History Film / TheMadMissManton

-->'''Melsa Manton''': ''[has just discovered Ames is faking being near death to pump her for information, she finds a fork]'' Are you still in pain, sweet?
-->'''Peter Ames''': ''[from hospital bed, faintly]'' Oh its nothing, nothing... only when I move... but its nothing...
-->'''Melsa Manton''': ''[hovering over hospital bed, and getting closer]'' Peter, perhaps I did wrong in not telling Inspector Brent everything.

-->'''Melsa Manton''': ''[ominously]'' I'll come closer.
-->'''Peter Ames''': Tell me dear, what was it?
-->'''Melsa Manton''': ''[yelling]'' The Normandie, you black-hearted faker, in full sail! ''[stabs him in the leg with a fork]''

* StuffedInTheFridge: Pat finds [[spoiler: poor Ronny in the fridge and faints on top of him]].

From UsefulNotes/TheGoldenAgeOfHollywood, comes a mystery/ ScrewballComedy from RKOPictures, ''The Mad Miss Manton'' (1938).

* TheAlibi: Melsa and the gals try to find out if Edward Norris and his friend Frances’ hockey game alibi is solid. They find out that he couldn’t have killed old man Lane because that would’ve meant going across town and back in ten minutes. [[spoiler: TheReveal shows that it was possible for Edward to get to the crime scene and back quickly because a subway tunnel was under construction, and had a cart used to speedily take workers from one tunnel to another. That’s how Edward committed the murder of Mr. Lane and hid the body. And since Ronny saw him, he had to kill him, too.]]

* BelligerentSexualTension: Lots of bickering, and witty repartee.

From the GoldenAgeOfHollywood, comes a mystery/ ScrewballComedy from RKOPictures, ''The Mad Miss Manton'' (1938).

Although thought as a nuisance by Lieutenant Brent and Peter Ames, Melsa and her troop of bumbling friends are much more useful to the case than previously thought.

-->'''Peter Ames''': Listen, before I knew you, I disliked you intensely. When I met you, I disliked you intensely. Even now, I dislike you intensely... that is, the sensible sane portion of me... but there’s an insane side of me that gets a little violent every time I think of you.

* IdleRich: All the girls are viewed this way by the public, but they do a lot of charity work, and try to solve this murder-mystery.
* IntrepidReporter: Peter Ames.

''Miss Manton'' was the first comedic pairing of Stanwyck and Fonda, and features Hattie [=MacDaniel=], as Hilda, Melsa’s housemaid who whips wise-cracks as quickly as the other women.

* DoggedNiceGuy/StalkerWithACrush: Edward Norris, Sheila Lane’s former lover. [[spoiler: He decides to kill her husband. Sort of justified in the sense that Mr. Lane wasn't a very good guy to begin with since he would beat Sheila.]]

--->'''Peter Ames''': Listen, before I knew you, I disliked you intensely. When I met you, I disliked you intensely. Even now, I dislike you intensely... that is, the sensible sane portion of me... but there’s an insane side of me that gets a little violent every time I think of you.
--->'''Melsa Manton''': Getting out of a million-dollar lawsuit wouldn't have anything to do with your change in affection, would it?
--->'''Peter Ames''': You're a nasty creature, aren't you, but in time I'll beat it out of you.

--->'''Edward Norris''': Don't speak to anyone. I don't want to kill an innocent bystander.
--->'''Peter Ames''': Ya know, that's what I like about crazy men; that fine sense of distinction.

--->'''Lt. Mike Brent''': ''[talking about Melsa]'' She's probably the kind of dame who would come back to haunt me. Otherwise, I'd shoot to kill.

--->'''Peter Ames''': Any sign of Sheila Lane, yet?
--->'''Lt. Mike Brent''': No! How I wish I could get my hands on that dame!
--->'''Peter Ames''': And you a married man, Lieutenant! Tsk. Tsk. Tsk.

--->'''Helen Frayne''':''[after her friend unplugs the phone on her would-be date]'' He was cut off.
--->'''Friend''': Poor boy, and in the prime of his life, too.

--->'''Melsa Manton''': ''[has just discovered Ames is faking being near death to pump her for information, she finds a fork]'' Are you still in pain, sweet?
--->'''Peter Ames''': ''[from hospital bed, faintly]'' Oh its nothing, nothing... only when I move... but its nothing...
--->'''Melsa Manton''': ''[hovering over hospital bed, and getting closer]'' Peter, perhaps I did wrong in not telling Inspector Brent everything.
--->'''Peter Ames'''': You mean you held something back?
--->'''Melsa Manton''': Yes, Peter.
--->'''Peter Ames''': ''[this is what he's hoping to hear]'' Oh sweet, you're so clever.
--->'''Melsa Manton''': Remember when I went into Ronnie Beldon's apartment?
--->'''Peter Ames''': Yes, dear.
--->'''Melsa Manton''': When I went into the bathroom, I found something.
--->'''Peter Ames''': In the bathroom?
--->'''Melsa Manton''': Yes, floating around in a foot of water in the bathtub…
--->'''Peter Ames''': Louder, dear, I can hardly hear you.
--->'''Melsa Manton''': ''[ominously]'' I'll come closer.
--->'''Peter Ames''': Tell me dear, what was it?
--->'''Melsa Manton''': ''[yelling]'' The Normandie, you black-hearted faker, in full sail! ''[stabs him in the leg with a fork]''

