Parnell is one of those costume dramas that had a good idea, but the execution just didn't work. I'm a huge Gable and Loy fan, but it was hard sitting through this movie. As perfect as Gable would be as Rhett Butler two years later, he was completely wrong for Parnell. Equally, Myrna Loy was tremendous as Nora Charles in the two Thin Man movies prior to this film, but the chemistry between her and Gable in this film is bad, real bad. The love affair felt rushed and poorly scripted and the two actors, who were really good together in Manhattan Melodrama and Wife Vs. Secretary, just didn't seem to connect in this film. It makes me think it was either the writing or the directing.As far as the historical aspects go, this is also poorly handled. The romance between Parnell and the married Katie O'Shea was more sordid and scandalous than depicted in the movie. Parnell fathered three children with Katie which is never mentioned. Parnell also sported a full beard which Gable refused to do. Lastly, Parnell was a more sensitive character while Gable plays him as he does most of his roles, a man's man. This movie also nearly cost us Gable playing Rhett Butler. The reception and box office on this movie was so bad, Gable threatened never to do another historical costume drama and had to be convinced to play Rhett Butler. Whew. Thank god he changed his mind.If you like the actors involved, its a nice companion to some of their other pairings, but its easily the worst films of their careers.

Legend has it that Clark Gable was badly miscast in this movie, an example of an actor who wanted to show that he could do more than the roles in which he had been type-cast but in fact showed that he could not.Well, legend is in part right. Gable could do many things, quite well. But he is very bad in this movie, for several reasons.First is that he seems to have no command of the oratorical style that is supposedly the gift of every Irishman and certainly of every Irish politician. This is strange, because he certainly commanded an oratorical style in movies like *San Francisco*. But it's true. When he addresses Parliament, or his fellow Irish politicians, he sounds weak, and in no way raises his audience with the power of his oratory. That is all the more clear because several of the other actors in this movie demonstrate a fine oratorical style. The contrast is striking, and not in Gable's favor.Second, the script often stinks. It is wooden, unrealistic, and sometimes almost laughable.Third, there is no drama in these scenes. The movie drags badly.I have the feeling that Gable, or the director, did much of this intentionally, making an effort to create a character that did not have Gable's usual flair, like Blacky in *San Francisco*, for example. Perhaps I'm wrong. But seeing Gable play someone so often so weak is not an appealing sight.

I am an avid lover of the book THE FIFTY WORST FILMS by Harry Medved. It's brilliantly written and funny. However, a few times the book lists movies that are poor but really don't approach awfulness. This movie is one of them (along with THAT HAGEN GIRL and SWING YOUR LADY). While I will gladly admit that it is about Gable's worst film from the mid to late 1930s, it's certainly better than some movies he did in 1931 when he wasn't yet a star. Also, with so many bad films from Hollywood, this movie just seems poor--not bad. After all, even with a saccharine script, this movie STILL stars Myrna Loy and Clark Gable and how bad can a film be when it features these fine actors? Yes, it's true that Clark as Parnell is pretty wussy and unbelievable (and completely unlike Gable in other films, but I actually saw some merit, albeit little, in the film and just can't accept that it deserves a 1 or even a 2.

John Stahl is famous for his tear-jerkers -often excellent- which make ladies (and gentlemen)cry rivers of tears.Remember "only yesterday" "back street" or his precedent movie "the magnificent obsession"."Parnell " is another matter because it deals with the life and times of an Irish hero who fights for his people right ,a real human being ,not,say, a Fanny Hurst's character.The problem is that Gable's and Loy's characters resemble Fanny Hurst's characters.The movie runs almost two hours and the screenplay is often muddled and confuse.Arguably,Stahl hesitates between a straight political biography -and he's not really good at that- and a full bore melodrama -Gable's and Loy's impossible love)and it satisfies neither the fans of the first genre nor the soap operas' buffs.The ending ,which is guaranteed to send the sensitive people tearing through a ton a kleenex,is pure Stahl Stuff. Best part comes from Edna May Oliver ,playing Loy's auntie.Otherwise,a disappointment and .. a bore.