Francis Lederer came as close as he would ever get to being a genuine star with his touching performance in ROMANCE IN MANHATTAN. Ginger Rogers, after taking a long weekend off following completion of THE GAY Divorcée, was about to become world famous as a musical comedy star to an extent that has yet entirely to die out. Her role as Sylvia was fairly uncharacteristic for her: entirely sympathetic, straightforward, lovable without any edges. There was no antagonism turning into affection this time around. Such conflict wasn't needed. The plot was about Karel Novak (Lederer) and his struggles to make a life in America. The Depression is all over the movie. So is human charity. It's a combination common to 1930s Hollywood and inevitably described as 'Capra-esque'. Had he been involved, this sweet, lovely film would have gone down as one of Capra's better efforts.Steven Roberts was the actual director. If he hadn't died very young (not long after this film though it wasn't his last. It wasn't even his last with Ginger Rogers) I believe he would have been better remembered. He keeps ROMANCE IN MANHATTAN moving, keeps it simple and fresh, and except for the usual sloppy rear view projection shots so common to the era provides ROMANCE with a form to match its subject without ever drawing undue attention towards his efforts.Given a raw deal, a would-be immigrant jumps ship rather than allowing himself to be deported, is befriended by a chorus girl who has plenty of problems of her own, and tries to build a life with her. That provides plenty of scope for a 73 minute programmer that remains unburdened by any real subplots (the custody battle for Sylvia's brother might qualify as a subplot, but it's so integrated into the main proceedings that I resist describing it as such) and is far less about law or injustice than it is about pure love, and you won't find depictions of love much more pure than that between Karel and Sylvia, or between Sylvia and her brother, relationships completely unburdened by any selfishness whatsoever. The title invokes something more along the lines of a fairy tale than a realistic drama, and while their struggles are almost hyper-realistic in a manner rarely seen in films today, their spirits are positively transcendent, object lessons in how ideally to meet our problems even when afflicted by the most difficult of circumstances.After a really wonderful first hour the ending of ROMANCE IN MANHATTAN is rather rushed, and I'm not sure what accuracy there is to its depiction of contemporary immigration laws (there's never any hint that Karel's marrying Sylvia would enable him to stay in the United States, but only a few years later HOLD BACK THE DAWN would completely revolve around that facet of the law). Also, is Karel really supposed to still be living on the roof of Sylvia's apartment building (as he tells the judge, perhaps untruthfully?) months after working steadily at his various jobs? It hints at censorship concerns for a movie released in 1935. But those things are beside the point. Lederer and Rogers (and the other actors: J. Farrell MacDonald playing his inevitable Irish cop, and Sylvia's brother whose name I don't recall, are just as perfect as the leads) make the film a lovely experience to see. It qualifies as one of those hidden gems that scream to be rediscovered, but somehow rarely are.

Francis Lederer and Ginger Rogers star in this pleasant romantic comedy about an illegal Czech immigrant and a chorus girl who solve each other's problems during the Great Depression.Poor Lederer I feel sorry for him because I pictured my own grandparents in the same situation. He's spent every last cent on a ticket to America and then finds that the entry fee is now $200.00 instead of $50.00. I'd probably do what he did, jump ship before it sailed back and enter illegally.Still if Lederer hadn't met Rogers outside the theater she was working at and she hadn't felt sorry for him he would still have been in a fix. She's barely making ends meet supporting herself and her little brother Jimmy Butler. Then her show closes.Not to worry it all works out in the end I don't think you have to strain the gray cells too much to figure out how it is done.During the film Lederer mentions how sick he was during the voyage. My maternal grandmother arrived here before World War I and she was in steerage and was also constantly seasick. The voyage so traumatized her that you could not get her into a rowboat after that. I know exactly how Lederer was feeling.Some friendly beat cops J. Farrell MacDonald and his sergeant Sidney Toler solve all their problems and take care of a shyster lawyer played by Arthur Hohl who was looking to cash in on Lederer's problems.Immigration issues in today's America make this film have a returned relevancy. And it's a nice romantic comedy.

Ginger Rogers and Francis Lederer have "Romance in Manhattan" in this 1935 film directed by Stephen Roberts. The movie also features Jimmy Butler, Sidney Toler, and Donald Meek.The handsome Lederer plays Karel Novak, an immigrant to the U.S. who is sent back as soon as he arrives because he doesn't have the required $200. He thought he only needed $50. On the return ship to his native Czechoslovakia, he jumps ship, but loses his wallet in the process. Fortunately he meets a chorus girl, Sylvia, when he's trying to steal food. He winds up sleeping on the roof of the apartment building where Sylvia lives with her brother Frankie (Butler). Frankie helps Karel get a job delivering newspapers. Later on, Karel becomes a cab driver, all with the goal of earning the necessary $200 so he can stay in America.What a wonderful movie, very heartwarming, with fine performances, especially by Lederer. Irving Thalberg intended to make Lederer a huge star in the U.S., but he died, and it didn't happen. Nevertheless, the European star made some fine films both in Europe and here, moved into television, started an acting school, and taught acting until he died at age 100. When he worked with Louise Brooks in Die Büchse der Pandora in 1929, he knew no English, and Brooks knew no German. Here he gives a witty, charming and sincere performance as Karel.Ginger Rogers looks beautiful as Sylvia - she was 24 - and gives an excellent performance, sharing good chemistry with both Lederer and Butler.Very sweet film, well directed, not cloying or overly sentimental. Loved it.

This gem should rightly be considered one of the era's best comedies. It's touching, funny, and filled with hope. Lederer is perfect as the young immigrant, in love with the ideals of America during the Great Depression. Rogers, only one year out of the chorus, is outstanding. While the sets are a bit too phony, and the traveling in traffic scenes are too obviously fake, the story, the acting, and the directing are uniformly outstanding.