It was remade as a vehicle for Martin & Lewis and turned into a Broadway musical but William Wellman's original was a gold-plated joy from start to finish. I suppose you could call "Nothing Sacred" a satire on sensationalism in the newspaper business or maybe just one of the funniest movies ever made, (the writer was Ben Hecht working at the top of his game). It's the one about the girl dying of radium poisioning who then discovers she isn't but keeps the pretence up anyway, (yes, it's a comedy perhaps not in the best of taste), and it has great performances from Carole Lombard, Fredric March, Charles Winninger and Walter Connolly, magnificent as the gruff editor of the newspaper March works for. Indeed the only fault I can find with the film is the decision to shoot it in colour, however pretty it might look.

NOTHING SACRED (Selznick International/United Artists, 1937), directed by William A. Wellman, stars Carole Lombard in one of her finer comedies. Unlike any of her other screen efforts, this movie is notable for being her only one done entirely in Technicolor. Produced under David O. Selznick, whose earlier works of THE GARDEN OF ALLAH (1936) and A STAR IS BORN (1937) were also lenced in Technicolor, it's a wonder why his swashbuckling adventure of THE PRISONER OF ZENDA (1937), wasn't produced in the same manner while products as NOTHING SACRED could have gone just as well in black and white format. Regardless, NOTHING SACRED provided Lombard her only opportunity in a Technicolor feature, which benefits this production all the more. Cast opposite Fredric March for the second and final time, following their initial pairing in the war aviation drama, THE EAGLE AND THE HAWK (Paramount, 1933), NOTHING SACRED also shows how much better they work together in comedy as opposed to melodrama.Opening title (over the visual of Rockefeller Center and other New York City landmarks): "This is New York, skyscraper champion of the world ... where the slickers and Know-It-All peddle gold bricks to each other ... and where truth crushed together rises again are more phony than a glass eye." Wally Cook (Fredric March), star reporter for the Morning Star newspaper, along with Oliver Stone (Walter Connolly), his publisher, are holding a banquet for an important guest of honor, Prince Surta (Troy Brown), who is immediately exposed by his wife (Hattie McDaniel) as Ernest Walker, a shoeshine man in Harlem. Because of the humiliation, and unable to fire Wally due to his five year contract, Oliver reduces his star reporter to obituary editor with his desk placed inside a small filing room. Not wanting to spend those remaining years at his present position, Wally talks Oliver into sending him on an assignment in Warsaw, Vermont, to interview a young girl named Hazel Flagg, a victim of radium poisoning with only six months to live. Believing this would boost circulation, Wally is given that assignment. Before his arrival to Warsaw, Hazel (Carole Lombard, appearing 16 minutes into the start of the story), learns from her physician, Doctor Enoch Downer (Charles Winninger) that her medical report regarding her poisoning was a mistake and that she will live after all. Initially planning to enjoy life to the fullest before she dies, she chooses New York City as her destination. It so happens that Wally, after meeting with Hazel invites her to a holiday in New York as guest of the Morning Star with all expenses paid, and a day-by-day exclusive up to the time she dies. Hazel accepts the offer, taking the doctor with her. Seeing the sites as Madison Square Garden and other landmarks, she also becomes a guest of honor at the Casino Moderne. Gathering all this attention from media and public alike, Hazel begins to feel guilty being a fraud, and wants to release herself from this situation without being exposed nor hurting Wally's reputation with the newspaper.Other members of the cast include such fine reliable character actors as Sig Rumann (Doctor Emile Egglehoffer); Margaret Hamilton (The Drug Store Lady); John Qualen (The Fireman); Maxie Rosembloom (The Prizefighter), with Hedda Hopper, Olin Howland, and George Chandler in smaller but notable parts. Comedian Frank Fay plays a master of ceremonies for the Casino Moderne sequence. Monty Woolley can be spotted as one of the doctors out to examine Haze; while Billy Barty gets a cameo bit as a child who bites Wally's leg.An amusing story with notable scenes such as the opening banquet that sets the tone of the story, along with the introduction to the residents of Vermont where they all respond with one word answers, as well as Lombard contemplating a staged suicide. Walter Connolly is typical and very amusing as the harassed publisher while Charles Winninger shows he could play something other than aging performer who believes vaudeville will never die. Great scenes of New York City in Technicolor process are also an added plus. The screenplay by Ben Hecht with story by James H, Street was later revamped by Paramount titled LIVING IT UP (1954) with the comedy team of Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis in the March and Lombard roles.Falling into public domain, NOTHING SACRED was not only distributed to video cassette by numerous distribution companies in the early 1980s, but was overplayed on various television and public TV channels for several years. Currently on DVD, NOTHING SACRED also had exposure on cable channels over the years, notably American Movie Classics(prior to 2001) and Turner Classic Movies. While there are better Carole Lombard comedies worth noting, NOTHING SACRED is one that has become better known, and surprisingly short (75 minutes) for a major production. (***1/2)

The film had surprisingly very good taste. It incorporated both color picture and black and white into one film but alternated at just the right scenes. The color picture did add to the crazy feel of the film. All the colors were very vibrant, it was just like the plot. The camera sometimes shot from a far which made you feel very distant from the story. Most of the actors were good. It was a very wild feeling while watching it, since the characters were all over the place.The plot was actually pretty organized considering the way it played out. It was just a silly film, there was an actually suspenseful underline to it. Enjoyable and enhancing film!

This is a very heart warming well done film. It will not change your life, or make you realize some kind of grand epiphany, but it will entertain you and make you laugh. As most screwball comedies from this time period, this film is very predictable. You know that Wally and Hazel will end up together, but that isn't why you watch the film. The Journey is fun, and Carole Lombard is excellent as usual. She is one of my favorite actresses of the time period. This film is worth a watch, especially if you are a fan of the modern romantic comedy, it will shed a whole new light on the genre.