Hollywood legends Barbara Stanwyck and Henry Fonda worked together three times. For the first of these, we go to 1938’s The Mad Miss Manton.

Along with her pals, flighty socialite Melsa Manton (Stanwyck) becomes known for their pranks. When she tells police that she found a dead body but they locate no corpse, many think Melsa took her silly shenanigans too far.

However, Melsa tells the truth this time. Accompanied by her gang of friends, she embarks on her own investigation to solve the mystery.

I tend to associate Stanwyck with more serious fare like 1944’s Double Indemnity or 1950’s The Furies. A mix of mystery and comedy like Mad seems like an awkward fit for Stanwyck based on my prior experiences with her films.

That said, Stanwyck did work in more than 80 movies across her career. As such, it shouldn’t surprise me that she took on a mix of genres.

Does Stanwyck work as a fun-loving society figure? Yes, as she manages to bring this attitude to life well.

Which seems like an achievement given my preconceived notions of Stanwyck’s talents. She makes Melsa just self-absorbed enough to satisfy the character’s flippant nature but she also allows her to show intelligence and drive.

Plenty of actors would’ve gone too far one way or another. Stanwyck balances these sides in a positive manner.

She also shows nice chemistry with Fonda. He plays Pete Ames, a journalist who initially butts heads with Melsa.

Gee, do you think those two might eventually fall for each other? Well, duh.

Stanwyck and Fonda boast a good enough connection to overcome the cliché nature of their characters’ romance. Fonda doesn’t get a ton to do but he charms as the skeptical newspaper editor.

The screenplay by Philip G. Epstein giddily plays with our notions of thrillers. Director Leigh Jason moves the plot along at a good pace and ensures a light tone that suits the film.

After all, no one really expects to find a tense thriller from Mad. The murder investigation exists just as an excuse for comedic shenanigans.

The filmmakers never take themselves too seriously and this results in a delightful romp. Mad Miss Manton brings a brisk and lively comedic murder mystery.

The Mad Miss Manton appears in an aspect ratio of 1.37:1 on this Blu-ray Disc. Even by the high standards of Warner Archive releases, this one stood out as stellar – well, mostly.

The stretch from 36:55 to 37:55 clearly came from an inferior source than the rest, as it looked mushier. Still, I didn’t think this brief anomaly became a real problem, especially since everything looked so terrific.

Overall delineation seemed solid. Softness never became problematic, as we got an accurate image.

No issues with jagged edges or shimmering occurred, and I saw no edge haloes. Light grain cropped up and I saw no print flaws.

Black levels looked very solid, so contrast seemed smooth and distinctive, while dark tones were deep and firm. Low-light sequences also displayed nice definition and accuracy, with shadows that were appropriately detailed and clear. Ultimately, Mad offered a very positive visual experience.

While not as good as the picture, the DTS-HD MA monaural soundtrack of The Mad Miss Manton seemed fine for a film of this era. Speech was slightly dense and thick, but the lines displayed no edginess or sibilance, and they remained easily intelligible at all times.

Music seemed reasonably bright and dynamic given its age. The score and songs never excelled, but they came across with pretty fair definition.

Effects seemed fairly clear and tight when I considered technological restrictions. No issues with background noise manifested. In the end, the audio of Mad came across as satisfying for an old flick like this.

Along with the movie’s trailer, we get two circa 1938 animated shorts. The disc features Porky the Gob (7:55) and The Penguin Parade (7:32).

In Gob, Porky serves as a sailor on a naval craft and shenanigans ensue. These offer minor laughs but nothing great emerges.

Parade delivers a musical set in the Antarctic. It firmly leans toward the cutesy side of the street but still musters minor mirth.

With two Hollywood legends as its leads and a clever take on the murder mystery genre, The Mad Miss Manton provides a fine romp. With a firm lean toward the comedic side of the street, it keeps matters light and vibrant as it amuses us from start to finish. The Blu-ray boasts terrific visuals as well as appropriate audio and minor supplements. Chalk up Mad as a winner.