--->'''Melsa Manton''': Helen, you search the upstairs.
--->'''Helen''': Oh, no! I was never much of an individualist. If the upstairs has to be searched, we'll search it together.
--->'''Dora Fenton''': Why, that's communism!

--->'''Helen Frayne''': If you kill her, you have to kill all of us.
--->'''Dora Fenton''': Oh! You’re always talking communism.

--->'''Melsa Manton''': ''[to her friends]'' Get him, girls!
--->'''Peter Ames''': Hey, wait a minute, girls...Take it easy, girls...Look...Help!

--->'''Lt. Mike Brent''': Look, lady, it's been ten minutes since you called us. The murderer, that is if there is a murderer, could be in Brooklyn by now - that is, if anybody ''wants'' to be in in Brooklyn.

--->'''Melsa Manton''': ''[storms into the room and slaps the first man she sees]'' Are you Peter Ames?
--->'''Peter's Secretary''': No...
--->'''Peter Ames''': But I am...
--->'''Melsa Manton''': ''[Slaps Peter]''
--->'''Peter Ames''': ''[Slaps Melsa]'' To complete the circle.

* {{Chiaroscuro}}: Although not a FilmNoir, this film has the lighting techniques that are characteristic of those films (dark shadows, contrasts, and in depth focus).

From the GoldenAgeOfHollywood, comes a mystery/comedy from RKOPictures, ''The Mad Miss Manton'' (1938).

* TheAlibi: Melsa and the gals try to find out if Edward Norris and his friend Frances’ hockey game alibi is solid. They find out that he couldn’t have killed old man Lane because that would’ve meant going across town and back in ten minutes. [[spoiler: TheReveal shows that it was possible for Edward to get to the crime scene and back quickly because a subway tunnel was under construction, and had a cart uses to speedily take workers from one tunnel to another. That’s how Edward committed the murder of Mr. Lane and hid the body. And since Ronny saw him, he had to kill him, too.]]

* TheAlibi: Melsa and the gals try to find out if Edward Norris and his friend Frances’ hockey game alibi is solid. They find out that he couldn’t have killed old man Lane because that would’ve meant going across town and back in ten minutes. [[spoiler: TheReveal shows that it was possible for Edward to get to the crime scene and back quickly because a subway tunnel was under construction, and had a cart uses to speedily take workers from one tunnel to another. That’s how Edward committed the murder of Mr. Lane and hide the body. And since Ronny saw him, he had to kill him, too.]]

Peter Ames writes a nasty article about Melsa and her apparent trick on the cops. This persuades her to sue for libel, and get the help of her friends to solve the mystery in order to clear their names.

Melsa Manton (Creator/BarbaraStanwyck) and her debutante friends are hounded by the press for being pranksters, especially from editor, Peter Ames (Creator/HenryFonda), who thinks they’re a bunch of rich nitwits.

Things get worse for the girls’ reputations when Melsa stumbles upon a dead body in socialite Sheila Lane’s abandoned apartment, and sees one of her society friends, Ronny Beldon, speeding off in a car. But when she calls the police and takes them there, the dead body has disappeared.

Peter Ames writes a nasty article about Melsa and her apparent trick on the cops. This persuades her to sue for libel, and get her friends to help her solve the mystery to clear their names.

Melsa Manton (Creator/BarbaraStanwyck) and her debutante friends are hounded by the press for being pranksters, especially from editor Peter Ames (Creator/HenryFonda) who thinks they’re a bunch of nitwits with money.

Things get worse for the girls’ reputations when Melsa stumbles upon a dead body in socialite Sheila Lane’s abandoned apartment, and sees one of her society friends, Ronny Beldon, speeding off in a car. But when she calls the police and takes them there, the dead body disappears.

* TheAlibi: Melsa and the gals try to find out if Edward Norris and his friend Frances’ hockey game alibi is solid. They find out that he couldn’t have killed old man Lane because that would’ve meant going across town and back in ten minutes. [[spoiler: TheReveal shows that it was possible for Edward to get to the crime scene and back quickly because the subway that’s under construction has a cart that can speedily take the construction workers from one place of the tunnel to another. That’s how Edward committed the murder of Mr. Lane. And since Ronny saw him, he had to kill him, too.]]
* AmateurSleuth: Melsa, and by extension, her friends that she brings along.