to keep Baxter safe. It's an OK film, but nothing really special. **1/2 out of 4.

larry41onEbay As a pre-Code it has progressive ideas but by omission. Is she a party girl or just a lady out for fun chasing dangerous men? The plot and characters are fine and similar to many films of it's time and era, but for my money it all blossomed when Myrna lit-up the screen. Wow, that woman had presence and sex appeal! So I half-heartedly recommend it if you're a fan of the era or Miss Loy. And maybe if you expect less you'll find it better than I did. For me there are nearly 20 Myrna Loy titles I like much better. And Warner Baxter is better in his limited range. Spoiler: And the convoluted ending with the cops helping goes just too far.

blanche-2 Warner Baxter, Philips Holmes, Myrna Loy, Mae Clarke, and Charles Butterworth star in "Penthouse," a 1933 film directed by W.S. Van Dyke.Baxter plays an attorney who is called on to help young Holmes when he's accused of killing his fiancée. That afternoon, she was the attorney's girlfriend, but she didn't like him taking mob-related cases. So she went out and got engaged.Loy doesn't come into the film right away. She plays a party girl (hostess/prostitute) whom Jackson wants to talk to, as she was a friend of the victim's and can offer some details about the case. So he takes her back to his place, and she stays, to her surprise, in a separate bedroom when it's too late to go home.Good acting and a good pace are appreciated here, but Loy was much too refined to have been in that sort of job. Mae Clarke was more on the money. Loy looked beautiful, and believe me, that was a feat. Her gown was beyond hideous. White (or some light color) with an enormous black velvet bow that went the width of her chest and was attached to the gown by a diagonal strap in the back and attached to her black velvet belt in front. Someone ate too much Chinese food, went to bed, and dreamt up that nightmare.Despite this, Loy certainly had a presence and a serene beauty. But with that educated, well-modulated voice and all that grace, it seems odd she hadn't married some big-wig and was instead entertaining the customers at a bar.MGM had a tendency to put gloss over everything, so this movie doesn't have the Warner Brothers gangster sleaze element that it needs.

Cutter-2 I knew virtually nothing about this movie before I saw it. At one time I may have seen that Leonard Maltin thought highly of it but Leonard has thought highly of more than a few duds. However, this was anything but a yawner!! That I have always thought W. S. Van Dyke was unappreciated as a director may also be a factor in my opinion of the movie.I found Penthouse to be thoroughly enjoyable. Although never a big Warner Baxter fan, he was very convincing as an ostracized `society lawyer'. Loy, who was directed by Van Dyke in three of her best pre-Nora movies, is what can only be described as a call girl. Loy as a call girl is not nearly as difficult to believe as the name of the character she plays, Gertie Waxted. Myrna never remotely looked like a Gertie Waxted, regardless of her occupation and any call girl with a name like Gertie Waxted would have changed it.I would imagine this was released pre-code during 1933 because the innuendo between Baxter and Loy was anything but subtle especially the first night and morning after Loy spends in Baxter's apartment (in separate rooms). The exchange where Myrna tells Baxter she was disappointed she did not have to defend her honor the previous evening is classic. At the same time, one has the opinion she would not have put up much of a fight. The supporting cast of Butterworth, Clark, Nat Pendleton, one of my all-time favorites, and Gordon is excellent. Butterworth's deadpan `I hope this will teach Mr. Durant (Baxter) only to take murderers from the best families' line at the end of the movie is unforgettable.The Plot Summary accurately describes the situation so there is no need to dwell on it here. The two aspects of the plot that carry the movie are Loy as a very believable call girl and Pendleton as a gangster who is devoted to Baxter for getting him off on the proverbial murder wrap. To most classic movie fans, Loy is Nora Charles, William Powell's wife or Milly Stephenson. Loy as a believable call girl is no easy feat. In post-code Manhattan Melodrama one had to read between the lines to see anything wrong with Myrna as Blackie's girl who moves over to William Powell. In Penthouse, Myrna as a call girl punches you in the face.